Dungeons and Dragons turns 50

Do you know the tabletop game Dungeons and Dragons? For readers of the imago blog, that's probably a silly question. But what you might not know is that our beloved "DnD" is celebrating fifty years since its inception this year. To mark the anniversary, we decided to write a short article looking back at how the whole Dungeons and Dragons phenomenon actually began and the journey it has taken since its official launch. Whether you are an active player, a complete novice, or just thinking about diving into this fantasy role-playing world, pop a bottle of champagne for DnD's birthday and join us as we look at its journey through the decades.

The term Dungeons and Dragons may have appeared in 1974, but you might be surprised to learn that the concept itself has been around for over a hundred years. Not as DnD, but as a wargame. The playstyle, however, was quite different from what we know today. It was strictly about battles that players fought as generals on a pre-prepared map. Their only task was to defeat their opponents and win the war. Like everything else, games evolve. So, let's take a look back at the aforementioned seventies.

It was at the beginning of the seventies that the predecessor to Dungeons and Dragons was introduced to the public – the tabletop game Chainmail. Its creator, Gary Gygax, focused primarily on simulating medieval combat in the original version. It didn't take long, however, for him to come up with an idea that essentially sparked the entire tabletop gaming industry. Shortly after the game's release, Gary decided to enrich Chainmail with an expansion. While creating it, he drew inspiration from various fantasy books (such as those by Robert E. Howard, Poul Anderson, or Michael Moorcock), but the most significant influence was none other than J.R.R. Tolkien. Perhaps that is the main reason why classic DnD adventures are still largely inspired by Tolkien's work to this day.

The fantasy expansion for Chainmail quickly became a massive hit. In 1974, Gygax came out with a brand new tabletop game – Dungeons and Dragons.

Due to a very limited budget, the entire 1974 project was quite minimalist. Individual editions were delivered in boxes and contained three booklets – rules and world lore, character creation, and the various enemies and treasures players could find. Although it was officially a standalone game, the box also included a space for the Chainmail booklet itself. The problem with the first version of DnD was that it operated on Chainmail principles, and many things related to combat or using abilities remained unexplained in the Dungeons and Dragons booklets themselves.

As time went on, the DnD concept began to improve, adding new character classes for players to choose from, such as the monk, bard, or assassin. By 1976, about 7 "issues" of DnD booklets had been released. After two years of this classic Dungeons and Dragons, the creators decided to refine the concept a bit. They began paving the way for the DnD we know today. In the following years, three publications were released that are essential for today's players – the bestiary, the player's handbook, and the manual for the dungeon master.

Since 1979, we have had Dungeons and Dragons as we know it. The game has come a long way since then. Although there are piles of different manuals and rules, as well as plenty of pre-written campaigns, it is the variability of DnD that keeps experienced players engaged and attracts new ones. In this fantasy world, you can do anything you can think of (with the DM's permission, of course) and create characters that are absolutely unforgettable in their appearance, story, or personality.

Although the entire Dungeons and Dragons concept has come a long way, I think it gets better and better with every passing year. And that is exactly why we have so much to celebrate this year.

author Kryštof Halfar