Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role playing game that exists since the mid 1970s. Over the years it has gained a lot of popularity, and at this point it is by far the most popular pen & paper role playing game in the market, with book and equipment sales of more than $1 billion and more than 20million people that have played it, according to wikipedia.
The game is an open-ended and story-based, governed by a very complex set of rules that take a while to master. D&D requires at least 4-5 participants to be interesting, one of which is the Dungeon Master (DM). The rest of the players each assume a character and typically form a group. Each character has some statistics that represent what they can do, as well as backgrounds that merge into the story.
The Dungeon Master is responsible for providing the setting in which the characters act. The DM is the one narrating the story and playing all the non-player characters (NPCs) that appear in the plot. The DM also describes to the players the environment, the actions that happen and how the story evolves. (S)he is the one providing challenges to the players to overcome, as well as helping them when needed. To do all the above requires an intimate familiarity with the game rules as well as a creative spirit. A good Dungeon Master is the key to having a nice experience while playing the game.
There is a lot of literature that has been developed around the game. Whole fantasy worlds have been created and thousands of novels have been written describing stories that take place in these worlds. These books often act as inspiration to help the Dungeon Master create the stories for the players.
To start playing the game, a group of players needs 3 books. The Player's Handbook contains the core rules of the game that everyone needs to know. The other two books, the Monster Manual and the Dungeon Master's Guide are important mostly to the DM. In addition to these core rulebooks, there are tons of enhancements and additional tools available to help enhance the playing experience.
Other than these books (which you have to read before starting to play!), all you need is few sets of dice, pen, paper, maybe some miniatures and a lot of imagination!
The game is an open-ended and story-based, governed by a very complex set of rules that take a while to master. D&D requires at least 4-5 participants to be interesting, one of which is the Dungeon Master (DM). The rest of the players each assume a character and typically form a group. Each character has some statistics that represent what they can do, as well as backgrounds that merge into the story.
The Dungeon Master is responsible for providing the setting in which the characters act. The DM is the one narrating the story and playing all the non-player characters (NPCs) that appear in the plot. The DM also describes to the players the environment, the actions that happen and how the story evolves. (S)he is the one providing challenges to the players to overcome, as well as helping them when needed. To do all the above requires an intimate familiarity with the game rules as well as a creative spirit. A good Dungeon Master is the key to having a nice experience while playing the game.
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There is a lot of literature that has been developed around the game. Whole fantasy worlds have been created and thousands of novels have been written describing stories that take place in these worlds. These books often act as inspiration to help the Dungeon Master create the stories for the players.
To start playing the game, a group of players needs 3 books. The Player's Handbook contains the core rules of the game that everyone needs to know. The other two books, the Monster Manual and the Dungeon Master's Guide are important mostly to the DM. In addition to these core rulebooks, there are tons of enhancements and additional tools available to help enhance the playing experience.
Other than these books (which you have to read before starting to play!), all you need is few sets of dice, pen, paper, maybe some miniatures and a lot of imagination!
Ah the epicness of AD&D 2.0, endless hours of play. Playing the game at night, and discussing about the game next morning.
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