First Published 30 April 2016 | Last Updated 1 February 2022

Well met, mighty warrior. You are reading this because you have chosen to play Dungeons & Dragons, the world's oldest (and best) tabletop role-playing game - and you have found the best place to do it... The Foalestead Citadel.

I am your Dungeon Master (DM) and will be leading you through strange lands on your journey. I'm like the narrator and the referee all in one. I don't really play the game - I guide it. And you.

These pages will hopefully give you all the information you need to know before you get to the gaming table for the first time. Make sure you have a pencil and paper handy when reading these pages to make a few notes about the character you choose to play.

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role-playing game. Originally released in 1974, the game was designed to be played as a tabletop experience, using pencil, paper, and polyhedral dice. It is currently in it's 5th edition of rules. Today there are many pencil & paper role-playing games on the market, but the origins of them (and the majority of today's first-person style video games) can all be traced back to Dungeons & Dragons.

In the modern age there are multiple ways D&D can be played using digital means (like on a computer), but the core of the game still remains the same. You play as a character (a fictitious person), who is a race (such as elf or dwarf) of your choice. Depending on your race and some other factors, your character will have abilities that are possibly different to other people playing the game with you. We'll cover characters a bit more later. Your Dungeon Master (or DM) will guide you through the fantasy world you are in, vividly creating it (by narration) around your characters and their actions.

"So how does it work though? What do we actually do?" you ask... Anything you want! You may follow a plot hook to hunt for a troll that is on the loose terrorising a small town, or you may just decide to be a potato farmer. It's your choice. You create the story with whoever is at the table with you, and the DM will describe to you what you see and what events transpire. There are still rules, but they are fairly loose to allow your imagination to go wherever it wants.

It is worth noting that although the game is full of encounters with all sorts of creatures (friendly and not so friendly!) the game isn't just about the battles. You will also get to explore lost caverns and loot ancient treasures. In fact - some games are about negotiation and politics, and have very little fighting at all. It isn't a game with winners and losers, and it ends when the DM says the story is finished.

What do I need to play? >