It’s been nearly 50 years since the game was introduced, and 10 years since its last edition, but Dungeons and Dragons continues on.
Wizards of the Coast, a Seattle-based role-playing game company, has been preparing for D&D’s 50th anniversary with an early release of its fifth edition (5E to gamers) in 2023. After the playtest, Wizards announced that the best parts of 5E will be included in its anniversary edition entitled “OneD&D.”
The new version can still be played through its original table-top version. Digital advancement through the last five decades provides expansion in all aspects of the game, through character creation, new races, new monsters, new feats, campaigns and new source materials with new rules.
The new edition allows Dungeon Masters running a campaign to include creating and playing sidekicks, rules for venturing into various supernatural environments, and a whole section full of puzzles and their solutions that DMs can throw at their parties.
On Thursday at the Great Bend Public Library, Erin Ferguson, adult services librarian, provided an overview of the game as well as a walkthrough for character creation, using both tabletop methods using traditional multi-sided dice and a peek into D&D Beyond, which uses digital resources to bring their characters to life.
Ferguson, who has been playing D&D since 2009, introduced the group to her character, Vesper Freehart. Her character, a half-elf rogue/scout outlander, who has a chaotic neutral alignment, just reached Level 18 recently after being involved in a campaign for the past four years.
Ferguson noted that while the game appeals to teenagers and young adults, there is a large following that has been playing the game since it was introduced. “You can play at any age,” she said. “And you can play as long as you want to take your character as far as it can go.”
The Great Bend Public Library has some books and materials and advice for gamers who want to adventure online.
“Right now, version 3.5 is online and out there for free,” Ferguson said. “All the books, all the content is out there to grab and download.”
However, “You should always ask your local library if you can download them or purchase them at your local game shop,” she noted.
