Sunday, January 26, 2014

Happy 40th Birthday Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is having a birthday! Today the classic game turns 40. It's influence on everything from video games, films, TV, fantasy, computers, and our popular culture is without question. D&D has spawned countless imitators, and today an entire RPG and gaming industry is now thriving all over the world.

With many of us 80s kids now introducing our own kids to D&D, it has begun to lure them away from TV screens, getting pencils and paper into their hands outside of school, and has exposed them to imagination not spawned just from pixels.



Wizards of the Coast is about to release D&D Next, the 5th variation of the rules since the first AD&D rules came out. D&D Next promises to get back to the games roots and away from the video-game influenced 4th edition that polarized and further fractured the loyal but often opinionated fan-base. Already I'm seeing a a pushback to gamers playing 3.5 in preparation for what hopefully will be a system that will allow for much customization and faster combat. Simplicity too is something I am hoping for. Something a 6 year old can easily grasp and play, but with a dynamic enough rules system in place so hard core gamer adults will feel satisfied. Going by the D&D Next play-test I was involved in, I'm sure most everyone will be happy.

Happy Birthday D&D.



The secret we should never let the gamemasters know is 
that they don't need any rules. — Gary Gygax 


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Please be respectful with all comments. This is just a hobby for me.