Dungeons & Dragons: The First 50 Years of Storytelling

After World War II, a small but international community of enthusiasts replayed historical battles with toy soldiers and miniatures. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, D&D’s creators, were among those who published fanzines that recounted their conquests and game innovations.

Gary Gygax and Jeff Perrin’s Chainmail (1971), the precursor to Dungeons & Dragons, formalized rules for wargaming with medieval miniatures. The book’s Fantasy Supplement added a little magic by incorporating enchanted weapons and including dragons, goblins, and other monsters.

Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s publication of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 expanded on Chainmail and created a new way of playing that combined the detailed rules of wargaming with the imagination and storytelling of a fantasy world. Players loved it.

Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s publication of Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 expanded on Chainmail and created a new way of playing that combined the detailed rules of wargaming with the imagination and storytelling of a fantasy world. Players loved it.

D&D has always been about storytelling. Bill Hoyt played with Arneson and Gygax as they invented the game, and as a teacher he saw its educational value. He had his sixth-grade class play it to imagine living in the Middle Ages, writing up their adventures into stories.

The initial rules for D&D were often complex and convoluted. That didn’t stop dedicated fans, but beginners needed something simpler. In 1975, California doctor J. Eric Holmes offered to boil them down to their essence, creating what became the Basic Set (1977).

Statistics and probability govern D&D, determining the odds a player jumps a pit or slays an ogre. Dice decide the outcome, giving them talismanic powers in the game. Anticipation builds as you caress a 20-sided die, roll it, and then wait an agonizing moment to see the result.

D&D publisher TSR expanded its audience with numerous and diverse publications. The Dragon was a monthly magazine that clarified rules, introduced new monsters, and built community among players and creators. This is Gary Gygax’s personal copy of issue #1 from 1976.

Gary Gygax’s Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books fired the imaginations of players who read and reread them. Monster Manual, Players Handbook, and Dungeon Masters Guide offered expanded rules and detailed descriptions of combat tables, monsters, treasure, and spells.

Miniatures offer varied fun in Dungeons & Dragons. Some enthusiasts enjoy painting figures, transforming them from lead-grey to vibrant colors. Others just like using them in the game, ordering the adventuring party to show who’s in front and who’s in back when a battle begins.

Dungeons & Dragons is, fundamentally, about people gathering to play. Gary Gygax started GenCon in his hometown of Lake Geneva (get it? GENeva CONvention) in the 1960s, drawing fans from all over. The event’s success made conventions an enduring part of the gaming experience.

Early on, Dungeons & Dragons alarmed some people. False rumors that a student died gaming in tunnels under Michigan State University inspired the 1981 book (and TV movie) Mazes and Monsters. Artwork of demons raised religious concerns, so TSR gentled the game’s image.

Dungeon masters invent worlds, tell stories, and control the action. Creating, populating, and mapping fantasy lands is as fun as any young child’s pretend play. Most D&D campaigns center on labyrinthine dungeons full of fearsome monsters, fiendish traps, and fabulous treasure.

Early fans of D&D often ported it to computers that could run probabilities, generate random numbers, and render dungeons, even if the software lacked the improvisational wit and narrative power of a dungeon master. Pool of Radiance (1988) was the first official PC game.

The makers of Dungeons & Dragons—first TSR then Wizards of the Coast—have successively updated AD&D to include new content, fresh artwork, and clearer rules. Each edition—2, 3, 3.5, 4, and 5—attracted new fans and elicited grumbles from those loyal to the version they liked best

Over the years, the makers of D&D have often ventured into new territories. The 1980s Dragonlance book series transformed game play into literary fiction. Toymakers licensed characters. A television series in the 1980s and a hit movie in 2023 introduced new audiences to the game

D&D’s origins lie deep in European folklore and mythology, but in recent years the stewards of the game have intentionally sought to cast a wider, more inclusive, and imaginative net in products like Journeys through the Radiant Citadel.

Through its first 50 years, Dungeons & Dragons has enthralled players with its heady mix of fantastic storytelling and interactive play. As the game’s creators continue to roll out new products for new generations of players, it’s certain the magic will continue.