Dungeons & Dragons: A Player's Rave

Dungeons & Dragons is a dice-based tabletop roleplaying game designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in the mid-seventies. Through humble beginnings, the game morphed tabletop gaming into a new generation of play through personalized character creation and guidelines on play instead of a set of unbreakable rules. Dungeons & Dragons has been hailed by many as the best-selling and best-known tabletop RPG game in the history of the genre. There's really no secret to the success, just good, old-fashioned fantasy adventuring.

What separated Dungeons & Dragons from other tabletop games was that instead of controlling your miniatures as a combat group, the play was more based around a single character in a fantasy environment. It was like a group of people getting together to weave their own fantasy novel going through the story as a person would, as if they were living the life of their characters.

The best thing about Dungeons and Dragons is that no two games, parties, or even sets of rules are ever the same. The rules given in the Player's Handbook and other core books are just guidelines that the players can change as they see fit. Though most players choose to have minimal variations to keep the spirit of the game alive, as long as the rest of the players are aware of the changes, gameplay can run smoothly. This can lead to a plethora of interesting playing styles. Most of this is up to the Dungeon Master as he can run things as he or she sees fit. But hopefully any good Dungeon Master would keep the game challenging but not impossible. That's the fun of the game, facing seemingly impossible odds and finding a way to accomplish it.

There are literally thousands of ways to play Dungeons & Dragons. You can make up your own campaign settings, use Wizards, Inc. or other such published Adventure settings, or even make it up as you go along. Most anything can be done, within the discretion of the Dungeon Master. You are your own character's master and your fate rests on the backs of polyhedral dice.

The game's popularity has skyrocketed among nerds and geeks everywhere, even today where electronic gaming and remote communication rules. An estimated twenty million players have delved into this magical world awaiting adventure and dangers. In Dungeons & Dragons, you can escape the mundane dullness of the everyday world and live out your fantasies as a hero in a world of your creation. See through the eyes of your hero as you battle kobolds and ghouls, slay dragons and explore through treacherous dungeons looking for loot. Whatever you wish to be, you can be in Dungeons & Dragons. You don't need anything fancy. All it takes is a few dice rolls, a few good friends and a good amount of imagination. Find your path now, and come join the adventure.