Dungeons and Dragons and DungeonMastering.com

DungeonMastering.com has been bringing articles and advice to Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Masters and players alike for years now. DungeonMastering.com started off as a Dungeons and Dragons blog and eventually moved into publishing and creating tools for your Dungeons and Dragons tabletop board game. DungeonMastering.com offers advice for Dungeon Masters on various subjects with the main purpose to provide you with information about Dungeons and Dragons the roleplaying game.

An Introduction to Dungeons and Dragons

What exactly is Dungeons and Dragons (also known as D&D or DnD)? Dungeons and Dragons is the result of over 30 years of creative minds sticking their pencils to paper and creating a board game system in which players can take up arms and live a life of fantasy, wonderment and desire. The Dungeons and Dragons board game is a realm where you can be a deadly assassin, a war forged brute, mighty wizard or holy warrior! You can also choose to be the dark and sinister cunning crafters of undead or summoners of dark elements. Simply put your mind to it and let it happen!

This creative and complex tabletop gaming system was originally inspired by actual myths, legends, and ideas that floated around our minds and were written down by various writers. Dungeons and Dragons was perfected initially by Gary Gygax, who stood to not only create this fantasy realm but to share it with everyone around him. He is now known as the Father of Dungeons and Dragons.

How to Play Dungeons and Dragons

In Dungeons and Dragons, you commonly need a minimum of two players. One plays the the role of the “Dungeon Master” (also sometimes referred to as the “Game Master”, "DM", or storyteller) and his role is to describe the scene, world, environment, and every other character in the game that isn’t one of the players. Essentially, the Dungeon Master represents earth, the universe, and everything you don’t control. The players are an essential piece as well since they are the protagonists, the main characters, the content to the DM’s story, they make decisions, fight, become great warriors, high kings, slay dragons, find and unlock mysterious treasures and much more!

Playing Dungeons and Dragons is a rather unique experience compared to its predecessors which were more war-like where you controlled whole armies or a mass amount of characters and plotted them out with miniatures and home made terrain. Dungeons and Dragons has each player create a character that they will represent in-game. The player gets to choose the characters name, the way it looks, purchase equipment for the character, and they will roll up stats. Rolling up stats is a way to randomize how strong, handsome, cunning, and quick your character is, so that the game is fair.

D&D is sometimes played with Miniatures, small figurines that are representations of villains and the characters, which are laid out on a “Battle Matt” (a table sized matt with squares or hexagons on them) and moved around to represent the placement of characters in game. Though these items aren't required in game to actually play, they are just luxuries.

Dungeons and Dragons runs off of what is called a “D20” system. This is based around the 20 sided die used in the games. There are seven different dice shapes numbering anywhere from 1-4, to 1-100. Most rules in the game are calculated by rolling a D20 and adding the corresponding modifier to the result thereby determining your level of success.  Some successes require a secondary die to be rolled which is further described in the Player's Handbook.

Now that you know a bit more about Dungeons and Dragons, then you may be considering starting up a group to play with you and your friends. If so, then you have come to the right site! We here at DungeonMastering.com offer you the greatest collection of articles, advice, and tools to help you start up our very own game.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dungeons and Dragons

Wait so, is Dungeons and Dragons a video game?
Yes and no, the Dungeons and Dragons we are talking about is a tabletop RPG (roleplaying game). This game is played with pen, paper, a set of dice, players, and a DM (Dungeon Master). There are games inspired by this tabletop game such as Baulders Gate, Dark Alliance, and the Official Dungeons and Dragons Online MMO.

Why do we need a Dungeon Master?
A dungeon master is like the programmer and artist of a computer game. Without the team that creates the games, there is no game to be played. The Dungeon Master is also a mediator, so that players don’t go over board and “God Mode” as its called.

What’s God Moding and why can’t I do it in DnD?
God Moding is when one player tries to do things that aren’t possible. In real life, you wouldn’t walk out of your house at age 11 and pick up a stone and turn it into a multi-billion dollar business (unless you monopolized the pet rock.) So, a first level rogue isn’t going to go in and slay an ancient dragon.

Where Can I Learn More About DND?

DungonMastering.com offers a free Ebook on how to be a better DM, a D & D blog, and active community of other players to help you get started or improve your games.