What is Dungeons & Dragons, D&D?
Dungeons and Dragons, or more commonly referred to as D&D, is undoubtedly the most popular role playing game in history, spawning hundreds of off-shoots, competitors and other game systems, as well as providing well over 30 years of RPG supplements. These include hundreds of modules and gaming books, fiction books, fan clubs, live role-playing clubs, fan fiction, art and paintings, and miniatures and miniature supplies companies. Originally designed by Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax in 1974 and published for many years by TSR, D&D and AD&D has an estimated greater than 20 million players worldwide, and "as of 2006, Dungeons & Dragons remains the best-known and best-selling role-playing game" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dungeons_%26_Dragons) of all time. The present owners and publishers of D&D, now in 4th edition, are Wizards of the Coast.
At it's very basic, this game is an interaction between live players at a tabletop, all of which assume fantasy personas of their choice (Player Characters or PC's), and follow an adventure created and managed by the "Game Master" (formerly referred to as the Dungeon Master). This is a game seasoned with liberal personal interaction, but also iconic for it's PC versus NPC fights and battles.
There truly is nothing like gathering a group of your friends over to get in fantasy persona and live out in real time what can only be otherwise imagined; meeting amazing people from other races and cultures, casting spells, fighting great monsters, and solving mysteries and puzzles to become more skilled. Although dice does determine the outcome of confrontations with NPCs as well as battles, gaming groups and GMs or DMs vary on their frequency of and focus on battles within the game.
PC's skills and abilities change and increase over time based on the previous decisions and outcomes. Characters can gain and loose experience points, which can affect skills, classes, and character levels. Higher level characters are more powerful and can affect more change in the world around them.
Recently, Wizards of the Coast has put a greater focus on tabletop role playing when playing D&D, and has put out miniatures, gaming tiles, scenery, and other implements to aid tabletop miniatures game play. To learn more about D&D and Wizards of the Coast, please visit our page dedicated to painted D&D miniatures and information.