Lore and Tradition within DnD
At its core, D&D is a long-form TTRPG where groups of players meet in person to role-play their created characters who have diverse motivations, backgrounds, and abilities. They explore imagined worlds, overcome challenges, and build relationships using dice rolls to determine the outcome of their actions. Over the last 47 years, D&D has altered its rulesets and content to cater to its transforming player base. (Sidhu and Carter 2021, 1049).
There are different ways to play DnD- an important factor is the edition of the game that players chose to play. Most popular today is the 5th edition, which like the others, informs players on how to use their dice, create their characters, act in combat, and make other gameplaying decisions. It is these rules, and specific mechanisms of the game that keep the story going, that make up the tradition found within DnD. Sims and Stephens (2011) write "Traditions are behaviors we do right now that connect us to other people in a group... Traditions are those informally shared behaviors, customs, and verbal expressions that circulate within and among groups. We share and continue them because they help us tell other members of the group and those in other groups (that esoteric/exoteric idea) who we are and what matters to us" (76). Within DnD, the behaviors that help players connect with one another are usually passed down through game play, either by the DM, learning from other players, or consulting the handbook. An example of a tradition within DnD is the use of dice. Being a role-playing game, there are many opportunities for players and the DM to decide what will happen next in the story. Dice are used to determine what a character will do, succeed at, perceive, and determine many other actions and events. Most players own at least one set of physical dice, and may enjoy collecting other sets that have unique colors and designs, that they bring with them to a DnD game. The "d20" die is considered the most significant die in the game, as it is used most often and determines many outcomes, so some players have a special d20 that looks different than the rest of their dice. It is commonly known among players as a symbol to represent the game. Players agree on how dice are used, for example, they may all agree that in order for a player to successfully complete an action they must role a certain number on their d20 die. The role (or roll- pun intended) of dice in DnD is incredibly important, and just one example of the prevalence of tradition in this game.
Other examples of tradition in DnD are the length of gameplay, the types of characters in a "party" (group of players), shared language among players (e.g. use of the words "crit", "nat", "natural 20", and "critical hit" to mean rolling a 20 on a d20, "nat 1" to mean rolling a 1, and "homebrew" to mean a game that was originally written by the DM). In a party, it is usually tradition to vary the race and class of characters for a more interesting game- not every player will chose to be a rogue orc, for example, unless asked to by the DM for the purpose of the game.
Lore plays a large role in DnD as well. Players will do research on their characters' race, class, language abilities, religion and religious background, and even physical characteristics before beginning a game. They use this information to craft a unique backstory for their character- the one they will play throughout the duration of the campaign (game). They may also request information from the DM about the world that they are playing in, the history, religion, language, and any background information that would be useful for them to know. There are hundreds of stories/adventures that have been written for DnD gameplay, many of them with connecting arcs, characters, and details, and it is common for players to know a bit of DnD lore and narrative outside of the game that they happen to be playing. Players may also listen to DnD games being played through podcasts, or read books written within DnD worlds.