Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is the standard for modern role-playing games. The game, published in 1974, was first conceptualized as a derivative of miniature wargames, but quickly became a genre of its own. In groups of three or more people, players take on the roles of wizards and warriors, and everything in-between, to battle monsters in dungeons, with a storyteller (or Dungeon Master) serving as referee and guide. Like in most role-playing games, the objective isn’t to win or lose; it’s the adventure. Players join each other in raiding coffers, slaying dragons, and saving their town—which likely explains why the game was so successful at building communities of players around it and had such an avid fan base.
D&D has served as inspiration for numerous video games, films, novels, and cartoons, and it has become a cultural reference for all things geek-related. It’s practically impossible to separate D&D from geekdom. You can’t step into a gaming store without seeing toys, miniatures, and art inspired by Dungeons & Dragons.
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