First Edition Dungeons and Dragons is an after-the-fact designation referring to the game system published from 1978 to 1988 under the title Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, prior to the release of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition rules.

The Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition rules were published from 1989 to 1999.

Dungeons and Dragons Third Edition was released in August 2000 and is the latest set of core rules for the game, which uses the general rule system called d20.

Roleplaying archives are web-accessible collections of game-related files, including, but not limited to maps, adventures, character sheets, and netbooks. Whereas many web sites showcase the gaming philosophy or experiences of their creators, archives emphasize quantity and diversity, collecting files from many sources and authors.

In the almost 30 years D&D has existed, several companies have published official campaign settings for the benefit of beginners and other Dungeon Masters who don't have time to design entire worlds.

Many roleplayers develop extensive backgrounds for their characters, creating elaborate histories, game fiction, and even in-character homepages.

Chat rooms, mailing lists, and message boards (but not newsgroups) intended for discussion of Dungeons & Dragons, rather than online roleplaying.

Parodies, ridiculous rules, gaming stories, comics, and anything else approaching D&D in a light-hearted spirit.

Netbooks (also known as net.books) are unofficial rules supplements created by gamers and distributed primarily as text files. Prior to the growth of the WWW, netbooks were (along with newsgroups) the online gaming community's preferred method of sharing Dungeons and Dragons material.

Computer programs designed to assist Dungeon Masters and players.