The new edition of Dungeons and Dragons is hitting some stores today with the "Starter Set." The roleplaying game's publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has released a free online PDF called "Basic Rules" that showcase the new rules for the venerable tabletop RPG.
"Basic Rules" has 110 pages, containing the game's general rules, four of the character classes (cleric, fighter, rogue and wizard), four of the character races (dwarf, elf, halfling and human), character equipment choices and over 100 magic spells for characters to choose from. There are also sections devoted to newcomers to tabletop roleplaying games about what an RPG is and how they are played.
Wizards released the free PDF online today to coincide with the release of the "Starter Set," a box created to get players, new and old, playing the new version of Dungeons and Dragons quickly. It features a 32-page rule book with the general rules for the game and some magic spells, a 64-page adventure with a selection of monsters to serve as an introduction to the epic quests of D&D, a selection of five pre-generated characters with powers and equipment already chosen and a bag of six dice of different kinds so the game can be played. The "Starter Set" retails for $19.99.
The "Basic Rules" PDF is listed as version 0.1, as Wizards has already announced they will add additional material to the free rulebook later this year, as more Dungeons and Dragons book are released. In August, the full Player's Handbook will be released, featuring 320 pages of rules, including additional races, classes, spells and optional rules not featured in the "Basic Rules." The "Monster Manual" will be released in September, which includes 320 pages of creatures for players to fight or align with, and the "Dungeon Master's Guide" will come out in November to provide more optional rules and advice on how to play D&D.
Though the new edition of Dungeons and Dragons isn't numbered in the title, it is the official fifth edition of the fantasy roleplaying game. The last version of the game, the fourth edition of Dungeons and Dragons, was released in June 2008. The original Dungeons and Dragons was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974.
