
In the interest of getting you started, we’re going to be referring specifically to the latest version, which is 5th edition. There have been numerous revisions of the game’s rules over the years in the form of different editions, and each one is markedly different from one another. Whereas the players only have control over their own characters, DMs have control over everything else.įrom here on out the specifics of the game start to diverge. They facilitate the game by portraying characters the players don’t control, describing the scenes and battles, and being the final say in what actions characters can take. Everyone at the table will be a player except for one person: the DM.ĭungeons Masters (DMs) do not play the game as a single character but take the role of the storyteller and narrator. If you ever played make-believe as a child or taken improv classes, you might be familiar with the concept. D&D also falls into the category of “roleplaying games”, so players are encouraged to act the part of their character and step into the “role”. The game supports medieval fantasy settings where knights in shining armor brush shoulders with spell-slinging wizards. Each player creates and controls one character. The game has changed a lot over the past forty-four years but the main ideas remain the same. Thus, in 1974, the first published ruleset for Dungeons and Dragons was born. Each player controlled one character instead of multiple and worked as a team to navigate a dungeon filled with monsters and treasure.


The co-creators took tactical tabletop games like Chainmail and focused it in on a small band of adventurers rather than an entire army of soldiers.

Learn what it means to roll for initiative as we delve deep into Dungeons and Dragons! What is the Premise of the Game?ĭungeons and Dragons evolved from medieval wargaming where players controlled armies of fantasy heroes. This article hopes to answer big questions new players may have. Perhaps you’ve researched Dungeons and Dragons but got lost in the terminology and print editions.

Maybe you have friends that have been inviting you to play with them for years. Maybe you’ve seen one of the many pop culture references made to the game. From Stranger Things to Futurama, no game has gotten quite the same star treatment as Dungeons and Dragons.
