Willden 1 Robert Dee Willden Ms Caruso English 1101 04 October 2011

The Realm of Dungeons and Dragons

Welcome to the realm of Dungeons and Dragons, a realm of imagination, fantasy, myths, of legends and lore. This is a realm filled with epic legendary heroes, insidious foes, mythical creatures, treacherous and perilous dungeons laden with great treasure, and other dangers that await you. Ah, you are curious to know more of this realm!? Then, it shall be revealed to you. Lets reflect back to the dawn of our ancient past. We, as humans, have a burning desire to tale of tall tales and to enjoy games through various means and modes. Do you see that correlation and the ramifications of them? Our friends, E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, have also seen and marveled this; (the history of our two friends is another story for another time). Briefly, it can be said that they are teachers, parents and game developers. They thought to themselves, after observing that their students and children found wanting in new stories and games, Can we combine the two and make something new and unique?

Willden 2 Atlas, through creative inception, the realm of Dungeons and Dragons was born in the late 1970s with a board game template. Since its birth thirty plus years ago, Dungeons and Dragons has become an instant and iconic cult classic with a growing diverse fan base. Dungeons and Dragons have set the bar, standard, and defined its genre of fantasy role-play. Many others have tried to emulate the grand majesty of Dungeons and Dragons. Yet, they have failed on one key point. It will shown why momentarily. This realm allows us, with a group of friends, to play a multi-faceted game of creative story telling, fantasy role-playing, and acting. Just like playing pretend in our backyards in our youth. We and our group of friends have total control of what you do within this realm. Controlling the flow and ebb of the story, including when and where this story takes place. Also what kind of genre the story is. Can you do that with others like World of War craft? The answer is definitely and a resounding no. It has been shown previously you have total control of the game instead to a computer generated world and story. This realm allows us and our friends, as a group, to go on thrilling adventures and dangerous quests. In order to do so, we must create and personify a character that represents us. Anyone can be a mysterious and wise druid, a strong warrior, a brutish barbarian, a clever and sneaky rogue, or a bard who is guile. We can dictate on how our character looks and acts. We can even choose our characters race. We can be an elf like Legolas or a dwarf like Gimili from the Lord of the Rings. There are other races we can choose from. We can also create a name for our character. It is a creative option for us to explore our creativity.

Willden 3 As we explore this realm with adventures and quests in either hand to see the end of the story, we will come across insidious foes and villains or a horde of rampaging trolls. We might be caught up in political intrigue and conflicts, wars, or other conflicts. We might run into mythical creatures like a sphinx with a riddle or a fire breathing dragon with a cave filled with treasure of gold, gems, jewels, and rare objects. We might discover an undiscovered dungeon with bountiful loot, mysteries, and deadly traps. Thus, this realm was entitled Dungeons and Dragons. Strategy and tactics are important within this realm and we must use them wisely. There is an important role within this realm and of group. That role is the Dungeon Master. That role is filled by one of the players of the group. That role might fall on of us one day. The Dungeon Master, he or she, is a person that must narrate the action, the story, and sets the adventure up for the rest to play. Also, he or she must control and create the creatures, monsters, villains, and all other characters within the game that interacts with us as we play our characters. Basically, the Dungeon Master is the master story teller and guide whom creates and tells the story, including when and where the story takes place. Remember this, the Dungeon Master is also the referee of this world whom follows and enforces the constructs and rules of this world. A very pivotal and powerful role is the Dungeon Master. Everyone wants to be a Dungeon Master and few are able to fill the role without any impediments. It will take time for anyone of us to find out if we are really cut out for it.

Willden 4 As we can see is that the realm of Dungeons and Dragons is important for social interaction. It combines the enjoyment of story-telling and game. It strengthens our creativity, imagination, strategy and tactics, and friendships. It is certain that we love to share stories and games with our friends and creating new friends in the process. When we enter this realm with our friends is free to bring music to play in the background and to bring provisions of food and drink to aid us and our friends. We and our group can meet at various places like a home or a meeting hall of your choosing. The length of time to enjoy this realm is of your choosing with dependency of the storys and quests length. We already have the skills to be in this realm. We just need to bring them out into the fore front. Here is a word of caution that we must heed. The success and or failure within this realm is dependant on the delicate balance of the relationship between the Dungeon Master and fellow players. It has been observed that if this relationship is ill and sour, then the experience within this realm will be ill and sour. If this relationship is well maintained, then you and your group will have fun while you and your group explore this realm. The purpose of Dungeons and Dragons is to bring people together and use their creative forces of their imagination to be a creative writer. Then, within the format of a game, to play through the story as the protagonists of that story.

Willden 5 Works Cited 1.) Wizards of the Coast; Wizards of the Coast; Players Handbook core rulebook 1 v.3.5, July 2003 2.) Wizards of the Coast; Wizards of the Coast; Dungeon Masters Guide core rulebook 2 v.3.5, July 2003 3.) Wizards of the Coast; Wizards of the Coast; Monster Manual core rulebook 3 v.3.5, July 2003 4.) Based on the original Dungeons & Dragons game created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson