What is Dungeons & Dragons?
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is one of the oldest, and most popular fantasy roleplaying game in existence, now celebrating its 30th anniversary. The D&D universe involves elves, dwarves, magic, and yes, dragons too in a fantasy setting. Players create their own fantasy characters from a wide variety of races and occupations, and join together to have adventures under the guidance of a Dungeon Master (DM). In addition to the core system, D&D provides many source books which provide additional campaign settings and character options giving D&D adventures almost limitless scope and variety.
What do I need to get started?
How do I play?
Each player other than the DM selects a character for themselves: a new character created by the player specifically for that adventure, a pre-existing character used by the player in previous adventures (the most common choice), or one provided by the DM. The DM then acts as the 'narrator'--describing the background for the adventure and the details of each event and encounter the player characters face. Players make decisions as to what their characters do at any given time, and often dice are rolled to resolve combat or test success of a character's use of a skill or ability. Upon completion of a task, such as killing a monster, the player characters earn experience points (XP) which, when they reach a certain amount, allow the character to gain levels, giving them more powerful attributes and abilities. Seeking after experience--and thus personal advancement--provides the key incentive for the players to play their characters from adventure to adventure, and, in fact, is at the heart of the roleplaying experience.
What are Supplements?
Supplements are additional source books that are not required for D&D play, but contain additional resources for players and DMs to use in D&D adventures. Sample supplements include providing additional monsters, new campaign settings, or additional character creation options--including new classes or abilities.
What are Adventures?
The books in the 'Adventures' category contain complete pre-written adventures that a DM can use with a group of player characters--saving the time of creating one on his/her own. Adventure books provide background information, maps, and encounter/event information for a complete adventure, or simply ideas to include in an existing campaign. Each D&D adventure is marked with a level indicator (Level 4, Level 6, etc...) which represents the approximate level of the player characters that should participate in that adventure. Character too high will find the adventure too easy--too low, and the adventure will likely be too challenging for the characters to survive.
What are Playing Aids?
Playing aids provide such materials as dice, maps, and pre-printed character sheets for players to use. Playing aids aren't necessary to play Dungeons & Dragons, but players and DMs may find them useful and convenient. |