Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D[2]  or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) since 1997. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as the initial rule system.[3]  D&D ' s publication is widely regarded as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry.[4]

D&D departs from traditional wargaming and assigns each player a specific character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Master serves as the game's referee and storyteller, while also maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur and playing the role of the inhabitants. The characters form a party that interacts with the setting's inhabitants (and each other). Together they solve dilemmas, engage in battles and gather treasure and knowledge.[4]  In the process the characters earn experience pointsto become increasingly powerful over a series of sessions.

The early success of Dungeons & Dragons led to a proliferation of similar game systems. Despite this competition, D&Dremains the market leader in the role-playing game industry.[5]  In 1977, the game was split into two branches: the relatively rules-light game system of Dungeons & Dragons and the more structured, rules-heavy game system ofAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as AD&D or ADnD).[1] [2] [6]  AD&D 2nd Edition was published in 1989. In 2000, the original line of the game was discontinued and the AD&D version was renamed Dungeons & Dragons with the release of its 3rd edition with a new system. These rules formed the basis of the d20 System which is available under theOpen Game License (OGL) for use by other publishers. Dungeons & Dragons version 3.5 was released in June 2003, with a (non-OGL) 4th edition in June 2008.[7] [8]  A 5th edition is scheduled for a staggered release during the second half of 2014.[9]

As of 2006, Dungeons & Dragons remained the best-known[10]  and best-selling<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[11]  role-playing game, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-waters_12-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12]  The game has been supplemented by many pre-made adventures as well as commercial campaign settings suitable for use by regular gaming groups. Dungeons & Dragons is known beyond the game for other D&D-branded products, references in popular culture and some of the controversies that have surrounded it, particularly a moral panic in the 1980s falsely linking it toSatanism and suicide.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Moral_Panic_13-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[13]  The game has won multiple awards and has been translated into many languages beyond the original English.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">

Contents
[hide]  *1 Play overview <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;"> ==Play overview<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == A D&D game session in progress<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons is a structured yet open-ended role-playing game. It is normally played indoors with the participants seated around a tabletop. Typically, each player controls only a single character, which represents an individual in a fictional setting.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[14] When working together as a group, these player characters (PCs) are often described as a 'party' of adventurers, with each member often having his or her own areas of specialty that contributes to the success of the whole.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[16]  During the course of play, each player directs the actions of his or her character and its interactions with the other characters in the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Culture_chapter_18-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[18]  This activity can be performed through the verbal impersonation of the characters by the players or else more generalized descriptions of the actions and wording (depending on the preferences of the players), while also employing a variety of social and other useful cognitive skills, such as logic, puzzle solving, basic mathematics and imagination.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[19]  A game often continues over a series of meetings to complete a single adventure, and longer into a series of related gaming adventures, called a 'campaign'.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[20] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERouchartAylett2003245_21-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[21]
 * 1.1 Game mechanics
 * 1.2 Adventures, campaigns, and modules
 * 1.3 Miniature figures
 * 2 Game history
 * 2.1 Sources and influences
 * 2.2 Edition history
 * 2.2.1 Two-pronged strategy
 * 2.2.2 Revised editions
 * 2.2.3 Wizards of the Coast
 * 2.3 Acclaim and influence
 * 2.4 Licensing
 * 2.5 Controversy and notoriety
 * 3 Related products
 * 4 In popular culture
 * 5 See also
 * 6 Notes
 * 7 References
 * 7.1 Unknown author
 * 8 Further reading
 * 9 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The results of the party's choices and the overall storyline for the game are determined by the Dungeon Master (DM) according to the rules of the game and the DM's interpretation of those rules.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DMG_3.5_p.4_22-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[22] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERouchartAylett2003245.E2.80.9346_23-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[23]  The DM selects and describes the various non-player characters (NPCs) that the party encounters, the settings in which these interactions occur, and the outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Culture_chapter_18-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-24" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[24]  In cases where some degree of luck or chance is involved in the action, a roll of dice represents this level of chance, with the DM deciding (either through consulting published and/or predetermined chances or however they deem appropriate in the case at hand) the basic chance and what positive or negative modifiers might have an impact on the final outcome. Encounters often take the form of battles with 'monsters' – a generic term used in D&D to describe potentially hostile beings such as animals, aberrant beings, or mythical creatures.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-FOOTNOTERouchartAylett2003246_25-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[25]  The game's extensive rules – which cover diverse subjects such as social interactions,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[26]  magic use,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-27" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[27]  combat,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-28" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[28]  and the effect of the environment on PCs<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-29" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[29]  – help the DM to make these decisions. The DM may choose to deviate from the published rules<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DMG_3.5_p.4_22-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[22]  or make up new ones if they feel it is necessary.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[30]

Release 3.5 of the three core rulebooks<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The most recent versions of the game's rules are detailed in three core rulebooks: The Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual. A Basic Game boxed set contains abbreviated rules to help beginners learn the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[31]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks, a character sheet for each player, and a number of polyhedral dice. Similar to its miniature wargames origins, some players have chosen to use miniature figures or markers on a gridded surface to track the environment and scale of what is happening. While this has never been required, more recent editions have emphasized the benefits of these aids to allow players to better imagine and appreciate the layout and interactions of the area that their characters are in. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[32]  Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game, such as expansion rulebooks, pre-designed adventures and various campaign settings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[33] ===Game mechanics<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Main articles: Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)D&D uses polyhedral dice to resolve random events. These are abbreviated by a 'd' followed by the number of sides. Shown counter-clockwise from the bottom are: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20 dice. A pair of nonidentical d10 can be used together to represent percentile dice, or d100.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Before the game begins, each player creates his or her player character and records the details (described below) on acharacter sheet. First, a player determines his or her character's ability scores,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[34]  which consist of Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each edition of the game has offered differing methods of determining these statistics; as of 4th Edition, players generally assign their ability scores from a list or use points to "buy" them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[35]  The player then chooses a race (species) such as Human or Elf, a character class (occupation) such as Fighter or Wizard, analignment (a moral and ethical outlook), and a number of powers, skills and feats to enhance the character's basic abilities.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[36]  Additional background history, usually not covered by specific rules, is often also used to further develop the character.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gygax1978_37-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[37]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">During the game, players describe their PC's intended actions, such as punching an opponent or picking a lock, and converse with the DM (either in character or more general description) – who then describes the result or response.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[38] Trivial actions, such as picking up a letter or opening an unlocked door, are usually automatically successful. The outcomes of more complex or risky actions are determined by rolling dice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Culture_chapter_18-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[18]  Factors contributing to the outcome include the character's ability scores, skills and the difficulty of the task.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[39]  In circumstances where a character does not have control of an event, such as when a trap or magical effect is triggered or a spell is cast, a saving throw can be used to determine whether the resulting damage is reduced or avoided.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PHB_p.136_40-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[41]  In this case the odds of success are influenced by the character's class, levels and (with the 3rd and later editions) ability scores.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PHB_p.136_40-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-42" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[42]  This was designed as a simulation of how the character might have been able to overcome the adversity, such as diving out of the way or behind partial protection or through strong mental or physical discipline or training to withstand such challenges.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">As the game is played, each PC changes over time and generally increases in capability. Characters gain (or sometimes lose) experience, skills<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-43" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[43]  and wealth, and may even alter their alignment<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-44" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[44]  or add additional character classes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-45" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[45]  The key way characters progress is by earning experience points (XP/EXP), which happens when they defeat an enemy or accomplish a difficult task.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-46" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[46]  Acquiring enough XP allows a PC to advance a level, which grants the character improved class features, abilities and skills.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-47" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[47]  Up through the 3rd edition, XP can also be lost in some circumstances, such as encounters with creatures that drain life energy, or by use of certain magical powers that require payment of an XP cost.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-48" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[48]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Hit points (HP) are a measure of a character's vitality and health and are determined by the class, level and constitution of each character. They can be temporarily lost when a character sustains wounds in combat or otherwise comes to harm, and loss of HP is the most common way for a character to die in the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-49" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[49]  Death can also result from the loss of key ability scores<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-50" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[50]  or character levels.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-51" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[51]  When a PC dies, it is often possible for the dead character to be resurrected through magic, although some penalties may be imposed as a result. If resurrection is not possible or not desired, the player may instead create a new PC to resume playing the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-52" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[52] ===Adventures, campaigns, and modules<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Main article: Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">A typical Dungeons & Dragons game consists of an 'adventure', which is roughly equivalent to a single story.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-53" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[53]  The DM can either design an adventure on his or her own, or follow one of the many additional pre-made adventures (previously known as "modules") that have been published throughout the history of Dungeons & Dragons. Published adventures typically include a background story, illustrations, maps and goals for PCs to achieve. Some also include location descriptions and handouts. Although a small adventure entitled 'Temple of the Frog' was included in the Blackmoor rules supplement in 1975, the first stand-alone D&D module published by TSR was 1978's Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, written by Gygax.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">A linked series of adventures is commonly referred to as a 'campaign'.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-54" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[54]  The locations where these adventures occur, such as a city, country, planet or an entirefictional universe, are also sometimes called 'campaigns' but are more correctly referred to as 'worlds' or 'campaign settings'.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[55]  D&D settings are based in variousfantasy subgenres and feature varying levels of magic and technology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-56" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[56]  Popular commercially published campaign settings for Dungeons & Dragons includeGreyhawk, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, Mystara, Spelljammer, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Planescape, Birthright, and Eberron.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[57]  Alternatively, DMs may develop their own fictional worlds to use as campaign settings. Dungeons & Dragons miniature figures. The grid mat underneath uses one-inch squares.===Miniature figures<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ===

Main article: Miniature figure (gaming)<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The wargames from which Dungeons & Dragons evolved used miniature figures to represent combatants. D&Dinitially continued the use of miniatures in a fashion similar to its direct precursors. The original D&D set of 1974 required the use of the Chainmail miniatures game for combat resolution.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-58" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[58]  By the publication of the 1977 game editions, combat was mostly resolved verbally. Thus miniatures were no longer required for game play, although some players continued to use them as a visual reference.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-59" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[59]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In the 1970s, numerous companies began to sell miniature figures specifically for Dungeons & Dragons and similar games. Licensed miniature manufacturers who produced official figures include Grenadier Miniatures (1980–1983),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-60" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[60]  Citadel Miniatures (1984–1986),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[61]  Ral Partha,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-62" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[62]  and TSR itself.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-63" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[63]  Most of these miniatures used the 25 mm scale, with the exception of Ral Partha's 15 mm scale miniatures for the 1st edition Battlesystem.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[64] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[65]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Periodically, Dungeons & Dragons has returned to its wargaming roots with supplementary rules systems for miniatures-based wargaming. Supplements such asBattlesystem (1985 & 1989) and a new edition of Chainmail (2001)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-66" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[66]  provided rule systems to handle battles between armies by using miniatures.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition (2000) assumes the use of miniatures to represent combat situations in play, an aspect of the game that was further emphasized in the v3.5 revision. The Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game (2003) is sold as sets of plastic, randomly assorted, pre-painted miniatures, and can be used as either part of a standard Dungeons & Dragons game or as a stand-alone collectible miniatures game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[67] ==Game history<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Sources and influences<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Main article: Sources and influences on the development of Dungeons & Dragons<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">An immediate predecessor of Dungeons & Dragons was a set of medieval miniature rules written by Jeff Perren. These were expanded by Gary Gygax, whose additions included a fantasy supplement, before the game was published as Chainmail. When Dave Wesely entered the Army in 1970, his friend and fellow Napoleonics wargamer Dave Arneson began a medieval variation of Wesely's Braunstein games, where players control individuals instead of armies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DW3_68-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[68]  Arneson used Chainmail to resolve combats.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Banshee_Gygax_3-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[3]  As play progressed, Arneson added such innovations as character classes, experience points, level advancement, armor class, and others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-DW3_68-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[68] Having partnered previously with Gygax on ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Give_Up_the_Ship! Don't Give Up the Ship!], Arneson introduced Gygax to his Blackmoor game and the two then collaborated on developing "The Fantasy Game", the role-playing game (RPG) that became Dungeons & Dragons'', with the final writing and preparation of the text being done by Gygax.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-D.26Dfaq_2-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Wired_69-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[69] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Many Dungeons & Dragons elements appear in hobbies of the mid-to-late 20th century. For example, character-based role playing can be seen in improvisational theatre.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[71]  Game-world simulations were well developed in wargaming. Fantasy milieus specifically designed for gaming could be seen in Glorantha's board games among others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Schick_17-34_72-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[72]  Ultimately, however, Dungeons & Dragons represents a unique blending of these elements.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The world of D&D was influenced by world mythology, history, pulp fiction, and contemporary fantasy novels. The importance of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Ringsand The Hobbit as an influence on D&D is controversial. The presence in the game of halflings, elves, half-elves, dwarves, orcs, rangers, and the like, draw comparisons to these works. The resemblance was even closer before the threat of copyright action from Tolkien Enterprises prompted the name changes of hobbit to 'halfling', ent to 'treant', and balrog to 'balor'. For many years Gygax played down the influence of Tolkien on the development of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[73] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon95_74-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[74] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[75]  However, in an interview in 2000, he acknowledged that Tolkien's work had a "strong impact".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[76]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The D&D magic system, in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day, was heavily influenced by the Dying Earth stories and novels of Jack Vance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[77]  The original alignment system (which grouped all characters and creatures into 'Law', 'Neutrality' and 'Chaos') was derived from the novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lit_source_78-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[78]  A troll described in this work also influenced the D&D definition of that monster.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon95_74-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[74]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A. Merritt, H. P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Moorcock.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[79]  Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works such as A. E. van Vogt's"Black Destroyer", Coeurl (the Displacer Beast), Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" (vorpal sword) and the Book of Genesis (the clerical spell 'Blade Barrier' was inspired by the "flaming sword which turned every way" at the gates of Eden).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lit_source_78-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[78] ===Edition history<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Main article: Editions of Dungeons & Dragons<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons has gone through several revisions. Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions.

The original Dungeons & Dragons set.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The original Dungeons & Dragons, now referred to as OD&D,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-80" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[80]  was a small box set of three booklets published in 1974. It was amateurish in production and written from a perspective that assumed the reader was familiar with wargaming. Nevertheless it grew rapidly in popularity, first among wargamers and then expanding to a more general audience of college and high school students. Roughly 1,000 copies of the game were sold in the first year followed by 3,000 in 1975, with sales increasing thereafter.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[81]  This first set went through many printings and was supplemented with several official additions, such as the original Greyhawk and Blackmoorsupplements (both 1975),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[82]  as well as magazine articles in TSR's official publications and countless fanzines. ====Two-pronged strategy<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In 1977, TSR created the first element of a two-pronged strategy that would divide the D&D game for over two decades. A Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed edition was introduced<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]  that cleaned up the presentation of the essential rules, made the system understandable to the general public, and was sold in a package that could be stocked in toy stores. In 1977, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) was published,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]  which brought together the various published rules, options and corrections, then expanded them into a definitive, unified game for hobbyist gamers. The basic set directed players who exhausted the possibilities of that game to switch to the advanced rules.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">As a result of this dual marketing approach, the basic game included many rules and concepts which contradicted comparable ones in the advanced game. Gygax, who wrote the advanced game, wanted an expansive game with rulings on almost any conceivable situation which might come up during play. J. Eric Holmes, the editor of the basic game, preferred a lighter tone with more room for personal improvisation. Confusing matters further, the original D&D boxed set remained in publication until 1979, since it remained a healthy seller for TSR.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Schick_17-34_72-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[72]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was designed to create a tighter, more structured game system than the loose framework of the original game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon_26_Gygax_6-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  While seen by many as a revision of the original D&D,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-30Y_p.253_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[8]  AD&D was at the time declared to be "neither an expansion nor a revision of the old game, it is a new game".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon_26_Gygax_6-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  The AD&D game was not intended to be directly compatible with D&D and it required some conversion to play between the rule sets.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[83]  The term Advanced described the more complex rules and did not imply "for higher-level gaming abilities". Between 1977 and 1979, three hardcover rulebooks, commonly referred to as the "core rulebooks", were released: the Player's Handbook (PHB), the Dungeon Master's Guide (DMG), and the Monster Manual (MM). Several supplementary books were published throughout the 1980s, notably Unearthed Arcana (1985) that included a large number of new rules.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70] ====Revised editions<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== First edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In the 1980s, the rules for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and "basic" Dungeons & Dragons remained separate, each developing along different paths.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In 1981, the "basic" version of Dungeons & Dragons was revised by Tom Moldvay and split into several versions. This game was promoted as a continuation of the original D&D tone, whereas AD&D was promoted as advancement of the mechanics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon_26_Gygax_6-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[6]  Although simpler overall than the Advanced game, it included rules for some situations not covered in AD&D. There were five sets: Basic(1977, revised in 1981 and again in 1983, 1991 and 1994), Expert (1981, revised in 1983), Companion (1983), Master (1985), andImmortals (1986, revised in 1991). Revisions of 1983 and expansions like Master Rules and Immortals were introduced by Frank Mentzer.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[84] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Schick_133_85-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[85]  Each set covered game play for more powerful characters than the previous.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[86]  The first four sets were later compiled as a single hardcover book, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, was published in 1989,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]  again as three core rulebooks; the primary designer wasDavid "Zeb" Cook. The Monster Manual was replaced by the Monstrous Compendium, a loose-leaf binder that was subsequently replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual in 1993. In 1995, the core rulebooks were slightly revised, although still referred to by TSR as the 2nd Edition,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[87]  and a series of Player's Option manuals were released as optional rulebooks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The release of AD&D2 deliberately excluded some aspects of the game that had attracted negative publicity. References to demons and devils, sexually suggestive artwork, and playable, evil-aligned character types – such as assassins and half-orcs – were removed.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon_154_88-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[88]  The edition moved away from a theme of 1960s and 1970s "sword and sorcery" fantasy fiction to a mixture of medieval history and mythology.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[89]  The rules underwent minor changes, including the addition of non-weapon proficiencies – skill-like abilities that originally appeared in 1st Edition supplements. The game's magic spells were divided into schools and spheres.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-D.26Dfaq_2-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[2]  A major difference was the promotion of various game settings beyond that of traditional fantasy. This included blending fantasy with other genres, such as horror (Ravenloft), science fiction (Spelljammer), and apocalyptic (Dark Sun), as well as alternative historical and non-European mythological settings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-90" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[90] ====Wizards of the Coast<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] ==== <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In 1997, a near-bankrupt TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-briefhistory_91-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[91]  Following three years of development, Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition was released in 2000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[92]  The new release folded the Basic and Advanced lines back into a single unified game. It was the largest revision of the D&D rules to date, and also served as the basis for a multi-genre role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice, called the d20 System.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-93" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[93]  The 3rd Edition rules were designed to be internally consistent and less restrictive than previous editions of the game, allowing players more flexibility to create the characters they wanted to play.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[94]  Skills and feats were introduced into the core rules to encourage further customization of characters.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[95]  The new rules also standardized the mechanics of action resolution and combat.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PHB_p.4_96-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[96]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In 2003, Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5 was released as a revision of the 3rd Edition rules. This release incorporated hundreds of rule changes, mostly minor, and expanded the core rulebooks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-PHB_p.4_96-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[96]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">In early 2005, Wizards of the Coast's R&D team started to develop Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition, prompted mainly by the feedback obtained from the D&D playing community and a desire to make the game faster, more intuitive, and with a better play experience than under the 3rd Edition. The new game was developed through a number of design phases spanning from May 2005 until its release.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[97]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition was announced at Gen Con in August 2007, and the initial three core books were released June 6, 2008.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-excitingnews_7-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[7]  4th Edition streamlined the game into a simplified form and introduced numerous rules changes. Many character abilities were restructured into "Powers". These altered the spell-using classes by adding abilities that could be used at will, per encounter, or per day. Likewise, non-magic-using classes were provided with parallel sets of options. Wizards of the Coast is releasing other supplementary material virtually through their website,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4-ward_at_Gen_Con_98-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[98] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[99]  including player character and monster building programs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-svensson_100-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[100]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">On January 9, 2012, Wizards of the Coast announced that it was working on a 5th edition of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[101]  The company planned to take suggestions from players and let them playtest the rules.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[102] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[103]  Public playtesting began on May 24, 2012.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[104]  At Gen Con 2012 in August, Mike Mearls said that Wizards of the Coast had received feedback from more than 75,000 playtesters, but that the entire development process would take two years, adding, "I can't emphasize this enough ... we're very serious about taking the time we need to get this right."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-forbes-gen-con-2012_105-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[105]  The staggered release of the 5th Edition, coinciding with D&D ' s 40th anniversary, is scheduled for the second half of 2014.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-106" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[106] ===Acclaim and influence<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">]  === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The game had more than 3 million players around the world by 1981,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-inc_107-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[107]  and copies of the rules were selling at a rate of about 750,000 per year by 1984.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-108" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[108] Beginning with a French language edition in 1982, Dungeons & Dragons has been translated into many languages beyond the original English.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-D.26Dfaq_2-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-history_70-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[70]  By 2004, consumers had spent more than US$1 billion on Dungeons & Dragons products and the game had been played by more than 20 million people.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-waters_12-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[12]  As many as 6 million people played the game in 2007.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-svensson_100-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[100]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The various editions of Dungeons & Dragons have won many Origins Awards, including All Time Best Roleplaying Rules of 1977, Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989, andBest Roleplaying Game of 2000 for the three flagship editions of the game.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-109" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[109]  Both Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons are Origins Hall of Fame Games inductees as they were deemed sufficiently distinct to merit separate inclusion on different occasions.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-110" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[110]  The independent Games magazine placedDungeons & Dragons on their Games 100 list from 1980 through 1983, then entered the game into the magazine's Hall of Fame in 1984.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-111" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[111] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-112" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[112]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons was the first modern role-playing game and it established many of the conventions that have dominated the genre.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-113" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[113]  Particularly notable are the use of dice as a game mechanic, character record sheets, use of numerical attributes and gamemaster-centered group dynamics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-114" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[114]  Within months of Dungeons & Dragons's release, new role-playing game writers and publishers began releasing their own role-playing games, with most of these being in the fantasy genre. Some of the earliest other role-playing games inspired by D&D include Tunnels & Trolls (1975),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-115" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[115]  Empire of the Petal Throne (1975), and Chivalry & Sorcery (1976).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-116" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[116]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The role-playing movement initiated by D&D would lead to release of the science fiction game Traveller (1977), the fantasy game RuneQuest (1978), and subsequent game systems such as Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu (1981), Champions (1982), GURPS (1986),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-117" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[117]  and Vampire: The Masquerade (1991).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Schick_17-34_72-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[72] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-118" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[118]  Dungeons & Dragonsand the games it influenced fed back into the genre's origin – miniatures wargames – with combat strategy games like Warhammer Fantasy Battles.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-119" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[119]  D&D also had a large impact on modern video games.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-120" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[120]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Director Jon Favreau credits Dungeons & Dragons with giving him "... a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-121" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[121] ===Licensing<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Further information: Variant Dungeons & Dragons games<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Early in the game's history, TSR took no action against small publishers' production of D&D compatible material, and even licensed Judges Guild to produce D&Dmaterials for several years, such as City State of the Invincible Overlord.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kyngdoms_122-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[122]  This attitude changed in the mid-1980s when TSR took legal action to try to prevent others from publishing compatible material. This angered many fans and led to resentment by the other gaming companies.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Schick_17-34_72-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[72]  Although TSR took legal action against several publishers in an attempt to restrict third-party usage, it never brought any court cases to completion, instead settling out of court in every instance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-123" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[123]  TSR itself ran afoul of intellectual property law in several cases.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-124" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[124]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">With the launch of Dungeons & Dragons's 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast made the d20 System available under the Open Game License (OGL) and d20 trademark license. Under these licenses, authors are free to use the d20 System when writing games and game supplements.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-125" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[125]  The OGL and d20 Trademark License made possible new games, some based on licensed products like Star Wars, and new versions of older games, such as Call of Cthulhu.

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">During the 2000s, there has been a trend towards recreating older editions of D&D. Necromancer Games, with its slogan "Third Edition Rules, First Edition Feel"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-126" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[126] and Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics range<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-127" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[127]  are both examples of this in material for d20 System. Other companies have created complete game systems based on earlier editions of D&D. An example is HackMaster (2001) by Kenzer and Company, a licensed, non-OGL, semi-satirical follow-on to 1st and 2nd Edition.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-128" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[128] Castles & Crusades (2005), by Troll Lord Games, is a reimagining of early editions by streamlining rules from OGL<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-129" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[129]  that was supported by Gary Gygax prior to his death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-130" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[130]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">With the release of the fourth edition, Wizards of the Coast has introduced its Game System License, which represents a significant restriction compared to the very open policies embodied by the OGL. In part as a response to this, some publishers (such as Paizo Publishing with its Pathfinder Roleplaying Game) who previously produced materials in support of the D&D product line, have decided to continue supporting the 3rd Edition rules, thereby competing directly with Wizards of the Coast.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-131" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[131] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-132" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[132]  Others, such as Kenzer & Company, are returning to the practice of publishing unlicensed supplements and arguing that copyright law does not allow Wizards of the Coast to restrict third-party usage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-133" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[133] ===Controversy and notoriety<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === Main article: Dungeons & Dragons controversies<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">At various times in its history, Dungeons & Dragons has received negative publicity, in particular from some Christian groups, for alleged promotion of such practices asdevil worship, witchcraft, suicide, and murder, and for the presence of naked breasts in drawings of female humanoids in the original AD&D manuals (mainly monsters such as Harpies, Succubi, etc.).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Moral_Panic_13-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-attacks_134-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[134]  These controversies led TSR to remove many potentially controversial references and artwork when releasing the 2nd Edition ofAD&D.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Dragon_154_88-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[88]  Many of these references, including the use of the names "devils" and "demons", were reintroduced in the 3rd edition.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-135" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[135]  The moral panic over the game also led to problems for fans of D&D who faced social ostracism, unfair treatment, and false association with the occult and Satanism, regardless of an individual fan's actual religious affiliation and beliefs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-136" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[136]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">Dungeons & Dragons has also been the subject of rumors regarding players having difficulty separating fantasy from reality, even leading to psychotic episodes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-137" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[137] The most notable of these was the saga of James Dallas Egbert III,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-138" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[138]  the facts of which were fictionalized in the novel Mazes and Monsters and later made into a TV movie.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-attacks_134-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[134] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-139" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[139]  The game was also blamed for some of the actions of Chris Pritchard, who was convicted in 1990 of murdering his stepfather. Research by various psychologists,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-140" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[140]  the first being that of Armando Simon, has concluded that no harmful effects are related to the playing of D&D.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-141" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[141]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">The game's commercial success was a factor that led to lawsuits regarding distribution of royalties between original creators Gygax and Arneson.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-142" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[142] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-143" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[143]  Gygax later became embroiled in a political struggle for control of TSR which culminated in a court battle and Gygax's decision to sell his ownership interest in the company in 1985.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-144" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[144] ==Related products<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == Main article: Dungeons & Dragons related productsAn example of an elaborate D&D game in progress. Among the gaming aids shown are dice, a variety of miniatures and a dungeon diorama.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">D&D's commercial success has led to many other related products, including Dragon Magazine, Dungeon Magazine, ananimated television series, a film series, an official role-playing soundtrack, novels, and computer games such as theMMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Online. Hobby and toy stores sell dice, miniatures, adventures, and other game aids related to D&D and its game offspring. ==In popular culture<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == Main article: Dungeons & Dragons in popular culture<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:17.9200000762939px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14.3999996185303px;">D&D grew in popularity through the late 1970s and 1980s. Numerous games, films, and cultural references based on D&Dor D&D-like fantasies, characters or adventures have been ubiquitous since the end of the 1970s. D&D players are (sometimes pejoratively) portrayed as the epitome of geekdom,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-145" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[145]  and have become the basis of much geek and gamer humor and satire.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-146" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[146] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-147" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[147]  Famous D&D players include professional basketball player Tim Duncan, comedian Stephen Colbert, and actors Vin Diesel and Robin Williams.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-148" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[148] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-149" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[149] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-150" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[150] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-151" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[151] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-152" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[152]  D&D and its fans have been the subject of spoof films, including Fear of Girls<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-joy001_153-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-size:11.1999998092651px;">[153]  and The Gamers: Dorkness Rising.