Dungeons and Dragons
Created | Updated Apr 19, 2005
Introduction
Dungeons and Dragons is THE roleplaying game. All other RPGs, and tabletop wargames in general, are compared to it, inspired by it, based upon it or blatantly rip it off. If you've never played it, but play other tabletop RPGs, you're missing out. Compared to other competitors, such as Games Workshop's Mordhiem, DandD is far superior. You can have anything from a friendly roleplay event to a fast-paced fight. Whatever your tastes, it provides for them.
To play Dungeons and Dragons, you require several items, listed below:
At least one of each of the following die: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12 and D201.
A copy of the Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual.
Pens and paper.
A playing grid (one is provided in the Dungeon Master's Guide).
Models/counters to represent PCs2, enemies, NPCs, doors, treasure chests and so on.
How To Play
Firstly, you need to find a group of players. Ideally, you should have five; four Players, and the Dungeon Master, or DM for short.
Each Player creates a Character, they can choose one of many classes listed in the rulebook, or one of the expansion sets. Those listed in the rulebook are as follows:
Barbarian: Brutal fighters and skilled survivors, but often poorly equipped and uneducated. Barbarians provide sheer brute force to the party.
Bard: A Jack-Of-All-Trades, the Bard is good all-round, providing fighting power, magic and other skills, but excells in none. Good for people who want a bit of everything, as they can quickly and easily cover the weakness of another player.
Cleric: Clerics are healers, and as such, are highly valued. They also have access to good weapons, and excellent armour, making them effective in fighting, though not as much as some other classes like Fighters.
Druid: A variant on the Wizard, Druids use spells based on nature, and as such are very useful out in the wild. They also have many animal-based powers, but cannot use the best weapons or armour, making them vulnerable in hand to hand combat.
Fighter: The original warrior class, Fighters are still popular choices, as they have access to almost all weapons and armour. Their lack of magic is usually unimportant, as there is little a strong Fighter cannot smash apart up close. Every party should include at least one Fighter.
Monk: Martial artists, Monks favour the use of bare hands to defeat enemies (an idea also used in Final Fantasy, though it is unclear as to who used the idea first). They are also very fast and agile, but rarely use armour.
Paladin: Holy warriors, Paladins are a combination of Fighter and Cleric, combining holy spells with serious combat prowess. However, they have less magical abilities than the Cleric, meaning they cannot act as Healers until they have gained several levels.
Ranger: Trackers and pathfinders, Rangers excell at hunting down their quarry, and slaying them. They have hatred against certain races (chosen when creating the character), and are amongst the best hand-to-hand fighters, but their armour is not as good as some of the other warrior classes. However, their unique talents more than compensate for this.
Rogue: Rogues provide essential skills to the party: Lockpicking and Trap Disarming. Rogues are also very agile, allowing them to avoid traps with ease, or move silenty past sleeping monsters. They also get far more skills than other classes (and they need them!). However, they cannot use much armour, so are vulnerable to attack. At a push, a Rogue can fight well in melee, but not as well as Fighters, Barbarians or similar. Every team should have a Rogue.
Sorceror: A Spellcaster, Sorcerors have little health and the fewest Health Points. On the plus side, they have access to some of the best Magic in the game. A Sorceror is a valued ally, and a deadly opponent.
Wizard: Like the Sorceror, Wizards use no armour, and have little health. While they do get more Spells than Sorcerors, they cannot cast them as often, making the choice between a Wizard and a Sorceror a difficult one. Wizards are one of the four "classic" characters, and most parties contain one.
In addition to this, you can choose a race for your character, allowing you to be a Human Fighter, a Halfling Rogue or a Half-Orc Barbarian. Each race has its own special abilities and skills, allowing even greater variation.
One everyone has a Character, it is the task of the Dungeon Master to provide an adventure for them. This can range from recovering a stolen Magic Book to mining for gold in a long-abandoned tunnel. The DM has access to a wide range of monsters and traps to waylay the heroes, and can provide many exciting moments of play. Will Fletcher unlock the door, saving Konrad and Ironhelm from being crushed by the descending ceiling? Can Ragnar hold of the Gnolls long enough for his friends to rescue the dying Wizard? Such encounters provide excitement for the players and DM alike, as anyone who has seen (and heard!) a game in full swing will know.
Contrary to what some people believe, the DM is not "out to get" the players. Instead, it is his task to provide them with a challenging, and enjoyable, adventure. As well as standard encounters (which can be generated using tables), DMs can throw in some unexpected quirks, such as a mighty Bugbear warrior who forgets where he dug the pitfall trap, or perhaps a mighty, nigh on impenetrable iron door... that is, until the players notice it can be lifted clean off the hinges! Failing all else, how about spending half your treasure on wine and beer, or buying yourself a pet chicken? Whatever weird ideas you may have, the DM can probably provide the situation.
Expansion Sets
As characters grow, the players may wish to add even more to their games. To do this, they can buy one of many expansions, including Campaign sets, which list long and exciting adventures. Perhaps they wish to try out the dark side of playing, and purchase books on creating truly evil warriors. If siege is their thing, there are books on castle-building, or if they simply need something new to kill, there are extra books on Monsters and traps to stop them from earning their treasure.
For new, young or inexperienced players, there is the Dungeons and Dragons Adventure Set. This boxed set contains simplified rules, pre-made Characters, a gaming map and pre-made scenarios, as well as simple Random Generation tables to create custom adventures. This set also has markers to play with, and all the dice needed. As it's also pretty cheap to buy, it can be a valued addition to any collector who's a little short on cash, and doesn't want to buy models for everything. Once the players have beaten the Adventure Set's pre-made quests, and gained a level up or two, they should be ready to handle the real rules, and develop their characters even more.
Beyond the Dice
As well as being a fantastic tabletop game, there are countless other areas of DandD. Many fantasy books have been written based in the DandD universe, and a film was also made.
Fans of videogames can also find DandD inspired games, such as Baldur's Gate, to entertain them. These are also a good way to get into the DandD universe, as if you like the computer games, you'll probably like the tabletop game too.
Finally, remember that, while entertaining and addictive, it's only a game. Don't let it take over your life. Go outside, play sports, meet new people and stay on top of school/college/university/your job or whatever else you do.
Oh, and watch out for Dragons...
1"D" is a common RPG/Wargame slang for "Dice". For example, D10+3 means roll a 10-sided dice and add 3, 2D6 means roll two six-sided dice and add the scores.2PC means "Player Characters" and are controlled by the player. NPCs (Non-Player Characters) are controlled by the Dungeon Master
