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Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary – my memories of the grandaddy of gaming-Lucy Orr-Entertainment – Metro

As the fountainhead of interactive entertainment celebrates its golden jubilee GameCentral reminisces on five decades of old school role-playing.

Half a century of role-playing (Picture: Wizards of the Coast)

As the fountainhead of interactive entertainment celebrates its golden jubilee GameCentral reminisces on five decades of old school role-playing.

March 2024 will see Dungeons & Dragons turn 50, making it just a couple of years younger than I am. The first tabletop role-playing game I played was Middle-Earth Role Playing (MERP), during my school summer holidays in Scotland. At the time, this was an almost unheard of activity for a 12-year-old girl but now you’re much more likely to find me, and a diverse range of other adventurers, at Mutant Freaks D&D club in Elephant and Castle or enjoying a more casual night of campaigning at Bad Moon Café.

Since the ‘80s, the landscape of tabletop gaming has become vast and dynamic, but one phenomenon has risen to dominate kidult culture: Dungeons & Dragons. Featured heavily in Stranger Things and last year gaining a new theatrical movie adaptation, with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, what began as a niche nerd hobby has evolved into a cultural juggernaut. And one that has never been more popular than it is now.

At its core, Dungeons & Dragons offers a unique blend of storytelling, camaraderie, and inclusive creativity. In an age dominated by binge watching, passive entertainment, D&D stands out as a beacon of imagination, fostering genuine human connection in a collaborative storytelling experience. Players are no mere spectators, they are active participants; shaping narratives and breathing life into characters of their own creation that often feature representation that would not be seen elsewhere.

The last few years have seen streaming platforms and social media catapult D&D into the mainstream consciousness. High-profile celebrities and influencers, such as US based Critical Role and, more recently, the UK Kickstarter Natural Six, broadcast their campaigns to millions, helping to demystify the game and make it more accessible to a broader audience. The allure of stepping into the Forbidden Realms through your favourite celebrities’ eyes has become irresistible, drawing in newcomers and veterans alike.

Dungeons & Dragons offers a welcome respite from the real world, it’s a refuge where you can temporarily escape the chaos and embark on epic adventures with friends or even with strangers who will become friends. There’s nothing like beating back a horde of Kobolds to bond with others in the cold basement of a South London pub. The rise of tabletop gaming speaks volumes about society’s yearning for meaningful connections and immersive, physical experiences.

Last year saw what many would call the most faithful video game adaption of D&D so far, with Baldur’s Gate 3. Video games have been trying to recreate D&D, both officially and unofficially, for decades, with some of the very earliest video games being directly influenced by it. In fact, it’s almost impossible to imagine modern video games without the influence of tabletop games.

I was lucky (nerdy) enough to play ASCII MUDs (multi-user dungeons) on my dad’s university network in the 1980s. University networks were where the earliest manifestations of D&D’s influence on video games emerged, with the release of Colossal Cave Adventure in 1976. This text-based adventure game, created by Will Crowther and refined by Don Woods, transported players into a subterranean realm filled with puzzles, treasures, and perilous encounters. Its maze-like structure and emphasis on exploration mirrored the dungeon-crawling essence of D&D, laying the groundwork for future role-playing games… and my short-lived career in video games.

I worked on designing assets for Ultima Online, during the late 90s, spending my days photoshopping Balrons and Terathan Warriors in a dungeon-like studio. Now I work as an academic, teaching students how to use Twine to create interactive text-based stories, which is much more rewarding.

Fast forward to the golden age of computer role-playing games in the 1980s and 1990s, and the imprint of D&D on the genre is unmistakable. Games like Ultima, created by Richard Garriott, and Wizardry, developed by Sir-Tech, drew direct inspiration from D&D’s mechanics, incorporating character attributes, turn-based combat, and branching narratives into their gameplay. These titles not only paid homage to their tabletop predecessor but also introduced a generation of gamers to the joys of digital role-playing.

As Baldur’s Gate 3 has proven, D&D remains a guiding light for the video game industry, illuminating the way forward for designers and players. As my new Scratch tattoo starts to heal, the next generation of gamers no longer sees D&D as nerdy and unfashionable, as has been the case for most previous generations, with the game and its settings becoming something that other games and media are once again keen to copy.

As the sometimes controversial stewards of this legacy of imagination, publisher Wizards of the Coast are now preparing to mark five decades of fantasy role-playing, with events slated throughout the year.

‘As we commemorate the 50th anniversary, we’re not just celebrating the past, but embracing the present and shaping the future. From revisiting classic adventures to unveiling new core rulebooks, this year is set to be a thrilling journey for fans old and new,’ said Kyle Brink, executive producer of the Wizards of the Coast D&D team.

Yes, that is the same name as the bad guy in Stranger Things 4 (Picture: Wizards of the Coast)

The festivities kick off this March, with fans worldwide invited to partake in a shared adventure inspired by the game’s tournament style roots. Titled Descent Into The Lost Caverns Of Tsojcanth, it’s a super short campaign which was first released in 1982 and written by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax. It’s been specially updated to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the game and will be one of a series of short one shot adventures that will be available to play at gaming shops and cafés everywhere

There’s plenty more in the works for later in the year, with releases such as Vecna: Eve Of Ruin on May 21, an epic adventure spanning several realms and realities, and The Making Of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1976 on June 18, a comprehensive exploration of the game’s genesis and the D&D metaverse.

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