In the world of cult games, probably none captured children’s imaginations more than Dungeons & Dragons. This was a game that was so unique that the rules of the game were that there really were no rules. The way you played was limited only by your imagination.

The game was influenced by the great book “The Lord of the Rings”. The gentlemen who created Dungeons & Dragons, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, were such fans of Rings that they turned their love of the book into what became one of the most popular RPGs of all time. This vision first took shape in 1973.

This game was not like a traditional board game. The fact is, it didn’t have any boards. The original Dungeons & Dragons game came with a map. Players would follow the map to see where it would lead them and ultimately discover the rewards and dangers that awaited them.

There were no real rules to the game. Each game that was played could have as many players as you wanted. Each player would take on the role of a different character, which was also made up of various races. The common races were humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and many others. Each race then had several professions or specialties. For example. You can decide to play a human character who was a fighter. Perhaps you preferred to play an elf who was a clergyman, someone who healed other characters. Common professions besides warriors and clergymen were wizards, wizards, paladins, and thieves. Each profession had a different skill. Wizards and wizards were very adept at casting magic spells that could be quite powerful in battle against the enemy. Clerics had great healing powers. Thieves had the ability to open locks and disarm traps.

When throwing an adventure party, it was a good idea to throw one that had several different abilities. A common 6-member party consisted of 2 warriors, 1 cleric, 1 wizard, 1 thief, and 1 paladin. This party was diverse enough to handle anything it came across.

And what exactly did these parts come across? Nothing and everything. There were monsters of all kinds in the Dungeons & Dragons game, from goblins to skeletons and the dreaded dragon itself. Each monster had its own powers and abilities. Some monsters were easy to defeat and some were quite difficult.

The thrill of the game was creating a character and watching your character gain skill levels. Characters start at the lowest levels and work their way up to the highest levels possible. This could literally take months or even years of play.

Each character itself is made up of various abilities, such as dexterity, strength, intelligence, and many others. Scores for these abilities are randomly generated by dice, which are the complete engine of a Dungeons & Dragons game. The common dice used are 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20 and 100 sides. These dice are also used to determine the outcome of battles and the ability to disarm traps. They even determine what treasures can or cannot be found. And the surprising thing about all this is that there is no board, no pieces, nothing but paper, pencil and dice. It is the cheapest game to play and, at the same time, the most fascinating.

If you’ve never experienced the fantasy world of Dungeons & Dragons, you owe it to yourself to throw a party and go exploring.