Dungeons & Dragons (game)

*This article is about the **Dungeons & Dragons** tabletop roleplaying game. To view other D&D pages, visit: Dungeons & Dragons (disambiguation) for more.*

## General Information

### Genre

* Fantasy
* Role-playing

### Publishers

* TSR (1974–1997)
* Wizards of the Coast (1997–present)

### Publications

* 1974 (original)
* 1977 (*Basic Set* 1st ver.)
* 1977 (*Advanced D&D*)
* 1981 (*Basic Set* 2nd ver.)
* 1983 (*Basic Set* 3rd ver.)
* 1989 (*AD&D* 2nd Edition)
* 1991 (*Rules Cyclopedia*)
* 2000 (3rd edition)
* 2003 (v3.5)
* 2008 (4th edition)
* 2014 (5th edition)

## In-Game Information

### System

*Dungeons & Dragons* d20 System (3rd Edition)

### Skills

Role-playing, improvisation, tactics, arithmetic

## Chronology

***Dungeons & Dragons*** (commonly abbreviated as ***D&D*** or ***DnD***) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game *Chainmail* serving as the initial rule system. *D&D*'s publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, and also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

*D&D* departs from traditional wargaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master (DM) serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world, also referred to as non-player characters (NPCs). The characters form a party and they interact with the setting's inhabitants and each other. Together they solve dilemmas, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge. In the process, the characters earn experience points (XP) to rise in levels, and become increasingly powerful over a series of separate gaming sessions.

The early success of *D&D* led to a proliferation of similar game systems. Despite the competition, *D&D* has remained the market leader in the role-playing game industry. In 1977, the game was split into two branches: the relatively rules-light game system of basic *Dungeons & Dragons*, and the more structured, rules-heavy game system of *Advanced Dungeons & Dragons* (abbreviated as *AD&D*). *AD&D* 2nd Edition was published in 1989. In 2000, a new system was released as *D&D* 3rd edition, continuing the edition numbering from *AD&D*; a revised version 3.5 was released in June 2003. These 3rd edition rules formed the basis of the d20 System, which is available under the Open Game License (OGL) for use by other publishers. *D&D* 4th edition was released in June 2008. The 5th edition of *D&D*, the most recent, was released during the second half of 2014.

In 2004, *D&D* remained the best-known, and best-selling, role-playing game in the US, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales worldwide. The year 2017 had "the most number of players in its history—12 million to 15 million in North America alone". *D&D 5th edition* sales "were up 41 percent in 2017 from the year before, and soared another 52 percent in 2018, the game's biggest sales year yet". The game has been supplemented by many pre-made adventures, as well as commercial campaign settings suitable for use by regular gaming groups. *D&D* is known beyond the game itself for other *D&D*-branded products, references in popular culture, and some of the controversies that have surrounded it, particularly a moral panic in the 1980s falsely linking it to Satanism and suicide. The game has won multiple awards and has been translated into many languages.

## Play overview

*Dungeons & Dragons* is a structured yet open-ended role-playing game. It is normally played indoors with the participants seated around a tabletop. Typically, one player takes on the role of Dungeon Master (DM) while the others each control a single character, representing an individual in a fictional setting. When working together as a group, the player characters (PCs) are often described as a "party" of adventurers, with each member often having their own area of specialty which contributes to the success of the whole. During the course of play, each player directs the actions of their character and their interactions with other characters in the game. This activity is performed through the verbal impersonation of the characters by the players, while employing a variety of social and other useful cognitive skills, such as logic, basic mathematics and imagination. A game often continues over a series of meetings to complete a single adventure, and longer into a series of related gaming adventures, called a "campaign".

The results of the party's choices and the overall story line for the game are determined by the DM according to the rules of the game and the DM's interpretation of those rules. The DM selects and describes the various non-player characters (NPCs) that the party encounters, the settings in which these interactions occur, and the outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions. Encounters often take the form of battles with "monsters" – a generic term used in *D&D* to describe potentially hostile beings such as animals, aberrant beings, or mythical creatures. The game's extensive rules – which cover diverse subjects such as social interactions, magic use, combat, and the effect of the environment on PCs – help the DM to make these decisions. The DM may choose to deviate from the published rules or make up new ones if they feel it is necessary.

The most recent versions of the game's rules are detailed in three core rulebooks: The *Player's Handbook*, the *Dungeon Master's Guide* and the *Monster Manual*.

The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks, a character sheet for each player, and a number of polyhedral dice. Many players also use miniature figures on a grid map as a visual aid if desired, particularly during combat. Some editions of the game presume such usage. Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game, such as expansion rulebooks, pre-designed adventures and various campaign settings.

### Game mechanics

Main articles: Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)

Before the game begins, each player creates their player character and records the details (described below) on a character sheet. First, a player determines their character's ability scores, which consist of Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each edition of the game has offered differing methods of determining these scores. The player then chooses a race (species) such as human or elf, a character class (occupation) such as fighter or wizard, an alignment (a moral and ethical outlook), and other features to round out the character's abilities and backstory, which have varied in nature through differing editions.

During the game, players describe their PCs' intended actions, such as punching an opponent or picking a lock, and converse with the DM, who then describes the result or response. Trivial actions, such as picking up a letter or opening an unlocked door, are usually automatically successful. The outcomes of more complex or risky actions are determined by rolling dice. Different polyhedral dice are used for different actions, such as a twenty-sided die to see whether a hit was made in combat, but an eight-sided die to determine how much damage was dealt. Factors contributing to the outcome include the character's ability scores, skills and the difficulty of the task.

As the game is played, each PC changes over time and generally increases in capability. Characters gain (or sometimes lose) experience, skills or gain additional character classes. The key way characters progress is by earning experience points (XP), which happens when they defeat an enemy or accomplish a difficult task. Acquiring enough XP allows a PC to advance a level, which grants the character improved class features, abilities and skills. XP can be lost in some circumstances, such as encounters with creatures that drain life energy, or by use of certain magical powers that come with an XP cost.

Hit points (HP) are a measure of a character's vitality and health and are determined by the class, level and constitution of each character. They can be temporarily lost when a character sustains wounds in combat or otherwise comes to harm, and loss of HP is the most common way for a character to die in the game. Death can also result from the loss of key ability scores or character levels. When a PC dies, it is often possible for the dead character to be resurrected through magic, although some penalties may be imposed as a result. If resurrection is not possible or not desired, the player may instead create a new PC to resume playing the game.

### Adventures and campaigns

Main articles: Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons) and Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings

A typical *Dungeons & Dragons* game consists of an "adventure", which is roughly equivalent to a single story. The DM can either design an original adventure, or follow one of the many pre-made adventures (also known as "modules") that have been published throughout the history of *Dungeons & Dragons*. Published adventures typically include a background story, illustrations, maps and goals for PCs to achieve. Some include location descriptions and handouts. Although a small adventure entitled "Temple of the Frog" was included in the *Blackmoor* rules supplement in 1975, the first stand-alone *D&D* module published by TSR was 1978's *Steading of the Hill Giant Chief*, written by Gygax.

A linked series of adventures is commonly referred to as a "campaign". The locations where these adventures occur, such as a city, country, planet or an entire fictional universe, are referred to as "campaign settings" or "world". *D&D* settings are based in various fantasy genres and feature different levels and types of magic and technology. Popular commercially published campaign settings for *Dungeons & Dragons* include Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, Birthright, and Eberron.

In addition to first-party campaigns and modules, two campaigns based on popular culture have been created. The first, based on *Stranger Things*, was released in May 2019. A campaign based on the *Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons* comic book series was later released in November 2019.

Alternatively, DMs may develop their own fictional worlds to use as campaign settings.

## References

1. ↑ D&D: The 'What does that stand for?'
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 What happened to Dungeons and Dragons?
3. ↑ 11 Ways Dungeons & Dragons Influenced Video Games
4. ↑ The influence of role-playing in video games
5. ↑ The Influence of Dungeons and Dragons on Video Games
6. ↑ The Uncanny Resurrection of Dungeons & Dragons
7. ↑ "Frankly, the difference in sales between Wizards and all other producers of roleplaying games is so staggering that even saying there is an 'RPG industry' at all may be generous." The Open Game License as I See It – Part II
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Rise of the Professional Dungeon Master
9. ↑ Gygax; "From the Sorcerer's Scroll" in *The Dragon* #26.
10. ↑ Is There a Best Edition of D&D? Absolutely
11. ↑ Players Handbook (1e) - Product History
12. ↑ According to a 1999 survey in the United States, 6% of 12- to 35-year-olds have played role-playing games. Of those who play regularly, two thirds play *D&D*. (Dancey; Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary)
13. ↑ Products branded *Dungeons & Dragons* made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2005. (Hite; State of the Industry 2005)
14. ↑ Behind the scenes of the making of Dungeons & Dragons
15. ↑ A beginner's guide to playing Dungeons and Dragons
16. ↑ McMartin Preschool: Anatomy of a Panic - Retro Report
17. ↑ "Encounters are to adventures what adventures are to campaigns" (Cook, Williams, Tweet; *Dungeon Master's Guide* v3.5., p. 129)
18. ↑ The original game used 3d6 in the order rolled (Gygax, Arneson; *Dungeons & Dragons*). Variants have since been included (Gygax; *Dungeon Masters Guide*, p. 11) and the standard for more recent editions is "rolling four six-sided dice, ignoring the lowest die, and totaling the other three" (Tweet, Cook, Williams; *Player's Handbook* [3.0], p. 4), arranging the results in any order desired. Recent editions also allow for a "point buy" system.
19. ↑ Tweet; *Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game* p. 24
20. ↑ "A *D&D* campaign is an organized framework... to provide a realistic setting for a series of fantastic adventures." (Allston; *Rules Cyclopedia*, p. 256)
21. ↑ "It is important to distinguish between a campaign and a world, since the terms often seem to be used interchangeably ... A world is a fictional place in which a campaign is set. It's also often called a campaign setting." (Cook, Williams, Tweet; *Dungeon Master's Guide* v3.5., p. 129)
22. ↑ Stranger Things D&D Roleplaying Game Starter Set | Dungeons & Dragons
23. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty RPG Is Stupid, Irreverent Fun...Especially for DMs