A Dungeon Master (DM) serves as the game’s referee and storyteller, while maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur, and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world. These characters embark upon imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. D&D departs from traditional wargaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play instead of a military formation. D&D’s publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry. It was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) since 1997. Upon his death, the fan base proclaimed that Gary’s Birthday of July 27 was Gary Gygax Day or Dungeons and Dragons Day in honor of the creator of the tabletop role-playing game that has influenced modern gaming today.ĭungeons & Dragons (commonly abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG). Gygax is sometimes described as the father of the role-playing game. Ernest Gary Gygax is best known as the author of the well known fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), co-created with Dave Arneson and co-published with Don Kaye in 1974 under the company Tactical Studies Rules.
