Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy role-playing game (RPG) published by Wizards of the Coast. The current version of the game is Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 (also known as the Revised 3rd Edition or D&D3.5). Previous versions of the game include Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as AD&D). Outside of the gaming community, D&D has become a genericized trademark used to refer to RPGs in general. The game also achieved notoriety, particularly in the 1980s, due to its alleged promotion of devil worship, witchcraft, suicide, and murder.

Related Topics:
Fantasy - Role-playing game - Wizards of the Coast - Genericized trademark - 1980s - Devil worship - Witchcraft - Suicide - Murder

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The original Dungeons & Dragons, designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneseon, was first published in January 1974 by Gygax's company, Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). Originally derived from tabletop wargames, this publication is generally regarded as the beginning of modern role-playing games and, by extension, the role-playing game industry.

Related Topics:
Gary Gygax - Dave Arneseon - January - 1974 - Tactical Studies Rules

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Players of D&D embark upon imaginary adventures in which they battle many kinds of fictional monsters, gather treasure, and earn experience points as the game progresses. The game departed from traditional wargaming by giving each player the part of a specific character to play. It also developed the concept of a Dungeon Master (or Gamemaster), a referee responsible for creating the fictional setting of the game, playing antagonists and supporting characters, and moderating the actions of the players' characters.

Related Topics:
Experience points - Dungeon Master - Gamemaster - Antagonist

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In 1977 the game was split into two slightly different versions: The simpler Dungeons & Dragons and the more complex Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. In 2000, the simpler version of the game was discontinued and the 3rd Edition of Dungeons & Dragons was released as a continuation of the AD&D game line. The v.3.5 revision of the game was released in July 2003.

Related Topics:
1977 - 2000 - 2003

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Dungeons & Dragons remains the best-known and best-selling RPG, with an estimated 20 million players worldwide and over US$1 billion in book and equipment sales (as of 2004 according to a BBC news report). Products branded Dungeons & Dragons made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2002.

Related Topics:
US$ - 2004 - 2002

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