Dungeons & Dragons: What it is and what it isn’t?

Dungeons & Dragons’ legacy is a testament to the power of imagination and the human desire to be a hero, or a villain, if only for a few hours at a time.

Dungeons & Dragons.

A game. A hobby. A collection. An 80s TV show. A storytelling tool for a hit Netflix show. A recent masterpiece of a movie. But what is Dungeons & Dragons? What makes D&D what it is, engaging people from all different walks of life and bringing them together to roll dice, cheer, dispute, and express their creativity?

D&D isn’t just for that quirky and nerdy friend of yours. Some like to say that it was “brought back” and made relevant once more, but it was never truly gone. Instead, only recently made visible to folks who previously weren’t even aware of its existence. Or, as I like to call them, the normies.

If you were one of these normies, it’s safe to assume that your first taste of D&D might’ve been through the Netflix hit series Stranger Things. Or, if you don’t watch the show, maybe you’ve heard about it through its incredible big-screen adaptation, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, which received critical acclaim for managing to make Chris Pine look finer than ever with those big blue eyes its epicness and fun factor.

While some may initially think the game was some fancy make-believe game in which we responsible adults with everyday duties reveal our extreme nerdiness, it is so much more than that. D&D is a dice-rolling, monster-slaying, problem-solving, friendship-making or friendship-breaking game that can be scaled up or down to be played by virtually anyone. Literally – my six-year-old twins have their own campaign with their own little characters and their own little problems to solve.

Fun fact – you can also list it on your resume as a problem-solving and people skills fine-tuning activity.

Dungeons & Dragons history: Rolling the dice down memory lane

Once upon a dice roll in the 70s, two friends with a shared love of fantasy and games, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, decided to make history and created the legendary game we now know as Dungeons & Dragons.

It was first published in 1974, by a little company called Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). Gygax’s previous game, Chainmail, served as an early foundation for D&D, which Arneson expanded upon by introducing the idea of individual characters and ongoing plots and stories and having the characters evolve and acquire more skills as the players played more and more sessions.

The original D&D release consisted of a little box set with three booklets. It was a set that required imagination, improvisation skills, and a deep love for storytelling and fantasy as a whole. As D&D evolved, it introduced more and more additions like new settings, rules, and character options.

As time went on, editions were fine-tuned and then released over the decades, giving players and DMs (Dungeon Masters, the storytellers of the game) more options and rules and expanding the depth and complexity of the game. More expansions and rules also meant scaling encounters and difficulties up or down, which only made D&D more accessible to a broader and more diverse audience. Not to mention the gorgeous minis and accessories DMs can now get to illustrate their stories further.

Dungeons & Dragons and its impact on pop culture

D&D has consequently embedded itself deep into our popular culture for a while, though it’s only been recently that normies have acknowledged it and paid attention to it for once. Shows like Stranger Things showcase D&D not just as a game but as a storytelling tool, and its essence is actually sprinkled across countless movies, books, and TV references.

D&D‘s unique and somehow-still-functional-even-though-there-is-a-lot-to-keep-track-of mechanics and immersive stories have inspired iconic video game series such as Baldur’s Gate and Dragon Age, which has now become the modern RPGs’ essential checklist.

Platforms like Twitch and YouTube have only helped extend the reach of D&D. Broadcasted sessions, particularly hits like the fantastic group known as Critical Role, have quite an online following as they play campaign after campaign, roping in a new generation of dungeon crawlers and reinforcing its undeniable role in popular culture. But D&D‘s magic extends beyond the screens and pages.

D&D’s cooperative spirit has found a place in classrooms, therapy sessions, team-building workshops, and in conventions. While at PAX East this past March, I had the pleasure of taking part in a D&D Adventure’s League session that lasted about four hours with six complete strangers, in which we cleared a module by working together and getting to know each other in and out of the game. It was the most fun D&D session I have ever had as a veteran player of 22 years. Yes, I’m old.

As D&D becomes bigger and even more established, its brand, much like a well-equipped adventurer, expands its inventory to include apparel, board games, novels, and much more. From your local game stores to amazing events and conventions like Gen Con, there is plenty of D&D merchandise to acquire. I am totally not wearing Critical Role socks while staring at my Beholder plushie and my Mimic Chest dice box, my bag of dice, and all my D&D minis sitting on my mantelpiece.

There is something for everyone in D&D, that’s for sure. And there is no such thing as having too many dice. I do not have a dice problem.

D&D is a gateway to other forms of TTRPGs and LARPs, and that’s ok

D&D is often hailed as the grandfather of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), and for many, it acts as a “gateway drug” to other TTRPGs and even Live Action Role-Playing games (LARPs).

I recently talked about that dynamic in an episode of the Adventurer to Innkeeper podcast series. After playing D&D for a bit, players naturally get curious about other systems, settings, storytelling modules, and game types. Though we do joke that D&D is the first step towards deep nerdom, it’s not because there’s something wrong with D&D – D&D makes you crave that roleplaying and creative setting and guides you down the steps to more complex and sometimes emotionally and physically demanding games.

https://twitter.com/Camila_Servello/status/1653083964075130882?s=20

While going down the TTRPG rabbit hole, folks often discover a seemingly endless variety of games, each offering its unique mechanics and worlds. From the investigative horror of Call of Cthulhu to the space adventures in Starfinder, there’s a TTRPG out there catering to virtually every type of player. LARPs further amplify the immersive aspect of role-playing, allowing players to physically embody their characters and interact in real-time settings.

There are all different kinds and styles of LARPs, ranging from local groups that meet up monthly to mega-immersive blockbusters such as Outbound Hope and my all-time favorite and one I am proud to be a staff member of Starfall Academy.

These explorations beyond D&D are not only natural but also healthy. They channel and challenge your creativity, encourage the exploration of diverse narratives, and allow participants to fine-tune their improvisational skills.

What Dungeons & Dragons isn’t

D&D has always been the subject of some kind of misconception and unwarranted prejudices that vary from time to time, depending on the generation.

One of the most persistent and, quite frankly, annoying myths is that D&D is a game for the socially inept or introverted — an escape for those unable to handle ‘real life’. This ridiculous misconception, fueled by very outdated pop culture references and unfortunate unfamiliarity, fails to recognize the deeply social nature of D&D. The game literally revolves around collaboration, storytelling, and interpersonal dynamics, and forges strong friendships among diverse groups of players.

Another widespread assumption is that D&D promotes occultism or negative behavior. There was a moral panic back in the 1980s, with parents and grandparents preaching that it could lead players into practicing dark rituals, or worse, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Not only was this absolutely not true, but it also overlooked the fact that D&D, at its core, is a game of imagination, much like reading a fantasy novel or watching a movie. The themes and narratives explored in D&D campaigns are just as varied and unique as in any other form of literature.

Well, sure, players might summon dragons or cast spells, but let’s be honest here: we are all very well aware that there’s a clear and solid boundary between the game’s fantasy world and the reality we all return to after each session.

Dungeons & Dragons began as a niche hobby: a mix of fantasy storytelling and strategic gameplay. Over the years and through different generations and editions, it has grown into a pop culture titan, influencing games, movies, and literature and becoming a dedicated community. Its legacy is a testament to the power of imagination, storytelling, and the human desire to be a hero, or a villain, if only for a few hours at a time.

So, what are you waiting for? Roll for initiative.