The Grandaddy of Roleplaying Games!

What do you think of when someone says "Dungeons and Dragons"?


Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. Here, we have Dungeons and Dragons coloring pages free and downloadable inspired by the game.


Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast, which is a subsidiary of Hasbro. Wizards of the Coast also publishes Magic: The Gathering, a more recent card game.


The first of many fantasy games, Dungeons and Dragons remains very popular. New editions are released every so often.


As of this writing, there have been five editions of Dungeons and Dragons. The most recent was released in 2014. However, there may be other ones out by the time you read this.


Dungeons and Dragons has been extremely popular since its introduction. This popularity shows no signs of flagging.


Literally tens of millions of people have played Dungeons and Dragons.


Players of Dungeons and Dragons sit around a tabletop and control a character.


A Dungeon Master (DM) controls the storyline. Among other things, the DM controls non-player characters that the players encounter.


Dungeons and Dragons characters encounter "monsters," which can be in various forms such as dragons or other animals.


The DM relies on rules - which are quite lengthy - contained in rulebooks. At present, there are three core rulebooks: The Player's Handbook, the Dungeon Master's Guide and the Monster Manual.


As you can probably tell, playing Dungeons and Dragons involves some study and time.


Each player creates a character according to, yes, some rules. The character has various attributes such as Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.


The character also has a race, such as an elf, an occupation such as a wizard or fighter, and so forth. Yes, there are a lot of rules about how the characters are formed.


When a Dungeons and Dragons character encounters an opponent, the player decides what their character will do. There are many choices, such as punching the opponent.


The DM decides what happens as a result of such encounters.


As you can probably tell, the DM really needs to know the rules contained in the rulebooks.


The characters change over time. They evolve into wealthier characters or into something else.


The characters change as a result of their encounters with the situations they encounter.


When a character does well in an encounter, he or she earns experience points (XP). When the character accumulates a sufficient number of XP, it can evolve into a stronger or wealthier or different type of character.


It is also possible for characters to die or be wounded. However, often the character can be resurrected in one way or another by using magic.


Characters engage in "adventures." This is a story established by the DM. There are standard adventures in Dungeons and Dragons that are called "modules," but the DM also can create a unique adventure.


Several adventures linked together constitute a campaign.


Campaigns are supplied by companies that publish them. There are many of them, including Eberron, Mystara, and Dragonlance.


The first Dungeons and Dragons games featured miniature figures. However, miniatures are no longer required, adventures are resolved by talking out the situation.


Dungeons and Dragons evolved out of wargames, which have been popular for hundreds of years. However, Dungeons and Dragons does not rely on, say, Civil War battles.


Wizards of the Coast acquired Dungeons and Dragons in 1997.


While Dungeons and Dragons is no longer considered controversial, for a long time it was. Some of the same complaints lodged against video games were made against Dungeons and Dragons decades earlier.


For instance, some people accused Dungeons and Dragons of immersing players in a fantasy world that was so absorbing that they had difficulty separating fantasy from reality. Some players reportedly experienced psychotic episodes from their over-involvement.


Even some murders were blamed on Dungeons and Dragons. However, the links to the games were never really proven.


There also have been accusations of Satanism and demon worship.


However, when looked at now, Dungeons and Dragons does not seem particularly scary and is a good way for friends to socialize.


Some famous people have been Dungeons and Dragons players, including Robin Williams and Vin Diesel.


Dungeons and Dragons escaped its infamy. It has been made into an animated television series, a film series, various magazines, novels, and video games.


There were yearly Dungeons and Dragons Championship Series from 1977 until 2013. The Series was revived in 2016 with some changes.


Dungeons and Dragons became a generic term for fantasy role-playing games. It has had a profound impact on subsequent games.


The game created the idea of a virtual reality for play which now is common in video games of all types.


There have been many Dungeons and Dragons comics. These include "Knights of the Dinner Table," a comic-sized magazine.


There have been three Dungeons and Dragons films: Dungeons & Dragons (2000), Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005), and Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness (2012).


Dungeons and Dragons never disappeared. It remains as popular as ever, though often in different forms such as video games. It's a lot of fun and led to a lot of vivid artwork.



2019

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!

All images courtesy of Hasbro.

You've heard of Power Rangers. That's the show with all the teens running around in brightly colored tights.


They are called Power Rangers because they have special powers and use them on patrol to protect the world from villains.


Power Rangers was created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy and first came to the public's attention in 1993. Here we have Power Rangers coloring pages free and downloadable.


Power Rangers has exploded in popularity. There have been 26 television series of 20 different Power Rangers themes.


Hasbro is the master toy licensee. Hasbro acquired the license in 2018.


Hasbro's first Power Rangers products hit the shelves in 2019.


The basic theme of Power Rangers is that a mentor recruits a team of youths to become superheroes.


The different Power Rangers wear suits of different colors, which makes it a lot easier to tell them apart.


Each team of Power Rangers is composed of three to five youths. There is no limit or minimum, but so far the groups have been within that range.


One of the most noticeable things about the Power Rangers series is that it uses footage from the Super Sentai television series produced by Toei Company. This sometimes gives the episodes a campy feel, but the footage is worked seamlessly with live-action scenes involving the current group of Power Rangers.


The first Power Rangers series debuted on 28 August 1993 and was called "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."


Mighty Morphin Power Rangers came along at a fortunate time because several major entertainment companies were developing special channels for children. The series helped to launch the Fox Kids programming block. The original series aired from 1993 to 1996.


There have been three Power Rangers theatrical films, released in 1995, 1997, and 2017. There undoubtedly will be more.


While every member of a Power Rangers team wears a different color, those colors change from team to team. Red and Blue always appear.


Yellow is the next most popular color for Power Rangers. Almost every team includes yellow.


The series follows the team in their ordinary lives, not just their superhero alter egos. The characters tend to wear the same colors both as Power Rangers and in school or wherever else they are seen.


In every Power Rangers series, there are villains. These sometimes are original and sometimes derive from the Super Sentai series.


There is a National Power Rangers Day on 28 August of every year.

Walt Disney Company aired Power Rangers series on its various networks such as ABC Kids, Toon Disney, and Jetix after buying the rights in 2001. This lasted until Haim Saban bought back the rights in 2010.

In 2011, Nickelodeon began airing the eighteenth season, called "Samurai."


Recent Power Rangers series have reunited the current team with past teams. So, fans can see their old favorites return.


The three Power Rangers motion pictures were "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" (1995), "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie" (1997), and "Power Rangers" (2017).


Power Rangers has been successful overseas as much as in the United States. It has aired in over 40 overseas markets.


Some overseas markets have taken exception to some of the Power Rangers series. It turns out that the word "Morphin" was offensive in Malaysia, which briefly banned the series. Power Rangers removed the word for Malaysia and the ban was lifted.


There have been dozens of Power Rangers DVD collections. Many of these collections can be found on streaming services, too.


The Power Rangers toys were created by Bandai for the first 25 years. After that, Hasbro took over toy distribution.


There also have been many Power Rangers comics. These have included Marvel Comics and Boom Studios.


There is even a Power Rangers book called "Power Rangers: The Ultimate Visual History" (2018).


There have been some famous actors who basically became famous through starring as Power Rangers characters. These include Amy Jo Johnson, who was in the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series and later went on to star in "Felicity."


There is a giant robot (Zord and Megazord) who derives from the Super Sentai series. The Power Rangers sometimes combine Zords into Megazords for battles.


There are certain rules that the Power Rangers must follow, sort of like the Boy Scouts.


These rules include not attempting to profit from their special powers and not over-fighting when it is not necessary. So, you will not see a Power Ranger stomping on a defeated villain's head, for instance.


If a Power Ranger does violate the rules, he or she loses their superhero powers.


No Power Ranger may disclose his or her superhero identity to anyone outside the group or they lose their powers.


Zordon is a Wizard who recruits each team of Power Rangers. The Zords, named after him, are large assault machines that the Power Rangers can use to defeat enemies.


Teens are recruited to be Power Rangers if they have "attitude." That leads to a catchphrase, "I'm a teenager with attitude."


Power Rangers have their own Twitter.


Power Rangers also has a homepage on Facebook.


Some of the Power Rangers actors got their roles by using ingenuity. For instance, Rebecca Marie Gomez, aka Becky G, began singing and rapping on Youtube. That led to her casting as a Power Ranger.


Power Rangers actors sometimes do their own stunts.

Power Rangers remains immensely popular and there will always be another Power Rangers television series with new characters coming along.



2019