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To understand the appeal of Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D as gamers call it, you had to be a fan of fantasy to begin with. If you've ever read a book (Lord Of The Rings, Dragonriders Of Pern, Wizard Of Earthsea, etc.) or seen a movie (Dragonslayer, Conan The Barbarian, The Sword And The Sorcerer, Eregon, Legend, etc.) in the fantasy genre and wanted to be the hero of the story in your own adventures, then Dungeons and Dragons is the game to indulge your fantasies with.

Gary Gygax created D&D back in the early 70's with that purpose in mind. It is what you would call a "PNP" game or pen and paper Role Playing Game. It's kind of like acting in a way. You are given a situation and your "character" that you have created reacts to it by casting a spell or swinging a sword. You roll the dice and see if you succeeded in slaying the monster or picking the lock or whatever you're trying to do and the game goes on from there. You decide where the game goes, but it is ultimately controlled by the DM, or Dungeon Master. He runs the game and plays the part of everybody but you... monsters, shopkeepers, bartenders, townsfolk, etc.

Now that I've given a general synopsis of the game, I'll explain the appeal of it. Basically, it's a power trip of sorts. You work with a group or solo to find items of power, gold and to earn experience points that will ultimately raise your character's level and consequentially the amount of power you can wield. It can be very addictive and some people spend inordinate amounts of time playing it. I know I did when I was younger, it was an obsession with my friends and I.

It's a never ending upward spiral of power and you constantly seek to be higher level and get better armor, weapons, etc.. It's no wonder people enjoy playing it, just ask anybody who now plays video games like World Of Warcraft, Everquest and Diablo II and I'm guessing a lot of them started out playing D&D. These games are pretty much Dungeons and Dragons but with a computer or game system. They've evolved way past the pen and paper game, but they still contain all the basic elements that made it such a huge success and a great hobby.

I think Dungeons and Dragons is still valid today as a fun game to play with your friends... however, the older and busier you get, the less time there is to create and gather your friends in the same room once a week. That's why I play World of Warcraft and other PC games... it's much easier and simpler to play and enjoy and your friends can play with you online without leaving their house.

Learn more about this author, Vince Smith.
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