doc/nethack.6: Rewrite initial description

I noticed that the "Dungeons & Dragons" trademark acknowledgement should
be using the _registered_ trade mark sign instead of the more general
one, as the mark's enjoyed registered status (in the U.S.) since 1978.

https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-results/73123558

It occurred to me that updating the game description for a 2026 audience
might be an improvement on one that assumes the reader is familiar with
D&D, with Teletype machines ("TTYs"), and with the Rogue game, which
NetHack arguably eclipsed in notoriety decades ago.

So I rewrote it, and dropped the references to D&D.  Besides, as of
commit c99da87c70, NetHack is incompatible with "Strength Table I." in
the AD&D Player's Handbook (TSR 2010, p. 9), so any grognard who lifts
would snatch NetHack's D&D membership card away anyway.  ;-)
This commit is contained in:
G. Branden Robinson
2026-05-06 04:53:12 -05:00
parent 76303faeab
commit 48ae0eb46e
+10 -5
View File
@@ -123,10 +123,17 @@ can be any of the following.
.hw nethackdir
.SH DESCRIPTION
.I NetHack
is a display oriented Dungeons & Dragons(tm) - like game.
The standard tty display and command structure resemble rogue.
is a fantasy-themed game of surival,
exploration,
and combat
set in the Mazes of Menace,
an elaborate underground complex.
.PP
Other, more graphical display options exist for most platforms.
Traditionally,
the game's interface uses a Unix terminal connection,
depicting the interface on a grid of character cells
and responding to keyboard-entered commands.
Other interface options exist for most platforms.
.PP
To get started you really only need to know two commands.
The command
@@ -658,5 +665,3 @@ Probably infinite.
This file is Copyright \*(co \*(Na, \*(Nd for version \*(Nb:\*(Nr.
NetHack may be freely redistributed.
See license for details.
.PP
Dungeons & Dragons is a Trademark of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.