The new edition, the fourth since D&D was created in 1974, may do nothing for the game's social stigma, but at least players will have the option to commune online. Not surprisingly, they're considered uncool by those who lack an appreciation of fantasy. Though guided by thick rulebooks, the games have an element of theater, with players using the voices of their characters. But they talk warmly about the camaraderie fostered by the games, since the players cooperate rather than compete. Roleplayers have always faced the difficulty of getting together regularly, especially since the games are lengthy. "That group that broke up in 1987 because you all graduated from high school and went to schools across the country? Well, you can get that old teenage group back together," said Scott Rouse, brand manager for D&D at Wizards of the Coast. The next edition of the game, due out in June, will for the first time be paired with online features that the publisher hopes will lure lapsed players back to the dungeon. Now, D&D is borrowing from its imitators. It has never quite become mainstream entertainment, but it has inspired roleplaying computer games like "World of Warcraft" to borrow its principles and turn them into a multibillion-dollar industry. That's what's happened to "Dungeons & Dragons," the roleplaying game that for decades has drawn geeks to roll dice and pretend to be elves, sorcerers and other fantasy heroes. NEW YORK - It must be tough to be 34 and already see your children overshadow you.
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