What is D&D?
Image: CBC
Dungeons & Dragons was created by Ernest Gary Gygax and and David Arneson in 1974. The game was originally published by Tactical Studies Rules, then was acquired by Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro) in 1997. The Wizards of the Coast website features a variety of information about the company, the game, how to find resources, and how to play. To summarize what the game really is, Wizards of the Coast made the following statement,
In Dungeons & Dragons, the players form an adventuring party who explore fantasy worlds together as they embark on epic quests and level up in experience. The Dungeon Master (also known as the DM) is the game's referee and storyteller. There’s no winning or losing in D&D—at least, not in the conventional way. At its heart, D&D is a game that focuses on storytelling. The dice just help you along. Everything is your decision, from what you look like, to how you act, to what happens next. The collective creativity in your D&D game builds stories that you’ll tell again and again—ranging from the stuff of legend to absurd incidents that’ll make you laugh years later. (Wizards of the Coast, 2023)
The game is traditionally played around a table, but modern technology has allowed for various virtual gameplay options as well. The game is full of creativity, problem-solving, and imaginary combat. All you truly need to play are a standard set of game dice (7 total- a d4, d6, d8, (2) d10, d12, and a d20), paper, pencil, and your imagination. However, there are many supplementary tools to enhance your game, including but not limited to D&D books, battle maps, figurines, and character sheet templates.
Why D&D?
This video is an official video of the Dungeons & Dragons channel. The narrator of the video explains what D&D actually is, and what basic gameplay looks like. She then makes an argument about why people should play D&D regardless of their background and experience, targeting her argument toward viewers who have never played before. She emphasizes the narrative control players have in crafting a fantasy story and the fun of living vicariously through your own character. This video may prove beneficial to users who are researching D&D for their own personal reasons, or for an educator/librarian looking to advertise a D&D program to patrons/students.
Searching for D&D
Note the key terms to the left of this page- D&D fits many different terms. You can find information related to D&D using "D&D," "Dungeons & Dragons," "Role-playing games," "tabletop games," etc. Try a variety of these key terms in different combinations.
For general search engine use, be sure to utilize quotations since many of these terms have two words or more. Searching "Dungeons & Dragons" instead of Dungeons & Dragons ensures that your sources will be specific to the game, and not information about bearded dragon pet care or medieval dungeons. Without quotations, the search engine may process each word separately.
Also be aware of what type of materials you are searching for, as this will affect the type of search engine you use.
For example, Google may be a better search engine for casual gameplay resources, but Google Scholar will be better for finding professional research materials.