What is Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)?

Think about little children and their favorite activities. Little girls often like to dress up or play house.

http://www.laurencasper.com/2010/04/19/just-little-girls-playing-house/

Little boys often like to be super heroes and fight bad guys.

Sadly, when we grow up we tend to lose connection with our imagination, though many adults still participate in theater, including improvisation. In theater, however, you cannot always choose your role. You usually play the character your director assigns to you.

http://www.highdesertcenterforthearts.com/Improv%20Theater%20group.htm

But what if you could pick what character you play and, not only that, but not be told what you have to do or say? You could let your imagination run wild and play the part of a wizard or ranger, such as with Gandalf or Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. You could BE the hero instead of reading about or watching one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings:_The_Return_of_the_King

That is where Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) comes in. D&D is a game, so it has its own rules. However, you get to choose what kind of person you'd like to play and you also get to decide how your character will behave. Participants will need access to the books particular to their game. The books detail rules for the chosen environment.

http://www.stargazersworld.com/category/legacy-dd/page/8/

First you pick your race. Do you want to play a tough orc, noble elf or an agile halfling?

http://cliffordbbowyer.com/index.html

Then you pick your class. Do you want to be a magic user or would you rather trust in your sword? More experienced players might be able to multi-class, receiving lesser/fewer abilities of multiple classes.

https://devcentral.f5.com/weblogs/macvittie/archive/2009/05/05/your-load-balancer-wants-to-take-a-level-of-fighter.aspx

You also pick your alignment. Are you going to have a generous character who thinks of nothing but looking out for others, or would you rather play a character who cares for no one but his or herself?

http://forum.level.ro/showthread.php?152223-Alignment-Test

You also roll dice and decide which of your stats (natural abilities) are going to benefit the most. Do you want to be really strong and hit things hard or do you want to be charismatic so everyone will like talking to you? Depending on your class and race, you also get to pick a variety of skills you think your party (you and the other players) will need. There are skills such a lock picking, riding, handling animals or performing.

http://www.wired.com/underwire/2008/02/first-look-at-n/

6-sided dice are necessary to get started in creating the character, since those dice determine your starting stats (strength, charisma, dexterity, etc.). Once you're ready to play, though, you will need a set of 7 dice to be used during combat, determining whether an attempted skill (such as lock picking) is successful, etc.

http://python2012.globalblogs.org/assignments/assignment-04-roll-the-dice/

This is all referring to table top gaming (unlike video gaming), and once characters are created and the dungeon master (DM) has an adventure ready, then everyone is set to go. Some games may include maps or figures to help illustrate the current scene. Then it's time to let your imagination go! While it is important to play your role as you originally determine (kind, mean, money-obsessed, vain), you are free to decide what you will say and what you will do.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabletop_role-playing_game

Every game has a DM who goes to the effort of creating/setting up the adventure for the players.  Each game also needs about three players at minimum. The DM decides when things happen (such as an ambush of five goblins or the boat runs up on some rocks and starts to sink) and also tells the players the results of player actions ("you hit the dragon"). He also creates npc's (non-player characters) to interact with the players. It's good to stay on the DM's good side, because he/she has the final say in every situation.

http://thedungeoneeringdad.blogspot.com/2012/02/dungeon-master-dog.html

While D&D started as a fantasy category, role playing has extended to many other categories, including sci-fi, western, anime, horror, modern, etc. Many favorite TV shows have been adapted to role-playing. These books will have adapted races, classes, etc., for that particular world.

http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/wnoell/SerenityRPG.html

Like many activities, some participants like to take things to extreme and it can create a bad name for the entire genre. Or publicity may distort actuality, giving the wrong impression. However, most D&D games are no more than a complex combination of a board game and improv. Just remember that your imagination is the limit and the way you play is completely up to you and the other participants.

http://www.meetup.com/bham-gamers/files/