DungeonsDragons SubjectGuide Wiki



Welcome to the Dungeons and Dragons Subject Guide Wiki
Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy, tabletop roleplaying game. Currently in its fifth edition, D&D is one of the most famous games within the realm of tabletop gaming. This subject guide has been created in order to assist patrons that are wishing to learn more about the game and know of which materials that the library can connect them to as they begin to play the game. These materials range from content from the game itself as well as non-fiction works that talk about the game's history, its impact on the tabletop genre, and even its impact on the individual players in their own words.

As such the intended audience for this guide are new and novice players of D&D; however, even experienced players could benefit from using this guide as it will have information on the rulebooks and supplements that the library possesses. While the jargon of Dungeons and Dragons will be familiar to the experienced player, it is the new player who will be lost once words like "core rulebook" and "module" start being used. For this reason, the major terms used for the game's books will be defined.

Core Rulebook: In every edition since the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, there have been three books in each edition of the game considered the "core rulebooks." These books are the Dungeon Master's Guide, Player's Handbook, and ''Monster's Manual. ''These books contain the basic information of playing the game. All the information needed to start playing the game is contained in these core rulebooks.

Supplement: The term "supplement" is a catch all term for books that are not core rulebooks but still add to the game's content through new rules for the game's classes and abilities, and clarifications of current rules. Some supplements even add entirely new pieces of content and details the rules for those additions.

Module: The module is a type of supplement in that it adds to the game's content, but it does not add any new rules for classes or abilities. A module is a self-contained adventure with its own story and structure that is independent from the story that players may create on their own. The module's content will often be designed around a certain number of players who have characters in a small range of levels.

Introducing Dungeons and Dragons
Taken from Encyclopedia Britannica ,

"Alternate title: “D&D”  Dungeons & Dragons  (D&D), fantasy role-playing game (RPG), created by American game designers Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson in 1974 and published that year by Gygax’s company, Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). The game was acquired in 1997 by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. The game’s soaring popularity led to D&D-themed miniature figurines, books, television shows, and movies.

D&D has gone through multiple editions, with various changes to the rules and nomenclature. The game is set in a medieval fantasy world in which multiple players form a group that is led through an adventure by one player who assumes the role of the storyteller, or Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master makes up story events or chooses them from one of the published adventures, to which the players may respond in different manners to create a unique gaming experience. The other players each choose a race (human, elf, dwarf, halfling), a class (e.g., Fighter, Rogue, Wizard), and skills for their character, and they apportion a small number of points to different attributes (Constitution, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) that determine how effective a character is in performing various actions. As actions are performed successfully, points are gained to the corresponding attributes. Most complex actions have some probability of failing, which is determined by rolling one or more of the game’s polygonal dice (4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, and 20-sided). Often players use a sheet marked with a grid and miniature figurines to represent their characters’ movements.

The basic rules and milieu of Dungeons & Dragons has been adapted for many electronic RPGs, such as Baldur’s Gate (1998).

William L. Hosch"

Explore the Guide!
Finding Dragons in the Catalog "Subject Headings and Call Numbers to find the books you need."

Dungeons and Reference Books "The reference books needed to start the game."

Books About the Game and Those Who Play "Nonfiction books about the history of Dungeons and Dragons and the people who play it."

Indexes and Archives "Gathered materials from periodicals on Dungeons and Dragons."

Free Online Resources "Free resources for the Dungeons and Dragons player on a budget."

Videos of the Game "YouTube videos of real people playing in a long term, Dungeons and Dragons campaign."

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