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First published in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is an influential tabletop role-playing game. Inspired by wargames, in which players command armies in simulated conflicts, Dungeons & Dragons sparked a new genre of role-playing games in which players create their own characters within different classes such as bards, fighters, rogues, druids, and wizards. Player characters (PCs) also have different abilities, split between strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. The game is led by a dungeon master (DM), who narrates the game’s story and directs the gameplay. As the adventure or campaign winds through different scenarios, players describe their reactions (for example, attacking, negotiating, or escaping), with the outcome determined by rolling polyhedral dice. The most famous of these die is the D20, a 20-sided polyhedron. Players can buy published adventures to play, which include the backstory, illustrations, maps, and goals, but many D&D players invent their own campaigns, and the game’s structure allows for a great deal of creativity.

As the most famous role-playing game, D&D has been used as shorthand in pop culture to denote “nerd” or outcast status to people or friend groups. D&D has been referenced in shows and films like The Simpsons, The Big Bang Theory, Freaks and Geeks and E.