The company has built the online version specifically around the teams of fantasy adventurers that made the original D&D so popular. John Foster, Turbine's director of public relations, said D&D Online requires players to quickly find others with whom to join forces and set out to complete quests.

That's a sharp contrast from many online games like EverQuest, World of Warcraft, and others. They are built with sophisticated socialization features, but they also make it possible for players to spend large amounts of time on their own.