Dungeons and Dragons is a role-playing game that’s been around for fifty years. It is where heroes battle monsters, find treasures and overcome quests. All you need is a group of people, a starter kit and your imagination.
Below are 10 Fun Facts about the game:
- Every D&D requires a Dungeon Master, or DM, who acts as a game referee and storyteller whilst managing the setting in which the adventure unfolds. The better the DM, the better the game. Did you know that Unplug Yourself hosts regular DM bootcamps around South Africa? Go to www.unplugyourself.co.za for more info.
- The last Dungeons & Dragons film adaptation was shown in theatres in 2023.
- In Stranger Things, Dungeons & Dragons was a popular activity with Mike, Lucas, Will, and Dustin, who played the 1983 Expert edition of the game in Mike’s basement.
- The game has featured on the Big Bang Theory in the episode titled “The D&D Vortex”.
- Celebrities who play or have played Dungeons & Dragons include actors Vin Diesel, Matthew Lillard, Joe Manganiello, Mike Myers, Patton Oswalt and Robin Williams.
- In 2004, D & D was the best-known role-playing game in the United States, with an estimated 20 million people having played the game, and more than US$1 billion in book and equipment sales worldwide
- In 2017, the game had the greatest number of players in its history—12 million to 15 million in North America alone. Today the game has a 50 million fans and counting.
- Imaginary magic in D&D is different to the type in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. Each spell needs to be prepared in advance, and can only be used once before needing to be recharged. Also, the power of each spell depends on the skill level of its wielder.
- The maker of the game – Ernest Gygax, was influenced by his own childhood memories when creating the game. As a child, Gygax and his best friend would sneak into Oak Hill, an abandoned psychiatric hospital. There they would spend hours in the giant shadowy halls playing make-believe.
- Despite the competition from other brands and games, D&D has remained the market leader in the role-playing game industry. It has also inspired many other tabletop games.
