D&D DNA Endures in Digital Era

Wizards of the Coast tries to mend fences after divisive fourth edition

(NEWSER) - Nerds of the world, grab your d20s, because Dungeons and Dragons needs you. Wizards of the Coast is relaunching its original roleplaying game, and in a bid to win over disaffected fans, it plans to post the rules online for public play-testing, the New York Times reports. D&D has always been a player-crafted experience, with "dungeon masters" inventing scenarios for their friends to navigate, one Wizards exec explains. "We want to take that idea to the next level and say, 'Help us craft the rules.'" More»

Beat the villain, get the details

(NEWSER) - A pair of self-proclaimed “geeks” have channeled the old-school, 8-bit likes of Super Mario and Donkey Kong to create an unusual wedding invitation—and invitees only get the details if they beat the gorilla-ish villain. “We knew that we didn’t want standard paper invites,” the bride-to-be/game character (you can also play the groom) tells Offbeat Bride . “We wanted something for people to keep and remember. We are geeks. We love video games. Why not have a video game invite?” Check the video, or download the game here (invitation not included.) More»

(NEWSER) - Video game developers are in Cologne for one of Europe's biggest gaming conventions, and one booth is standing out: the Iranian National Foundation for Computer Games, which is trying to get a foothold in the West. The games have a decidedly nationalist slant, reports the BBC. One game is a tank shooter set during the Iran-Iraq war, while another follows a girl navigating the Islamic Revolution of 1979. More»

(NEWSER) - Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Dave Arneson died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. His D&D collaborator, Gary Gygax, died in March 2008. Though the two engaged in much legal wrangling over their property, they resolved their dispute in the 1980s. Arneson, who enjoyed a second career as an educator, was 61, Matt Blum of Wired writes in an appreciation of the roleplaying-game pioneer. More»

Gary Gygax rocked the gaming world

(NEWSER) - Widely revered Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax, regarded as the father of role-playing games, has died at his home in Wisconsin after years of health problems, AP reports. He was 69. Together with Dave Arneson, Gygax created the massively popular medieval fantasy Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 that struck a chord with teenage boys and young men, and spawned a host of computer game imitations. Fans say that the world of games would be very different had it not been for Gygax' imagination. More»