Fall Asleep While Learning About Dungeons And Dragons

In this episode of the I Can’t Sleep Podcast, drift off while learning about Dungeons and Dragons, the king of role-playing games that began in the 1970s. I almost played a campaign once. I made it as far as creating a character and rolling the dice a few times before realizing how long it would take—and deciding I needed sleep more than an epic quest.

But after diving into all that Wikipedia has to offer about this legendary game, I’m intrigued about giving it another shot. What do you think? Do you play? Am I missing out? Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster,

And today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled Dungeons and Dragons.

Dungeons and Dragons,

Commonly abbreviated as D&D or DND,

Is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game,

TTRPG,

Originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules,

TSR.

It has been published by Wizards of the Coast,

Later a subsidiary of Hasbro,

Since 1997.

The game was derived from miniature war games,

With a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail,

Serving as the initial rule system.

D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry,

Which also deeply influenced video games,

Especially the role-playing video game genre.

D&D departs from traditional war gaming by allowing each player to create their own character to play,

Instead of a military formation.

These characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting.

A dungeon master,

DM,

Serves as referee and storyteller for the game,

While maintaining the setting in which the adventures occur and playing the role of the inhabitants of the game world,

Known as non-player characters,

NPCs.

The characters form a party and they interact with the setting's inhabitants and each other.

Today they solve problems,

Engage in battles,

Explore,

And gather treasure and knowledge.

In the process,

Player characters earn experience points,

XP,

To level up,

And become increasingly powerful over a series of separate gaming sessions.

Players choose a class when they create their character,

Which gives them special perks and abilities every few levels.

The early success of D&D led to a proliferation of similar game systems.

Despite the competition,

D&D has remained the market leader in the role-playing game industry.

In 1977,

The game was split into two branches,

The relatively rules-light game system of basic Dungeons and Dragons,

And the more structured,

Rules-heavy game system of advanced Dungeons and Dragons,

Abbreviated as AD&D.

AD&D 2nd edition was published in 1989.

In 2000,

A new system was released as D&D 3rd edition,

Continuing the edition numbering from AD&D.

A revised version,

3.

5,

Was released in June 2003.

These 3rd edition rules form the basis of the D20 system,

Which is available under the Open Game License,

OGL,

For use by other publishers.

D&D 4th edition was released in June 2008.

The 5th edition of D&D,

The most recent,

Was released during the second half of 2014.

In 2004,

D&D remained the best-known and best-selling role-playing game in the US,

With an estimated 20 million people having played the game and more than $1 billion in book and equipment sales worldwide.

The year 2017 had the most number of players in its history,

12 million to 15 million in North America alone.

D&D 5th edition sales were up 41% in 2017 from the year before,

And soared another 52% in 2018,

The game's biggest sales year yet.

The game has been supplemented by many pre-made adventures,

As well as commercial campaign settings suitable for use by regular gaming groups.

D&D is known beyond the game itself for other D&D-branded products,

References in popular culture,

And some of the controversies that have surrounded it.

The game has won multiple awards and has been translated into many languages.

Players utilize both dice and character sheets during a game session.

A Dungeons & Dragons game session featuring a map,

Miniatures,

Dice,

And character sheets.

Dungeons & Dragons is a structured yet open-ended role-playing game.

It is normally played indoors with the participants seated around a tabletop.

Typically,

One player takes on the role of Dungeon Master,

While the others each control a single character,

Representing an individual in a fictual setting.

When working together as a group,

The player characters,

PCs,

Are often described as a party of adventurers,

With each member often having their own area of specialty that contributes to the success of the group as a whole.

During the course of play,

Each player directs the actions of their character and their interactions with other characters in the game.

This activity is performed through the verbal impersonation of the characters by the players,

While employing a variety of social and other useful cognitive skills,

Such as logic,

Basic mathematics,

And imagination.

A game often continues over a series of meetings to complete a single adventure,

And longer into a series of related gaming adventures called a campaign.

The results of the party's choices and the overall storyline for the game are determined by the DM according to the rules of the game,

And the DM's interpretation of those rules.

The DM selects and describes the various non-player characters,

NPCs,

That the party encounters,

The settings in which these interactions occur,

And the outcomes of those encounters based on the players' choices and actions.

Encounters often take the form of battles with monsters,

A generic term used in D&D to describe potentially hostile beings,

Such as animals,

Aberrant beings,

Or mythical creatures.

In addition to jewels and gold coins,

Magic items form part of the treasures that the players often seek in a dungeon.

Magic items are generally found in treasure hordes,

Or recovered from fallen opponents.

Sometimes a powerful or important magic item is the object of a quest.

The game's extensive rules,

Which cover diverse subjects,

Such as social interactions,

Magic use,

Combat,

And the effect of the environment on PCs,

Help the DM to make these decisions.

The DM may choose to deviate from the published rules,

Or make up new ones if they feel it is necessary.

The most recent versions of the game's rules are detailed in three 5th edition core rulebooks,

The Player's Handbook,

The Dungeon Master's Guide,

And the Monster Manual.

The only items required to play the game are the rulebooks,

A character sheet for each player,

And a number of polyhedral dice.

Many players also use miniature figures on a grid map as a visual aid if desired,

Particularly during combat.

Some editions of the game presume such usage.

Many optional accessories are available to enhance the game,

Such as expansion rulebooks,

Pre-designed adventures,

And various campaign settings.

Before the game begins,

Each player creates their player character and records the details on a character sheet.

First,

A player determines their character's ability scores,

Which consist of Strength,

Dexterity,

Constitution,

Intelligence,

Wisdom,

And Charisma.

Each edition of the game is offered differing methods of determining these scores,

The player then chooses a species,

Such as a dwarf,

Elf,

Or human,

Called Race prior to 5e-2024,

A character class,

Such as a fighter,

Rogue,

Or wizard,

An alignment,

A moral and ethical outlook,

And other features to round out the character's abilities and backstory,

Which have varied in nature through differing editions.

During the game,

Players describe their PC's intended actions to the DM,

Who then describes the result or response.

Trivial actions,

Such as picking up a letter or opening an unlocked door,

Are usually automatically successful.

The outcomes of more complex or risky actions,

Such as scaling a cliff or picking a lock,

Are determined by rolling dice.

Different polyhedral dice are used for different actions.

For example,

A 20-sided die is used to determine whether a hit is made in combat,

With other dice,

Such as 4,

6,

8,

10,

Or even 12-sided die,

Used to determine how much damage was dealt.

Factors contributing to the outcome include the character's ability scores,

Skills,

And the difficulty of the task.

In circumstances where a character is attempting to avoid a negative outcome,

Such as when dodging a trap or resisting the effect of a spell,

A saving throw can be used to determine whether the resulting effect is reduced or avoided.

In this case,

The odds of success are influenced by the character's class,

Levels,

And ability scores.

In circumstances where a character is attempting to compete a task,

Such as picking a lock,

Deactivating a trap,

Or pushing a boulder,

A difficulty class must be hit or exceeded.

Relevant ability bonuses are added to help players succeed.

As the game is played,

Each PC changes over time,

And generally increases in capability.

Characters gain or sometimes lose experience,

Skills,

And wealth,

And may even alter their alignment or gain additional character classes,

Which is called multi-classing.

The key way characters progress is by earning experience points,

Which happens when they defeat an enemy or accomplish a difficult task.

Acquiring enough XP allows a PC to advance a level,

Which grants the character improved class features,

Abilities,

And skills.

XP can be lost in some circumstances,

Such as encounters with creatures that drain life energy,

Or by use of certain magical powers that come with an XP cost.

Hit points,

HP,

Are a measure of a character's vitality and health,

And are determined by the class,

Level,

And constitution of each character.

They can be temporarily lost when a character sustains wounds in combat,

Or otherwise comes to harm,

And loss of HP is the most common way for a character to die in the game.

Death can also result from the loss of key ability scores or character levels.

When a PC dies,

It is often possible for the dead character to be resurrected through magic,

Although some penalties may be imposed as a result.

If resurrection is not possible or not desired,

The player may instead create a new PC to resume playing the game.

A typical Dungeons & Dragons game consists of an adventure,

Which is roughly equivalent to a single story or quest.

The DM can either design an original adventure or follow one of the many pre-made adventures,

Also known as modules,

That have been published throughout the history of Dungeons & Dragons.

Published adventures typically include a background story,

Illustrations,

Maps,

And goals for players to achieve.

Some may include location descriptions and handouts,

Although they are not required for gameplay.

Although a small adventure entitled Temple of the Frog was included in the Blackmoor Rules supplement in 1975,

The first standalone D&D module published by TSR was 1978's Steading of the Hill Giant Chief,

Written by Gygax.

A linked series of adventures is commonly referred to as a campaign.

The locations where these adventures occur,

Such as a city,

Country,

Planet,

Or entire fictional universe,

Are referred to as campaign settings or worlds.

D&D settings are based in various fantasy genres and feature different levels and types of magic and technology.

Popular commercially published campaign settings for Dungeons & Dragons include Greyhawk,

Dragonlance,

Forgotten Realms,

Mystara,

Spelljammer,

Ravenloft,

Dark Sun,

Planescape,

Birthright,

And Eberron.

In addition to first-party campaigns and modules,

Two campaigns based on popular culture have been created.

The first,

Based on Stranger Things,

Was released in May 2019.

A campaign based on the Rick and Morty vs.

Dungeons & Dragons comic book series was later released in November 2019.

Alternatively,

DMs may develop their own fictional worlds to use as campaign settings,

Either planning the adventure ahead or expanding on it as the players progress.

MINIATURE FIGURES The wargames,

From which Dungeons & Dragons evolved,

Used miniature figures to represent combatants.

D&D initially continued the use of miniatures in a fashion similar to its direct precursors.

The original D&D set of 1974 required the use of the Chainmail miniatures game for combat resolution.

By the publication of the 1977 game editions,

Combat was mostly resolved verbally.

Thus,

Miniatures were no longer required for gameplay,

Although some players continued to use them as a visual reference.

In the 1970s,

Numerous companies began to sell miniature figures,

Specifically for Dungeons & Dragons and similar games.

Licensed miniature manufacturers who produced official figures include Grenadier Miniatures,

1980-1983,

Citadel Miniatures,

1984-1986,

Rall Partha,

And TSR itself.

Most of these miniatures used the 25mm scale.

Periodically,

Dungeons & Dragons has returned to its wargaming roots,

With supplementary rule systems for miniatures-based wargaming.

Supplements such as Battle System,

1985 and 1989,

And a new edition of Chainmail,

2001,

Provided rule systems to handle battles between armies by using miniatures.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY Sources and Influences An immediate predecessor of Dungeons & Dragons was a set of medieval miniature rules written by Jeff Perrin.

These were expanded by Gary Gygax,

Whose editions included a fantasy supplement before the game was published as Chainmail.

When Dave Wesley entered the army in 1970,

His friend and fellow Napoleonics wargamer Dave Arneson began a medieval variation of Wesley's Brownstein games,

Where players control individuals instead of armies.

Arneson used Chainmail to resolve combat.

As play progressed,

Arneson added such innovations as character classes,

Experience points,

Level advancement,

Armor class,

And others.

Having partnered previously with Gygax on Don't Give Up the Ship,

Arneson introduced Gygax to his Blackmoor game,

And the two then collaborated on developing the fantasy game,

The game that became Dungeons & Dragons,

With the final writing and preparation of the text being done by Gygax.

The name was chosen by Gygax's two-year-old daughter Cindy Upon being presented with a number of choices of possible names,

She exclaimed,

Oh,

Daddy,

I like Dungeons & Dragons best.

Although less prevalent versions of the story gave credit to his then-wife,

Mary Jo.

Many Dungeons & Dragons elements appear in hobbies of the mid-to-late 20th century.

For example,

Character-based role-playing can be seen in improvisational theater.

Game world simulations were well-developed in wargaming.

Fantasy milieu,

Specifically designed for gaming,

Could be seen in Glorantha's board games,

Among others.

Ultimately,

However,

Dungeons & Dragons represents a unique blending of these elements.

The world of D&D was influenced by world mythology,

History,

Pulp fiction,

And contemporary fantasy novels,

As listed by Gygax in the Appendix N of the original Dungeon Master's Guide.

The importance of Tolkien's works,

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit,

As an influence on D&D is controversial.

The presence in the game of halflings,

Elves,

Half-elves,

Dwarves,

Orcs,

Rangers,

And the like,

As well as the convention of diverse adventurers forming a group,

Draw comparisons to these works.

The resemblance was even closer before the threat of copyright action from Tolkien Enterprises prompted the name changes of Hobbit to Halfling,

Ent to Treant,

And Balrog to Balor.

For many years Gygax played down the influence of Tolkien on the development of the game.

However,

In an interview in 2000,

He acknowledged that Tolkien's work had a strong impact,

Though he also said that the list of other influential authors was long.

The D&D magic system in which wizards memorize spells that are used up once cast and must be re-memorized the next day was heavily influenced by the Dying Earth stories and novels of Jack Vance.

The original alignment system which grouped all characters and creatures into law,

Neutrality,

And chaos was derived from the novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Paul Anderson.

A troll described in this work influenced the D&D definition of that monster.

The labyrinth of the Greek myth of the Minotaur has been seen as an inspiration for the game's use of dungeons as monster lairs.

Other influences include the works of Robert E.

Howard,

Edgar Rice Burroughs,

A.

Merritt,

H.

P.

Lovecraft,

Fritz Leiber,

L.

Sprague de Camp,

Fletcher Pratt,

Roger Zelazny,

And Michael Moorcock.

Monsters,

Spells,

And magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works,

Such as A.

E.

Von Vogt's Black Destroyer,

Curl,

The Displacer Beast,

Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky,

Vorpal Sword,

And the Book of Genesis.

The clerical spell,

Blade Barrier,

Was inspired by the Flaming Sword which turned every way at the Gates of Eden.

EDITION HISTORY Dungeons & Dragons has gone through several revisions.

Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions.

ORIGINAL GAME The original Dungeons & Dragons,

Now referred to as OD&D,

Is a small box set of three booklets published in 1974.

With a very limited production budget of only $2,

000,

With only $100 budgeted for artwork,

It is amateurish in production and assumes a player is familiar with wargaming.

Nevertheless,

It grew rapidly in popularity,

First among wargamers,

And then expanding to a more general audience of college and high school students.

Roughly 1,

000 copies of the game were sold in the first year,

Followed by 3,

000 in 1975,

And many more in the following years.

This first set went through many printings and was supplemented with several official editions,

Such as the original Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements,

Both 1975,

As well as magazine articles and TSR's official publications and many fanzines.

TWO-PRONGED STRATEGY In early 1977,

TSR created the first element of a two-pronged strategy that would divide D&D for nearly two decades.

A Dungeons & Dragons basic set boxed edition was introduced that cleaned up the presentation of the essential rules,

Makes the system understandable to the general public,

And was sold in a package that could be stocked in toy stores.

Later in 1977,

The first part of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons was published,

Which brought together the various published rules,

Options,

And corrections,

Then expanded them into a definitive unified game for hobbyist gamers.

TSR marketed them as an introductory game for new players and a more complex game for experienced ones.

The basic set directed players who exhausted the possibilities of that game to switch to the advanced rules.

As a result of this parallel development,

The basic game includes many rules and concepts which contradicted comparable ones in AD&D.

John Eric Holmes,

The editor of the basic game,

Preferred a lighter tone with more room for personal improvisation.

AD&D,

On the other hand,

Was designed to create a tighter,

More structured game system than the loose framework of the original game.

Between 1977 and 1979,

Three hardcore rulebooks,

Commonly referred to as the Core Rulebooks,

Were released.

The Player's Handbook,

PHP,

The Dungeon Master's Guide,

DMG,

And the Monster Manual,

MM.

Several supplementary books were published throughout the 1980s,

Notably Unearthed Arcana,

1985,

Which included a large number of new rules.

Confusing matters further,

The original D&D box set remained in publication until 1979 since it remained a healthy seller for TSR.

Revised Editions In the 1980s,

The rules for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Basic Dungeons & Dragons remained separate,

Each developing along different paths.

In 1981,

The basic version of Dungeons & Dragons was revised by Tom Moldvay to make it even more novice-friendly.

It was promoted as a continuation of the original D&D tone,

Whereas AD&D was promoted as an advancement of the mechanics.

An accompanying Expert set,

Originally written by David Zepp-Cook,

Allows players to continue using the simpler rule set beyond the early levels of play.

In 1983,

Revisions of those sets by Frank Menser were released,

Revising the presentation of the rules to a more tutorial format.

These were followed by Companion,

1983,

Master,

1985,

And Immortals,

1986 sets.

Each set covers gameplay for more powerful characters than the previous.

The first four sets were compiled in 1991 as a single hardcover book,

The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia,

Which was released alongside a new introductory box set.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition was published in 1989,

Again as three core rulebooks.

The primary designer was David Zepp-Cook.

The Monster Manual was replaced by the Monstrous Compendium,

A loose-leaf binder that was subsequently replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual in 1993.

In 1995,

The core rulebooks were slightly revised,

Although still referred to by TSR as the 2nd Edition,

And a series of player's options manuals were released as optional rulebooks.

The release of AD&D 2nd Edition deliberately excluded some aspects of the game that had attracted negative publicity.

The edition moved away from a theme of 1960s and 1970s sword and sorcery fantasy fiction to a mixture of medieval history and mythology.

The rules underwent minor changes,

Including the addition of non-weapon proficiencies,

Skill-like abilities that appear in 1st Edition supplements.

The game's magic spells are divided into schools and spheres.

A major difference was the promotion of various game settings beyond that of traditional fantasy.

This included blending fantasy with other genres,

Such as Horror,

Ravenloft,

Science Fiction,

Spelljammer,

Anapocalyptic,

Dark Sun,

As well as alternative historical and non-European mythological settings.

In 1997,

A near-bankrupt TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast.

Following three years of development,

Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition was released in 2000.

The new release folded the basic and advanced lines back into a single unified game.

It was the largest revision of the D&D rules to date and served as the basis for a multi-genre role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice,

Called the D20 system.

The 3rd Edition rules were designed to be internally consistent and less restrictive than previous editions of the game,

Allowing players more flexibility to create the characters they wanted to play.

Skills and feats were introduced into the core rules to encourage further customization of characters.

The new rules standardized the mechanics of action,

Resolution,

And combat.

In 2003,

Dungeons & Dragons v3.

5 was released as a revision of the 3rd Edition rules.

This release incorporated hundreds of rule changes.

Mostly minor,

And expanded the core rulebooks.

In early 2005,

Wizards of the Coast's R&D team started to develop Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition,

Prompted mainly by the feedback obtained from the D&D playing community and a desire to make the game faster,

More intuitive,

And with a better play experience than under the 3rd Edition.

The new game was developed through a number of design phases spanning from May 2005 until its release.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition was announced at GenCon in August 2007,

And the initial three core books were released June 6,

2008.

4th Edition streamlined the game into a simplified form and introduced numerous rule changes.

Many character abilities were restructured into powers.

These altered the spell-using classes by adding abilities that could be used at will,

Per encounter,

Or per day.

Likewise,

Non-magic-using classes were provided with parallel sets of options.

Software tools,

Including player character and monster-building programs,

Became a major part of a game.

This addition added the D&D Encounters program,

A weekly event held at local stores designed to draw players back to the game by giving the busy gamer the chance to play D&D once a week as their schedules allow.

In the past,

D&D games could take months,

Even years,

And players generally had to attend every session so that the story flow wasn't interrupted.

With Encounters,

Players can come and go as they choose,

And new players can easily be integrated into the story continuity.

On January 9,

2012,

Wizards of the Coast announced that it was working on a fifth edition of the game.

The company planned to take suggestions from players and let them playtest the rules.

Public playtesting began on May 24,

2012.

At GenCon 2012 in August,

Mike Murrells,

Lead developer for 5th edition,

Said that Wizards of the Coast had received feedback from more than 75,

000 playtesters,

But that the entire development process would take two years,

Adding,

I can't emphasize this enough.

We're very serious about taking the time we need to get this right.

The release of the 5th edition coinciding with D&D's 40th anniversary occurred in the second half of 2014.

Since the release of 5th edition,

Dozens of Dungeons & Dragons books have been published,

Including new rulebooks,

Campaign guides,

And adventure modules.

2017 had the most number of players in its history,

12 million to 15 million in North America alone.

Mary Pilon from Bloomberg reported that sales of 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons were up 41% in 2017 from the year before and soared another 52% in 2018,

The game's biggest sales year yet.

In 2017,

9 million people watched others play D&D on Twitch,

Immersing themselves in the world of the game without ever having to pick up a die or cast a spell.

In 2018,

Wizards of the Coast organized a massive livestream event,

The Stream of Many Eyes,

Where 10 livestream sessions of Dungeons & Dragons were performed on Twitch over three days.

This event won the Content Marketing Institute's 2019 award for Best In-Person Event Content Marketing Strategy.

Dungeons & Dragons continue to have a strong presence on Twitch throughout 2019,

This included a growing number of celebrity players and Dungeons masters,

Such as Joe Manganiello,

Debra Ann Wall,

And Stephen Colbert.

Wizards of the Coast has created,

Produced,

And sponsored multiple web series featuring Dungeons & Dragons.

These shows have typically aired on the official Dungeons & Dragons Twitch and YouTube channels.

In 2020,

Wizards of the Coast announced that Dungeons & Dragons had its sixth annual year of growth in 2019,

With a 300% increase in sales of their introductory box sets,

As well as a 65% increase on sales in Europe,

A rate which has more than quadrupled since 2014.

In terms of player demographics in 2019,

39% identified as female and 61% identified as male.

40% of players are considered Gen Z,

24 years old or younger,

34% of players are in the age range of 25 to 34,

And 26% of players are age 35+.

In January 2021,

The Los Angeles Times reported that according to Liz Hsu,

Head of publishing and licensing for Dungeons & Dragons,

Revenue was up 35% in 2020,

Compared with 2019.

The seventh consecutive year of growth.

And in 2020,

During the COVID-19 pandemic,

Virtual play rose 86%,

Aided by online platforms such as Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.

Sarah Parvini for the Los Angeles Times wrote,

Players and scholars attribute the game's resurgent popularity not only to the longers of the pandemic,

But also to its re-emergence in pop culture.

On the Netflix series Stranger Things,

Whose main characters play D&D in a basement,

On the sitcom The Big Bang Theory,

Or via the host of celebrities who display their love for the game online.

In September 2021,

It was announced that a backwards-compatible Evolution of 5th Edition would be released in 2024 to mark the 50th anniversary of the game.

In August 2022,

Wizards announced that the next phase of major changes for Dungeons & Dragons would occur under the 1D&D initiative,

Which includes a public playtest of the next version of Dungeons & Dragons and an upcoming virtual tabletop simulator with 3D environments developed using Unreal Engine.

Revised editions of the Player's Handbook,

Monster Manual,

And Dungeon Master's Guide were scheduled to be released in 2024.

The Revised Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide were released in 2024,

With a Monster Manual coming in 2025.

In April 2022,

Hasbro announced that Wizards would acquire the D&D Beyond digital toolset and game companion from Fandom.

The official transfer to Wizards occurred in May 2022.

At the Hasbro Investor event in October 2022,

It was announced that Dan Rawson,

A former COO of Microsoft Dynamics 365,

Was appointed to the newly created position of Senior Vice President for the Dungeons & Dragons brand.

Rawson will act as the new head of the franchise.

Chase Carter of Dicebreaker highlighted that Rawson's role is part of Wizards' plan to apply more resources to the digital side of D&D,

Following the purchase of D&D Beyond by Hasbro earlier in the year.

Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams and Hasbro CEO Chris Cox had a December 2022 Hasbro Investor-focused web seminar called the Dungeons & Dragons brand under-monetized.

They highlighted the high engagement of fans with the brand.

However,

The majority of spending is by Dungeon Masters,

Who are only roughly 20% of the player base.

Williams commented that the increased investment in digital will unlock the type of recurrent spending you can see in digital games.

At the July 2024 Hasbro Investor meeting,

Cox stated that digital revenue on D&D Beyond accounts for over half of the total earnings from Dungeons & Dragons.

Carter,

Now for Rascal,

Commented that we know physical books sell poorly,

And even if pre-orders for the 2024 core books are,

Uh,

Solid,

According to the CEO,

It's evident that Hasbro holds little faith in analog games clotting the money bleed elsewhere in the company's structure.

Thanks for watching!

Reviews

I heard 1974 and then….zzzzzzzzz.
It’s interesting that Dungeons and Dragons started back in the 70s! Thank you, I’ll have to listen again because it was actually interesting! I’ve never played it, it seems fun from what people say. 😁

Thank you Ben!! Perfect!! Right to sleep 😴!! You always seem to do the trick!!😘

DnD - never played. The closest I came to knowing anything about it was from watching The Big Bang Theory. So you put me to sleep in a flash. Thanks Ben.

Another interesting topic for sleep assistance. Cheers Ben