Dungeons & Dragons
Royal Mail celebrated 50 years of the popular role-playing fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons with a stamp issue on July 25.
Eight gummed stamps from counter sheets illustrate a variety of monsters that might be encountered in the game, while a self-adhesive miniature sheet of six features some of the characters which can be played.
Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in the USA in 1974 and rapidly imported to Britain, D&D is commonly recognised as the progenitor of all table-top role-playing games, with an estimated 50 million fans around the world.
It involves storytelling and improvisation within a fantasy setting, driven by the players’ imaginations but within a structure that determines the consequences of their actions, with dice-throwing to resolve conflicts.
Technically, all that is need to participate are players’ character sheets, a set of six polyhedral dice, the basic rules and the player’s handbook. Some campaigns use physical models of characters and terrain for visual reference, though this is not strictly necessary.
One person takes on the role of the Dungeon Master (DM), acting as both a referee and a storyteller. Each of the other players acts as a single character, with a distinct set of attributes.
The two defining traits of any character are their race (such as human, elf or dwarf) and their class (such as wizard, rogue or bard). When faced with a problem, it is up to the players how to tackle it, based on their attributes.
A barbarian might choose to smash through a locked door, for instance, while a druid might shapeshift into a spider and crawl under it, a rogue might try to pick the lock, and a bard might sweet-talk someone into unlocking the door for them.
A session of D&D can take multiple hours to play. Games spread over many sessions are known as campaigns, which can span weeks, months or even years.
Five decades after its creation, D&D has recently enjoyed something of a renaissance online. Many groups play together remotely, and campaigns played on digital platforms such as YouTube and Twitch help to demystify the game for newcomers.
The stamp issue was illustrated by British artist Wayne Reynolds, designed by Common Curiosity and Royal Mail Group, and printed in litho by Cartor.
The counter sheet stamps are available in horizontal strips of four, and hidden images are revealed when you shine an ultra-violet light over the stamps.
1st class RED DRAGON
A breed of chromatic dragon that is fearsome, cruel, voracious and avaricious.
1st class OWLBEAR
A monstrous cross between a giant owl and a bear, aggressive and ferocious in nature.
1st class VECNA
A humanoid wizard now a lich, an undead spellcaster who defies death through magic.
1st class GELATINOUS CUBE
A large mass of transparent ooze that can absorb and digest organic matter.
£2.50 MIND FLAYER
A humanoid creature with an octopus-like face who can control the minds of others.
£2.50 MIMIC
A shape-shifting monster that can disguise itself as an inanimate object.
£2.50 DISPLACER BEAST
A six-legged feline creature which lures, traps and toys with its prey before devouring it.
£2.50 BEHOLDER
A floating orb with a large mouth, a single central eye and many smaller eyestalks with magical abilities.
MINIATURE SHEET
1st class TIEFLING ROGUE
Tieflings are horned humans descended from devils, usually treated with suspicion. Rogues are known for stealth and cunning.
1st class HUMAN BARD
Humans are the most versatile and adaptable of the races. Bards are masters of song, speech and magic.
1st class HALFLING CLERIC
Halflings are diminutive yet charismatic and cheerful. Clerics draw their magical and healing powers from their piety.
1st class ELF FIGHTER
Elves are pointy-eared and perceptive creatures of the forest. Fighters are proficient swordsmen, archers and duellers.
1st class DRAGONBORN WIZARD
Dragonborns are humanoids with the blood of dragons. Wizards make it their lifetime goal to master a particular magical skill.
1st class DWARF PALADIN
Dwarves are stout, resilient cave-dwellers. Paladins are holy warriors with strength and charisma, bound by a sacred oath.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS
The presentation pack provides an introduction to the world of Dungeons & Dragons gameplay.
A press sheet of eight unseparated miniature sheets is offered in a limited edition of 200. First day covers and stamp cards are available as usual.
PRICES
Set of 8 stamps £15.40
Miniature sheet £8.10
Presentation pack £24.40
First cay cover (stamps) £19.15
First day cover (mini sheet) £10.40
Press sheet £64.80
Stamp cards £6.75
VERDICT
COMMEMORATIVE WORTH 2/5
Dungeons & Dragons may be iconic in the niche world of role-playing games, but it’s not a British creation
QUALITY OF DESIGN 3/5
The images are bespoke, although their beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
WOW FACTOR 2/5
These stamps fail to stand out from the crowd of recent issues featuring fantasy worlds
