Dungeons & Dragons is a game which is perhaps easier to play than to explain. It is a game played without playing pieces or a board or even a computer. It exists only in the players minds. One of the players is the Dungeon Master who tells a "story", bringing a world of dangerous monsters and mystery alive for the others known as Player Characters. They each play a character in the story, taking the role of perhaps a noble warrior, a mighty wizard or a rogue. By co-operating and working together they try and overcome the adversities that the Dungeon Master throws at them.
The inspiration for the game was of course Tolkein's novels particularly the Lord of the Rings trilogy and much of the game settings reflect this. Orcs and Giants fight Dwarves and Elves, Dragons prey on everything and evil as personified by otherworldly beings stalk the darker places of the world. The Player Characters band together against this hoard much like the company of the ring did in Tolkein's books, defeating evil and gaining their reward in the form of treasure. Magic both for good and evil abounds and even the gods occasionally intervene and not always on the good side.
Since it's inception in the early seventies it has gained a huge following and the original has spawned many imitations set in backgrounds as diverse as H P Lovecrafts Victorian Britain to the film inspired galaxies of Star Wars. It has the capacity for anyone to enjoy since although there are rules the game mechanic is so flexible that you can be any character you want, do almost anything you want in any way you want.
I've played the game now more or less continuously for about 10 years or so. I started Dungeon Mastering games for my children and their friends and even though most of them are in their twenties we still gather round the table most Saturday's, character sheets, pencils and dice at the ready. Apart from anything else we have a great deal of fun during the games and I get a great deal out of linking stories together to form a campaign which can last for months.
If you have never played then I commend you to find a game and try it. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
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