I Cast Magic Missile: An Introduction (Part 1)

                When critics and even gamers look at games today, they base much of their judgment on how free their gameplay style is – how many options there are available for them to customize their character, where they can go, what they can do, and so on. Most games are limited by the development team’s size, time allotment, and the style of game they’re producing. But there is one game out there that has only one limit: the imagination of its players. A group of five people can sit down for a couple hours and come up with a game that has never been conceived before, all the while having loads of fun, and not even noticing the time passing.

                What is this miracle game, some may ask?

                Well, it is known by many names. Some call it stupid, nerdy, and a waste of time; others refer to it as the greatest game ever devised; most, however, know it only as Dungeons and Dragons (or DnD for short).

                Once one can make it around the negative social stigmas associated with DnD, it is truly the most enormous game playable. To begin, one simply needs an imaginative mind and a group of friends. While guidebooks are available for purchase, they are known as guidebooks for a reason: they serve only to give players ideas as to what they could do in the game. But before a prospective player can dive into even the simplest game, they must first know the basics.

                Present in every session of Dungeons and Dragons are the players – they are, after all, the center of the storyline. They generally number from two to six (though this limitation can be expanded if they are experienced), and fall within one of two categories: the adventurers and the Dungeon Master (DM). Adventurers are the most numerous of the group, making up the majority of those at the table, as they play the characters that the story generally revolves around. They can come from any walk of life, and have any amount of experience (or a lack thereof). However, the Dungeon Master fills a very important role: s/he is the one that controls the world surrounding the adventurers, from plot to geography and everything in between. Dungeon Masters are generally very experienced players that have been gaming DnD and know its subtleties well, though there are exceptions (such as myself) that jump into the role with no prior knowledge to fill a hole in a gaming group.

[Note: I've decided to divide this blog up into many separate parts, as it will be incredibly lengthy. So watch for the next part as it is released!]

(Blogging week 2)