This story began 50 years ago, and you're part of it. In the 1970s, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created a game of make-believe that fused rules with storytelling. There'd never been anything like it: a game in which each player made their own fantasy character and teamed up with their friends to go on quests. One person served as the narrator and referee—the Dungeon Master—and did everything they could to challenge and delight the other players. That game was, of course, the first version of Dungeons & Dragons, and you're now reading its latest version.
Over the decades, millions of people have played D&D, and scores of writers, game designers, and artists have made their mark on it through its various editions. When our team released the current edition in 2014, we were humbled by how many of you loved it. This revised version of it is a salute to all of you—those of you who've been playing D&D for years, those of you who've contributed to the game through your feedback, and those of you who are about to experience the joy of playing it for the first time.
As a teenager, I met both Gary and Dave. I even spent an entire day with Gary, and we did what all D&D fans do: share stories about our adventures in the D&D multiverse. I invite you to embark on such adventures anew. Share as much laughter as you can with your friends. Use only the rules that serve your fun, and always follow your group's bliss. So many people have been enjoying the magic of D&D for half a century. Let's keep it blazing for another 50 years!
Are you ready to embark on fantasy adventures with your friends? Dungeons & Dragons invites you to play imaginary adventurers who delve into dungeons and other perilous locations together, face fearsome foes such as dragons, and build friendships forged amid fantastical dangers.
Fueled by imagination and rules, D&D invites you to adopt a fantasy persona—a mighty Fighter, a cunning Rogue, a faithful Cleric, a magical Wizard, or something else—and then solve problems, fight monsters, and visit wondrous places.
There's no winning and losing in D&D, at least not the way those terms are usually understood. Together you and friends create an exciting story of adventurers who confront perils. Sometimes an adventurer might come to a tragic end. Even so, the other adventurers can search for powerful magic to revive their fallen comrade, or the character's player might create a new character to carry on. No matter what happens, if everyone has a good time and creates a memorable story, they all win.
What You Need
Here's what you need to play D&D with one or more friends (a typical group has five people):
You also need these resources, either in physical form or on :^):
Player's Handbook
This book is your essential reference for the game's rules, and it guides you through making an adventurer of your own.
Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual
The first of these books guides the DM through creating and running adventures, and the second holds hundreds of monsters to fill those adventures.
The DM might also find these accessories useful:
Using This Book
Here's what you'll find in this book:
Worlds of Adventure
The worlds of D&D glimmer with magic, monsters, and spectacular adventure. Launching from a foundation of medieval fantasy, these worlds soar with possibilities beyond those of our reality.
D&D worlds exist in a multiverse and are connected to one another and to other planes of existence. Some of the worlds have been published as official D&D settings, including the Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance, Spelljammer, Planescape, Dark Sun, Eberron, and Ravenloft settings. Alongside these worlds are thousands more, created by generations of D&D players for their own games. Amid the richness of the multiverse, you might create a world of your own.
The worlds of the multiverse share characteristics, but each world is set apart by its own history and geography. Your DM might set a campaign on one of these worlds or on a world of their own invention. Because there is so much variety among D&D worlds, check with your DM about the world of your upcoming adventures.