Written by: J. A. Iris (Des Viper)
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D or DnD) is the most popular tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) in the world. D&D often serves as a gateway to the larger world of role-play games (RPGs) and improvised storytelling. Its roots are in tactical tabletop wargames, but over its 50-year history, it has evolved into a versatile game for all types of gameplay. It can be about legendary wizards and invincible barbarians facing off against armies of undead or invaders from other dimensions! Or it can be a game of political intrigue and mystery. Often in the same session!
D&D has had an immense impact across Western fantasy: everything from The Elder Scrolls to World of Warcraft to Fallout has been touched by the role-play and fantasy elements popularized in the early years of D&D. Later editions of D&D have expanded the game to allow third-party creators to release campaigns, adventures, and their own fantasy settings using D&D mechanics and monsters via the Open Game License (OGL). The game has become so ubiquitous that it almost eclipses the larger world of tabletop role-playing games and the wargames from which D&D evolved. This article will bring you quickly through the 50-year history of Dungeons and Dragons, from its Midwest wargame roots to the vibrant, diverse D&D community today!
Drama in Wargames
Dungeons and Dragons was born in the United States Midwest military wargame community. There, players set up “army men”, cannons, horses, and other units in military and paramilitary scenarios under a number of game systems ranging from Napoleonic wars to World War 2 campaigns. However, for the now legendary founders of Dungeons and Dragons, Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, and Rob Kuntz, the interplay and drama of the battlefield commanders became more interesting than the positions of army men relative to spread patterns of cannon fire. This focus on individual commanders over battalions catalyzed the incorporation of role-play elements into a game of otherwise faceless soldiers.
The focus on individual units also lent itself to medieval scenarios where knights fought each other with maces and axes rather than soldiers volleying across a field. Naturally, with the popularity of Conan the Barbarian comics and the Lord of the Rings books, more fantastical elements were incorporated into the medieval combat game. After a short few sessions of friendly tavern keepers, roaming giants, and deadly wizards, Dungeons and Dragons was on the horizon.
A Tale of Two Dungeons
Across its 5+ editions, Dungeons and Dragons would balance improvised storytelling in fantasy worlds with its wargame roots. The first release of D&D was a simple box set with a shoestring budget. Its writing presumed you were familiar with the burgeoning medieval wargames and survival games of the time, yet its most attractive feature was and remains that “anything can happen”. The rules and mechanics existed to resolve conflicting story beats: did the evil wizard petrify the heroic knight, or did the knight fend off the spell and slay the wizard? This would be decided by a d20 roll and cross-referencing “character sheets”. Once the conflict was resolved, the story took hold again until the next conflicting beat. This back-and-forth gave rise to a new genre of tabletop games, and “fantasy role-play games” took off. However, D&D always seems to hold the centre of mass in the community.
The first proper publication of D&D was Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). This edition was split into the three core books D&D still uses: the Player’s Handbook, the Dungeon Master’s Guide, and the Monster Manual. These books codified all the rules one would need to run and play D&D without relying on prior familiarity with wargames. However, this edition was now too advanced for many, so a simpler Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set was released with slimmer mechanics and more focus on storytelling. These competing philosophies would continue through the decades of D&D releases, and publishers found themselves making two games at once: an “essentials” or “basic” version and a more rules-heavy fantasy adventure game. This two-pronged approach was extremely successful, and Dungeons and Dragons became a cultural touchstone for generations.
D&D Today
Dungeons and Dragons is currently in its 5th (and perhaps final) edition. After a pair of extremely mechanics-heavy editions, the modern “DnD5e” still balances storytelling and dungeon crawling with complicated yet satisfying combat mechanics. Many of the advanced combat mechanics, such as disarming weapons or sharpshooting, have been relegated to “optional rules” in sidebars or deep in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The game is designed to be as approachable as possible for new players, and thus 5th Edition D&D has become the most popular edition ever, with millions of players worldwide.
D&D in the age of the internet means this massive player base is more connected than ever. Much of the market success of 5th Edition can be attributed to “actual play” streams, online events where tabletop games are streamed via Twitch or YouTube. D&D is no longer a game of basement dwellers but a mainstream media event viewed by millions of people. Players also no longer need to gather around a physical table, as “virtual tabletop” (VTT) platforms allow players all across the world to play together online.
Dungeons and Dragons has gone from a Middle America medieval combat simulator to a worldwide fantasy phenomenon. It continues to publish content expansions while countless more expand upon the game via the Open Game License. It has even expanded beyond its fantasy genre: you can play D&D in a Wild West Saloon, on Cyberpunk Streets, or in space! Perhaps Dungeons and Dragons has succeeded in becoming “The World’s Greatest Roleplay Game”.
Sources:
https://kotaku.com/dungeons-deceptions-the-first-d-d-players-push-back-1837516834
https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/behind-the-scenes-of-the-making-of-dungeons-dragons/
https://www.polygon.com/23334732/how-the-first-decade-of-actual-play-has-defined-the-template