D&D 4EVR

Ethan Gilsdorf, a friend of Medieval Robots (and also of medieval robots), has the lowdown  on the promised upcoming 5th edition of D&D. The new edition, still in the works, will take players' ideas into account and will be an antidote to the much-despised 4th edition, released in 2008.

"The game “is a unique entertainment experience because it’s crafted by the players at the table, and every gaming session is different,” said Liz Schuh, who directs publishing and licensing for Dungeons & Dragons. “We want to take that idea of the players crafting that experience to the next level and say: ‘Help us craft the rules. Help us craft how this game is played.’" 

Indeed, long a byword for the hopelessly dorky, wedgied, underweight underclass of junior high and high school, D&D is the offspring of Tolkein and Lewis and the ancestor of World of Warcraft. Although fewer people seem to be playing D&D these days, either turning to MMORPGs like WoW or D&D-inspired low-tech games like Magic, it's still popular.* Last year's D&D episode of "Community" was hilarious, and the success of tv shows like "Game of Thrones" and "Knights of Mayhem" indicate that the medievalism that used to be seen as the refuge of nerds and weirdos has huge mainstream appeal.

*Not sure if it's good or bad that Jon Favreau credits D&D with developing his abilities as a story teller.