D&D

Dungeons & Dragons is a popular tabletop role-playing game (RPG) that allows players to imagine themselves as fantasy characters adventuring within a fantastic world. First published in 1974, D&D (or DnD) remains the best-known and best-selling tabletop RPG.

To play, a number of players (usually three to five) sit down together and create player characters (PCs). These characters act as the players' in-game avatars, who begin journeying (via spoken word) through a world created by the game's Dungeon Master (DM). Together, the players and their Dungeon Master craft a story in which the players' characters either overcome or are defeated by the challenges the Dungeon Master has created.

Dungeons & Dragons has endured a number of highs and lows throughout its history. In the 1980s, the so-called "Satanic Panic" saw parents attempting to link the game to devil worship and Satanism. However, the game's reputation recovered from these accusations, and in the late 2010s and early 2020s, D&D gained in popularity thanks to its appearance in the Netflix show Stranger Things and the rise of actual play podcasts and videos. Due to its increased pop culture profile and the proliferation of online D&D-playing tools, such as Roll20.net and DnDBeyond.com, Dungeons & Dragons may be more popular now than it has ever been.