The Essence of Dungeons & Dragons

What makes D&D special?

Monte Cook’s job is not an easy one. While damned near any fan of Dungeons & Dragons could claim that designing the next iteration of the game is a dream job, what is currently expected of Mr. Cook and his team is nothing short of miracles. They need to design a game that goes to the very core of what the Dungeons & Dragons Experience is, and what makes that so difficult is that the D&D Experience is so many different things to so many different people. Boiling the various and sundry forms of D&D down to its basest essence is a practically impossible thing to do, but in order for Fifth Edition to deliver on its promises, the design team is going to need to.

So… What is the Essence of D&D? What makes Dungeons & Dragons the game it is? What is the thing that makes it distinct, different, amazing? Because honing in on that is going to be the thing that determines whether this next edition succeeds of fails.

Usually my blog is filled with piles of text pontificating on a point. Today, I’m asking for you to let me know what you think. What is the essence of D&D?