The Kernel Of A Game: Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is the grandfather of all roleplaying games, and its sociological and artistic impact upon not only roleplaying games but gaming as a whole (we'll get into that further some day) cannot be understated.

Genre: Fantasy. No matter the setting or the campaign, Dungeons and Dragons itself is firmly bound in fantasy, from elves to the dungeons and dragons in its name. The specific type of fantasy differs from campaign to campaign, however --- swords and sorcery, epic fantasy, fantasy so gritty you can feel the blood in every sword strike --- there's room for it in D&D.

Rules: The current edition of D&D (3.5) is built upon the d20 system, which essentially means all major roles are done using twenty-sided dice (referred to as d20s). Generally, D&D's rules are complex, but cover a lot of possibilities and have a lot of room in them. You're expected to bring story, characters, and all the hallmarks of a good game yourself --- the sourcebooks focus on giving you a ruleset to set that in, and materials to work with. Players who like lots of cool abilities and character rules options love D&D.

Options: D&D's main divide in terms of options comes in the form of campaign settings. Unlike most other gaming lines, D&D's main line gives you just rules options, and little setting --- for example, wizards are detailed, and optional rules for special training at specific schools of wizardry are given --- but no actual schools are detailed. Usually. A few supplements are very thematically consistent and suggest settings in and of themselves; some bear references to a whitewashed version of a setting called Greyhawk, which is nominally where the D&D rulebooks are based within. On the other hand, there are two pre-done campaign settings for your use, which I recommend.

The Forgotten Realms: The Forgotten Realms is arguably the most detailed fantasy world ever. It's definitely the most detailed gaming setting ever, and arguably the most influential fantasy setting ever after the Lord of the Rings. The Forgotten Realms is sword-and-sorcery first and foremost, focusing on the efforts of tightly-knit bands of folk (some might call them heroes, some might call them fools) to hold back darkness and evil. Play in the Realms if you're interested in the classic style of fantasy.

Eberron: Eberron is the newer child on the block. It's notable for looking at fantasy through the lens of swashbuckling adventure and early 20th century pulp action --- while still being recognizable as D&D, Eberron's dungeons look ripe for Indiana Jones. It's also notable for the take at magitech, also known as using magic advancements to replace scientific ones, as is evident in such items as the lightning rail, a magical train. Play in Eberron if you're interested in the style of the pulps at their best.

Going It Alone: It's also possible to design your own campaign setting. It's possibly the best time-waster in the history of human existance, but a wonderful creative endeavour. If you go this route, prepare to spend a lot of time creating game elements out of whole cloth --- elements that, in the scope of this article series, may be out of our area of coverage (although we'll note at them.) I don't really recommend it for beginners.

Dragonlance, Greyhawk, Ghostwalk: There have been single supplements produced for other campaign settings, namely Dragonlance, Greyhawk, and Ghostwalk. Greyhawk has supply problems for the current edition, and Ghostwalk isn't for beginners. Dragonlance is the one of note --- if you like epic fantasy, it's the way to go, and the folks at dragonlance.com can help you figure out what you'll need to pick up (I have little to no experience with the setting.)

What You Need: Each player needs a set of dice --- one four-sider, one to four six-siders (preferably four), one eight-sider, one to two ten-siders (preferably two, one with ones digits on it and one with tens digits on it), one twelve-sider, and one twenty-sider. Most gaming stores sell pre-done tubes of these prepped by dice companies, which will likely be missing the fourth six-sider, and which is worth the separate purchase. Wizards of the Coast (D&D's publisher) sells sets, too, but there's no real compelling reason to buy them to the exclusion of others. Pick up the five books listed for whichever campaign setting you go with in order and a pad of graph paper; unlike the World of Darkness, there's a much higher cost of entry for D&D --- you must have all of the mandatory books listed, and the dice. Total cost for all five books and the dice should run you about $260 CAD; if you can't get the paper from somewhere, a pad will be about $3.

The Forgotten Realms:

1. Player's Handbook v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread pages 61--67, Chapters 8, 9, and 10, and the Glossary.)
2. Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapters 1, 2, and 8.)
3. Monster Manual v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapter 7.)
4. Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Mandatory; Reread Chapter 3.)
5. Player's Guide To Faerun (Mandatory)
   

Eberron:

1. Player's Handbook v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread pages 61--67, Chapters 8, 9, and 10, and the Glossary.)
2. Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapters 1, 2, and 8.)
3. Monster Manual v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapter 7.)
4. Eberron Campaign Setting (Mandatory; Reread pages 45--46 and pages 129--133.)
5. Player's Guide To Eberron (Reread page 15.)

Going It Alone:

1. Player's Handbook v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread pages 61--67, Chapters 8, 9, and 10, and the Glossary.)
2. Dungeon Master's Guide v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapters 1, 2, and 8.)
3. Monster Manual v.3.5 (Mandatory; Reread Chapter 7.)
4. Dungeon Master's Guide II (Reread pages 81--108 and Chapter 1.)
5. Player's Handbook II (Reread pages 147--157 and Chapter 5.)