Dungeons & Dragons A History & Overview (2010).pdf

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Dungeons & Dragons
A History & Overview
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PDF generated at: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:21:41 UTC
Contents
Articles
Introduction
Dungeons & Dragons
1
1
20
20
27
37
39
41
53
59
59
63
68
70
70
77
85
86
86
98
104
108
110
111
112
112
115
120
124
The Early Years
Sources and influences on the development of Dungeons & Dragons
TSR, Inc.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974)
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons controversies
The WotC Years
d20 System
Wizards of the Coast
Open Game License
About The Game
Dungeons & Dragons game mechanics
Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)
THAC0
People
Gary Gygax
Dave Arneson
Ed Greenwood
Monte Cook
Jonathan Tweet
Skip Williams
Books
Dungeon Master's Guide
Player's Handbook
Monster Manual
Monster Manual II
Fiend Folio
Unearthed Arcana
Oriental Adventures
128
132
137
141
141
171
178
Settings
Greyhawk
Forgotten Realms
Eberron
References
Article Sources and Contributors
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
181
184
Article Licenses
License
186
1
Introduction
Dungeons & Dragons
The 4th Edition
Dungeons & Dragons
logo
Designer
Publisher
Publication
date
Years active
Genre(s)
System
Playing time
Random
chance
Skills
required
Website
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
TSR, Wizards of the Coast
1974 (original); 1977 (D&D
Basic Set
1st revision); 1977–1979 (AD&D); 1981 (D&D
Basic Set
2nd revision);
1983–1986 (D&D
Basic Set
3rd revision); 1989 (AD&D 2nd Edition); 1991 (D&D
Rules Cyclopedia);
2000 (D&D
3rd edition); 2003 (D&D v.3.5); 2008 (D&D 4th edition)
1974-present
Fantasy
Dungeons & Dragons;
d20 System
Varies
Dice rolling
Role-playing, improvisation, tactics, arithmetic
http:/ / www. wizards. com/ dnd
Dungeons & Dragons
(abbreviated as
D&D)
[1]
is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary
Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game has been
published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the
Chainmail
game serving as the initial rule system.
[2]
D&D's
publication is widely regarded as the beginning of
modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry.
[3]
D&D
departs from traditional wargaming and assigns each player a specific character to play instead of a military
formation. These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master serves
as the game's referee and storyteller, while also maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur. The characters
form a party that interacts with the setting's inhabitants (and each other). Together they solve dilemmas, engage in
battles and gather treasure and knowledge.
[3]
In the process the characters earn experience points to become
increasingly powerful over a series of sessions.
The early success of
Dungeons & Dragons
led to a proliferation of similar game systems. Despite this competition,
D&D
enjoys a dominant market position in the role-playing game industry.
[4]
In 1977, the game was split into two
versions: the more loose, open framework game system of
Dungeons & Dragons
and the much tighter and more
structured game system of
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
(abbreviated as
AD&D
or
ADnD).
[1] [5]
AD&D
2nd
Edition was published in 1989. In 2000, the original version of the game was discontinued and the
AD&D
version
was renamed simply
Dungeons & Dragons
with the release of its 3rd edition.
[6]
These rules formed the basis of the
d20 System that is available under the Open Game License for use by other publishers.
Dungeons & Dragons
[7]
version 3.5 was released in June 2003, with a 4th edition in June 2008.
Dungeons & Dragons
As of 2006,
Dungeons & Dragons
remains the best-known
[8]
and best-selling
[9]
role-playing game, with an
estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales.
[10]
The game has been supplemented by many pre-made adventures as well as commercial campaign settings suitable
for use by regular gaming groups.
Dungeons & Dragons
is known beyond the game 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.
[11]
The game has won multiple awards and has been
translated into many languages beyond the original English.
2
Play overview
Dungeons & Dragons
is a structured yet open-ended role-playing
game. It is normally played indoors with the participants seated
around a table-top. Typically, each player controls only a single
character, which represents an individual in a fictional setting.
[12]
[13]
When working together as a group, these player characters
(PCs) are often described as a
‘party’
of adventurers, with each
member often having his or her own areas of specialty that
contributes to the success of the whole.
[14] [15]
During the course
of play, each player directs the actions of his or her character and
its interactions with the other characters in the game.
[16] [17]
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’.
[18]
A D&D game session in progress
The results of the party's 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.
[19]
The DM selects and describes the
various non-player characters (NPCs) the party encounters, the settings in which these interactions occur, and the
outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions.
[17] [20]
Encounters often take the form of
battles with 'monsters'
–
a generic term used in
D&D
to describe potentially hostile beings such as animals or
mythical creatures. The game's extensive rules
–
which cover diverse subjects such as social interactions,
[21]
magic
use,
[22]
combat,
[23]
and the effect of the environment on PCs
[24]
–
help the DM to make these decisions. The
Dungeon Master may choose to deviate from the published rules
[19]
or make up new ones if he or she feels it is
necessary.
[25]
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.
A
Basic Game
boxed set contains
abbreviated rules to help beginners learn the game.
[26]
The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks, a
character sheet for each player and a number of polyhedral dice.
The current editions also assume, but do not require, the use of
miniature figures or markers on a gridded surface. Earlier editions
did not make this assumption.
[27]
Many optional accessories are
available to enhance the game, such as expansion rulebooks,
pre-designed adventures and various campaign settings.
[28]
Release 3.5 of the three core rulebooks

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