awakeToday, Dungeons & Dragons celebrates its 40th anniversary.
Dungeons and Dragons Turns 40
D&D is a tabbletop roleplaying game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997. It was derived from miniature wargames with a variation of the Chainmail game serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is widely regarded as the beginning of modern roleplaying games and the roleplaying game industry. I first got into gaming back in 1975 (as a young 20-year-old!) or so with the Chainmail version of the rules, then moved on to the 1st Edition rules and actually played some of the 2nd Edition rules as well, but I went on to Tekumel, RuneQuest, and then the fantasy rpg that was to prove to be my long love, DragonQuest, a game that I ran for a good 20 years or more (though I did run a couple of other fantasy rpgs during that time as well).
That said, D&D is the game that started me off on a roleplaying game journey of 39 years and counting, and to think it all started with a little game by Gygax and Arneson...!
Happy Anniversary, Dungeons & Dragons! Long may people of all ages continue to discover this roleplaying game and get involved in the hobby. Well done! :)