Dungeons and Dragons is one of many Tabletop Roleplaying games on the market. In this game, players take the role of fantasy heroes of their own creation whilst one player takes the role of creating challenges for the players and narrating what happens.

1) Does the game have to be about fighting Dragons in dungeons? I don’t really care about that sort of thing

D&D is designed for fantasy stories, tales of magic and wonder where heroes clash with swords or spells against evil beings of power, but it doesn’t have to be a dungeon in a dragon. There are games with heroes exorcising a haunted mansion, exploring an ancient tomb with dangerous traps and tricks Indiana Jones style, even one game where players stole a flying ship and fended of a band of sky pirates. Your only limit to the game is what you can come up with, letting your group create the story they want.

2) It sounds really complicated. Is there a lot of maths or acting involved?

The game has one very straightforward rule: each of the players controlling a character will say what they want their character to do. The player running the game (often referred to as a DM or GM for “Dungeon/Games Master”) will then ask players to roll a dice to see if their character succeeds or fails in what they want to do. This way its never certain that a character will make that dramatic jump across the chasm or fire the arrow that slays a terrifying monster until the dice finishes rolling, creating moments of great tension and excitement. There is definitely a little maths and acting to do as well, but only ever as much as your players want. Dungeons and Dragons is first and foremost about having fun telling stories with friends, in whatever way you want to tell them.

3) I don’t like acting as I get nervous or feel silly. Does this mean I can’t play?

Not at all! The only thing you need as a player is a desire to tell stories. Some players find it easier to narrate what happens to their character whilst others prefer to act out how their character talks to others. I always recommend trying to have a go at acting as remember, you’re amongst friends who are all in the same position as you, if everyone’s doing silly voices and acting it can make the game so much more fun.

4) How long does a game take to play?

As long as you want. As a group decide on how much time you want to play the game for. Often players will meet up regularly to play with the same characters on different adventures like a television show, but you can easily play for an hour or so in a single evening and enjoy a short, thrilling adventure.