The History of Dungeons and Dragons

The art of pretend has been around for thousands of years, from ancient Chinese opera, to Greek theater, to modern Hollywood, and everything in between.

But for most people, the past time of make-believe is left behind after leaving childhood, becoming only observers

as others pretend to be someone they're not.

For many, they remain transient spectators of fantastical adventures and epic journeys through

books, films, or video games, with no inclination towards being a part of such tales. For a growing number of people, however, they have decided to enter a world of make-believe action and adventure themselves,

becoming essential parts of incredible tales and unforgettable moments.

These people are role players.

Tabletop role-playing games cover every genre of fiction and non-fiction you can imagine, and

for decades players have joined together around tables around the world to create their

own versions of stories many of us love so much.

Dungeons and Dragons is without a doubt the most popular RPG, and one most people have

heard of, but not as many know the whole history of its development over the years.

Entire books can and have been written covering the history of the game since 1974, so this

will be a bit of a truncated summary.

Dungeons and Dragons formation as a game is rooted in another type of tabletop game known

as war games.

Wargaming typically involves an armed conflict between two opposing sides, played out on

a simulated battlefield, using miniature figures to represent troops or collections of troops.

Gary Gygax, a name you might be familiar with,

was a big fan of war gaming and helped form the International Federation of Wargaming in 1967,

a group dedicated to promoting interest in war games and to help form local groups.

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