What is Dungeons & Dragons?
D&D is a roleplaying game set in the world of swords and sorcery. Much like our childhood games of make-believe, D&D is driven by imagination. It's about picturing a foreboding castle guarded by an ancient evil and imagining how not only you as a fantasy hero might react to the challenges that scene presents, but how you would do that in the company of a group of your friends.
How do you play D&D?
D&D is collaborative storytelling with a non-linear plotline. Groups of 1 to 7 players direct what their player character does while the Dungeon Master holds the plots together and presents challenges for the group to overcome. The DM also acts as the group's interpreter and mediator for the rules.
The DM gives structure to the stories and a way of determining the consequences of an adventurers' actions. Players roll dice to determine if they are successful striking the threatening troll, diving away from fiery explosions or succeeding in persuading the jaded merchant into a better price.
​
Each player creates an adventurer and teams up with other heroes (played by friends). Together, they explore lost tombs, dark jungles, fairy infested forests and any other wonderous locale they decide to travel to. Adventurers solve puzzles, talk with an endless cast of other characters, battle fantastical monsters and loot magic and treasure the fiends are hoarding.
What ages is D&D appropriate for?
The primary considerations are a childs attention span and ensuring appropriate content matter. Generally I've found that 9 year olds can easily stay engaged for 2.5 hours. I know this varies by each child so don't have a hard minimum age. I adjust my story content and descriptions based on age.