When I first started the Dungeons & Dragons Online Beta, I wasn’t sure what to expect. As a long time player of Dungeons & Dragons in tabletop form, I was familiar enough with the game and the rules to have certain expectations, but I was not sure how those expectations would be translated into a PC game. At first glance, it is very easy to dismiss it as a knock-off of World of Warcraft, EverQuest II, or any other fantasy MMO.

This impression would be completely incorrect. More than anything else, I was struck by the sense this game was more like D&D than any other fantasy MMO I’ve played. The game not only has the staple D&D classes, but implements them in such a way that each class is important without overshadowing the others. The onscreen 20-sided die (d20) shows the results of each die roll and Dungeon Master (DM) text keeps the spirit and feel of the game close to its D&D roots.

Dungeons & Dragons Online is set in the city of Stormreach, a major port in the published D&D campaign world Eberron. As most D&D branded computer games in recent memory are set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, this gives it a unique quality. The city is laid out into sections, each closed off to players without the prerequisite skills or level (usually in the form of completing a task to gain permission). In true D&D fashion, taverns are the meeting points and rest areas for all adventurers.