Dungeons & Dragons Dungeons & Dragons ( abbreviated as D & D ) is a paper - and - pencil role - playing game ( RPG ) . Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created Dungeons & Dragons in the year 1974 . It was first published by Tactical Studies Rules , Inc . ( TSR ) . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997 . It is normally played indoors with the participants seated around a tabletop . A typical " Dungeons & Dragons " game consists of an " adventure " in a fantasy world or " campaign setting " . Typically , each player controls only a single character . The results of the characters ' choices and the overall storyline for the game are determined by the Dungeon Master ( DM ) according to the rules of the game and the DM ' s interpretation of those rules . Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game , such as expansion rulebooks , pre - designed adventures and various campaign settings . Commercially published campaign settings are " Forgotten Realms " , " Greyhawk " , " Dragonlance " , " Eberron " and " Dark Sun " . Pre - made adventures ( previously known as " modules " ) have been published throughout the history of " Dungeons & Dragons " . Editions of " Dungeons & Dragons " . Several revisions of " Dungeons & Dragons " have been released . The first edition ( January 1974 ) was just called " Dungeons & Dragons " , now referred to as original " Dungeons & Dragons " . Built on " Chainmail " fantasy rules , it consists in a box set with three booklets , " Men & Magic " , " Monsters & Treasure " , " The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures " , and five supplements , " Greyhawk " , " Blackmoor " , " Eldritch Wizardry " , " Gods , Demi - Gods , & Heroes " and " Swords & Spells " . In 1977 was introduced the " Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set " , followed by " Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set " and several supplementary books . The basic set dealt with characters from levels 1 - 3 ; as characters got stronger , players had to move to the more advanced rulebooks to manage their characters . In 1978 was published Advanced Dungeons & Dragons ( AD & D ) , with its three " core rulebooks " , " Player ' s Handbook " , " Dungeon Master ' s Guide " and " Monster Manual " , but this was a new ruleset that was unrelated to the original rules . A second edition of AD & D was released in 1989 , which is still popular today . After Wizards of the Coast bought the rights to " Dungeons & Dragons " , a more streamlined version of the game was released in 2000 , called " Dungeons & Dragons " 3rd Edition . Most die - rolls were done with a 20 sided die , instead of different types of multi - sided dice . The 3rd edition rules were eventually revised in 2003 , and version 3 . 5 was released . " Dungeons & Dragons " 4th edition was published in June 2008 with completely revamped gameplay mechanics , combat rules , and magic system . This shakeup of tradition received mixed reviews . On January 9 , 2012 , Wizards of the Coast announced that they had begun work on " Dungeons & Dragons " 5th edition . The 2012 D & D Experience convention ( January 26 - January 29 ) was held in Fort Wayne , Indiana , during which hundreds of convention goers got a first look at the concepts behind D & D 5th edition . On July 15 , 2014 , the " Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set " was released in a box with booklets for the DM and the players , pregenerated characters , six dice , and an adventure for levels 1 – 5 . This was quickly followed by the full " Player ' s Handbook " in August , the " Monster Manual " in September , and the " Dungeon Master ' s Guide " in December of that year . The new rules reverted almost all the 4th edition changes to the game mechanics and now resembled an improved and simplified 3 . 5 system .