Editing Dungeons & Dragons

{{short description|Fantasy role-playing game}}
{{About|the role-playing game|other uses|Dungeons & Dragons (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect2|D&D|DnD||D&D (disambiguation)|and|DND (disambiguation){{!}}DND}}
{{featured article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox game
| title = ''Dungeons & Dragons''
| italic title = yes
| logo = Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition logo.svg
| logo_size = 250px
| logo_caption = Logo used for the 5th edition
| image = D&D Game 1.jpg
| caption = An elaborate ''D&D'' game in progress. Among the gaming aids shown here are dice, a variety of miniatures, and a dungeon [[diorama]].
| designer = [[Gary Gygax]]<br/>[[Dave Arneson]]
| publisher = [[TSR (company)|TSR]] (1974–1997), [[Wizards of the Coast]] (since 1997)
| date = {{plainlist|
*1974 ([[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|original]])
*1977 ([[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set|''Basic Set'' 1st ver.]])<ref name="acdd">{{Cite web |title=D&D Basic Set |url=http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624215519/http://acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html |archive-date=June 24, 2011 |access-date=May 16, 2013 |website=Rulebooks and Sets |publisher=acaeum.com}}</ref>
*1977 (''[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced D&D]]'')
*1981 ([[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set|''Basic Set'' 2nd ver.]])
*1983 ([[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set#1983 revision|''Basic Set'' 3rd ver.]])
*1989 ([[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition|''AD&D'' 2nd Edition]])
*1991 (''[[Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia|Rules Cyclopedia]]'')
*2000 ([[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition|3rd edition]])
*2003 ([[Dungeons & Dragons v3.5|v3.5]])
*2008 ([[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition|4th edition]])
*2014 ([[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|5th edition]])
*2024 ([[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#2024 revision of 5th Edition|Revised 5th edition]])
}}
| years = {{time interval|1974-01-01|{{currentyear}}-01-01}} (since 1974)
| random_chance = [[Dice]] rolling
| playing_time = Varies
| genre = Fantasy
| system = ''Dungeons & Dragons''<br/>[[d20 System]] (3rd Edition)
| skills = [[Role-playing]], [[improvisation]], [[Military tactics|tactics]], [[arithmetic]]
| web = {{Official URL}}
}}

'''''Dungeons & Dragons''''' (commonly abbreviated as '''''D&D''''' or '''''DnD''''')<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 18, 2019 |title=D&D: The 'What does that stand for?' list |url=https://www.geeknative.com/64619/dd-the-what-does-that-stand-for-list/ |access-date=February 25, 2020 |website=Geek Native |language=en-GB |archive-date=February 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225182354/https://www.geeknative.com/64619/dd-the-what-does-that-stand-for-list/ |url-status=live }}</ref> is a fantasy [[tabletop role-playing game]] (TTRPG) originally created and designed by [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Dave Arneson]].<ref name="Waters-2004">{{Cite news|last=Waters|first=Darren|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm|title=What happened to Dungeons and Dragons?|date=April 26, 2004|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=February 25, 2020|language=en-GB|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227184108/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="D'Anastasio-2019">{{Cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/dungeons-deceptions-the-first-d-d-players-push-back-1837516834|title=Dungeons & Deceptions: The First D&D Players Push Back On The Legend Of Gary Gygax|last=D'Anastasio|first=Cecilia|date=August 26, 2019|website=[[Kotaku]]|language=en-us|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629155353/https://kotaku.com/dungeons-deceptions-the-first-d-d-players-push-back-1837516834|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Michaud-2015">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-tangled-cultural-roots-of-dungeons-dragons|title=The Tangled Cultural Roots of Dungeons & Dragons|last=Michaud|first=Jon|date=November 2, 2015|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=March 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309221348/https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-tangled-cultural-roots-of-dungeons-dragons|url-status=live}}</ref> The game was first published in 1974 by [[TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules|Tactical Studies Rules]] (TSR).<ref name="Michaud-2015" /> It has been published by [[Wizards of the Coast]], later a subsidiary of [[Hasbro]], since 1997. The game was derived from [[miniature wargaming|miniature wargames]], with a variation of the 1971 game ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'' serving as the initial rule system.<ref name="D'Anastasio-2019" /><ref name="Banshee_Gygax"/> ''D&D''{{'s}} publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry,<ref name="Michaud-2015" /><ref name="Williams-Hendricks-2006">{{Cite book|title=Gaming as Culture, Essays on Reality, Identity and Experience in Fantasy Games|publisher=McFarland & Company|author1=J. Patrick Williams|author2=Sean Q. Hendricks|author3=W. Keith Winkler|year=2006|isbn=0-7864-2436-2|location=Jefferson, N.C.|pages=1–14, 27|oclc=63122794}}</ref> which also deeply influenced [[video games]], especially the [[Role-playing video game|role-playing]] video game genre.<ref name="Kogod-2020">{{Cite web |last=Kogod |first=Theo |date=2020-09-30 |title=11 Ways Dungeons & Dragons Influenced Video Games |url=https://www.thegamer.com/ways-dungeons-dragons-influenced-video-games/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=TheGamer |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The influence of role-playing in video games |url=http://www.gametopiastudios.com/beyond/article/03/2019/18/influence-role-playing-in-videogames |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=www.gametopiastudios.com |language=en |archive-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806185634/http://www.gametopiastudios.com/beyond/article/03/2019/18/influence-role-playing-in-videogames |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-05-06 |title=The Influence of Dungeons and Dragons on Video Games |url=https://www.museumofplay.org/blog/the-influence-of-dungeons-and-dragons-on-video-games/ |access-date=2022-08-06 |website=The Strong National Museum of Play |language=en-US}}</ref>

''D&D'' departs from traditional [[wargame|wargaming]] by allowing each player to create their own [[Player character|character]] to play instead of a [[military formation]]. These characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting. A [[Dungeon Master]] (DM) serves as referee and storyteller for the game, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world, known as [[non-player character]]s (NPCs). The characters form a [[Party (role-playing games)|party]] and they interact with the setting's inhabitants and each other. Together they solve problems, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge. In the process, player characters earn [[experience point]]s (XP) to level up, and become increasingly powerful over a series of separate gaming sessions.<ref name="Waters-2004" /><ref name="Williams-Hendricks-2006" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-uncanny-resurrection-of-dungeons-and-dragons|title=The Uncanny Resurrection of Dungeons & Dragons|last=Jahromi|first=Neima|date=October 24, 2017|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=June 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619190633/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-uncanny-resurrection-of-dungeons-and-dragons|url-status=live}}</ref> Players choose a class when they create their character, which gives them special perks and abilities every few levels.

The early success of ''D&D'' led to a proliferation of similar game systems. Despite the competition, ''D&D'' has remained the market leader in the role-playing game industry.<ref>"Frankly, the difference in sales between Wizards and all other producers of roleplaying games is so staggering that even saying there is an 'RPG industry' at all may be generous." {{ cite web|last=Cook |first=Monte |author-link=Monte Cook |title=The Open Game License as I See It – Part II |url=http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mc_los_155 |access-date=May 28, 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060328184105/http://www.montecook.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?mc_los_155 |archive-date=March 28, 2006 }}</ref><ref name="Pilon-2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-07-08/how-to-be-a-professional-dungeons-dragons-master-hosting-games|title=The Rise of the Professional Dungeon Master|last=Pilon|first=Mary|date=July 8, 2019|website=[[Bloomberg Businessweek]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710004711/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-07-08/how-to-be-a-professional-dungeons-dragons-master-hosting-games|archive-date=July 10, 2019|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> In 1977, the game was split into two branches: the relatively rules-light game system of [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set and revisions|basic ''Dungeons & Dragons'']], and the more structured, rules-heavy game system of ''[[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (abbreviated as ''AD&D'').<ref name="Dragon 26 Gygax">Gygax; "From the Sorcerer's Scroll" in ''The Dragon'' #26.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nerdarchy.com/is-there-a-best-edition-of-dd-absolutely/|title=Is There a Best Edition of D&D? Absolutely|last=Vehovec|first=Doug|date=August 23, 2018|website=Nerdarchy|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=July 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701081114/https://nerdarchy.com/is-there-a-best-edition-of-dd-absolutely/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17003/Players-Handbook-1e|title=Players Handbook (1e) - Product History|last=Appelcline|first=Shannon|website=Dungeon Masters Guild|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225190002/https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17003/Players-Handbook-1e|url-status=live}}</ref> ''AD&D'' 2nd Edition was published in 1989. In 2000, a new system was released as ''D&D'' 3rd edition, continuing the edition numbering from ''AD&D''; a revised version 3.5 was released in June 2003. These 3rd edition rules formed the basis of the [[D20 system|d20 System]], which is available under the [[Open Game License]] (OGL) for use by other publishers. ''D&D'' 4th edition was released in June 2008.<ref>{{Cite book|title=[[30 Years of Adventure]]: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|author1=[[Harold Johnson (game designer)|Harold Johnson]]|author2=[[Steve Winter]]|author3=[[Peter Adkison]]|author4=[[Ed Stark]]|author5=Peter Archer|year=2004|isbn=0-7869-3498-0|location=Renton, WA|pages=253|oclc=56961559}}</ref> The 5th edition of ''D&D'', the most recent, was released during the second half of 2014.<ref name="Pilon-2019" />

In 2004, ''D&D'' remained the best-known,<ref>According to a 1999 survey in the United States, 6% of 12- to 35-year-olds have played role-playing games. Of those who play regularly, two-thirds play ''D&D''. (Dancey; Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary)</ref> and best-selling,<ref>Products branded ''Dungeons & Dragons'' made up over fifty percent of the RPG products sold in 2005. (Hite; State of the Industry 2005)</ref> role-playing game in the US, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales worldwide.<ref name="Waters-2004" /> The year 2017 had "the most number of players in its history—12 million to 15 million in North America alone".<ref name="Brodeur">{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/behind-the-scenes-of-the-making-of-dungeons-dragons/|title=Behind the scenes of the making of Dungeons & Dragons|last=Brodeur|first=Nicole|date=May 4, 2018|website=[[The Seattle Times]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180513132519/https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/behind-the-scenes-of-the-making-of-dungeons-dragons/|archive-date=May 13, 2018|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> ''D&D 5th edition'' sales "were up 41 percent in 2017 from the year before, and soared another 52 percent in 2018, the game's biggest sales year yet".<ref name="Pilon-2019" /> The game has been supplemented by many premade [[Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)|adventures]], as well as commercial [[Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings|campaign settings]] suitable for use by regular gaming groups.<ref name="Heller-2018">{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/26/17153274/dnd-how-to-play-dungeons-dragons-5e-guide-spells-dice-character-sheets-dm|title=A beginner's guide to playing Dungeons and Dragons|last=Heller|first=Emily|date=May 26, 2018|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611235323/https://www.polygon.com/2018/5/26/17153274/dnd-how-to-play-dungeons-dragons-5e-guide-spells-dice-character-sheets-dm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''D&D'' is known beyond the game itself for other [[Dungeons & Dragons-related products|''D&D''-branded products]], [[Dungeons & Dragons in popular culture|references in popular culture]], and some of the [[Dungeons & Dragons controversies|controversies that have surrounded it]], particularly a [[satanic panic|moral panic]] in the 1980s that attempted to associate it with [[Satanism]] and suicide.<ref name="Waters-2004" /><ref name="Moral Panic"/><ref>{{Cite AV media| work = The New York Times| title = McMartin Preschool: Anatomy of a Panic - Retro Report| access-date = July 31, 2018| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUpSPj0x-c| archive-date = September 21, 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220921041259/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATUpSPj0x-c| url-status = live}}</ref> The game has won multiple awards and has been translated into many languages.

==Play overview==
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| total_width       = 320
| image1            = Dice and Character Sheet (3419936702).jpg
| alt1              = Dice on top of a Character Sheet
| caption1          = Players utilize both dice and [[character sheet]]s during a game session.
| image2            = DnD Game 14.jpg
| alt2              = Players gathered around a table for a Dungeons and Dragons game session
| caption2          = A ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game session featuring a map, miniatures, dice, and character sheets
| footer            = 
}}
''Dungeons & Dragons'' is a structured yet open-ended role-playing game.<ref name="Waskul-Lust-2004">{{Cite journal|last1=Waskul|first1=Dennis|last2=Lust|first2=Matt|date=2004|title=Role-Playing and Playing Roles: The Person, Player, and Persona in Fantasy Role-Playing|journal=Symbolic Interaction|language=en|volume=27|issue=3|pages=333–356|doi=10.1525/si.2004.27.3.333|issn=1533-8665}}</ref> Typically, one player takes on the role of [[Dungeon Master]] (DM) or [[Game Master]] (GM) while the others each control a single character, representing an individual in a fictional setting.<ref name="Waskul-Lust-2004"/> When working together as a group, the [[player characters]] (PCs) are often described as a "[[Party (role-playing games)|party]]" of adventurers, with each member often having their own area of specialty that contributes to the success of the group as a whole.<ref name="Slavicsek-2005">{{Cite book|author1=Slavicsek, Bill|title=Dungeons and Dragons for Dummies|date=2005|publisher=Wiley|author2=Baker, Richard W.|isbn=0-7645-8459-6|location=Hoboken, N.J.|pages=268, 293, 363|oclc=57574631}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | first=Erik | last=Bethke | year=2003 | title=Game development and production | page=12 | series=Wordware Game Developer's Library | publisher=Wordware Publishing, Inc. | isbn=1-55622-951-8 }}</ref> During the course of play, each player directs the actions of their character and their interactions with other characters in the game.<ref name="Williams-Hendricks-2006" /> This activity is performed through the verbal impersonation of the characters by the players, while employing a variety of social and other useful cognitive skills, such as logic, basic mathematics, and imagination.<ref>{{cite book | author1=Spade, Joan Z. | author2=Ballantine, Jeanne H. | title=Schools and Society: A Sociological Approach to Education | chapter=Meso-Level Agents of Gender Socialization | edition=4 | publisher=Pine Forge Press | page=[https://archive.org/details/schoolssocietyso0000unse_i0b5/page/294 294] | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-4129-7924-5 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qEdLrFqMBfkC&pg=PA294 | url=https://archive.org/details/schoolssocietyso0000unse_i0b5/page/294 }}</ref> A game often continues over a series of meetings to complete a single [[Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)|adventure]], and longer into a series of related gaming adventures, called a "[[campaign (role-playing games)|campaign]]".<ref name="Williams-Hendricks-2006" /><ref>"Encounters are to adventures what adventures are to campaigns" (Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 129)</ref><ref name="Rouchart-2003">{{Cite book|chapter=Solving the Narrative Paradox in VEs — Lessons from RPGs|title=Intelligent Virtual Agents: 4th International Workshop|date=2003|publisher=Springer|author1=Rouchart, Sandy|author2=Aylett, Ruth|isbn=978-3-540-39396-2|location=Berlin|pages=245–246|oclc=166468859}}</ref>

The results of the party's choices and the overall storyline for the game are determined by the DM according to the rules of the game and the DM's interpretation of those rules.<ref name="Rouchart-2003" /><ref name="Cook-2005">{{Cite book|last=Cook|first=Monte|url=https://archive.org/details/dungeonmastersgu00mont/page/4|title=Dungeon Master's Guide: Core Rulebook II (3.5)|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|author2=Tweet, Jonathan|author3=Williams, Skip|year=2005|isbn=0-7869-1551-X|location=Renton, WA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/dungeonmastersgu00mont/page/4 4, 98, 114]|oclc=45052801}}</ref> The DM selects and describes the various [[non-player character]]s (NPCs) that the party encounters, the settings in which these interactions occur, and the outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions.<ref name="Williams-Hendricks-2006" /><ref name="Slavicsek-2005" /> Encounters often take the form of battles with "[[Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons|monster]]s"&nbsp;– a generic term used in ''D&D'' to describe potentially hostile beings such as animals, aberrant beings, or mythical creatures.<ref name="Rouchart-2003" /> In addition to jewels and gold coins, [[Magic item (Dungeons & Dragons)|magic items]] form part of the treasure that the players often seek in a dungeon.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fine |first=Gary Alan |title=Shared Fantasy: Role-playing Games as Social Worlds |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1983 |isbn=0-226-24944-1 |page=16}}</ref> Magic items are generally found in treasure hoards, or recovered from fallen opponents; sometimes, a powerful or important magic item is the object of a quest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Livingstone |first=Ian |title=[[Dicing with Dragons]] |publisher=Routledge |year=1982 |isbn=0-7100-9466-3 |page=80 |author-link=Ian Livingstone}}</ref> The game's extensive rules&nbsp;– which cover diverse subjects such as social interactions,<ref name="Cook-2005" /> [[Magic of Dungeons & Dragons|magic use]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gygax, Gary|title=Dungeon Masters Guide|publisher=TSR|year=1979|isbn=0-935696-02-4|location=Lake Geneva, WI|pages=114|oclc=13642005}}</ref> combat,<ref name="Cook-2005" /> and the effect of the environment on PCs<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mohan, Kim|title=Wilderness Survival Guide|date=1986|publisher=TSR|isbn=0-88038-291-0|oclc=14766400}}</ref>&nbsp;– help the DM to make these decisions. The DM may choose to deviate from the published rules<ref name="Cook-2005" /> or make up new ones if they feel it is necessary.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Tweet|first=Jonathan|title=Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|year=2004|isbn=0-7869-3409-3|location=Renton, WA.|pages=32|oclc=63137737}}</ref>

The most recent versions of the game's rules are detailed in three Fifth Edition [[Dungeons & Dragons manuals|core rulebooks]]: The ''[[Player's Handbook]]'', the ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'' and the ''[[Monster Manual]]''.<ref name="Heller-2018" />

The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks, a [[character sheet]] for each player, and a number of [[polyhedral dice]]. Many players also use miniature figures on a grid map as a visual aid if desired, particularly during combat. Some editions of the game presume such usage. Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game, such as expansion rulebooks, pre-designed adventures, and various [[Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings|campaign settings]].<ref name="Heller-2018" /><ref name="Slavicsek-2005" />

===Game mechanics===

{{Main|Dungeons & Dragons gameplay|Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)}}
[[File:Dungeons & Dragons Dice.jpg|thumb|''D&D'' uses polyhedral dice to resolve in-game events. These are abbreviated by a 'd' followed by the number of sides. Shown from left to right are a d20, d12, d%, d10, d8, d6, and a d4. A d% and d10 can be rolled together to produce a number between 1 and 100.]]
Before the game begins, each player [[character creation|creates]] their player character and records the details (described below) on a character sheet. First, a player determines their character's [[Game mechanics (Dungeons & Dragons)#Ability scores|ability scores]], which consist of Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each edition of the game has offered differing methods of determining these scores.<ref>The original game used [[Dice notation|3d6]] in the order rolled (Gygax, Arneson; ''Dungeons & Dragons''). Variants have since been included (Gygax; ''Dungeon Masters Guide'', p. 11) and the standard for more recent editions is "rolling four six-sided dice, ignoring the lowest die, and totaling the other three" (Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' [3.0], p. 4), arranging the results in any order desired. Recent editions also allow for a "point buy" system.</ref> The player then chooses a species (such as a dwarf, elf, or human – called "race" prior to 5e 2024),<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Parkin |first=Jeff |date=2024-09-17 |title=What's changed in Dungeons and Dragons 5e 2024 |url=https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/451897/dnd-2024-rules-revisions-changes |access-date=2024-09-25 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> a [[Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)|character class]] (such as a fighter, rogue, or wizard), an [[Alignment (Dungeons & Dragons)|alignment]] (a moral and ethical outlook), and other features to round out the character's abilities and backstory, which have varied in nature through differing editions.

During the game, players describe their PCs' intended actions to the DM, who then describes the result or response.<ref>Tweet; ''Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game'' p. 24</ref> Trivial actions, such as picking up a letter or opening an unlocked door, are usually automatically successful. The outcomes of more complex or risky actions, such as scaling a cliff or picking a lock, are determined by rolling dice.<ref name="Culture chapter">{{Harvnb|Williams|Hendricks|Winkler|2006}} "The Role-Playing Game and the Game of Role-Playing"</ref> Different polyhedral dice are used for different actions. For example, a twenty-sided die is used to determine whether a hit is made in combat, with other dice such as four, six, eight, ten, or even twelve-sided die used to determine how much damage was dealt.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dungeons & Dragons Dice |url=https://www.dicedragons.co.uk/blogs/dice-advice/dnd-dice-explained |access-date=January 13, 2024 |website=dicedragons.co.uk |date=April 4, 2023 |archive-date=January 13, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240113172911/https://www.dicedragons.co.uk/blogs/dice-advice/dnd-dice-explained |url-status=live }}</ref> Factors contributing to the outcome include the character's ability scores, skills, and the difficulty of the task.<ref>Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 62</ref> In circumstances where a character is attempting to avoid a negative outcome, such as when dodging a trap or resisting the effect of a spell, a [[saving throw]] can be used to determine whether the resulting effect is reduced or avoided.<ref name="PHB p.136">Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 136</ref><ref>"Generally, when you are subject to an unusual or magical attack, you get a saving throw to avoid or reduce the effect." There is identical language in sections titled 'Saving Throws' in (Tweet 2000:119).</ref> In this case the odds of success are influenced by the character's class, levels and ability scores.<ref name="PHB p.136"/><ref>Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' (3.0), pp. 119–120</ref> In circumstances where a character is attempting to complete a task such as picking a lock, deactivating a trap, or pushing a boulder, a Difficulty Class must be hit or exceeded. Relevant ability bonuses are added to help players succeed.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Player's Handbook |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]}}</ref>

As the game is played, each PC changes over time and generally increases in capability. Characters gain (or sometimes lose) experience, skills<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 197</ref> and wealth, and may even alter their alignment<ref>Early editions did not allow or had severe penalties for changing alignment (Gygax; ''Dungeon Masters Guide'', p. 24) but more recent versions are more allowing of change. (Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 134)</ref> or gain [[Character class (Dungeons & Dragons)#Multi-classing|additional character classes, which is called "Multiclassing"]].<ref>Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 59</ref> The key way characters progress is by earning [[experience point]]s (XP), which happens when they defeat an enemy or accomplish a difficult task.<ref>Gygax; ''Dungeon Masters Guide'', p. 84</ref> Acquiring enough XP allows a PC to advance a [[Experience level|level]], which grants the character improved class features, abilities and skills.<ref>Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 58</ref> XP can be lost in some circumstances, such as encounters with creatures that drain life energy, or by use of certain magical powers that come with an XP cost.<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 46</ref>

[[Hit point]]s (HP) are a measure of a character's vitality and health and are determined by the class, level and Constitution of each character. They can be temporarily lost when a character sustains wounds in combat or otherwise comes to harm, and loss of HP is the most common way for a character to die in the game.<ref>Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 145</ref> Death can also result from the loss of key ability scores<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 289</ref> or character levels.<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 296</ref> When a PC dies, it is often possible for the dead character to be resurrected through magic, although some penalties may be imposed as a result. If resurrection is not possible or not desired, the player may instead create a new PC to resume playing the game.<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 41</ref>

===Adventures and campaigns===
{{Main|Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)|Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings}}
[[File:AD&D Dungeon Masters notebook.jpg|thumb|right |A Dungeon Master's notebook with a custom design adventure]]
A typical ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game consists of an "adventure", which is roughly equivalent to a single story or quest.<ref>Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 43</ref> The DM can either design an original adventure or follow one of the many premade adventures (also known as "modules") that have been published throughout the history of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Published adventures typically include a background story, illustrations, maps, and goals for players to achieve. Some may include location descriptions and handouts, although they are not required for gameplay. Although a small adventure entitled "[[Temple of the Frog]]" was included in the ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]'' rules supplement in 1975, the first stand-alone ''D&D'' module published by TSR was 1978's ''[[Steading of the Hill Giant Chief]]'', written by Gygax.

A linked series of adventures is commonly referred to as a "[[campaign (role-playing games)|campaign]]".<ref>"A ''D&D'' campaign is an organized framework... to provide a realistic setting for a series of fantastic adventures." ([[Aaron Allston|Allston]]; ''Rules Cyclopedia'', p. 256)</ref> The locations where these adventures occur, such as a city, country, planet, or entire [[fictional universe]], are referred to as "[[campaign setting]]s" or "worlds."<ref>"It is important to distinguish between a campaign and a world, since the terms often seem to be used interchangeably&nbsp;... A world is a fictional place in which a campaign is set. It's also often called a campaign setting." (Cook, Williams, Tweet; ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' v3.5., p. 129)</ref> ''D&D'' settings are based in various fantasy genres and feature different levels and types of magic and technology.<ref>Williams; ''Dungeon Master Option: High Level Campaigns'', p. 45</ref> Popular commercially published campaign settings for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' include ''[[Greyhawk]]'', ''[[Dragonlance]]'', ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'', ''[[Mystara]]'', ''[[Spelljammer]]'', ''[[Ravenloft]]'', ''[[Dark Sun]]'', ''[[Planescape]]'', ''[[Birthright (campaign setting)|Birthright]]'', and ''[[Eberron]]''.

In addition to first-party campaigns and modules, two campaigns based on popular culture have been created. The first, based on ''[[Stranger Things]]'', was released in May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/stranger-things-dd-roleplaying-game-starter-set|title=Stranger Things D&D Roleplaying Game Starter Set|website=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|access-date=January 7, 2020|archive-date=October 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008053158/https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/stranger-things-dd-roleplaying-game-starter-set|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/22/18511302/stranger-things-dungeons-and-dragons-starter-set-review|title=Stranger Things D&D Starter Set is a surprisingly good introduction to the game|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=April 22, 2019|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=January 7, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215155100/https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/22/18511302/stranger-things-dungeons-and-dragons-starter-set-review|url-status=live}}</ref> A campaign based on the [[Rick and Morty#Comics|''Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons'']] comic book series was later released in November 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-vs-rick-and-morty-rpg-is-stupid-ir-1839783831|title=Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty RPG Is Stupid, Irreverent Fun...Especially for DMs|website=io9|date=November 14, 2019 |language=en-us|access-date=January 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/article/dungeons-dragons-vs-rick-morty-adventure/|title=We Played a D&D VS RICK AND MORTY Adventure|website=Nerdist|access-date=January 7, 2020|archive-date=December 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221022425/https://nerdist.com/article/dungeons-dragons-vs-rick-morty-adventure/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Alternatively, DMs may develop their own fictional worlds to use as campaign settings, either planning the adventure ahead or expanding on it as the players progress.

===Miniature figures===

{{Main|Miniature figure (gaming)}}
[[File:Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures 2.jpg|thumb|''Dungeons & Dragons'' miniature figures. The grid mat underneath uses one-inch squares, with the side length of each square usually representing either {{convert|5|or|10|ft|m}}.]]

The [[wargaming|wargames]] from which ''Dungeons & Dragons'' evolved used miniature figures to represent combatants. ''D&D'' initially continued the use of miniatures in a fashion similar to its direct precursors. The original ''D&D'' set of 1974 required the use of the ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]'' miniatures game for combat resolution.<ref>Johnson, ''et al.''; ''30 Years of Adventure'', p. 23</ref> By the publication of the 1977 game editions, combat was mostly resolved verbally. Thus, miniatures were no longer required for gameplay, although some players continued to use them as a visual reference.<ref>The first ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' gave only a quarter of a page out of a total of 240 pages to discussing the option use of miniatures. (Gygax; ''Dungeon Masters Guide'', p. 10)</ref>

In the 1970s, numerous companies began to sell miniature figures specifically for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and similar games. Licensed miniature manufacturers who produced official figures include [[Grenadier Miniatures]] (1980–1983),<ref>Pope; Grenadier Models</ref> [[Citadel Miniatures]] (1984–1986),<ref>Scott; Otherworld</ref> [[Ral Partha]],<ref>Pope; Ral Partha</ref> and TSR itself.<ref>Pope; TSR</ref> Most of these miniatures used the 25&nbsp;mm scale.

Periodically, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has returned to its wargaming roots with supplementary rules systems for miniatures-based wargaming. Supplements such as ''[[Battlesystem]]'' (1985 and 1989) and a new edition of ''Chainmail'' (2001)<ref>Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design; List of Winners (2002)</ref> provided rule systems to handle battles between armies by using miniatures.

== Sources and influences ==
An immediate predecessor of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was a set of medieval miniature rules written by [[Jeff Perren]]. These were expanded by [[Gary Gygax]], whose additions included a fantasy supplement, before the game was published as ''[[Chainmail (game)|Chainmail]]''. When [[Dave Wesely]] entered the Army in 1970, his friend and fellow Napoleonics wargamer [[Dave Arneson]] began a medieval variation of Wesely's [[Braunstein (wargame)|Braunstein]] games, where players control individuals instead of armies.<ref name="DW3">Arneson; "My Life and Role Playing" in ''Different Worlds'' #3</ref> Arneson used ''Chainmail'' to resolve combat.<ref name="Banshee_Gygax">{{Harvnb|Birnbaum|2004}}</ref> As play progressed, Arneson added such innovations as character classes, experience points, level advancement, armor class, and others.<ref name="DW3"/> Having partnered previously with Gygax on ''[[Don't Give Up the Ship!]]'', Arneson introduced Gygax to his Blackmoor game and the two then collaborated on developing "The Fantasy Game", the game that became ''Dungeons & Dragons'', with the final writing and preparation of the text being done by Gygax.<ref name="D&Dfaq">[[#refMead|Mead, Malcomson; ''Dungeons & Dragons'' FAQ]]</ref><ref name="Wired">Kushner; Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax</ref><ref name="history">Wizards of the Coast; The History of TSR</ref> The name was chosen by Gygax's two-year-old daughter Cindy; upon being presented with a number of choices of possible names, she exclaimed, "Oh Daddy, I like Dungeons & Dragons best!", although less prevalent versions of the story gave credit to his then wife Mary Jo.<ref name=witwer>{{cite book | last = Witwer | first = Michael | title = Empire of the Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons | publisher = Bloomsbury Publishing | date = 2015 | location = New York | isbn = 978-1-63286-279-2}}</ref>{{rp|101}}

Many ''Dungeons & Dragons'' elements appear in hobbies of the mid-to-late 20th century. For example, character-based role-playing can be seen in [[improvisational theater]].<ref>Grigg; Albert Goes Narrative Contracting</ref> Game-world simulations were well developed in wargaming. Fantasy milieux specifically designed for gaming could be seen in [[Glorantha]]'s board games, among others.<ref name="Schick 17-34">Schick; ''Heroic Worlds'', pp. 17–34</ref> Ultimately, however, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' represents a unique blending of these elements.

The world of ''D&D'' was influenced by world mythology, history, [[pulp magazine|pulp fiction]], and contemporary fantasy novels, as listed by Gygax in the [[Appendix N]] of the original ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]''. The importance of Tolkien's works ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[The Hobbit]]'' as an influence on ''D&D'' is controversial. The presence in the game of [[Halfling (Dungeons & Dragons)|halflings]], [[Elf (Dungeons & Dragons)|elves]], [[Half-elf (Dungeons & Dragons)|half-elves]], [[Dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons)|dwarves]], [[Orc (Dungeons & Dragons)|orcs]], [[Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons)|rangers]], and the like, as well as the convention of diverse adventurers forming a group,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ewalt |first=David M. |author-link=David M. Ewalt |title=Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It |location=New York |publisher=Scribner |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4516-4050-2 |oclc=800031925 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTtoAAAAQBAJ |pages=103–104}}</ref> draw comparisons to these works. The resemblance was even closer before the threat of copyright action from [[Middle-earth Enterprises|Tolkien Enterprises]] prompted the name changes of [[hobbit]] to 'halfling', [[ent]] to '[[treant]]', and [[balrog]] to '[[Balor (Dungeons & Dragons)|balor]]'. For many years, Gygax played down the influence of Tolkien on the development of the game.<ref>Kuntz; "Tolkien in Dungeons & Dragons" in ''Dragon'' #13</ref><ref name="Dragon95">Gygax; "On the Influence of J. R. R. Tolkien on the D&D and AD&D games" in ''Dragon'' #95</ref><ref>Drout; "J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia", p 229</ref> However, in an interview in 2000, he acknowledged that Tolkien's work had a "strong impact" though he also said that the list of other influential authors was long.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archives.theonering.net/features/interviews/gary_gygax.html|title=Gary Gygax - Creator of Dungeons & Dragons|work=TheOneRing|access-date=January 10, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206212135/http://archives.theonering.net/features/interviews/gary_gygax.html|archive-date=December 6, 2013}}</ref>

The [[Magic in Dungeons & Dragons|''D&D'' magic system]], in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day, was heavily influenced by the ''[[Dying Earth series|Dying Earth]]'' stories and novels of [[Jack Vance]].<ref>Gygax; "The Dungeons and Dragons Magic System" in ''The Strategic Review'', Vol. 2, No. 2</ref> The original alignment system (which grouped all characters and creatures into 'Law', 'Neutrality' and 'Chaos') was derived from the novel ''[[Three Hearts and Three Lions]]'' by [[Poul Anderson]].<ref name="lit_source"/><ref>{{cite conference |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02910410/document |title=La mythologie nordique dans Donjons & Dragons - Entre réception et stéréotypes |last=Di Filippo |first=Laurent |date=2018 |publisher=Didaskalie |book-title=Les clichés dans l'histoire |page=83 |location=Chazey-sur-Ain |conference=Fest'Ain d'Histoire |language=fr |trans-title=Norse mythology in Dungeons & Dragons - Between reception and stereotypes |access-date=September 25, 2023 |archive-date=November 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106181659/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02910410/document |url-status=live }}</ref> A troll described in this work influenced the ''D&D'' definition of that monster.<ref name="Dragon95"/> Writer and game designer [[Graeme Davis (game designer)|Graeme Davis]] saw the [[Labyrinth]] of the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] [[Minotaur#Theseus myth|myth of the Minotaur]] as an inspiration for the game's use of dungeons as monster lairs.<ref>{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Graeme |author-link=Graeme Davis (game designer) |date=2014 |title=Theseus and the Minotaur |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |pages=34–35 |isbn=978-1-4728-0405-1}}</ref>

Other influences include the works of [[Robert E. Howard]], [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]], [[A. Merritt]], [[H. P. Lovecraft]], [[Fritz Leiber]], [[L. Sprague de Camp]], [[Fletcher Pratt]], [[Roger Zelazny]], and [[Michael Moorcock]].<ref>The first seven listed here are the "most immediate influences". (Gygax; ''Dungeon Masters Guide'', p. 224)</ref> Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works such as [[Van vogt|A. E. van Vogt's]] "Black Destroyer", [[Coeurl]] (the [[Displacer Beast]]), [[Lewis Carroll]]'s "[[Jabberwocky]]" ([[vorpal]] sword) and the [[Book of Genesis]] (the clerical spell 'Blade Barrier' was inspired by the "[[Flaming sword (mythology)|flaming sword]] which turned every way" at the gates of [[Garden of Eden|Eden]]).<ref name="lit_source">DeVarque; Literary Sources of D&D</ref>

== Development history ==
{{See also|Editions of Dungeons & Dragons}}
''Dungeons & Dragons'' has gone through several revisions. Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions.

=== Original game ===
The [[Dungeons & Dragons (1974)|original ''Dungeons & Dragons'']], now referred to as ''OD&D'',<ref>{{Cite news | last1 = Carroll | first1 = Bart | last2 = Winter | first2 = Steve | date = February 6, 2009 | title = Name Level | periodical = [[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]] | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | publication-date = February 6, 2009 | issue = 372 | url = http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4alum/20090206 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120415164855/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4alum%2F20090206 | archive-date = April 15, 2012 }}</ref> is a small box set of three booklets published in 1974. With a very limited production budget of only $2000—with only $100 budgeted for artwork<ref name="aa">{{cite book | last1 =Witwer | first1 =Michael| last2 =Newman | first2 =Kyle| last3 =Witwer | first3 =Sam| title =Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History | publisher =Ten Speed Press| date =2018| isbn =9780399580949}}</ref>{{rp|26}}—it is amateurish in production and assumes the player is familiar with wargaming. Nevertheless, it grew rapidly in popularity, first among wargamers and then expanding to a more general audience of college and high school students. Roughly 1,000 copies of the game were sold in the first year, followed by 3,000 in 1975, and many more in the following years.<ref>{{cite book | first=Jon | last=Peterson | year=2012 | title=Playing at the World | page=496 | publisher=Unreason| isbn=978-0-615-64204-8 }}</ref> This first set went through many printings and was supplemented with several official additions, such as the original ''[[Greyhawk (supplement)|Greyhawk]]'' and ''[[Blackmoor (supplement)|Blackmoor]]'' supplements (both 1975),<ref>Schick; ''Heroic Worlds'', pp.&nbsp;132–153</ref> as well as magazine articles in TSR's official publications and many [[fanzine]]s.

==== Two-pronged strategy ====
In early 1977, TSR created the first element of a two-pronged strategy that would divide ''D&D'' for nearly two decades. A ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set]]'' boxed edition was introduced that cleaned up the presentation of the essential rules, makes the system understandable to the general public, and was sold in a package that could be stocked in toy stores.<ref name="history"/> Later in 1977, the first part of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') was published,<ref name="history" /> which brought together the various published rules, options and corrections, then expanded them into a definitive, unified game for hobbyist gamers. TSR marketed them as an introductory game for new players and a more complex game for experienced ones; the ''Basic Set'' directed players who exhausted the possibilities of that game to switch to the advanced rules.

As a result of this parallel development, the basic game includes many rules and concepts which contradicted comparable ones in ''AD&D''. [[John Eric Holmes]], the editor of the basic game, preferred a lighter tone with more room for personal improvisation. ''AD&D'', on the other hand, was designed to create a tighter, more structured game system than the loose framework of the original game.<ref name="Dragon 26 Gygax"/> Between 1977 and 1979, three hardcover rulebooks, commonly referred to as the "core rulebooks", were released: the ''[[Player's Handbook]]'' (PHB), the ''[[Dungeon Master's Guide]]'' (DMG), and the ''[[Monster Manual]]'' (MM). Several supplementary books were published throughout the 1980s, notably ''[[Unearthed Arcana]]'' (1985), which included a large number of new rules.<ref name="history"/> Confusing matters further, the original ''D&D'' boxed set remained in publication until 1979, since it remained a healthy seller for TSR.<ref name="Schick 17-34" />

=== Revised editions ===
In the 1980s, the rules for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' and "basic" ''Dungeons & Dragons'' remained separate, each developing along different paths. In 1981, the basic version of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was revised by [[Tom Moldvay]] to make it even more novice-friendly. It was promoted as a continuation of the original ''D&D'' tone, whereas ''AD&D'' was promoted as an advancement of the mechanics.<ref name="Dragon 26 Gygax" /> An accompanying ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set|Expert Set]]'', originally written by [[David Cook (game designer)|David "Zeb" Cook]], allows players to continue using the simpler ruleset beyond the early levels of play. In 1983, revisions of those sets by [[Frank Mentzer]] were released, revising the presentation of the rules to a more tutorial format. These were followed by ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Companion Set|Companion]]'' (1983), ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules|Master]]'' (1985), and ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Immortals Rules|Immortals]]'' (1986) sets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html|title=Basic set|work=Acaeum.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624215519/http://acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html|archive-date=June 24, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Schick 133">Schick; ''Heroic Worlds'', p. 133</ref> Each set covers game play for more powerful characters than the previous.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Gygax |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Gygax |title=Dungeons & Dragons: What It Is and Where It Is Going |journal=The Dragon #22 |volume=III |issue=8 |pages=29–30 |publisher=[[TSR, Inc.|TSR]] |date=February 1979 |issn=1062-2101}}</ref> The first four sets were compiled in 1991 as a single hardcover book, the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia]]'', which was released alongside a new [[Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)|introductory boxed set]].

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition'' was published in 1989,<ref name="history"/> again as three core rulebooks; the primary designer was David "Zeb" Cook. The ''Monster Manual'' was replaced by the ''[[Monstrous Compendium]]'', a loose-leaf binder that was subsequently replaced by the hardcover ''[[Monstrous Manual]]'' in 1993. In 1995, the core rulebooks were slightly revised, although still referred to by TSR as the 2nd Edition,<ref>"This is not ''AD&D'' 3rd edition" Winter, Steven (in the forward to Cook; ''Player's Handbook'').</ref> and a series of ''Player's Option'' manuals were released as optional rulebooks.<ref name="history"/>

The release of ''AD&D 2nd Edition'' deliberately excluded some aspects of the game that had attracted negative publicity. References to demons and devils, sexually suggestive artwork, and playable, evil-aligned character types&nbsp;– such as assassins and half-orcs&nbsp;– were removed.<ref name="Dragon 154">Ward; "The Games Wizards: Angry Mothers From Heck (And what we do about them)" in ''Dragon'' #154</ref> The edition moved away from a theme of 1960s and 1970s "[[sword and sorcery]]" fantasy fiction to a mixture of medieval history and mythology.<ref>Cook; ''Player's Handbook'' (1989), pp.&nbsp;25–41</ref> The rules underwent minor changes, including the addition of non-weapon proficiencies&nbsp;– skill-like abilities that appear in first edition supplements. The game's magic spells are divided into schools and spheres.<ref name="D&Dfaq"/> A major difference was the promotion of various game settings beyond that of traditional fantasy. This included blending fantasy with other genres, such as horror (Ravenloft), science fiction (Spelljammer), and apocalyptic (Dark Sun), as well as alternative historical and non-European mythological settings.<ref>Pryor, Herring, Tweet, Richie; ''[[Creative Campaigning]]''</ref>

=== Wizards of the Coast ===
In 1997, a near-bankrupt TSR was purchased by [[Wizards of the Coast]].<ref name="briefhistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory1.phtml |title=Wizards of the Coast: 1990 – present |access-date=September 1, 2006 |last=Appelcline |first=Shannon |date=August 3, 2006 |work=A Brief History of Game |publisher=RPGnet |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824022118/http://www.rpg.net/columns/briefhistory/briefhistory1.phtml |archive-date=August 24, 2006 }}</ref> Following three years of development, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd edition was released in 2000.<ref>"After&nbsp;... the idea of acquiring TSR began to swim in my mind it took me maybe thirty seconds to decide, We've got to do a third edition of Dungeons & Dragons." ([[Peter Adkison|Adkison, Peter]] in Johnson, ''et al.''; ''30 Years of Adventure'', p. 250).</ref> The new release folded the Basic and Advanced lines back into a single unified game. It was the largest revision of the ''D&D'' rules to date and served as the basis for a multi-genre role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice, called the [[d20 System]].<ref>Johnson, ''et al.''; ''30 Years of Adventure'', p. 273</ref> The 3rd Edition rules were designed to be internally consistent and less restrictive than previous editions of the game, allowing players more flexibility to create the characters they wanted to play.<ref>Johnson, ''et al.''; ''30 Years of Adventure'', pp.&nbsp;255–263</ref> Skills and feats were introduced into the core rules to encourage further customization of characters.<ref>"Countdown to 3rd Edition: Feats and Fighters" in ''Dragon'' #270</ref> The new rules standardized the mechanics of action resolution and combat.<ref name="PHB p.4">Tweet, Cook, Williams; ''Player's Handbook'' v3.5, p. 4</ref> In 2003, ''Dungeons & Dragons v.3.5'' was released as a revision of the 3rd Edition rules. This release incorporated hundreds of rule changes, mostly minor, and expanded the core rulebooks.<ref name="PHB p.4"/>

In early 2005, Wizards of the Coast's R&D team started to develop ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th Edition, prompted mainly by the feedback obtained from the ''D&D'' playing community and a desire to make the game faster, more intuitive, and with a better play experience than under the 3rd Edition. The new game was developed through a number of design phases spanning from May 2005 until its release.<ref>Carter, ''et al.''; ''[[Wizards Presents: Races and Classes]]'', pp.&nbsp;6–9</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th Edition was announced at [[Gen Con]] in August 2007, and the initial three core books were released June 6, 2008.<ref name="excitingnews">{{cite web |last=Slavicsek |first=Bill |date=October 19, 2007 |title=Ampersand: Exciting News! |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dramp/20071019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619190141/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd%2Fdramp%2F20071019 |archive-date=June 19, 2009 |access-date=October 22, 2007 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast}}</ref> 4th Edition streamlined the game into a simplified form and introduced numerous rules changes. Many character abilities were restructured into "Powers". These altered the spell-using classes by adding abilities that could be used at will, per encounter, or per day. Likewise, non-magic-using classes were provided with parallel sets of options. Software tools, including player character and monster-building programs, became a major part of the game.<ref name="svensson">Svensson; Dungeons & Dragons reborn</ref> This edition added the ''[[RPGA#4th Edition|D&D Encounters]]'' program; a weekly event held at local stores designed to draw players back to the game by giving "the busy gamer the chance to play ''D&D'' once a week as their schedules allow. In the past, ''D&D'' games could take months, even years, and players generally had to attend every session so that the story flow wasn't interrupted. With ''Encounters'', players can come and go as they choose and new players can easily be integrated into the story continuity".<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 8, 2010|title=Dungeons & Dragons tries to lure back players - CNN.com|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/06/08/new.dungeons.dragons/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=February 26, 2021|website=CNN|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611092806/http://www.cnn.com:80/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/06/08/new.dungeons.dragons/index.html |archive-date=June 11, 2010 }}</ref>

=== 5th Edition ===
On January 9, 2012, Wizards of the Coast announced that it was working on a 5th edition of the game.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/5th-edition-dungeons-and-dragons/ | title=5th Edition D&D Is in Development — Should We Care? | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | author=Harnish, MJ | date=January 9, 2012 | access-date=January 9, 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531193429/http://archive.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/5th-edition-dungeons-and-dragons/ | archive-date=May 31, 2014 }}</ref> The company planned to take suggestions from players and let them [[playtest]] the rules.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/arts/video-games/dungeons-dragons-remake-uses-players-input.html | title=Players Roll the Dice for Dungeons & Dragons Remake | work=[[The New York Times]] | author=Gilsdorf, Ethan | page=2 | date=January 9, 2012 | access-date=January 9, 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110182243/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/arts/video-games/dungeons-dragons-remake-uses-players-input.html | archive-date=January 10, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4ll/20120109 |title=Charting the Course for D&D: Your Voice, Your Game |author=Mearls, Mike |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |date=January 9, 2012 |access-date=January 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20121225040833/http%3A//www%2Ewizards%2Ecom/dnd/article%2Easpx?x%3Ddnd/4ll/20120109 |archive-date=December 25, 2012 }}</ref> Public playtesting began on May 24, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd/4news/20120425a|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720201719/http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4news%2F20120425a|url-status=dead|title=Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (News on D&D Next)|archivedate=July 20, 2014}}</ref> At Gen Con 2012 in August, [[Mike Mearls]], co-lead developer for 5th Edition, said that Wizards of the Coast had received feedback from more than 75,000 playtesters, but that the entire development process would take two years, adding, "I can't emphasize this enough&nbsp;... we're very serious about taking the time we need to get this right."<ref name=forbes-gen-con-2012>{{cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2012/08/20/whats-next-with-dungeons-and-dragons/ | author=Ewalt, David M. | title=What's Next With Dungeons And Dragons? | work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] | date=August 20, 2012 | access-date=August 26, 2012 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825191303/http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2012/08/20/whats-next-with-dungeons-and-dragons/ | archive-date=August 25, 2012 }}</ref> The release of the 5th Edition, coinciding with ''D&D''{{'}}s 40th anniversary, occurred in the second half of 2014.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/dungeons-and-dragons-5th-edition/index.html|title=40 years later, 'Dungeons & Dragons' still inspiring gamers|last=Frum|first=Larry|date=May 19, 2014|work=CNN|access-date=February 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214142034/http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/dungeons-and-dragons-5th-edition/index.html|archive-date=February 14, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since the release of 5th edition, dozens of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' books have been published including new [[List of Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|rulebooks, campaign guides and adventure modules]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/WC/wizards-coast/books|title=Books {{!}} Wizards of the Coast|website=Penguin Random House Canada|language=en|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708173128/https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/imprints/WC/wizards-coast/books|url-status=live}}</ref> 2017 had "the most number of players in its history—12 million to 15 million in North America alone".<ref name="Brodeur"/> Mary Pilon, for ''[[Bloomberg Businessweek|Bloomberg]]'', reported that sales of 5th edition ''Dungeon & Dragons'' "were up 41 percent in 2017 from the year before, and soared another 52 percent in 2018, the game's biggest sales year yet. [...] In 2017, 9 million people watched others play D&D on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]], immersing themselves in the world of the game without ever having to pick up a die or cast a spell".<ref name="Pilon-2019-1">{{Cite news|last=Pilon|first=Mary|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-07-08/how-to-be-a-professional-dungeons-dragons-master-hosting-games|title=The Rise of the Professional Dungeon Master|date=July 8, 2019|work=Bloomberg|access-date=July 9, 2019|archive-date=July 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710004711/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-07-08/how-to-be-a-professional-dungeons-dragons-master-hosting-games|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, Wizards of the Coast organized a massive live-stream event, the Stream of Many Eyes, where ten live-streamed sessions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' were performed on Twitch over three days.<ref name="Gramuglia-2020">{{Cite web|last=Gramuglia|first=Anthony|date=May 4, 2020|title=Stream of Many Eyes: D&D's Most Ambitious (and Fun) Event, Explained|url=https://www.cbr.com/dd-stream-of-many-eyes-explained/|access-date=November 2, 2020|website=[[Comic Book Resources|CBR]]|language=en-US|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184856/https://www.cbr.com/dd-stream-of-many-eyes-explained/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Stream of Many Eyes|url=https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/events/some|access-date=November 2, 2020|website=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109000942/https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/events/some|url-status=dead}}</ref> This event won the Content Marketing Institute's 2019 award for best "In-Person (Event) Content Marketing Strategy".<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019 Finalists and Winners|url=https://www.contentmarketingawards.com/2019-winners/|access-date=November 2, 2020|website=Content Marketing Awards|language=en-US|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023000151/https://www.contentmarketingawards.com/2019-winners/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' continued to have a strong presence on Twitch throughout 2019; this included a growing number of celebrity players and dungeon masters, such as [[Joe Manganiello]], [[Deborah Ann Woll]] and [[Stephen Colbert]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rios|first=Joshua|date=July 31, 2019|title=How Dungeons & Dragons Is Finding New Life on Twitch and Beyond|url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-dungeons-dragons-is-finding-new-life-on-twitch/|access-date=November 2, 2020|website=[[Adweek]]|language=en-US|archive-date=November 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107233214/https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/how-dungeons-dragons-is-finding-new-life-on-twitch/|url-status=live}}</ref> Wizards of the Coast has created, produced and sponsored multiple [[List of Dungeons & Dragons web series|web series featuring ''Dungeons & Dragons'']]. These shows have typically aired on the official ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Twitch and YouTube channels.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2018-07-09|title='Actual play' RPG experiences like Critical Role, Adventure Zone are having a moment|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/9/17549808/actual-play-critical-role-adventure-zone-kickstarter-graphic-novel|access-date=2021-07-08|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=March 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308033730/https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/9/17549808/actual-play-critical-role-adventure-zone-kickstarter-graphic-novel|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 21, 2020|title=Rivals of Waterdeep is Dungeons & Dragons' Flagship Show|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-rivals-waterdeep-show/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-07-07|website=ComicBook.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621235241/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-rivals-waterdeep-show/ |archive-date=June 21, 2020 }}</ref><ref name="Gramuglia-2020" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-06-03|title=Learning The Shape Of Dungeons & Dragons in 2019 at A Livestream Event|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/dungeons-dragons/learning-the-shape-of-dungeons-dragons-in-2019-at/|access-date=2021-07-08|website=pastemagazine.com|language=en|archive-date=July 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190556/https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/dungeons-dragons/learning-the-shape-of-dungeons-dragons-in-2019-at/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, Wizards of the Coast announced that ''Dungeons & Dragons'' had its 6th annual year of growth in 2019 with a "300 percent increase in sales of their [[Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set|introductory box sets]], as well as a 65% increase on sales in Europe, a rate which has more than quadrupled since 2014".<ref name="Morics-2020">{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-best-year-sales-ever-wizards-coast/|title=2019 Was D&D's Best Year Ever|date=April 22, 2020|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=May 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501094455/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-best-year-sales-ever-wizards-coast/|url-status=live}}</ref> In terms of player demographics in 2019, 39% of identified as female and 61% identified as male. 40% of players are considered [[Generation Z|Gen Z]] (24 years old or younger), 34% of players are in the age range of 25–34 and 26% of players are aged 35+.<ref name="Morics-2020" /> In January 2021, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported that according to Liz Schuh, head of publishing and licensing for Dungeons & Dragons, "revenue was up 35% in 2020 compared with 2019, the seventh consecutive year of growth," and in 2020, during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], "virtual play rose 86% [...] aided by online platforms such as [[Roll20]] and [[Fantasy Grounds]]".<ref name="Parvini-2021">{{Cite news|last=Parvini|first=Sarah|date=January 13, 2021|title=Turning to Dungeons & Dragons to escape a real life monster — COVID-19|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/online-d-d-provides-relief-covid-19-pandemic|url-status=live|access-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113145241/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-01-13/online-d-d-provides-relief-covid-19-pandemic|archive-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> Sarah Parvini, for the ''Los Angeles Times'', wrote, "players and scholars attribute the game's resurgent popularity not only to the longueurs of the pandemic, but also to its reemergence in pop culture—on the Netflix series ''[[Stranger Things]]'', whose main characters play D&D in a basement; on the sitcom ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]''; or via the host of celebrities who display their love for the game online".<ref name="Parvini-2021" />

Following an apology issued by Wizards of the Coast for offensive and racist material included in ''[[Spelljammer: Adventures in Space]]'' and the announced revisions to the product in September 2022, [[Chris Perkins (game designer)|Chris Perkins]] – Wizards' game design architect – announced a new inclusion review process for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' studio in November 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2022-11-10 |title=D&D will use cultural consultants to prevent racist content in all of its books |url=https://www.polygon.com/23451803/dnd-cultural-consultants-vetting-spelljammer-racism |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=November 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111172113/https://www.polygon.com/23451803/dnd-cultural-consultants-vetting-spelljammer-racism |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Carter-2022b">{{Cite web |date=2022-11-11 |title=Dungeons & Dragons implements new cultural review following Spelljammer's racist inclusions |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-creates-new-cultural-inclusion-review-spelljammer-racism |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002050/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-creates-new-cultural-inclusion-review-spelljammer-racism |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murray |first=Sean |date=2022-11-10 |title=Dungeons & Dragons To Require Cultural Consultants For Every Release Following Spelljammer Hadozee Controversy |url=https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-spelljammer-hadozee-controversy-review/ |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=TheGamer |language=en-US |archive-date=November 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111172949/https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-spelljammer-hadozee-controversy-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This process will now require "every word, illustration, and map" to be reviewed at several steps in development "by multiple outside cultural consultants prior to publication".<ref name="Perkins-2022">{{Cite web |last=Perkins |first=Christopher |date=November 10, 2022 |title=Leveling Up Our Creative Process: Learnings From Spelljammer |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1375-leveling-up-our-creative-process-learnings-from |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111051259/http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1375-leveling-up-our-creative-process-learnings-from |archive-date=November 11, 2022 |access-date=November 11, 2022 |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |language=en-us |type=[[Press release]]}}</ref> The previous process only included cultural consultants at the discretion of the product lead for a project. All products being [[reprint]]ed will also go through this new review process and be updated as needed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=November 10, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Announces New Inclusivity Processes After Spelljammer Revisions |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-sensitivity-inclusion-processes-spelljammer/ |access-date=November 11, 2022 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002050/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-sensitivity-inclusion-processes-spelljammer/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Carter-2022b" /><ref name="Perkins-2022" />

=== 2024 revision ===
In September 2021, it was announced that a [[Backward compatibility|backwards compatible]] "evolution" of 5th edition would be released in 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary of the game.<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 26, 2021|title=Dungeons & Dragons Announces Next "Evolution" of Game Coming in 2024|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-2024-sixth-edition-fifth-edition/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-27|website=ComicBook.com|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926232741/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-2024-sixth-edition-fifth-edition/ |archive-date=September 26, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-27|title=D&D 5th Edition Rules Being Upgraded For 50th Anniversary|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-5e-core-change-update-celebration/|access-date=2021-09-27|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|archive-date=September 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927181649/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-dragons-5e-core-change-update-celebration/|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2022, Wizards announced that the next phase of major changes for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' would occur under the ''[[One D&D]]'' initiative which includes a public playtest of the next version of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and an upcoming [[virtual tabletop]] (VTT) simulator with 3D environments developed using [[Unreal Engine]].<ref name="Johnson-2022">{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Xavier |date=2022-08-18 |title=Dungeons and Dragons brings huge changes to fifth edition rules under One D&D initiative |url=https://dotesports.com/general/news/dungeons-and-dragons-brings-huge-changes-to-fifth-edition-rules |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Dot Esports |language=en-US |archive-date=November 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221101211839/https://dotesports.com/general/news/dungeons-and-dragons-brings-huge-changes-to-fifth-edition-rules |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Nelson-2022">{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Samantha |date=2022-08-18 |title=One D&D includes a new virtual tabletop and digital book bundles |url=https://www.polygon.com/23311619/one-dnd-virtual-tabletop-download-playtest |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004164633/https://www.polygon.com/23311619/one-dnd-virtual-tabletop-download-playtest |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Plante-2022">{{Cite web |last=Plante |first=Corey |date=August 18, 2022 |title=One D&D is so much more than Dungeons & Dragons 6th Edition |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/one-dnd-dungeons-dragons-digital-play-experience-rules-updates |access-date=2022-08-18 |website=Inverse |language=en |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818170839/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/one-dnd-dungeons-dragons-digital-play-experience-rules-updates |url-status=live }}</ref> Revised editions of the ''Player's Handbook'', ''Monster Manual'', and ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' were scheduled to be released in 2024;<ref name="Plante-2022" /><ref name="IGN-2022">{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: One D&D Reveal Trailer |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/one-dnd-trailer-video-reveal-dungeons-and-dragons |access-date=August 18, 2022 |website=IGN |archive-date=August 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818163218/https://www.ign.com/videos/one-dnd-trailer-video-reveal-dungeons-and-dragons |url-status=live }}</ref> the revised ''Player's Handbook'' and ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' were released in 2024, with the ''Monster Manual'' released in February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Melzer |first=Jenny |date=2025-02-04 |title=The D&D 5e 2025 Monster Manual Is Here – And It's Glorious |url=https://www.cbr.com/dnd-5e-2025-monster-manual-review/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

In April 2022, Hasbro announced that Wizards would acquire the [[D&D Beyond]] digital toolset and game companion from [[Fandom (website)|Fandom]];<ref name="Vlessing-2022">{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2022-04-13 |title=Hasbro Buys D&D Beyond for $146.3M in Gaming Expansion |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hasbro-buys-dd-beyond-for-146-3m-in-gaming-expansion-1235129523/ |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=April 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220417093724/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/hasbro-buys-dd-beyond-for-146-3m-in-gaming-expansion-1235129523/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Vanjani-2022">{{Cite web |last=Vanjani |first=Karishma |title=Hasbro Pushes for Digital Growth of Dungeons & Dragons With $146M Acquisition |url=https://www.barrons.com/articles/hasbro-stock-dungeons-dragons-beyond-acquisition-51649875679 |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=www.barrons.com |language=en-US |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419153244/https://www.barrons.com/articles/hasbro-stock-dungeons-dragons-beyond-acquisition-51649875679 |url-status=live }}</ref> the official transfer to Wizards occurred in May 2022.<ref name="DND-2022a">{{Cite web |date=April 22, 2022 |title=Change of D&D Beyond Ownership |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1234-change-of-d-d-beyond-ownership |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=D&D Beyond |language=en-us |type=[[Press release]] |archive-date=May 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514224222/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1234-change-of-d-d-beyond-ownership |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Zambrano-2022">{{Cite web |last=Zambrano |first=J. R. |date=2022-05-11 |title=D&D Beyond Officially Changes Hands May 18th |url=https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/05/dd-beyond-officially-changes-hands-may-18th.html |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Bell of Lost Souls |language=en |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005170011/https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2022/05/dd-beyond-officially-changes-hands-may-18th.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At the Hasbro Investor Event in October 2022, it was announced that Dan Rawson, former COO of [[Microsoft Dynamics 365]], was appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' brand; Rawson will act as the new head of the franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 4, 2022 |title=Hasbro Announces New Dungeons & Dragons Head |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/hasbro-dungeons-dragons-senior-vice-president-dan-rawson/ |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005165755/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/hasbro-dungeons-dragons-senior-vice-president-dan-rawson/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=October 5, 2022 |title=Hasbro Adds SVP of 'D&D', Strengthening Online Side of Brand |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/52307/hasbro-adds-svp-d-d-strengthening-online-side-brand |access-date=October 5, 2022 |website=[[ICv2]] |language=en |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005134135/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/52307/hasbro-adds-svp-d-d-strengthening-online-side-brand |url-status=live }}</ref> Chase Carter of ''[[Dicebreaker]]'' highlighted that Rawson's role is "part of Wizards' plans to apply more resources to the digital side of D&D" following the purchase of D&D Beyond by Hasbro earlier in the year.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2022-10-05 |title=Wizards of the Coast appoints former Microsoft e-commerce veteran as new senior VP of Dungeons & Dragons |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/wizards-of-the-coast/news/wizards-of-the-coast-hires-dan-rawson-vice-president-of-dungeons-and-dragons |access-date=2022-10-05 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005165758/https://www.dicebreaker.com/companies/wizards-of-the-coast/news/wizards-of-the-coast-hires-dan-rawson-vice-president-of-dungeons-and-dragons |url-status=live }}</ref> Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams and Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks, at a December 2022 Hasbro investor-focused web seminar, called the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' brand "under monetized".<ref name="Carter-2022a">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=December 9, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons executives think "the brand is really under monetised" |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-under-monetised-says-executives |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111172405/https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/roleplaying-game/news/dungeons-and-dragons-under-monetised-says-executives |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Kotaku-2022">{{Cite web |date=December 12, 2022 |title=D&D CEO Thinks Hobby Is 'Under Monetized' Compared To Video Games |url=https://kotaku.com/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-fifth-edition-one-dnd-1849884812 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Kotaku |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112010412/https://kotaku.com/dungeons-and-dragons-dnd-fifth-edition-one-dnd-1849884812 |url-status=live }}</ref> They highlighted the high engagement of fans with the brand, however, the majority of spending is by Dungeon Masters who are only roughly 20% of the player base. Williams commented that the increased investment in digital will "unlock the type of recurrent spending you see in digital games".<ref name="Carter-2022a" /><ref name="Kotaku-2022" /> 

At the July 2024 Hasbro investor meeting, Cocks stated "that digital revenue on D&D Beyond 'accounts for over half' of" the total earnings from ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2024-07-26 |title=Hasbro will need more than video game execs before "going all in" on digital play |url=https://www.rascal.news/hasbro-will-need-more-than-video-game-execs-before-going-all-in-on-digital-play/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2024-07-28 |website=Rascal News |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002147/https://www.rascal.news/hasbro-will-need-more-than-video-game-execs-before-going-all-in-on-digital-play/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Carter, now for ''Rascal'', commented that "we know physical books sell poorly, and even if pre-orders for the 2024 core books are, uh, 'solid', according to the CEO, it's evident that Hasbro holds little faith in analog games clotting the money bleed elsewhere in the company's structure".<ref name=":0" /> The 3D VTT ''[[D&D Beyond#Sigil|Sigil]]'' launched as part of D&D Beyond in March 2025.<ref name=":38">{{Cite web |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=2025-03-12 |title=After years in development, D&D’s Unreal-powered virtual tabletop still feels off |url=https://www.polygon.com/dnd-dungeons-dragons/537899/sigil-vtt-review |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> Later that month, approximately 90% of the development team were laid off; in an internal communication, Hasbro Direct senior vice president Dan Rawson stated "our aspirations for ''Sigil'' as a large, standalone game with a distinct monetization path will not be realized".<ref name=":40">{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Chase |date=2025-03-19 |title=Wizards of the Coast shutters Sigil virtual tabletop project, lays off 30 staff |url=https://www.rascal.news/wizards-of-the-coast-shutters-sigil-virtual-tabletop-project-lays-off-30-staff/ |url-access=registration |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Rascal News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":41">{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=2025-03-19 |title=D&D suffers more layoffs as Wizards cuts Sigil VTT staff by 90% |url=https://www.polygon.com/dnd-dungeons-dragons/542716/wizards-sigil-vtt-layoffs |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref> Following the release of core rulebooks for the 2024 revision, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Creative Director Chris Perkins and Game Director [[Jeremy Crawford]] announced their departures from Wizards of the Coast. Christian Hoffer, for ''[[Screen Rant]]'', highlighted that both "have been part of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' design team for decades and were two of the lead designers of" ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th Edition.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=April 11, 2025 |title=Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins to Leave Dungeons & Dragons' Design Team |url=https://screenrant.com/jeremy-crawford-chris-perkins-leaving-dnd-interview/ |access-date=April 11, 2025 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en-US}}</ref> On this change in game's leadership, he noted that VP of Franchise and Product (''Dungeons & Dragons'') Jess Lanzillo "mentioned that [[James Wyatt (game designer)|James Wyatt]] and [[F. Wesley Schneider|Wes Schneider]], principal designers who have been part of the ''D&D'' team for years, will both have a 'bigger place at the table'" and "other designers, including Justice Arman, would also have progressive leadership roles as well".<ref name=":3" />

== Licensing ==
Early in the game's history, TSR took no action against small publishers' production of ''D&D'' compatible material and even licensed [[Judges Guild]] to produce ''D&D'' materials for several years, such as ''[[City State of the Invincible Overlord]].''<ref name="Kyngdoms">{{cite web | last = Sacco | first = Ciro Alessandro | title = The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax | work = thekyngdoms.com | url = http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37 | access-date = September 2, 2014 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111223222505/http://www.thekyngdoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37 | archive-date = December 23, 2011 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> This attitude changed in the mid-1980s when TSR took legal action to try to prevent others from publishing compatible material. This angered many fans and led to resentment by the other gaming companies.<ref name="Schick 17-34" /> Although TSR took legal action against several publishers in an attempt to restrict third-party usage, it never brought any court cases to completion, instead settling out of court in every instance.<ref>{{cite web | first=Shannon | last=Appelcline | date=July 16, 2008 | url=http://www.skotos.net/articles/TTnT_/TTnT_209.phtml | title=Games & The Law, Part Seven: The D&D Dilemma | access-date=July 7, 2009 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504205238/http://www.skotos.net/articles/TTnT_/TTnT_209.phtml | archive-date=May 4, 2009 }}</ref> TSR itself ran afoul of intellectual property law in several cases.<ref>Copyright conflicts with [[Tolkien Enterprises]] led to removal of references to [[Hobbit]]s, [[Ent]]s and others. (Hallford, Hallford; ''Swords & Circuitry'')</ref>

With the launch of ''Dungeons & Dragons'''s [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons|3rd Edition]], Wizards of the Coast made the d20 System available under the [[Open Game License]] (OGL) and [[D20 System#Trademark license|d20 System trademark license]]. Under these licenses, authors were free to use the d20 System when writing games and game supplements.<ref>Wizards of the Coast; The d20 System</ref> The OGL has allowed a wide range of unofficial commercial [[derivative work]] based on the [[Game mechanics|mechanics]] of ''Dungeons and Dragons'' to be produced since 2000;<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Kit |date=2023-01-10 |title=Beware the Gifts of Dragons: How D&D's Open Gaming License May Have Become a Trap for Creators |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112003746/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/01/beware-gifts-dragons-how-dds-open-gaming-license-may-have-become-trap-creators |archive-date=2023-01-12 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=[[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] |language=en}}</ref> it is credited with increasing the market share of d20 products''<ref name="Demil-2014">{{Cite journal |last1=Demil |first1=Benoît |last2=Lecocq |first2=Xavier |date=2014-05-15 |title=The Rise and Fall of an Open Business Model |url=https://journals.openedition.org/rei/5803 |journal=Revue d'économie industrielle |language=en |issue=146 |pages=85–113 |doi=10.4000/rei.5803 |s2cid=145373814 |issn=0154-3229 |doi-access=free |access-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111172412/https://journals.openedition.org/rei/5803 |url-status=live }}</ref>'' and leading to a "boom in the RPG industry in the early 2000s".<ref name="Seaman-2022">{{Cite journal |last1=Seaman |first1=Christopher B. |last2=Tran |first2=Thuan |date=2022 |title=Intellectual Property and Tabletop Games |url=https://ilr.law.uiowa.edu/print/volume-107-issue-4/intellectual-property-and-tabletop-games/ |journal=[[Iowa Law Review]] |volume=107 |issue=4 |pages=1615–1683 |access-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111112235/https://ilr.law.uiowa.edu/print/volume-107-issue-4/intellectual-property-and-tabletop-games/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

With the release of the [[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition|4th Edition]], Wizards of the Coast introduced its [[Game System License]], which represented a significant restriction compared to the very open policies embodied by the OGL. In part as a response to this, some publishers (such as [[Paizo Publishing]] with its ''[[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game]]'') who previously produced materials in support of the ''D&D'' product line, decided to continue supporting the 3rd Edition rules, thereby competing directly with Wizards of the Coast. Others, such as [[Kenzer & Company]], returned to the practice of publishing unlicensed supplements and arguing that copyright law does not allow Wizards of the Coast to restrict third-party usage.<ref>{{cite web
 | author=Anonymous | date=July 9, 2008
| title=Kenzer & Co, D&D, and Trademarks
 | publisher=Robertson Games | url=http://robertsongames.com/role-playing-games/dungeons-dragons/kenzer-co-dd-and-trademarks
 | access-date=July 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118102121/http://robertsongames.com/role-playing-games/dungeons-dragons/kenzer-co-dd-and-trademarks|archive-date=January 18, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During the 2000s, there has been a trend towards reviving and recreating older editions of ''D&D'', known as the [[Old School Revival]]. This, in turn, inspired the creation of [[Dungeons & Dragons retro-clones|"retro-clones"]], games that more closely recreate the original rule sets, using material placed under the OGL along with non-copyrightable mechanical aspects of the older rules to create a new presentation of the games.
[[File:Dungeons & Dragons System Reference Document v5.1 (2023).pdf|thumb|right|Version 5.1 of the [[System Reference Document]], released in 2023]]
Alongside the publication of the 5th Edition, Wizards of the Coast established a two-pronged licensing approach. The core of the 5th Edition rules have been made available under the OGL, while publishers and independent creators have also been given the opportunity to create licensed materials directly for Dungeons & Dragons and associated properties like the Forgotten Realms under a program called the [[OneBookShelf#Dungeon Masters Guild|DM's Guild]].<ref name="Montgomery-2023">{{Cite web|url=http://support.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/217520927-Ownership-and-License-OGL-Questions|title=Ownership and License (OGL) Questions|last=Montgomery|first=Jeff|website=Dungeon Masters Guild|language=en-US|access-date=February 13, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215023616/https://support.dmsguild.com/hc/en-us/articles/217520927-Ownership-and-License-OGL-Questions|archive-date=February 15, 2018}}</ref> The DM's Guild does not function under the OGL, but uses a community agreement intended to foster liberal cooperation among content creators.<ref name="Montgomery-2023" />

Wizards of the Coast has started to release 5th Edition products that tie into other intellectual properties—such as ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' with the ''[[Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica]]'' (2018) and ''[[Mythic Odysseys of Theros]]'' (2020) source books.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/23/17603740/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-book-ravnica-dnd-mtg|title=Dungeons & Dragons gets a major crossover with Magic: The Gathering this fall|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=July 23, 2018|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109031236/https://www.polygon.com/2018/7/23/17603740/dungeons-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-book-ravnica-dnd-mtg|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-2/|title=Dungeons and Dragons is Set to Crossover with Magic the Gathering|date=February 28, 2020|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101122825/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-magic-the-gathering-crossover-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Two 5th Edition [[Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set#Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition|starter box sets]] based on TV shows, ''[[Stranger Things]]'' and ''[[Rick and Morty]]'', were released in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/14/18224819/stranger-things-dungeons-dragons-starter-set-release-date-price|title=The Stranger Things-themed D&D Starter Set is real, includes Mike's homebrew campaign|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=February 14, 2019|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200413075227/https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/14/18224819/stranger-things-dungeons-dragons-starter-set-release-date-price|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/11/19/dungeons-dragons-rick-morty-game-impressions-dnd-starter-set|title=The D&D vs Rick and Morty Game is Just as Wild as You'd Expect|last=Ryan|first=Jon|date=November 19, 2019|website=IGN|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=April 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423020329/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/11/19/dungeons-dragons-rick-morty-game-impressions-dnd-starter-set|url-status=live}}</ref> Source books based on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' live play series have also been released: ''Acquisitions Incorporated'' (2019) and ''[[Explorer's Guide to Wildemount]]'' (2020).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|title=D&D 'Explorer's Guide to Wildemount' makes Critical Role & dunamancy canon|last=Plante|first=Corey|website=Inverse|date=January 13, 2020|language=en|access-date=April 26, 2020|archive-date=December 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201082110/https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|url-status=live}}</ref>

Between November and December 2022, there was reported speculation that Wizards was planning on discontinuing the OGL for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' based on unconfirmed leaks.<ref name="Law-2022">{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Eric |date=2022-11-14 |title=Rumor: One D&D Might Be Killing Third-Party Homebrew Content |url=https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-one-dnd-no-ogl-rumor/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Game Rant |language=en-US |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113073331/https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-one-dnd-no-ogl-rumor/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chancey |first=Tyler |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Wizards Clarifies One D&D Third Party Support |url=https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/wizards-clarifies-one-dd-third-party-support |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=TechRaptor |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113072017/https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/wizards-clarifies-one-dd-third-party-support |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoffer-2022a">{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Clarifies Support for Third-Party Material as New Edition Draws Near |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-open-game-license-srd-one-dnd/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113022707/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-open-game-license-srd-one-dnd/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Codega-2022e">{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=The Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License Isn't Going Anywhere |url=https://gizmodo.com/dnd-open-gaming-license-dungeons-dragons-wizards-coast-1849919823 |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221193823/https://gizmodo.com/dnd-open-gaming-license-dungeons-dragons-wizards-coast-1849919823 |url-status=live }}</ref> In response to the speculation, Wizards stated in November 2022: "We will continue to support the thousands of creators making third-party D&D content with the release of [[One D&D]] in 2024."<ref name="Hoffer-2022a"/> Limited details on the update to the OGL, including the addition of revenue reporting and required royalties, were released by Wizards in December 2022.<ref name="DND-2022b">{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=OGLs, SRDs, & One D&D |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1410-ogls-srds-one-d-d |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=D&D Beyond |language=en-us |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221183154/http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1410-ogls-srds-one-d-d |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoffer-2022c">{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Announces Changes to OGL, Some Third-Party Creators Must Report Revenue and Potentially Pay Royalties |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-srd-royalties/ |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221184130/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-srd-royalties/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Codega-2022e" /> Linda Codega, for ''[[Io9]]'' in January 2023, reported on the details from a leaked full copy of the OGL 1.1 including updated terms such as no longer authorizing use of the OGL1.0.<ref name="Codega-2023">{{Cite web |last=Codega |first=Linda |date=2023-01-05 |title=Dungeons & Dragons' New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition |url=https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111115214/https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634 |archive-date=2023-01-11 |access-date=2023-01-12 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |language=en}}</ref> Codega highlighted that "if the original license is in fact no longer viable, every single licensed publisher will be affected by the new agreement. [...] The main takeaway from the leaked OGL 1.1 draft document is that WotC is keeping power close at hand".<ref name="Codega-2023" /> A week after the leak, Wizards issued a response which walked back several changes to the OGL; this response did not contain the updated OGL.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=An Update on the Open Game License (OGL) |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]] |language=en-us |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113162049/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoffer-2023d">{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Releases Statement on New OGL, Retracts Royalties and License Back Language |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-statement-retracts-royalties-license-back-language-outrage/ |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113164003/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-statement-retracts-royalties-license-back-language-outrage/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Codega-2023f">{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Wizards of the Coast Breaks Their Silence on the Dungeons & Dragons OGL |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-ogl-license-wizards-of-the-coast-wotc-1849985196 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113162920/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-ogl-license-wizards-of-the-coast-wotc-1849985196 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[The Motley Fool]] highlighted that "Hasbro pulled an abrupt volte-face and had its subsidiary D&D Beyond publish a [[mea culpa]] on its website".<ref name="Smith-2023">{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Rich |date=2023-01-17 |title=A Big Change Could Be Coming for Hasbro: Should Investors Worry? |url=https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/01/17/big-change-coming-for-hasbro-should-investor-worry/ |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=The Motley Fool |language=en |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117164624/https://www.fool.com/investing/2023/01/17/big-change-coming-for-hasbro-should-investor-worry/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On January 27, 2023, following feedback received during the open comment period for the draft OGL1.2, Wizards of the Coast announced that the System Reference Document 5.1 (SRD 5.1) would be released under an irrevocable Creative Commons license ([[CC BY 4.0]]) effective immediately and Wizards would no longer pursue deauthorizing the OGL1.0a.<ref name="Brink-2023">{{Cite web |last=Brink |first=Kyle |date=January 27, 2023 |title=OGL 1.0a & Creative Commons |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |language=en-us |type=[[Press release]] |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127201539/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1439-ogl-1-0a-creative-commons |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hall-2023">{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=January 27, 2023 |title=D&D won't change the OGL, handing fans and third-party publishers a massive victory |url=https://www.polygon.com/23574677/dungeons-dragons-dnd-ogl-canceled-wizards-fans-win |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127201901/https://www.polygon.com/23574677/dungeons-dragons-dnd-ogl-canceled-wizards-fans-win |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Codega-2023g">{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Scraps Plans to Update Its Open Game License |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-will-no-longer-deauthorize-its-open-1850041837 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127202427/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-will-no-longer-deauthorize-its-open-1850041837 |url-status=live }}</ref> The SRD was then revised to reflect the [[One D&D|2024 revision]] to the 5th Edition ruleset; [[:File:Dungeons & Dragons System Reference Document v5.2 (2025).pdf|System Reference Document 5.2]] (SRD 5.2) was released under a Creative Commons license on April 22, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 16, 2025 |title=Coming April 22: Publish Your Own Creations Using the 2024 Core Rules |url=https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1949-coming-april-22-publish-your-own-creations-using |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |language=en-us |type=[[Press release]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oaks |first=Amanda Kay |date=April 16, 2025 |title=New D&D Errata Revise 2024 5e Rules Ahead of SRD 5.2 Update |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-dnd-5e-errata-rules-update-srd-5-2-release/ |access-date=April 16, 2025 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dohm-Sanchez |first=Jeffrey |date=April 23, 2025 |title=Wizards of the Coast Updates 'D&D' System Reference Document |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/59390/wizards-coast-updates-d-d-system-reference-document |access-date=April 24, 2025 |website=[[ICv2]] |language=en}}</ref>

== Reception ==

[[Eric Goldberg (game designer)|Eric Goldberg]] reviewed ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in ''[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]]'' #1 (March 1980), rating it a 6 out of 9, and commented that "''Dungeons and Dragons'' is an impressive achievement based on the concept alone, and also must be credited with cementing the marriage between the fantasy genre and gaming."<ref name="Ares1">{{cite journal|last=Goldberg|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Goldberg (game designer)|date=March 1980|title=A Galaxy of Games|journal=[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]]|publisher=Simulations Publications, Inc.|issue=1|page=33}}</ref> Goldberg again reviewed ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in ''Ares Magazine'' #3 and commented that "''D&D'' is the FRP game played most often in most places."<ref name="Ares3">{{cite journal|last=Goldberg|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Goldberg (game designer)|date=July 1980|title=Games|journal=[[Ares (magazine)|Ares Magazine]]|publisher=[[Simulations Publications, Inc.]]|issue=3|page=34}}</ref> In the 1980 book ''[[The Complete Book of Wargames]]'', game designer [[Jon Freeman (game designer)|Jon Freeman]] asked, "What can be said about a phenomenon? Aside from ''[[Tactics II]]'' and possibly ''[[PanzerBlitz]]'' (the first modern tactical wargame), this is the most significant war game since [[H.G. Wells]]." However, Freeman did have significant issues with the game, pointing out, "On the other hand, beginning characters are without exception dull, virtually powerless, and so fragile" which was not encouraging for "newcomers." He also called the magic system "stupid" feeling that many of the spells were "redundant" and "the effects of the majority are hopelessly vague." He found essential elements such as saving throws, hit points, and experience points "undefined or poorly explained; the ratio of substance to "holes" compares unfavorably with the head of a tennis racquet." He also noted the rules were "presented in the most illiterate display of poor grammar, misspellings, and typographical errors in professional wargaming." Despite all these issues, Freeman concluded, "As it was given birth, it is fascinating but misshapen; in its best incarnations, it's perhaps the most exciting and attractive specimen alive."<ref name="cbw">{{cite book| last = Freeman| first = Jon| author-link = Jon Freeman (game designer)| title = The Complete Book of Wargames| publisher = Simon & Schuster| date = 1980| location = New York| pages = 251–252}}</ref>

The game had over three million players worldwide by 1981,<ref name="inc">{{cite web|author=Stewart Alsop II|date=February 1, 1982|title=TSR Hobbies Mixes Fact and Fantasy|url=http://www.inc.com/magazine/19820201/3601.html|access-date=April 17, 2012|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921025734/http://www.inc.com/magazine/19820201/3601.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and copies of the rules were selling at a rate of about 750,000 per year by 1984.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Gilligan, Eugene|date=May 1, 1984|title=Keeping Pace with Packaging|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-3251973.html|url-status=dead|journal=[[Playthings (magazine)|Playthings]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514175707/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-3251973.html|archive-date=May 14, 2013|access-date=September 6, 2012|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> Beginning with a French language edition in 1982, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has been translated into many languages beyond the original English.<ref name="D&Dfaq" /><ref name="history" /> By 1992, the game had been translated into 14 languages and sold over {{nowrap|2 million}} copies in 44 countries worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kastre |first1=Michael F. |title=An Industry of the Mind: Examining Today's Video Game Industry |journal=Hispanic Engineer & IT |date=Spring 1992 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=22–28 (27) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QM3uQqDiAQIC&pg=PA27 |publisher=Career Communications Group |access-date=February 3, 2021 |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002052/https://books.google.com/books?id=QM3uQqDiAQIC&pg=PA27#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> By 2004, consumers had spent more than {{US$|1 billion|long=no}} on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' products and the game had been played by more than 20&nbsp;million people.<ref name="waters">Waters; What happened to Dungeons and Dragons?</ref> As many as six million people played the game in 2007.<ref name="svensson" /> [[David M. Ewalt]], in his book ''Of Dice and Men'' (2013), praised that the game allows for a personal fantastical experience and stated that "even though it's make-believe, the catharsis is real."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ewalt |first=David M. |author-link=David M. Ewalt |title=Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It |location=New York |publisher=Scribner |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4516-4050-2 |oclc=800031925 |page=201}}</ref>

===Acclaim===

The various editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' have won many [[Origins Award]]s, including ''[[1977 Origins Award winners|All Time Best Roleplaying Rules of 1977]]'', ''[[1989 Origins Award winners|Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989]]'', ''[[2000 Origins Award winners|Best Roleplaying Game of 2000]]'' and ''[[2014 Origins Award winners|Best Role Playing Game and Best Role Playing Supplement of 2014]]'' for the flagship editions of the game.<ref>Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design; Archive of List of Origins Award Winners</ref> Both ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' are Origins Hall of Fame Games inductees as they were deemed sufficiently distinct to merit separate inclusion on different occasions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Origins Award Winners (1996)|url=http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1996/list-of-winners|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221022725/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1996/list-of-winners|archive-date=December 21, 2007|access-date=November 2, 2007|publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design}}</ref><ref>Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design; Hall of Fame</ref> The independent ''[[Games (magazine)|Games]]'' magazine placed ''Dungeons & Dragons'' on their ''Games 100'' list from 1980 through 1983, then entered the game into the magazine's Hall of Fame in 1984.<ref>Schick; ''Heroic Worlds'', pp.&nbsp;414–418</ref><ref>Games Magazine Online; Hall of Fame</ref> ''Games'' magazine included ''Dungeons & Dragons'' in their "Top 100 Games of 1980", saying "The more players, the merrier."<ref name=games100>{{cite magazine | date=November–December 1980 |title=Top 100 Games of 1980  | magazine=[[Games (magazine)|Games]] | issue=20 | pages=46 }}</ref> ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' was ranked 2nd in the 1996 reader poll of ''Arcane'' magazine to determine the 50 most popular roleplaying games of all time.<ref name="Arcane14">{{cite journal|last=Pettengale|first=Paul|date=Christmas 1996|title=Arcane Presents the Top 50 Roleplaying Games 1996|journal=Arcane|publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]]|issue=14|pages=25–35}}</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' was inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]] in 2016 and into the [[Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Today, Dungeons & Dragons was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum for Play|url=https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/toy-hall-fame|access-date=June 25, 2020|archive-date=September 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918130501/https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/toy-hall-fame|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=20th ANNIVERSARY SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY HALL OF FAME Inductees Are…|url=https://www.comicsblend.com/20th-anniversary-science-fiction-fantasy-hall-of-fame-inductees-are/|access-date=June 25, 2020|archive-date=December 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214213806/https://www.comicsblend.com/20th-anniversary-science-fiction-fantasy-hall-of-fame-inductees-are/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Later editions ===
Later editions would lead to inevitable comparisons between the game series. Scott Taylor for ''[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]'' in 2013 rated ''Dungeons & Dragons'' as #1 in the top ten role-playing games of all time, saying "The grand-daddy of all games, ''D&D'' just keeps on going, and although there might always be 'edition wars' between players, that just says that it effectively stays within the consciousness of multiple generations of players as a relevant piece of entertainment."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blackgate.com/2013/06/10/art-of-the-genre-the-top-10-role-playing-games-of-all-time/|title=ART OF THE GENRE: THE TOP 10 ROLE-PLAYING GAMES OF ALL-TIME|website=[[Black Gate (magazine)|Black Gate]]|first=Scott|last=Taylor|date=June 10, 2013|access-date=August 17, 2023|archive-date=July 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002054/https://www.blackgate.com/2013/06/10/art-of-the-genre-the-top-10-role-playing-games-of-all-time/|url-status=live}}</ref> 

[[Griffin McElroy]], for ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' in 2014, wrote: "The game has shifted in the past four decades, bouncing between different rules sets, philosophies and methods of play. Role-playing, character customization and real-life improvisational storytelling has always been at the game's core, but how those ideas are interpreted by the game system has changed drastically edition-to-edition".<ref>{{Cite web|last=McElroy|first=Griffin|date=July 9, 2014|title=Here's how Dungeons & Dragons is changing for its new edition|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/9/5882143/roll-for-initiative-understanding-the-next-edition-of-dungeons-dragons|access-date=August 19, 2020|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=August 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814083955/https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/9/5882143/roll-for-initiative-understanding-the-next-edition-of-dungeons-dragons|url-status=live}}</ref> Dieter Bohn, for ''[[The Verge]]'' in 2014, wrote: "Every few years there's been a new version of ''D&D'' that tries to address the shortcomings of the previous version and also make itself more palatable to its age. [...] The third edition got a reputation (which it didn't necessarily deserve) for being too complex and rules-focused. The fourth edition got a reputation (which it didn't necessarily deserve) for being too focused on miniatures and grids, too mechanical. Meanwhile, the company that owns ''D&D'' had released a bunch of its old material for free as a service to fans, and some of that was built up into a competing game called ''Pathfinder''. ''Pathfinder'' ultimately became more popular, by some metrics, than ''D&D'' itself". Bohn highlighted that the 5th Edition was "designed for one purpose: to bring ''D&D'' back to its roots and win back everybody who left during the edition wars".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bohn|first=Dieter|date=August 18, 2014|title=Slaying the demons of 'Dungeons & Dragons'|url=https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/18/6027647/slaying-the-demons-of-dungeons-dragons|access-date=August 19, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en-US|archive-date=September 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907050604/https://www.theverge.com/2014/8/18/6027647/slaying-the-demons-of-dungeons-dragons|url-status=live}}</ref> Henry Glasheen, for ''[[SLUG Magazine]]'' in 2015, highlighted that after jumping ship during the 4th Edition era he was drawn back to ''Dungeons & Dragons'' with 5th Edition<ref name="Glasheen-2015">{{Cite web|last=Glasheen|first=Henry|date=February 12, 2015|title=D&D Fifth Edition: Player's Handbook Review|url=https://www.slugmag.com/lifestyle/reviews/game-reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-players-handbook-review/|access-date=April 26, 2020|website=SLUG Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=October 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029164937/https://www.slugmag.com/lifestyle/reviews/game-reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-players-handbook-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> and he considers it "the new gold standard for D20-based tabletop RPGs".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Glasheen|first=Henry|date=February 26, 2015|title=D&D Fifth Edition: Dungeon Master's Guide Review|url=https://www.slugmag.com/lifestyle/reviews/game-reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-dungeon-masters-guide-review/|access-date=April 26, 2020|website=SLUG Magazine|language=en-US|archive-date=June 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621235712/https://www.slugmag.com/lifestyle/reviews/game-reviews/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-dungeon-masters-guide-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> Glasheen wrote "Fifth Edition is a compelling reason to get excited about D&D again" and "while some will welcome the simplicity, I fully expect that plenty of people will stick to whatever system suits them best. However, this edition is easily my favorite, ranking even higher than D&D 3.5, my first love in D&D".<ref name="Glasheen-2015" />

Christian Hoffer, for ''[[ComicBook.com]]'' in 2022, highlighted the continuing fan debate on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and ''Pathfinder's'' current editions which centers on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 5th Edition's market dominance. Hoffer wrote, "The reality is that ''Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition'' is likely the most popular tabletop roleplaying game ever made, even more so than previous editions of the games. 5E has brought millions of new players to tabletop roleplaying games. Many of those newer players have never heard of other roleplaying games, even popular ones like ''Vampire: The Masquerade'' or ''Cyberpunk'' or ''Pathfinder.'' [...] Many content creators and publishers see 5E as their main path to survival and relevance even if it's not their preferred gaming system".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoffer |first=Christian |date=June 21, 2022 |title=The Dungeons & Dragons vs. Pathfinder Discourse Is Heating Up Again |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-dungeons-dragons-vs-pathfinder-discourse-is-heating-up-again/ |access-date=June 23, 2022 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=June 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622204008/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/the-dungeons-dragons-vs-pathfinder-discourse-is-heating-up-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In December 2023, James Whitbrook of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' highlighted "''D&D''<nowiki/>'s continued social influence" with the release of related media such as the film ''[[Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves|Honor Among Thieves]]'', the ''Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures'' [[FAST channel]], and the video game ''[[Baldur's Gate 3]]'' with the video game's "blockbuster success" credited "for a 40% increase in Wizards of the Coast's earnings over 2022".<ref name="Whitbrook-2023">{{Cite web |last=Whitbrook |first=James |date=December 14, 2023 |title=2023 Should Have Been D&D's Best Year, Until It Wasn't |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-2023-retrospective-ogl-baldurs-gate-1851097352 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002124/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-2023-retrospective-ogl-baldurs-gate-1851097352 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Whitbrook opined that not even these successes "could save ''Dungeons & Dragons'' from the greed of its owners" with the OGL controversy and major layoffs by Hasbro bookending "what should've been one of the greatest years for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' the game has ever seen—more popular than ever, more accessible than ever, more culturally relevant than ever—and in doing so transformed it into a golden era sullied with dark marks, overshadowed by grim caveats, a reflection that those with the most power in these spaces never really take the lessons they espoused to learn from their mistakes".<ref name="Whitbrook-2023" /> In 2025, Harvey Randall of ''[[PC Gamer]]'' similarly noted that he has "little confidence" in Hasbro and its leadership knowing "what to do with any of its [''Dungeons & Dragons''] victories".<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Randall |first=Harvey |date=April 2, 2025 |title=It's clear Hasbro, the custodians of D&D, have no idea what to do with Baldur's Gate 3's success—but that's nothing new, it's spent the past 10 years fumbling the bag |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/its-clear-hasbro-the-custodians-of-d-and-d-have-no-idea-what-to-do-with-baldurs-gate-3s-success-but-thats-nothing-new-its-spent-the-past-10-years-fumbling-the-bag/ |access-date=April 2, 2025 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en}}</ref> On the 5th Edition rules revision, Randall commented, "the fact that WoTC didn't feel confident enough to reinvent much of anything after 10 years signals how paralyzed the entire operation has become [...]. After a ''decade'' of successes, and after a massive, hobby-wide controversy seemingly couldn't sink it, D&D's next big move was to equip you with basically the same game for the next 10 years. No innovation, no progression, just a slightly different angle to the wheels spinning in the dirt".<ref name=":2" />

===Moral panic===
{{Main article|Dungeons & Dragons controversies#Concerns about Satanism and suicide}}
At various times in its history, ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has received negative publicity, in particular from some Christian groups, for alleged promotion of such practices as [[Satanism#Theistic Satanism|devil worship]], [[witchcraft]], suicide, and murder, and for the presence of naked breasts in drawings of female humanoids in the original ''AD&D'' manuals (mainly monsters such as [[Harpy|harpies]], [[Succubus (Dungeons & Dragons)|succubi]], etc.).<ref name="Moral Panic">{{Cite journal |last=Waldron |first=David |year=2005 |title=Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic |url=http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/44257 |journal=The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |publisher=University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=3 |doi=10.3138/jrpc.9.1.003 |issn=1703-289X |hdl=1959.17/44257 |access-date=May 10, 2021 |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002604/https://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:919;jsessionid=C99F96AA4FC4A2C5CC435B4B511892C7 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="attacks">{{cite web | last=Kreidler | first=Marc | title=The Attacks on Role-Playing Games | website=[[Skeptical Inquirer]] | date=January 1, 1994 | url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/1994/01/the-attacks-on-role-playing-games/ | access-date=June 24, 2020 | archive-date=June 25, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625035458/https://skepticalinquirer.org/1994/01/the-attacks-on-role-playing-games/ | url-status=live }}</ref> These controversies led TSR to remove many potentially controversial references and artwork when releasing the 2nd Edition of ''AD&D''.<ref name="Dragon 154" /> Many of these references, including the use of the names "[[Devil (Dungeons & Dragons)|devils]]" and "[[Demon (Dungeons & Dragons)|demons]]", were reintroduced in the 3rd edition.<ref>Williams, Tweet, Cook; ''Monster Manual'', pp. 41,47</ref> The [[moral panic]] over the game led to problems for fans of ''D&D'' who faced social ostracism, unfair treatment, and false association with the occult and [[Satanism]], regardless of an individual fan's actual religious affiliation and beliefs.<ref name="Kogod-2020" /><ref name="Gagne 2018">{{cite web | last=Gagne | first=Kenneth Andrew | title=Moral panics over youth culture and video games. | website=Digital WPI | date=September 28, 2018 | url=https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/mqp-all/4847 | access-date=June 24, 2020 | archive-date=July 28, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002601/https://digital.wpi.edu/collections/mqp | url-status=live }}</ref> However, the controversy was also beneficial in evoking the [[Streisand Effect]] by giving the game widespread notoriety that significantly increased sales in the early 1980s in defiance of the moral panic.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Haberman |first1=Clyde |title=When Dungeons & Dragons Set Off a 'Moral Panic' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/us/when-dungeons-dragons-set-off-a-moral-panic.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 17, 2016 |access-date=4 February 2023 |archive-date=April 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421110137/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/us/when-dungeons-dragons-set-off-a-moral-panic.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

''Dungeons & Dragons'' has been the subject of rumors regarding players having difficulty separating fantasy from reality, even leading to [[psychotic]] episodes.<ref name="Kogod-2020" /><ref name="Darlington">{{cite web | last=Darlington | first=Steve | title=PTGPTB Issue 4: The History of Role-Playing, Part IV | website=Places to Go, People to Be | url=http://www.ptgptb.org/0004/hist4.html | access-date=June 24, 2020 | archive-date=June 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626110749/http://www.ptgptb.org/0004/hist4.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The most notable of these was the saga of [[James Dallas Egbert III]],<ref name="Hately">{{cite web | last=Hately | first=Shaun | title=PTGPTB Issue 7: The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III (Part II) | website=Places to Go, People to Be | date=August 19, 1979 | url=http://www.ptgptb.org/0007/dallas2.html | access-date=June 24, 2020 | archive-date=February 22, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222133847/http://www.ptgptb.org/0007/dallas2.html | url-status=live }}</ref> the facts of which were fictionalized in the novel ''[[Mazes and Monsters (novel)|Mazes and Monsters]]'' and later made into a [[Mazes and Monsters|TV movie]] in 1982 starring [[Tom Hanks]].<ref name="attacks" /><ref name="O">{{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=John J. |date=December 28, 1982 |title=TV: 'Mazes and Monsters,' Fantasy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/28/arts/tv-mazes-and-monsters-fantasy.html |access-date=June 24, 2020 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=November 19, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119045729/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/28/arts/tv-mazes-and-monsters-fantasy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[William Dear]], the private investigator hired by the Egbert family to find their son when he went missing at college, wrote a book titled ''[[The Dungeon Master]]'' (1984) refuting any connection with D&D and Egbert's personal issues. The game was blamed for some of the actions of [[Chris Pritchard]], who was convicted in 1990 of murdering his stepfather. Research by various psychologists,<ref name="Svitavsky">{{cite journal |last1=Svitavsky |first1=William L. |title=Geek culture: An annotated interdisciplinary bibliography |journal=Bulletin of Bibliography|date=2001 |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=101–108}}</ref> starting with Armando Simon, has concluded that no harmful effects are related to the playing of ''D&D''.<ref name="Simon">{{cite journal | last=Simón | first=Armando | title=Emotional stability pertaining to the game of Dungeons & Dragons | journal=Psychology in the Schools | publisher=Wiley | volume=24 | issue=4 | year=1987 | issn=0033-3085 | pages=329–332| doi=10.1002/1520-6807(198710)24:4<329::AID-PITS2310240406>3.0.CO;2-9 }}</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' has also been cited as encouraging people to socialize weekly or biweekly,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Adams|first=Aubrey S.|date=2013|title=Needs Met Through Role-Playing Games: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Dungeons & Dragons.|journal=Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research|volume=12}}</ref> teaching problem solving skills, which can be beneficial in adult life, and teaching positive moral decisions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wright|first=Jennifer Cole|date=2017|title=Imaginative Role-Playing as a Medium for Moral Development.|journal=Journal of Humanistic Psychology}}</ref>

=== Later criticism ===
{{See also|Dungeons & Dragons controversies#Cultural representations and racism|Open Game License#Reception}}
''D&D'' has been compared unfavorably to other role-playing games of its time. Writing for ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' in 2008, Erik Sofge makes unfavorable comparisons between the violent incentives of ''D&D'' and the more versatile role-playing experience of ''GURPS''. He claims that "for decades, gamers have argued that since D&D came first, its lame, morally repulsive experience system can be forgiven. But the damage is still being done: New generations of players are introduced to RPGs as little more than a collective fantasy of massacre."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sofge|first=Erik|date=March 10, 2008|title=With Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax created a monster.|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/03/with-dungeons-dragons-gary-gygax-created-a-monster.html|access-date=June 11, 2020|website=Slate Magazine|language=en|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611183640/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2008/03/with-dungeons-dragons-gary-gygax-created-a-monster.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This criticism generated backlash from ''D&D'' fans. Writing for ''[[Ars Technica]]'', Ben Kuchera responded that Sofge had experienced a "small-minded [[Dungeon Master]] who only wanted to kill things", and that better game experiences are possible.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kuchera|first=Ben|date=March 11, 2008|title=Slate editorial bashes D&D, but we know the truth|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/03/slate-editorial-bashes-dungeons-and-dragons-but-we-know-the-truth/|access-date=June 11, 2020|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us|archive-date=June 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611183641/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/03/slate-editorial-bashes-dungeons-and-dragons-but-we-know-the-truth/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2020, ''[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]'' reported that "the D&D team announced that it would be making changes to portions of its 5th edition product line that fans have called out for being insensitive".<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Hall|first1=Charlie|last2=Polo|first2=Susana|date=June 25, 2020|title=The game and comics industries are grappling with widespread allegations of harassment and abuse|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/25/21302341/video-game-tabletop-game-comics-allegations-harassment-abuse-racism-metoo|access-date=June 26, 2020|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518175230/https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/25/21302341/video-game-tabletop-game-comics-allegations-harassment-abuse-racism-metoo|url-status=live}}</ref> Sebastian Modak, for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', reported that the tabletop community has widely approved these changes. Modak wrote that "in its statement addressing mistakes around portrayals of different peoples in the D&D universe, Wizards of the Coast highlighted its recent efforts in bringing in more diverse voices to craft the new ''D&D'' sourcebooks coming out in 2021. [...] These conversations—around depictions of race and alleged treatment of employees of marginalized backgrounds and identities—have encouraged players to seek out other tabletop roleplaying experiences".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Modak|first=Sebastian|date=July 24, 2020|title=Amid a pandemic and a racial reckoning, 'D&D' finds itself at an inflection point|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/24/amid-pandemic-racial-reckoning-dd-finds-itself-an-inflection-point/|access-date=July 25, 2020|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en|archive-date=July 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730213415/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2020/07/24/amid-pandemic-racial-reckoning-dd-finds-itself-an-inflection-point/|url-status=live}}</ref> Matthew Gault, for ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', reported positively on the roundtable discussions Wizards of the Coast has hosted with fans and community leaders on diversity and inclusion. However, Gault also highlighted that other efforts, such as revisions to old material and the release of new material, have been less great and at times minimal. Gault wrote, "WotC appears to be trying to change things, but it keeps stumbling, and it's often the fans who pick up the pieces. [...] WotC is trying to make changes, but it often feels like lip service. [...] The loudest voices criticizing D&D right now are doing it out of love. They don't want to see it destroyed, they want it to change with the times".<ref name="Gault-2020">{{Cite news|last=Gault|first=Matthew|date=December 31, 2020|title=Dungeons, Dragons, and Diversity|language=en-us|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/dungeons-dragons-diversity/|access-date=December 31, 2020|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=August 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210825220720/https://www.wired.com/story/dungeons-dragons-diversity/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in 2022, academic Christopher Ferguson stated that the game "was not associated with greater [[ethnocentrism]] (one facet of racism) attitudes" after he conducted a [[Survey (human research)|survey study]] of 308 adults (38.2% non-White, and 17% ''Dungeons and Dragons'' players). Ferguson concluded that Wizards of the Coast may be responding to a moral panic similar to that surrounding Satanism in the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ferguson|first=Christopher J.|date=2022-01-04|title=Are orcs racist? Dungeons and Dragons, ethnocentrism, anxiety, and the depiction of "evil" monsters|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02551-4|journal=Current Psychology|volume=42|issue=15|pages=12400–12408|language=en|doi=10.1007/s12144-021-02551-4|s2cid=245653994|issn=1936-4733|access-date=January 5, 2022|archive-date=September 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904031942/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-021-02551-4|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 2024 update to 5e, character "race" (such as dwarf, elf, or human) was changed to "species."<ref name=":1" />

Between November and December 2022, there was reported speculation that Wizards was planning to discontinue the Open Game License for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' based on unconfirmed leaks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Law |first=Eric |date=2022-11-14 |title=Rumor: One D&D Might Be Killing Third-Party Homebrew Content |url=https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-one-dnd-no-ogl-rumor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113073331/https://gamerant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-one-dnd-no-ogl-rumor/ |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=[[Game Rant]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chancey |first=Tyler |date=November 22, 2022 |title=Wizards Clarifies One D&D Third Party Support |url=https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/wizards-clarifies-one-dd-third-party-support |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113072017/https://techraptor.net/tabletop/news/wizards-clarifies-one-dd-third-party-support |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=TechRaptor |language=en}}</ref><ref name="ComicBook-2022">{{Cite web |date=November 21, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Clarifies Support for Third-Party Material as New Edition Draws Near |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-open-game-license-srd-one-dnd/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113022707/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-open-game-license-srd-one-dnd/ |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Gizmodo-2022">{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=The Dungeons & Dragons Open Gaming License Isn't Going Anywhere |url=https://gizmodo.com/dnd-open-gaming-license-dungeons-dragons-wizards-coast-1849919823 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221193823/https://gizmodo.com/dnd-open-gaming-license-dungeons-dragons-wizards-coast-1849919823 |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref> Following an initial response to the speculation by Wizards in November 2022,<ref name="ComicBook-2022" /> the company released limited details on the update to the OGL in December 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=OGLs, SRDs, & One D&D |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1410-ogls-srds-one-d-d |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221183154/http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1410-ogls-srds-one-d-d |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=D&D Beyond |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 21, 2022 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Announces Changes to OGL, Some Third-Party Creators Must Report Revenue and Potentially Pay Royalties |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-srd-royalties/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221221184130/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-srd-royalties/ |archive-date=December 21, 2022 |access-date=December 21, 2022 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Gizmodo-2022" /> Linda Codega, writing for ''[[Io9]]'', reported on the details from a leaked full copy of the OGL 1.1 on January 5, 2023.<ref name="Codega-2023"/> Codega highlighted that "every single licensed publisher will be affected by the new agreement. [...] The main takeaway from the leaked OGL 1.1 draft document is that WotC is keeping power close at hand".<ref name="Codega-2023" /> ''[[ICv2]]'' commented that the leaked OGL had several controversial parts.<ref name="ICv2-2023">{{Cite web |date=January 11, 2023 |title='Dungeons & Dragons' OGL 1.1 Furor |url=https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/53040/dungeons-dragons-ogl-1-1-furor |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111092439/https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/53040/dungeons-dragons-ogl-1-1-furor |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |access-date=January 11, 2023 |website=[[ICv2]] |language=en}}</ref> Following this leak, numerous news and industry-focused outlets reported on negative reactions from both fans and professional content creators.{{efn|Such as:''[[Financial Times]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons & fear & loathing |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b8f27121-ac91-45c8-9f4d-7a1d86115c19 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113112621/https://www.ft.com/content/b8f27121-ac91-45c8-9f4d-7a1d86115c19 |archive-date=January 13, 2023}}</ref> ''[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 12, 2023 |title=Dungeons and Dragons Is Jeopardizing Its Greatest Strength: Its Ubiquity |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/dungeons-and-dragons-is-jeopardizing-its-greatest-strength-its-ubiquity/ |access-date=January 12, 2023 |website=Vice.com |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112140313/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3ad9kn/dungeons-and-dragons-is-jeopardizing-its-greatest-strength-its-ubiquity |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[The Guardian]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title='People are leaving the game': Dungeons & Dragons fans revolt against new restrictions |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/12/dungeons-and-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113061242/https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/jan/12/dungeons-and-dragons-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl |url-status=live }}</ref> [[CNBC]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons open game license update delayed following fan backlash |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/13/hasbro-delays-new-dungeons-dragons-licensing-rules.html |access-date=January 17, 2023 |website=CNBC |language=en |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117114351/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/13/hasbro-delays-new-dungeons-dragons-licensing-rules.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  ''[[NME]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nattrass |first=J. J. |date=2023-01-09 |title=D&D content creators outraged over licensing changes, demand the game remain "open" |url=https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/gaming-news/dd-content-creators-outraged-over-licensing-changes-demand-the-game-remain-open-3377607 |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=NME |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112040950/https://www.nme.com/en_asia/news/gaming-news/dd-content-creators-outraged-over-licensing-changes-demand-the-game-remain-open-3377607 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[IGN]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |last=Northup |first=Travis |date=2023-01-06 |title=Wizards of the Coast OGL Change Draws Ire From Creators and Fans Alike: 'It's Not Right' |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/wizards-of-the-coasts-new-dungeons-dragons-license-ogl-controversy |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en |archive-date=January 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112125127/https://www.ign.com/articles/wizards-of-the-coasts-new-dungeons-dragons-license-ogl-controversy |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[ICv2]]'',<ref name="ICv2-2023" /> ''[[Inverse (website)|Inverse]]''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plante |first=Corey |title=D&D's community is up in arms over a controversial change |url=https://www.inverse.com/gaming/dnd-dungeons-dragons-ogl-11-homebrew-changes-opendnd |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=Inverse |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113022546/https://www.inverse.com/gaming/dnd-dungeons-dragons-ogl-11-homebrew-changes-opendnd |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[ComicBook.com]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 6, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Community Holds Breath as Wizards of the Coast Prepares New OGL |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-leak-community-backlash-dnd/ |access-date=January 10, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=January 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110025509/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-leak-community-backlash-dnd/ |url-status=live }}</ref> }} ''[[TheStreet]]'' highlighted that "the company's main competitors" quickly pivoted away from the OGL in the time it took Wizards to settle on a response.<ref name="Button-2023">{{Cite web |last=Button |first=Danni |date=January 14, 2023 |title=Hasbro Faces Criticism Over Dungeons & Dragons Rules Change |url=https://www.thestreet.com/media/hasbro-just-tanked-one-of-its-biggest-revenue-drivers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116155712/https://www.thestreet.com/media/hasbro-just-tanked-one-of-its-biggest-revenue-drivers |archive-date=January 16, 2023 |access-date=January 17, 2023 |website=[[TheStreet]] |language=en-us}}</ref> ''[[Starburst (magazine)|Starburst]]'' commented that "historically when the owners of ''Dungeons and Dragons'' attempt to restrict what people can do with the game, it leads to a boom in other tabletop roleplaying games. This is happening right now".<ref name="Fortune-2023">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-10 |title=DUNGEONS & DRAGONS TV Show Announced Amid Controversy |url=https://www.starburstmagazine.com/dungeons-and-dragons-tv-show-announced-amid-controversy |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=STARBURST Magazine |language=en-GB |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111185059/https://www.starburstmagazine.com/dungeons-and-dragons-tv-show-announced-amid-controversy |url-status=live }}</ref> ''TheStreet'' also commented that Wizards united its "entire player base" against it; both ''TheStreet''<ref name="Button-2023" /> and ''Io9'' highlighted the movement to boycott [[D&D Beyond]] and mass subscription cancellations with ''Io9'' stating that the "immediate financial consequences" forced a response by Wizards.<ref name="Gizmodo-2023">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-14 |title=Cancelled D&D Beyond Subscriptions Forced Hasbro's Hand |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-wizards-hasbro-ogl-open-game-license-1849981136 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117171732/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-wizards-hasbro-ogl-open-game-license-1849981136 |archive-date=January 17, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=Gizmodo |language=en}}</ref> ''Io9'' reported that Wizards' internal messaging on the response to the leak was this was a fan overreaction.<ref name="Gizmodo-2023" /> In the ensuing weeks, Wizards walked back changes to the OGL and solicited public feedback{{efn|OGL1.2, with an open feedback period, was announced on January 13, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=An Update on the Open Game License (OGL) |url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |language=en-us |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113162049/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Releases Statement on New OGL, Retracts Royalties and License Back Language |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-statement-retracts-royalties-license-back-language-outrage/ |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113164003/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-statement-retracts-royalties-license-back-language-outrage/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 13, 2023 |title=Wizards of the Coast Breaks Their Silence on the Dungeons & Dragons OGL |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-ogl-license-wizards-of-the-coast-wotc-1849985196 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=January 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230113162920/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-ogl-license-wizards-of-the-coast-wotc-1849985196 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} before pivoting away from the OGL to release the [[c:File:SRD5.1-CCBY4.0License.pdf|System Reference Document 5.1]] (SRD 5.1) under an irrevocable creative commons license ([[CC BY 4.0]]).{{efn|System Reference Document 5.1 was announced and became effective immediately on January 27, 2023. Additionally, Wizards announced it would no longer pursue deauthorizing the OGL1.0a.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hall |first=Charlie |date=January 27, 2023 |title=D&D won't change the OGL, handing fans and third-party publishers a massive victory |url=https://www.polygon.com/23574677/dungeons-dragons-dnd-ogl-canceled-wizards-fans-win |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |language=en-US |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127201901/https://www.polygon.com/23574677/dungeons-dragons-dnd-ogl-canceled-wizards-fans-win |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Will Not De-Authorize Current OGL, Releases Full SRD Under Creative Commons License |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-not-deauthorized/ |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=[[ComicBook.com]] |language=en |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127212444/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-not-deauthorized/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Scraps Plans to Update Its Open Game License |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-will-no-longer-deauthorize-its-open-1850041837 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127202427/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-will-no-longer-deauthorize-its-open-1850041837 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 27, 2023 |title=System Reference Document 5.1 |url=https://www.dndbeyond.com/attachments/39j2li89/SRD5.1-CCBY4.0License.pdf |website=[[D&D Beyond]] |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127212445/https://www.dndbeyond.com/attachments/39j2li89/SRD5.1-CCBY4.0License.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that "pushback from fans, who criticized WotC's response as far from an apology and a dismissal of their legitimate concerns, led WotC to backpedal further" and that the company "appears to have committed an irreversible act of self-sabotage in trying to replace [the OGL] — squandering the prestige accumulated over 20 years in a matter of weeks".<ref name="Evans-Thirlwell-2023">{{Cite news |last=Evans-Thirlwell |first=Edwin |date=January 19, 2023 |title=The D&D Open Game License controversy, explained |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/19/dungeons-and-dragons-open-game-license-wizards-of-the-coast-explained/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119203631/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2023/01/19/dungeons-and-dragons-open-game-license-wizards-of-the-coast-explained/ |archive-date=January 19, 2023 |access-date=January 20, 2023 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Both ''Io9'' and ''ComicBook.com'' called the major concessions – releasing the SRD 5.1 under the creative commons and no longer deauthorizing the OGL1.0a – announced by Wizards a "huge victory" for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' community.<ref name="Hoffer-2022b">{{Cite web |last1=Hoffer |first1=Christian |date=January 27, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Will Not De-Authorize Current OGL, Releases Full SRD Under Creative Commons License |url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-not-deauthorized/ |access-date=January 27, 2023 |website=ComicBook.com |language=en |archive-date=January 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127212444/https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-dragons-ogl-not-deauthorized/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Codega-2023g" />

== Legacy and influence ==
''Dungeons & Dragons'' was the first modern role-playing game and it established many of the conventions that have dominated the genre.<ref>"Although we have come a long way since D&D, the essential concept is still the same, and is one that will endure." (Darlington; "A History of Role-Playing Part IX").</ref> Particularly notable are the use of dice as a [[game mechanic]], character record sheets, use of [[Statistic (role-playing games)|numerical attributes]], and gamemaster-centered group dynamics.<ref>Rilstone; Role-Playing Games: An Overview</ref> Within months of the release of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', new role-playing game writers and publishers began releasing their own role-playing games, with most of these being in the fantasy genre. Some of the earliest other role-playing games inspired by ''D&D'' include ''[[Tunnels & Trolls]]'' (1975),<ref>Schick; Heroic Worlds, pp. 223–244</ref> ''[[Empire of the Petal Throne]]'' (1975), and ''[[Chivalry & Sorcery]]'' (1976).<ref>Fine; ''Shared Fantasy'', pp.&nbsp;16–19</ref> The game's commercial success was a factor that led to [[lawsuits]] regarding the distribution of [[royalties]] between original creators Gygax and Arneson.<ref>Judges Guild; "Interview with Dave Arneson" in ''[[Pegasus (game magazine)|Pegasus]]'' #1</ref><ref>Rausch; Dave Arneson Interview</ref> Gygax later became embroiled in a political struggle for control of TSR which culminated in a court battle and Gygax's decision to sell his ownership interest in the company in 1985.<ref>Gygax; Gygax FAQ</ref>

The role-playing movement initiated by ''D&D'' would lead to the release of the science fiction game ''[[Traveller (roleplaying game)|Traveller]]'' (1977), the fantasy game ''[[RuneQuest]]'' (1978), and subsequent game systems such as [[Chaosium]]'s ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' (1981), ''[[Champions (roleplaying game)|Champions]]'' (1982), ''[[GURPS]]'' (1986),<ref>Darlington; A History of Role-Playing Part V</ref> and ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' (1991).<ref name="Schick 17-34" /><ref>Darlington; A History of Role-Playing Part VIII</ref> ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and the games it influenced fed back into the genre's origin&nbsp;– miniatures wargames&nbsp;– with combat strategy games like ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battles]]''.<ref>Grady; In Genre</ref> ''D&D'' also had a large impact on modern video games.<ref>PC Gamer; How Dungeons & Dragons shaped the modern videogame</ref>

Director [[Jon Favreau]] credits ''Dungeons & Dragons'' with giving him "...&nbsp;a really strong background in imagination, storytelling, understanding how to create tone and a sense of balance."<ref>Boucher</ref> [[ND Stevenson]] and the crew of ''[[She-Ra and the Princesses of Power]]'' were strongly influenced by ''Dungeons & Dragons'', with Stevenson calling it basically a D&D campaign, with Adora, Glimmer, and Bow falling into "specific classes in D&D".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Marrongelli |first1=Rocco |title='She-Ra and the Princesses of Power' Producer Says It's Basically a D&D; Campaign |url=https://www.newsweek.com/she-ra-netflix-release-noelle-stevenson-nycc-2018-1209498 |website=[[Newsweek]] |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200305155906/https://www.newsweek.com/she-ra-netflix-release-noelle-stevenson-nycc-2018-1209498 |archive-date=March 5, 2020 |date=November 9, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> A ''D&D'' campaign held among [[id Software]] staff in the early 1990s featured a demonic invasion, a warrior named ''Quake'' and a magic item named ''Daikatana''. [[John Romero]] has credited the campaign with inspiring many of his video games of the era, including ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'', ''[[Quake (video game)|Quake]]'' and ''[[Daikatana]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Romero |first=John |title=DOOM Guy: Life in First Person |publisher=Abrams Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-1419758119 |pages=126–145}}</ref>

Curtis D. Carbonell, in the 2019 book ''Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic'', wrote: "Negative association with earlier niche 'nerd' culture have reversed. 5e has become inclusive in its reach of players, after years of focusing on a white, male demographic. [...] At its simplest, the game system now encourages different types of persons to form a party not just to combat evil [...] but to engage in any number of adventure scenarios".<ref name="Carbonell-2019">{{Cite book |last=Carbonell |first=Curtis D. |title=Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-78962-468-7 |location=Liverpool |pages=80–108 |chapter=Chapter 3: Dungeons and Dragons Multiverse |oclc=1129971339}}</ref>{{rp|82–83}} Academic Emma French, in ''Real Life in Real Time: Live Streaming Culture'' (2023), commented on the impact of [[actual play]] on the broader ''Dungeons & Dragons'' gaming culture – "actual play media circumvents D&D's insulated or exclusionary aspects, skewing away from 'basement dwelling nerds' in favor of a networked, global fandom. Live streaming is now a means of introducing individuals to the game, bringing it into the mainstream at a time when other geek pursuits have also achieved wider visibility and popularity".<ref name="French-2023">{{Cite book |last=French |first=Emily |title=Real Life in Real Time: Live Streaming Culture |publisher=The MIT Press |year=2023 |isbn=9780262374750 |pages=203–216 |chapter=13: "We Play Dungeons & Dragons!": How Actual Play Live Streams Have (Re)shaped the D&D Gaming Community |doi=10.7551/mitpress/14526.003.0020 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/14526.003.0020}}</ref>{{rp|213}} French highlighted that in 2020 "no [[List of Dungeons & Dragons web series|actual play live streams]] hosted by the official DnD channel featured an all-male cast—showing a massive shift from the brand ambassadors endorsed by Wizards of the Coast" previously.<ref name="French-2023" />{{rp|209}} French argued that not only has the more accessible and inclusive actual play landscape impacted the gaming culture but it has also impacted the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' product itself from the promotion campaign of ''[[Tasha's Cauldron of Everything]]'' featuring "diverse nerd celebrities" to "direct action taken against previous exclusionary behavior" as seen in Wizards of the Coast statements on diversity and ''Dungeons & Dragons''.<ref name="French-2023" />{{rp|213-214}} French wrote, "as actual play live streams broaden the range of customers that D&D can market itself to, it may enact real, seismic change to the mainstream perception of geek identity, and contribute to a push for diverse representation within geek subculture as a whole".<ref name="French-2023" />{{rp|214}}

==Related products==

{{Main|Dungeons & Dragons-related products}}

''D&D'''s commercial success has led to many other related products, including ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' and ''[[Dungeon (magazine)|Dungeon]]'' magazines,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-dd/history/history-forty-years-adventure|title=History: Forty Years of Adventure|last=Peterson|first=Jon|website=Dungeons & Dragons|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150209055704/https://dnd.wizards.com/dungeons-and-dragons/what-dd/history/history-forty-years-adventure|archive-date=February 9, 2015|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> an [[Dungeons & Dragons (TV series)|animated television series]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/28/dungeons-and-dragons-the-animated-series-beginnings-dvd-review|title=Dungeons and Dragons: The Animated Series - Beginnings DVD Review |last=Shaffer|first=R.L.|date=August 28, 2009|website=IGN|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203124538/http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/28/dungeons-and-dragons-the-animated-series-beginnings-dvd-review|archive-date=December 3, 2017|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> a [[Dungeons & Dragons (film series)|film series]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-movie-disastrous-facts-trivia/|first1=Scott|last1=Baird|title=15 Things You Didn't Know About The Disastrous Dungeons & Dragons Movie|date=December 3, 2017|website=Screen Rant|language=en-US|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225220853/https://screenrant.com/dungeons-and-dragons-movie-disastrous-facts-trivia/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/dungeons-and-dragons-movie-directors/|title='Game Night' Directors Eyed to Helm 'Dungeons & Dragons' Movie|last=Mancuso|first=Vinnie|date=July 30, 2019|website=Collider|language=en-US|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref> an [[off-Broadway]] stage [[Dungeons & Dragons: The Twenty-Sided Tavern|production]],<ref name=":5">{{Cite news |last=Vincentelli |first=Elisabeth |date=May 17, 2024 |title='Dungeons & Dragons' Review: Community Building One Dice Roll at a Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/17/theater/dungeons-dragons-review.html |access-date=September 7, 2024 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> an [[Dungeons & Dragons (album)|official role-playing soundtrack]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midnightsyndicate.com/reviews-archive-dungeons-dragons-cd/|title=Reviews Archive - Dungeons & Dragons CD|website=Midnight Syndicate|language=en-US|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225220854/https://www.midnightsyndicate.com/reviews-archive-dungeons-dragons-cd/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Dungeons & Dragons (novels)|novels]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-first-dragonlance-novels-gave-dungeons-dragons-a-1798269401|title=The first Dragonlance novels gave Dungeons & Dragons a new dimension|website=Games|date=June 13, 2014 |language=en-us|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/4/17819182/ra-salvatore-timeless-new-drizzt-novel-interview|title=R.A. Salvatore reflects on 30 years of writing Drizzt and an ever-changing fandom|last=Maher|first=John|date=September 4, 2018|website=Polygon|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109040050/https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/4/17819182/ra-salvatore-timeless-new-drizzt-novel-interview|url-status=live}}</ref> both [[Ongoing series|ongoing]] and [[Limited series (comics)|limited series]] licensed [[Dungeons & Dragons (IDW Publishing)|comics]],<ref name="idw">{{Cite web|title=''Dungeons & Dragons''|url=http://www.idwpublishing.com/catalog/series/1451|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110126082529/http://www.idwpublishing.com/catalog/series/1451|archive-date=January 26, 2011|access-date=January 22, 2011|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]}}</ref> and numerous [[List of Dungeons & Dragons computer and video games|computer and video games]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/12/12/dungeons-dragons-has-long-history-video-games-dark-alliance-wants-take-that-further/|title=Dungeons & Dragons has a long history in video games. Dark Alliance wants to take that further.|last=Favis|first=Elise|date=December 12, 2019|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104022558/https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2019/12/12/dungeons-dragons-has-long-history-video-games-dark-alliance-wants-take-that-further/|archive-date=January 4, 2020|access-date=February 25, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/the-10-greatest-dungeons-and-dragons-videogames.html|title=The 10 Greatest Dungeons and Dragons Videogames|last=Williams|first=Ian|date=April 27, 2015|website=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|language=en|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=September 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914052047/https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/04/the-10-greatest-dungeons-and-dragons-videogames.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/there-are-seven-or-eight-dungeons-and-dragons-videogames-in-the-works/|title=There are "seven or eight" Dungeons & Dragons videogames in the works|last=Macgregor|first=Jody|date=December 15, 2019|magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|language=en-US|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002558/https://www.pcgamer.com/there-are-seven-or-eight-dungeons-and-dragons-videogames-in-the-works/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hobby and toy stores sell dice, miniatures, adventures, and other game aids related to ''D&D'' and its game offspring.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/13/from-classic-board-games-to-role-playing-take-your-game-to-the-table/|title=From classic board games to role-playing, take your game to the table|date=February 13, 2020|website=The Buffalo News|language=en-us|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225220903/https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/13/from-classic-board-games-to-role-playing-take-your-game-to-the-table/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789|title=The Surprising Benefits of Role-Playing Games (and How to Get Started)|last=Allan|first=Patrick|date=February 9, 2015|website=Lifehacker|language=en-us|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200225220857/https://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2023, Hasbro's [[Entertainment One]] launched the ''Dungeons & Dragons Adventures'' [[Free ad-supported streaming television|FAST]] channel, available on platforms such as [[Amazon Freevee]] and [[Plex Inc.|Plex]], which features new [[actual play]] web series, [[Rerun|reruns]] of the animated ''Dungeons & Dragons'' series, and reruns of other [[List of Dungeons & Dragons web series|''Dungeons & Dragons'' web series]].<ref name="Variety on FAST announcement">{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=May 11, 2023 |title=Dungeons & Dragons Free 24-Hour Streaming Channel Set to Launch This Summer (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/dungeons-dragons-free-streaming-fast-channel-eone-launch-1235609856/ |access-date=May 11, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511172140/https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/dungeons-dragons-free-streaming-fast-channel-eone-launch-1235609856/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-14 |title=Dungeons & Dragons' FAST Channel Launches Today |url=https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-adventures-streaming-amazon-plex-1851020979 |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=Gizmodo |language=en |archive-date=November 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114214013/https://gizmodo.com/dungeons-dragons-adventures-streaming-amazon-plex-1851020979 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==In popular culture==

{{Main|Dungeons & Dragons in popular culture}}
<!-- ATTENTION: PLEASE DO ''NOT'' LIST SPECIFIC POP CULTURE REFERENCES TO D&D IN THIS ARTICLE. THERE ARE ALREADY SUFFICIENT EXAMPLES IN THE NOTES SECTION TO SUPPORT THE TEXT. -->

''D&D'' grew in popularity through the late 1970s and 1980s. Numerous games, films, and cultural references based on ''D&D'' or ''D&D''-like fantasies, characters or adventures have been ubiquitous since the end of the 1970s. ''D&D'' players are (sometimes pejoratively) portrayed as the epitome of [[geek]]dom,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/arts/001575.html|title=Dungeons & Dragons—30 Years and Going Strong|last=Currell|first=Latasha|date=2004|website=The Golden Gate Press Online|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430154922/http://xpress.sfsu.edu/archives/arts/001575.html|archive-date=April 30, 2011}}</ref> and have become the basis of much geek and gamer humor and satire.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theonion.com/bill-gates-grants-self-18-dexterity-20-charisma-1819564339|title=Bill Gates Grants Self 18 Dexterity, 20 Charisma|date=June 18, 1997|website=The Onion|language=en-us|access-date=February 25, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002558/https://www.theonion.com/bill-gates-grants-self-18-dexterity-20-charisma-1819564339|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Gilsdorf|first=Ethan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/books/dungeons-dragons.html|title=In a Chaotic World, Dungeons & Dragons Is Resurgent|date=November 13, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 25, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220312203911/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/13/books/dungeons-dragons.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Since the release of 5th edition, actual play web series and podcasts such as ''[[Critical Role]]'', ''[[Dimension 20]]'', and ''[[The Adventure Zone]]'', among many others, have experienced a growth in viewership and popularity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sowa |first=Alex |date=2020-06-14 |title=Dungeons & Dragons: How Actual-Play Shows Are Boosting LGBTQ Representation |url=https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=CBR |language=en |archive-date=June 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629012953/https://www.cbr.com/dungeons-dragons-actual-play-shows-boosting-lgbtq-representation/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner, viewers on [[Twitch (service)|Twitch]] and YouTube spent over 150 million hours watching ''D&D'' gameplay in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitten |first=Sarah |title=How Critical Role helped spark a Dungeons & Dragons renaissance |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/14/critical-role-helped-spark-a-dungeons-dragons-renaissance.html |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=CNBC |date=March 14, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812013515/https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/14/critical-role-helped-spark-a-dungeons-dragons-renaissance.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Dungeons & Dragons in popular culture#Players|Famous ''D&D'' players]] include Pulitzer Prize-winning author [[Junot Díaz]], professional basketball player [[Tim Duncan]], comedian [[Stephen Colbert]], and actors [[Vin Diesel]] and [[Robin Williams]].<ref>{{cite book
 |author1=Manson, Marilyn |author2=Strauss, Neil | title=The Long Hard Road Out of Hell | page=26
 | publisher=HarperCollins | year=1999 | isbn=0-06-098746-4 }}</ref><ref>Diesel, Colbert, Lillard: Tonjes; Interview with Charles Ryan on the 2005 Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day</ref><ref>Diesel, Williams, Moby, Lillard, Colbert: Shanafelt; The growing chic of geek</ref><ref>Briggs; Duncan's unusual hobby and more unusual request</ref><ref>Diesel contributed the introduction, and both Colbert and Wheaton page personal reflections to Johnson, ''et al.''; ''30 Years of Adventure''</ref> ''D&D'' and its fans have been the subject of spoof films, including ''[[The Gamers: Dorkness Rising]]''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Haberman|first1=Clyde|title=When Dungeons & Dragons Set Off a 'Moral Panic'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/us/when-dungeons-dragons-set-off-a-moral-panic.html|access-date=April 18, 2016|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 17, 2016 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418005220/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/us/when-dungeons-dragons-set-off-a-moral-panic.html|archive-date=April 18, 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Dungeons & Dragons}}
* [[D&D Championship Series|''D&D'' Championship Series]]

{{Clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{cite journal |last=Darlington |first=Steven |title=A History of Role-Playing Part VIII: Dark Times |journal=Places to Go, People to be |issue=8 |date=June 1999 |url=http://ptgptb.org/0008/hist8.html |access-date=February 28, 2007 |archive-date=February 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070222124913/http://ptgptb.org/0008/hist8.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |last=Darlington |first=Steven |title=A History of Role-Playing Part IX: The End and The Beginning |journal=Places to Go, People to be |issue=9 |date=August 1999 |url=http://ptgptb.org/0009/hist9.html |access-date=April 3, 2007 |archive-date=April 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070430150840/http://ptgptb.org/0009/hist9.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last=Drout |first=Michael D. C. |title=J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment |publisher=Routledge |location=New York |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-415-96942-0}}
* {{cite book |first=David |last=Cook |year=1989b |title=Player's Handbook |publisher=TSR |isbn=0-88038-716-5
|title-link=Player's Handbook }}
* {{cite book |first=David |last=Cook |author-link=David Cook (game designer) |year=1995 |title=Player's Handbook |edition=Revised |publisher=TSR |isbn=0-7869-0329-5 |orig-year=1989b |url=https://archive.org/details/advanceddungeons00lake }}
* {{cite web 
 |last=DeVarque 
 |first=Aardy R. 
 |title=Literary Sources of D&D 
 |publisher=Rec.games.frp.dnd FAQs 
 |url=http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209043119/http://www.geocities.com/rgfdfaq/sources.html 
 |archive-date=December 9, 2007 
 |access-date=February 21, 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 }}
* {{cite book |last=Fine |first=Gary Alan |year=2002 |title=Shared Fantasy: Role Playing Games as Social Worlds |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location=New York |isbn=0-226-24944-1
}}
* {{cite web |last=Gagne |first=Kenneth A. |date=April 27, 2001 |url=http://www.gamebits.net/other/mqp/#23 |title=Moral Panics Over Youth Culture and Video Games |publisher=Worcester Polytechnic Institute |access-date=August 27, 2007 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704230928/https://www.gamebits.net/other/mqp/#23 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=Grady |first=RJ |title=In Genre: THE DUNGEON |publisher=[[RPGnet]] |date=August 4, 2004 |url=http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/ingenre04aug04.html |access-date=April 5, 2007 |archive-date=February 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212221451/http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/ingenre04aug04.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite conference |last=Grigg |first=Robert |title=Albert Goes Narrative Contracting |book-title=DiGRA 2005 Papers |publisher=Simon Fraser University |date=June 16–20, 2005 |location=Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |url=http://hdl.handle.net/1892/1547 |access-date=August 12, 2007 }}
* {{cite book |last=Gygax |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Gygax |title=Dungeon Masters Guide |publisher=TSR |year=1979 |isbn=0-935696-02-4
|title-link=Dungeon Masters Guide }}
* {{cite journal |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=The Dungeons and Dragons Magic System |journal=The Strategic Review |volume=II |issue=2 |publisher=TSR Hobbies |date=April 1976}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gygax |first1=Gary |last2=Arneson |first2=Dave |author2-link=Dave Arneson |title=Dungeons & Dragons (3-Volume Set) |publisher=TSR |year=1974
}}
* {{cite journal |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=Dungeons & Dragons: What Is It and Where Is It Going? |journal=The Dragon #21 |volume=III |issue=8 |pages=29–30 |publisher=TSR |date=December 1978 |issn=1062-2101}}
* {{cite journal |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=From the Sorcerer's Scroll: D&D, AD&D and Gaming |journal=The Dragon #26 |pages=28–30 |volume=III |issue=12 |publisher=[[TSR (company)|TSR Hobbies]] |date=June 1979 |issn=1062-2101}}
* {{cite web |last=Gygax |first=Gary |url=http://www.gygax.com/gygaxfaq.html#What%20Happened%20to%20Gygax%20-%20TSR? |title=Gygax FAQ |publisher=The Creative World of Gary Gygax <!-- Gygax's personal site as of the time this link was taken. Now domain squatted. https://web.archive.org/web/19990125095757/http://www.gygax.com/ --> |access-date=July 4, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990128161605/http://www.gygax.com/gygaxfaq.html#What%20Happened%20to%20Gygax%20-%20TSR? |archive-date=January 28, 1999 }}
* {{cite book|last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=Monster Manual |publisher=TSR |year=1977 |isbn=0-935696-00-8
|title-link=Monster Manual }}
* {{cite journal |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=On the influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on the D&D and AD&D games |journal=Dragon #95 |volume=IX |issue=10 |pages=12–13 |publisher=TSR Hobbies, Inc. |date=March 1985 |issn=0279-6848}}
* {{cite book |last=Gygax |first=Gary |title=Player's Handbook |url=https://archive.org/details/pdfy-my6p8niGqahpilXi |publisher=TSR |year=1978 |isbn=0-935696-01-6 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Hallford |first1=N. |last2=Hallford |first2=J. |year=2001 |title=Swords & Circuitry: A Designer's Guide to Computer Role Playing Games |publisher=Thomson Course Technology PTR |edition=1st |page=39 |isbn=0-7615-3299-4
}}
* {{cite journal |last=Hately |first=Shaun |title=The Disappearance of James Dallas Egbert III (Part I) |journal=Places to Go, People to be |issue=6 |date=February 1999 |url=http://ptgptb.org/0006/egbert.html |access-date=February 21, 2007 |archive-date=April 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413051432/http://ptgptb.org/0006/egbert.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Heinsoo |first1=Rob |author1-link=Rob Heinsoo |author2-link=Andy Collins (game designer) |last2=Collins |first2=Andy |author3-link=James Wyatt (game designer) |last3=Wyatt |first3=James |title=Player's Handbook |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7869-4867-3
}}
* {{cite web |last=Hite |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Hite |title=State of the Industry 2005: Another Such Victory Will Destroy Us |publisher=GamingReport.com |date=March 30, 2006 |url=http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |access-date=February 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204034158/http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=186 |archive-date=February 4, 2009 }}
* {{cite book |last=Johnson |first=Harold |author-link=Harold Johnson (game designer) |title=30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2004 |isbn=0-7869-3498-0
|display-authors=etal|title-link=30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons }}
* {{cite journal |last=Kuntz |first=Rob |author-link=Robert J. Kuntz |title=Tolkien in Dungeons & Dragons |journal=The Dragon #13 |volume=II |issue=7 |publisher=TSR Hobbies, Inc. |date=April 1978}}
* {{cite news 
 |last=Kushner 
 |first=David 
 |title=Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax 
 |work=Wired.com 
 |url=https://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax 
 |access-date=October 16, 2008 
 |date=March 10, 2008 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113190652/http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax?currentPage=all 
 |archive-date=November 13, 2012 
 }}
* {{cite magazine |last=Leckart |first=Steven |date=June 26, 2007 |title=Ratatouille Star Patton Oswalt on Geeks vs. Nerds |magazine=Wired |volume=15 |issue=7 |url=https://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/15-07/pl_screen |access-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-date=June 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130623132632/http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/15-07/pl_screen |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=McCuen |first=Mike |title=15mm Battlesystem Paladin 1994 |publisher=Small Obsessions |year=2002 |url=http://games.necrosys.com/gal_paladin.shtml |access-date=March 17, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608063823/http://games.necrosys.com/gal_paladin.shtml |archive-date=June 8, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |last1=Mead |first1=Lawrence |last2=Malcomson |first2=Ian |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000818164317/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_FAQ.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 18, 2000 |title=''Dungeons & Dragons'' FAQ |year=2003 |access-date=October 3, 2008 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |ref=refMead }}
* {{cite book |last=Mentzer |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Mentzer |title=Dungeons & Dragons (Set 3: Companion Rules) |publisher=TSR |year=1984 |isbn=0-88038-340-2
}}
* {{cite book |last=Mentzer |first=Frank |title=Dungeons & Dragons (Set 5: Immortal Rules) |publisher=TSR |year=1986 |isbn=0-88038-341-0
}}
* {{cite book |last=Mohan |first=Kim |author-link=Kim Mohan |title=Wilderness Survival Guide |publisher=TSR |year=1986 |isbn=0-88038-291-0
}}
* {{cite web |last=Moore |first=Jeff |title=15mm Scale Fantasy Figures |publisher=Humberside Wargames Society |url=http://www.barr.karoo.net/hws/dbx/fantfigs.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070406174328/http://www.barr.karoo.net/hws/dbx/fantfigs.htm |archive-date=April 6, 2007 |access-date=March 17, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |author=Mythmere |title=Castles & Crusades Players Handbook (4.6 stars) |publisher=Mythmere's Wondrous Resource |url=http://mythmere.tripod.com/reviewph.html |access-date=March 19, 2007 |archive-date=June 12, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060612212635/http://mythmere.tripod.com/reviewph.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=John |date=December 28, 1982 |title=TV: 'Mazes and Monsters,' Fantasy |work=The New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EEDA1438F93BA15751C1A964948260 |access-date=August 4, 2007 |archive-date=November 24, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124094824/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01EEDA1438F93BA15751C1A964948260 |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=Pope |first=Thomas |title=Grenadier Models, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons |publisher=The Stuff of Legends |date=March 25, 2004 |url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/grenadier/advanced_dnd.html |access-date=February 21, 2007 |archive-date=February 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204001540/http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/grenadier/advanced_dnd.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=Pope |first=Thomas |title=Ral Partha |publisher=The Stuff of Legends |date=February 27, 2000 |url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/ral-partha/index.html |access-date=February 28, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |last=Pope |first=Thomas |title=TSR |publisher=The Stuff of Legends |date=November 5, 1999 |url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/tsr/adnd.html |access-date=February 28, 2007 |archive-date=July 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728002619/https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tpope/sol/tsr/adnd.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite news |last=Pramas |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Pramas |date=July 14, 2008 |title=Green Ronin and Fourth Edition D&D |publisher=Green Ronin |url=http://greenronin.com/2008/07/green_ronin_and_4e.php |access-date=November 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210035338/http://greenronin.com/2008/07/green_ronin_and_4e.php |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book |last1=Pryor |first1=Tony |last2=Herring |first2=Tony |last3=Tweet |first3=Jonathan |last4=Richie |first4=Norm |year=1993 |title=Creative Campaigning |publisher=TSR |isbn=1-56076-561-5
}}
* {{cite web |last=Rausch |first=Allen |title=Dave Arneson Interview |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |date=August 19, 2004 |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/540/540395p1.html |access-date=February 23, 2007 |archive-date=April 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420195006/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/540/540395p1.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=Rilstone |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Rilstone |title=Role-Playing Games: An Overview |publisher=The Oracle |year=1994 |url=http://www.rpg.net/oracle/essays/rpgoverview.html |access-date=April 4, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823050742/http://www.rpg.net/oracle/essays/rpgoverview.html |archive-date=August 23, 2000 }}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Schend |editor1-first=Steven E. |editor1-link=Steven Schend |editor2-last=Pickens |editor2-first=Jon |editor2-link=Jon Pickens |editor3-last=Watry |editor3-first=Dori |editor3-link=Dori Watry |title=Rules Cyclopedia |publisher=TSR |year=1991 |isbn=1-56076-085-0
|title-link=Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia }}
* {{cite book |last=Schick |first=Lawrence |author-link=Lawrence Schick |year=1991 |title=Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games |publisher=[[Prometheus Books]] |location=Amherst, New York |isbn=0-87975-653-5
}}
* {{cite web |last=Scott |first=Richard |title=Otherworld, The Citadel AD&D Miniatures Range |publisher=Otherworld Miniatures |url=http://otherworld.me.uk/ |access-date=February 21, 2007 |archive-date=October 21, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021104144/http://otherworld.me.uk/ |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite journal |last=Shanafelt |first=Steve |title=The growing chic of geek: How turning 30 made Dungeons & Dragons feel young again |journal=Mountain Xpress |date=November 2, 2005 |volume=12 |issue=14 |url=http://www.mountainx.com/features/2005/1102dandd.php |access-date=August 4, 2007 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927234723/http://www.mountainx.com/features/2005/1102dandd.php |url-status=live }}
* {{cite journal |last=Simon |first=Armando |title=Emotional Stability Pertaining to Dungeons and Dragons |journal=Psychology in the Schools |date=October 1987 |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=329–332 |doi=10.1002/1520-6807(198710)24:4<329::AID-PITS2310240406>3.0.CO;2-9}}
* {{cite book |last1=Slavicsek |first1=Bill |author-link=Bill Slavicsek |first2=Matthew |last2=Sernett |author2-link=Mathew Sernett |title=Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game |year=2006 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |isbn=0-7869-3944-3
|title-link=Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game }}
* {{cite book |last1=Slavicsek |first1=Bill |author1-link=Bill Slavicsek |last2=Baker |first2=Richard |author2-link=Richard Baker (game designer) |title=Dungeons & Dragons for Dummies |publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Wiley Publishing]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-7645-8459-6
|title-link=...for Dummies }}
* {{cite news |last=Svensson |first=Peter |date=July 21, 2008 |title=Dungeons & Dragons reborn |agency=Associated Press |url=http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/396318.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822150013/http://www.buffalonews.com/185/story/396318.html |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |access-date=November 17, 2008 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Svitavsky |first=William |title=Geek Culture: An Annotated Interdisciplinary Bibliography |journal=The Bulletin of Bibliography |date=June 2001 |volume=58 |issue=2 |pages=101–108 |url=http://reconstruction.eserver.org/011/GeekCulture.htm |access-date=November 25, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414204458/http://reconstruction.eserver.org/011/GeekCulture.htm |archive-date=April 14, 2013 }}
* {{cite web |last=Thorn |first=Mike |title=Review of Hackmaster 4th Edition |publisher=[[RPGnet]] |date=June 9, 2006 |url=http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12222.phtml |access-date=March 19, 2007 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930022403/http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12222.phtml |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |last=Tonjes |first=Wayne |date=October 19, 2005 |url=http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=166 |title=Interview with Charles Ryan on the 2005 Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day |publisher=Gaming Report |access-date=August 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221141823/http://www.gamingreport.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=printpage&artid=166 |archive-date=February 21, 2009 }}
* {{cite book |last=Tweet |first=Jonathan |author-link=Jonathan Tweet |title=Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2004 |isbn=0-7869-3409-3
|title-link=Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game }}
* {{cite book |last1=Tweet |first1=Jonathan |author-link1=Jonathan Tweet |last2=Cook |first2=Monte |author-link2=Monte Cook |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |author-link3=Skip Williams |title=Player's Handbook |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2000 |isbn=0-7869-1550-1
}}
* {{cite book |last1=Tweet |first1=Jonathan |author-link1=Jonathan Tweet |last2=Cook |first2=Monte |author2-link=Monte Cook |last3=Williams |first3=Skip |author3-link=Skip Williams |others=revised by Collins, Andy |title=Player's Handbook v.3.5 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2003 |isbn=0-7869-2886-7 |orig-year=2000
}}
* {{cite web |last=Tweet |first=Jonathan |title=What Are D&D Miniatures? |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=May 20, 2004 |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mi/20040520b |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040606014516/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mi/20040520b |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 6, 2004 |access-date=February 28, 2007 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Waldron |first=David |title=Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic |journal=[[Journal of Religion and Popular Culture]] |volume=IX |publisher=Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology, [[University of Saskatchewan|The University of Saskatchewan]] |date=Spring 2005 |url=https://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art9-roleplaying.html |access-date=February 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204055634/http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art9-roleplaying.html |archive-date=February 4, 2012 }}
* {{cite journal |last=Ward |first=James M. |author-link=Jim Ward (game designer) |title=The Games Wizards: Angry Mothers From Heck (And what we do about them) |journal=Dragon Magazine #154 |volume=XIV |issue=9 |page=9 |date=February 1990 |issn=0279-6848}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Waskul |first1=Dennis |title=Role-Playing and Playing Roles: The Person, Player, and Persona in Fantasy Role-Playing |journal=Caliber |year=2004 |pages=222–256 |volume=27 |issue=3 |doi=10.1525/si.2004.27.3.333 |url=http://www.colorado.edu/ibs/pb/thornberry/socy5031/pdfs/waskul_lust_role_playing.pdf |access-date=December 23, 2008 |last2=Lust |first2=Matt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204065525/http://www.colorado.edu/ibs/pb/thornberry/socy5031/pdfs/waskul_lust_role_playing.pdf |archive-date=December 4, 2012 }}
* {{cite news |last=Waters |first=Darren |title=What happened to Dungeons and Dragons? |work=BBC News Online |date=April 26, 2004 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm |access-date=February 21, 2007 |archive-date=December 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227184108/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3655627.stm |url-status=live }}
* {{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=J. P. |last2=Hendricks |first2=S. Q. |last3=Winkler |first3=W. K. |year=2006 |title=Gaming as Culture, Essays on Reality, Identity and Experience in Fantasy Games |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=McFarland & Company |isbn=0-7864-2436-2 |editor1-last=Williams |editor1-first=J. Patrick |editor2-last=Hendricks |editor2-first=Sean Q. |editor3-last=Winkler |editor3-first=W. Keith}}
* {{cite book|last=Williams |first=Skip |author-link=Skip Williams |title=Dungeon Master Option: High Level Campaigns |publisher=TSR |year=1995 |isbn=0-7869-0168-3
}}
* {{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Skip |author-link1=Skip Williams |last2=Tweet |first2=Jonathan |author2-link=Jonathan Tweet |last3=Cook |first3=Monte |author3-link=Monte Cook |title=Monster Manual |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |year=2000 |isbn=0-7869-1552-8
|title-link=Monster Manual }}

'''Unknown author'''
* {{cite web |year=2006 |url=http://www.originsgames.com/aagad/awards/archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070125102348/http://www.originsgames.com/aagad/awards/archive |archive-date=January 25, 2007 |title=Archive of List of Origins Award Winners |access-date=February 22, 2007 |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design }} – select year on right of page.
* {{cite web |year=2006 |url=http://www.originsgames.com/aagad/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626195127/http://www.originsgames.com/aagad/awards/hall-of-fame |archive-date=June 26, 2007 |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design |access-date=July 6, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |year=2001 |url=http://www.originsgames.com/awards/2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830114254/http://www.originsgames.com/awards/2001 |archive-date=August 30, 2007 |title=List of Winners |publisher=Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design |access-date=September 1, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |year=2007 |url=http://gamesmagazine-online.com/gameslinks/hallofame.html |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Games Magazine Online |access-date=August 13, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812234110/http://www.gamesmagazine-online.com/gameslinks/hallofame.html |archive-date=August 12, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |title=Dungeon Crawl Classics |publisher=[[Goodman Games]] |url=http://www.goodmangames.com/DCCpreview.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324034137/http://www.goodmangames.com/DCCpreview.php |archive-date=March 24, 2007 |access-date=March 20, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |year=2007 |url=http://www.necromancergames.com/ |title=D20 Products with 3rd Edition Rules, 1st Edition Feel |publisher=Necromancer Games |access-date=August 21, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807234115/http://www.necromancergames.com/ |archive-date=August 7, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |date=March 18, 2008 |url=http://paizo.com/paizo/news/v5748eaic9l3h |title=Paizo Publishing Announces the Pathfinder RPG |publisher=[[Paizo Publishing]] |access-date=November 21, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206090251/http://paizo.com/paizo/news/v5748eaic9l3h |archive-date=December 6, 2008 }}
* {{cite magazine |title=How Dungeon & Dragons shaped the modern videogame |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |publisher=[[Future Publishing]] Limited |date=February 8, 2007 |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157343&site=pcg |access-date=April 3, 2007 |archive-date=May 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527042211/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=157343&site=pcg |url-status=live }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/welcome |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040203220045/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/welcome |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2004 |title=The d20 System |access-date=August 14, 2007 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast }}
* {{cite news |title=Dungeons & Dragons Flashes 4-ward at Gen Con |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=August 16, 2007 |url=http://www.wizards.com/company/downloads/WotC_4E_Announcement.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128082048/http://www.wizards.com/company/downloads/WotC_4E_Announcement.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 28, 2007 |access-date=August 19, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp |title=The History of TSR |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=August 20, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080924195557/http://www.wizards.com/dnd/DnDArchives_History.asp |archive-date=September 24, 2008 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |title=What Is D&D? |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/whatisdnd |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051112155728/http://wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/whatisdnd |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 12, 2005 |access-date=February 21, 2007 }}
* {{cite web |year=2007 |url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=welcome/conventions/gencon07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820231329/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=welcome/conventions/gencon07 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 20, 2007 |title=Wizards of the Coast at Gen Con! |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=August 18, 2007 }}
* {{cite episode |title=Mike Myers |series=Inside the Actors' Studio |airdate=February 4, 2001 |season=7 |number=9
}}
* {{cite journal |title=Countdown to 3rd Edition: Feats and Fighters |journal=Dragon #270 |volume=XXIV |issue=11 |pages=30–31 |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=April 2000 |issn=1062-2101}}
* {{cite journal |title=Interview with Dave Arneson |journal=Pegasus |issue=1 |publisher=[[Judges Guild]] |date=April–May 1981 |url=http://www.judgesguild.net/guildhall/pegasus/pegasus_01/interview.shtml |access-date=February 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321222949/http://www.judgesguild.net/guildhall/pegasus/pegasus_01/interview.shtml |archive-date=March 21, 2009 }}
*{{cite book |first1=Sandy |last1=Rouchart |first2=Ruth |last2=Aylett|chapter=Solving the Narrative Paradox in VEs — Lessons from RPGs|title=Intelligent Virtual Agents: 4th International Workshop|editor-last=Rist |editor-first=Thomas |publisher=Springer |year=2003 |isbn=978-3-540-20003-1}}
{{refend}}


==Further reading==
{{refbegin|colwidth=30em}}
* {{Cite book
| last=Barrowcliffe
| first=Mark
| author-link=Mark Barrowcliffe
| title=The Elfish Gene: Dungeons, Dragons and Growing Up Strange
| publisher=Soho Press
| year=2008
| isbn=978-1-56947-601-7}}
* {{cite news
| last =Bebergal
| first =Peter
| title =How 'Dungeons' Changed the World
| work =[[The Boston Globe]]
| publisher =The New York Times Company
| date =November 15, 2004
| url =http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/11/15/dungeons_and_dragons_we_love_you/
| access-date =January 4, 2008
| archive-date =July 9, 2007
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070709112150/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/11/15/dungeons_and_dragons_we_love_you/
| url-status =live
}}
* {{cite web
| last =Edwards
| first =Ron
| title =A Hard Look at Dungeons and Dragons
| publisher =[[The Forge (RPG website)|The Forge]]
| url =http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/20/
| access-date =February 23, 2007
| archive-date =January 27, 2007
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070127122143/http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/20/
| url-status =live
}} An essay on the early history of the D&D hobby.
* {{Cite book
| last=Ewalt
| first=David M.
| author-link=David M. Ewalt
| title=Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It
| location=New York
| publisher=Scribner
| year=2013
| isbn=978-1-4516-4050-2
| oclc=800031925
| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NTtoAAAAQBAJ
}} Includes a suggested reading list on pages 255–256.
* [[Sean Patrick Fannon|Fannon, Sean Patrick]]. ''[[The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible]], 2nd Edition''. Obsidian Studios, 1999. {{ISBN|0-9674429-0-7}}
* {{Cite book | contribution=Dungeons & Dragons | title=Hobby Games: The 100 Best | last=Garfield | first=Richard | title-link=Hobby Games: The 100 Best | author-link=Richard Garfield | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=[[Green Ronin Publishing]] | year=2007 | pages=86–89 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}
* {{Cite book
| last=Gilsdorf
| first=Ethan
| author-link=Ethan Gilsdorf
| title=Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks
| publisher=Lyons Press
| year=2009
| isbn=978-1-59921-480-1
| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781599214801
}}
* Gygax, Gary. ''Roleplaying Mastery''. New York: Perigee, 1987. {{ISBN|0-399-51293-4}}.
* Gygax, Gary. ''Master of the Game''. New York: Perigee, 1989. {{ISBN|0-399-51533-X}}.
* Miller, John J. [https://web.archive.org/web/20070430221402/http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmYzZDFmNWI5MTg1N2FmY2E4MTdlMWU5YzBjZjI1ODM= "I Was a Teenage Half-Orc"], ''National Review'' Online, October 15, 2004.
* Miller, John J. [https://www.wsj.com/public/article/SB121487030020517745.html?mod=2_1578_middlebox "Dungeons & Dragons In a Digital World"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160212055206/http://www.wsj.com/public/article/SB121487030020517745.html?mod=2_1578_middlebox |date=February 12, 2016 }}, ''The Wall Street Journal'', July 1, 2008.
* {{cite book |last=Mitchell-Smith |first=Ilan |author-link=Ilan Mitchell-Smith |editor-last=Carley |editor-first=Robert |title=Coopting Culture |publisher=Lexington/Rowman & Littlefield Books |date=June 16, 2009 |pages=207–224 |chapter=Chapter 11: Racial Determinism in the Interlocking Economies of Power and Violence in Dungeons & Dragons |isbn=978-0739125977}}
* {{cite web
| last =Mona
| first =Erik
| title =From the Basement to the Basic Set: The Early Years of Dungeons & Dragons
| publisher =[[The MIT Press]]
| url =http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/original
| access-date =May 6, 2009
| archive-date =November 4, 2014
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20141104092232/http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/firstperson/original
| url-status =dead
}}
* Peterson, Jon. ''Playing at the World: A History of Simulating Wars, People and Fantastic Adventures, from Chess to Role-Playing Games''. San Diego: Unreason, 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-615-64204-8}}.
* {{cite journal
| last =Pulsipher
| first =Lew
| title =Introduction to Dungeons & Dragons, Parts I–V
| journal =The Best of White Dwarf
| issue =Articles Volume II
| pages =10–18
| publisher =[[Games Workshop]]
| year=1983}}
* {{cite book
| last1 =Slavicsek
| first1 =Bill|authorlink1=Bill Slavicsek
| first2=Richard|last2=Baker|author-link2=Richard Baker (game designer)
| title =Dungeon Master for Dummies
| publisher =Wiley Publishing
| year=2006
| isbn =0-471-78330-7 }}
* {{cite news
 |last         = Wagner
 |first        = James
 |title        = Opening the dungeon
 |work         = [[Salon.com|Salon]]
 |date         = March 29, 2000
 |url          = http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/03/29/open_dungeon/index.html
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20050312100758/http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/03/29/open_dungeon/index.html
 |archive-date = March 12, 2005
}} An article about the conflict over the proprietary or open-source nature of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
* [http://www.rpgstudies.net/ Studies about fantasy roleplaying games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204195529/http://www.rpgstudies.net/ |date=February 4, 2012 }} – a list of academic articles about RPGs
* [http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/538/538848p1.html?fromint=1 Gamespy's 30th Anniversary of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' special] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728003101/http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/538/538848p1.html?fromint=1 |date=July 28, 2024 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links | wikt=Dungeons & Dragons | commons=Dungeons & Dragons | b=Dungeons & Dragons | n=no | q=no | s=no | v=no | voy=no | species=no | d=no}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|dungeons_and_dragons_recording1.ogg|date=November 22, 2008}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{cite web |url= http://video.pbs.org/video/2365039841/ |title= ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and the Influence of Tabletop RPGs |author= Off Book |author-link= Off Book (web series) |publisher= PBS |date= June 20, 2013 }}

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