The name dnd is derived from the abbreviation "D&D" from the original tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, which was released in 1974. dnd was written in the TUTOR programming language for the PLATO system by Gary Whisenhunt and Ray Wood at Southern Illinois University in 1974 and 1975.

[4][5] In dnd, players create a character and venture into the multi-level Whisenwood Dungeon (a portmanteau of the authors' last names) in search of two ultimate treasures: the grail and the orb.

As players complete each level, they are allowed to advance to the next, but the players may return to previous levels and leave the dungeon altogether making dnd one of the first video games to use non-linear progression.

As players complete levels, they acquire new spells, weapons and items that aid them in their quest to find the ultimate treasures.

High-level monsters, including a Golden Dragon that guards the Orb, are found at the end of each dungeon.