Tabletop adventures
Forge your legend, roll the dice and enter the realm — whether you're a seasoned Dungeon Master or a first-time adventurer.
New to the table?
Dungeons & Dragons is a collaborative tabletop role-playing game. Instead of a board, the game happens in everyone's imagination. One person, the Dungeon Master (DM), describes the world, plays all the characters you meet and keeps the story moving. Everyone else creates a character — a hero with their own skills, personality and quirks — and decides what that character says and does.
When the outcome of an action is uncertain — leaping a chasm, charming a guard, dodging a mechanical dragon — the dice decide. There's no single winner: the group succeeds (or hilariously fails) together, and the story is something you all write as you play.
No experience needed · Dice and character sheets provided at the table [to be confirmed]
At the festival
Dungeons & Dragons featured among the all-day activities of the 2026 programme. Details for 2027:
How to play
Choose a name, a race (your people — human, elf, dwarf and more) and a class (your calling — fighter, wizard, rogue…). Six ability scores describe what you're good at: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma.
Fighters and barbarians hit hard and take hits. Rogues are sneaky and skilful. Wizards and artificers bend arcane science. Clerics heal. Bards inspire. Pick whatever sounds fun — there's no wrong answer.
Most actions use the twenty-sided die. Roll it, add your modifier (a bonus from your ability score), and compare the total with a difficulty number set by the DM. Meet or beat it and you succeed.
When a fight breaks out, everyone rolls for initiative to set the order. On your turn you can move and take one action — attack, cast a spell, dash, hide or help a friend. Damage reduces hit points (HP).
Combat is only part of it. You'll solve puzzles, explore strange places and talk your way out of trouble. Describing what your character does is half the fun.
Be kind, share the spotlight, and follow the DM's lead. Everyone at the table — new or experienced — is there to have a good time together.
Animated guide
“A brass golem blocks the bridge, steam hissing from its joints. What do you do?”
“I'll try to slip past it and pull the lever on the far side.”
That's tricky — the DM asks for a Dexterity check against a difficulty of 13.
You roll 11 and add your +3 Dexterity modifier: 14. That beats 13!
“You duck under its swinging arm and haul the lever. The golem shudders to a halt.” Next player's turn!
Interactive
Pick a die and roll!
Interactive
A random level-1 hero with steampunk flair. Ability scores use the classic “roll four six-sided dice, drop the lowest” method.
Mini-adventure
Dungeons & Dragons is a trademark of Wizards of the Coast LLC. This page is an independent, unofficial beginner's guide written for the festival and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wizards of the Coast.
