Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary

There seems to be some uncertainty surrounding the actual release date for the original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, but based on my limited research of others work who have done considerably more research, it would seem the game was released in late-January 1974. Several of my sources have decided upon the 26th as the day to mark the anniversary and I have no contest with that date. And having prefaced this with all that, today is the 50th Anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons game. Long live the king.

The game has gone through many rule changes, variations, and editions in those 50 years, but it continues to thrive as both a game and an idea. 

There had never been anything like it before and it continues to be a fount of inspiration and entertainment for those of us who love the game, the hobby, and dare I say, the lifestyle. 

Dungeons & Dragons is my favorite game, it is my primary hobby, and it is the thing that probably most defines me as a person, for better or worse. I mean, I have a lot of interests, but this game is the one I have been interested in for the longest and has had the most impact on my thinking.

I've said for a long time that I was introduced to the game in 4th grade, but that is wrong. I was in 4th grade in 1977-1978. The AD&D Player's Handbook came out in June of 1978 and I can say with certainty that is the book to which I was first introduced. This was during a sleepover at my friend Eric's house and I think it was during the school year, so I was more likely introduced to the game in 5th or 6th grade, 1978-1980. I know that I ordered my first AD&D books from one of the Christmas catalogs, either Sears or JCPenney, and that was probably 1982. But even that seems wrong somehow. We had a D&D club in junior high school (1980-1983) and I was involved in that. I guess all I can safely say is that I was introduced to the game and became obsessed with it in the dim recesses of my memory, probably around 10-12 years old. 

That got quite rambley, sorry. I can safely say I've been playing the game for 40+ years. I've seen a lot of change, rolled a lot of dice, and had even more fun. I hope to be playing Dungeons & Dragons 40 years on. Long live the king.



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