In the world of cult games, probably none captured children’s imaginations more than Dungeons & Dragons. This was a game that was so unique that the rules of the game were that there really were no rules. The way you played was limited only by your imagination.
The game was actually influenced by the great book “Lord of the Rings”. The gentlemen who created Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, were such fans of Rings that they turned their love of the book into what became one of the most popular role-playing games of all time. This vision first took shape in 1973.
This game was not like the traditional board game. The fact is that I did not have any board. The original Dungeons & Dragons game came with a map. Players would follow the map to see where it would lead them, ultimately discovering the rewards and dangers that awaited them.
There were no real rules to the game. Each game that was played could have as many players as you wanted. Each player would take on the role of a different character, which was also made up based on various races. Common races were humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and many others. Each race then had different professions or specialties. For example. You can decide to play a human character who was a fighter. Maybe you preferred playing an elf who was a cleric, someone who healed other characters. Common professions besides warriors and clerics were wizards, wizards, paladins, and thieves. Each profession had a different ability. Wizards and sorcerers were very adept at casting magical spells that could be quite powerful in a battle against the enemy. Clerics had great healing powers. Thieves had the ability to pick locks and disable traps.
When organizing a group to go adventuring, it was a good idea to organize one that had several different abilities. A common group of 6 members consisted of 2 fighters, 1 cleric, 1 mage, 1 thief, and 1 paladin. This group was diverse enough to handle anything it came across.
And exactly what did these parts come across? Nothing and everything. There were monsters of all kinds in the Dungeons & Dragons game, from goblins to skeletons to the dreaded dragon. Each monster had its own powers and abilities. Some monsters were easy to defeat and some were quite difficult.
The excitement of the game was in creating a character and watching your character gain skill levels. Characters start at the lowest levels and progress to the highest possible levels. This could literally take months or even years of gameplay.
Each character itself is made up of various abilities such as dexterity, strength, intelligence, and many others. Scores for these abilities are randomly generated by dice, which are the entire engine of a Dungeons & Dragons game. Common dice used are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, and 100-sided. These dice are also used to determine the outcome of battles and the ability to defuse traps. They even determine which treasures can or cannot be found. And the amazing thing about all this is that there is no board, no pieces, nothing but paper, pencil and dice. It is almost the cheapest game to play and at the same time the most fascinating.
If you’ve never experienced the fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons, you owe it to yourself to throw a party and go exploring.