Know ye now of days gone by where elves ruled and dragons flew? Know ye not? Well I'm going to tell you a thing or two about Dungeons and Dragons so you can impress all your friends.
Dungeons and Dragons was first on the scene nearly 36 years ago as a game. Invented in 1974, it saw several rules changes and some refinement of the last three and half decades, though it say it's hay day in the mid-80s when everyone short of your Grandmother tried the game at one point or the other.
Dungeons and Dragons could be considered a board game as well and a role playing game. It does, after all, have a "board" or map that players will have to navigate. There are game pieces to be used, but all similarity ends there. The dice used is the beginning of the divergence from the "normal" board game.
The game is heavily dependent on the roll of the dice. Unlike other games your game piece- pardon me, character can only move so many spaces a turn, or round. The dice determine combat scores (roll for a hit) and success of spells and other factors, such as whether or not your character will be turned into a goat and for how long. By goat, we mean literally, a goat, it's happened. The kicker is that the dice are not your standard 6 sided variety. They come in an amazing assortment of sides and colors.
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves and Halflings are all races that can be played through 99.9% of the mods; they are the base classes. Each of these races has areas of strength and weakness. Which one is chosen as the character to be played will help in determining the class of the character.
Class is the next major factor and entire websites have been dedicated to each class of character, but here's a basic breakdown of the different classes. Warriors will have no magic but strong close combat (melee) aptitude and roughed endurance. Mages or Wizards are weaker physically and cannot take as much damage as the warrior, but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. Priests tend to be the healers of the group and are desired as playing partners, though a lot of players prefer not to play this type of character. Typically a priest is on par physically with a magic user. Thieves would be the final basic class. What a thief does is fairly straightforward; they pick locks, take things and have an ability to detect traps. Combinations of these classes exist and keep the game lively. A Paladin for instance is a priest/warrior combo. Race restrictions apply though. Some races just can't be certain types of classes.
The only two basic elements of the game that we've missed so far are levels and alignment. When the player completes a quest they will gain experience points. These points are added to the total experience of the character. Once a certain number of points have been gained, the character will go up to the next level and gain new skills and strengths. Alignment is how your character's morals fit into the game. There are basically three alignments: good, evil and neutral. All three alignments can be in the same group together and co-exist towards the same goals or quests. Having characters of different alignments in the same party can make for interesting game play to say the least.
Part of the lure of Dungeons and Dragons has been its ability to adapt and how the game will allow players to adapt it to their specific tastes. This brief article is but a sliver of the options and game play of the D&D realm. What's amazing is that the game is still alive in certain gaming circles and still played today, proving to not be a fad. So if you missed it at its pinnacle, you can still drop by the local comic book shop, check the bulletin board and buy what you need! - 30290
Dungeons and Dragons was first on the scene nearly 36 years ago as a game. Invented in 1974, it saw several rules changes and some refinement of the last three and half decades, though it say it's hay day in the mid-80s when everyone short of your Grandmother tried the game at one point or the other.
Dungeons and Dragons could be considered a board game as well and a role playing game. It does, after all, have a "board" or map that players will have to navigate. There are game pieces to be used, but all similarity ends there. The dice used is the beginning of the divergence from the "normal" board game.
The game is heavily dependent on the roll of the dice. Unlike other games your game piece- pardon me, character can only move so many spaces a turn, or round. The dice determine combat scores (roll for a hit) and success of spells and other factors, such as whether or not your character will be turned into a goat and for how long. By goat, we mean literally, a goat, it's happened. The kicker is that the dice are not your standard 6 sided variety. They come in an amazing assortment of sides and colors.
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Half-Elves and Halflings are all races that can be played through 99.9% of the mods; they are the base classes. Each of these races has areas of strength and weakness. Which one is chosen as the character to be played will help in determining the class of the character.
Class is the next major factor and entire websites have been dedicated to each class of character, but here's a basic breakdown of the different classes. Warriors will have no magic but strong close combat (melee) aptitude and roughed endurance. Mages or Wizards are weaker physically and cannot take as much damage as the warrior, but they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. Priests tend to be the healers of the group and are desired as playing partners, though a lot of players prefer not to play this type of character. Typically a priest is on par physically with a magic user. Thieves would be the final basic class. What a thief does is fairly straightforward; they pick locks, take things and have an ability to detect traps. Combinations of these classes exist and keep the game lively. A Paladin for instance is a priest/warrior combo. Race restrictions apply though. Some races just can't be certain types of classes.
The only two basic elements of the game that we've missed so far are levels and alignment. When the player completes a quest they will gain experience points. These points are added to the total experience of the character. Once a certain number of points have been gained, the character will go up to the next level and gain new skills and strengths. Alignment is how your character's morals fit into the game. There are basically three alignments: good, evil and neutral. All three alignments can be in the same group together and co-exist towards the same goals or quests. Having characters of different alignments in the same party can make for interesting game play to say the least.
Part of the lure of Dungeons and Dragons has been its ability to adapt and how the game will allow players to adapt it to their specific tastes. This brief article is but a sliver of the options and game play of the D&D realm. What's amazing is that the game is still alive in certain gaming circles and still played today, proving to not be a fad. So if you missed it at its pinnacle, you can still drop by the local comic book shop, check the bulletin board and buy what you need! - 30290
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