Of dice and men : the story of Dungeons & Dragons and the people who play it

The Hobbit meets Moneyball in this definitive book on Dungeons & Dragons—from its origins and rise to cultural prominence to the continued effects on popular culture today. HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS. Ancient red dragons with 527 hit points, +44 to attack, and a 20d10 breath weapon, to be specific. In the world of fantasy role-playing, those numbers describe a winged serpent with immense strength and the ability to spit fire. There are few beasts more powerful—just like there are few games more important than Dungeons & Dragons. Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974—decades before the Internet and social media—Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by millions of fans around the world. Now the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. In Of Dice and Men , David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game’s roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game’s origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D’s profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment. Updated with new chapters and an introduction for the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, the fascinating and authoritative history of Dungeons & Dragons that “tracks D&D's turbulent rise, fall, and survival, from its heyday in the 1980s...to the 21st century” (The Wall Street Journal), by award-winning journalist David M. Ewalt.Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture, and 2014 marks the intriguing role-playing phenomenon's 40th anniversary. Released decades before the Internet and social media, Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures and is still revered by more than 30 million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. In Of Dice and Men, David Ewalt describes the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game's origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D's lasting impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences, “writing about the world of fantasy role-playing junkies with intelligence, dexterity, and even wisdom” (Ken Jennings). An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America's most popular form of collaborative entertainment. The Lord of the Rings meets Moneyball in this fascinating and authoritative history of Dungeons & Dragons that "tracks D&D's turbulent rise, fall, and survival, from its heyday in the 1980s...to the twenty-first century" ( The Wall Street Journal ), by award-winning journalist David M. Ewalt. Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture, and 2014 marks the intriguing role-playing phenomenon's 40th anniversary. Released decades before the Internet and social media, Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures and is still revered by more than 30 million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. In Of Dice and Men, David Ewalt describes the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game's origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D's lasting impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences, "writing about the world of fantasy role-playing junkies with intelligence, dexterity, and even wisdom" (Ken Jennings). An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment. A fascinating and personal look at Dungeons & Dragons that “tracks D&D’s turbulent rice, fall, and survival, from its heyday in the 1980s...to the twenty-first century” (The Wall Street Journal). Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture, and 2014 marks the intriguing role-playing phenomenon’s 40th anniversary. Released decades before the Internet and social media, Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures and is still revered by more than 30 million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. In *Of Dice and Men*, David Ewalt describes the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game’s origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game’s origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D’s lasting impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences, “writing about the world of fantasy role-playing junkies with intelligence, dexterity, and even wisdom” (Ken Jennings). An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, *Of Dice and Men* sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment. The Lord of the Rings meets Moneyball in this unique and authoritative book on Dungeons & Dragons--from the game's origins through its rise to cultural prominence, and its ripple effect on popular culture today. Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has (whether or not they're willing to admit it). Released in 1974--decades before video games and the Internet took over the gaming world--Dungeons & Dragons became one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by over thirty million fans today. Now Forbes senior editor David M. Ewalt explores the rich history of the game, revealing the magic that enlivened his youth, and has since re-entered his adult life in a whole new way. From its roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, and to its apotheosis as father of the modern video game industry, Of Dice and Men recounts the development of a game played by some of most fascinating people in the world. Chronicling the surprising history of D & D's origins (one largely unknown even to hardcore players) while examining the game's profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp cultural analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment

The Hobbit meets Moneyball in this definitive book on Dungeons & Dragons—from its origins and rise to cultural prominence to the continued effects on popular culture today.

Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: The game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974—decades before the Internet and social media—Dungeons & Dragons is one of the original ultimate nerd subcultures, and is still revered by more than thirty million fans. Now, the authoritative history and magic of the game is revealed by an award-winning journalist and life-long dungeon master.

From its origins on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, and to its apotheosis as father of the modern video game industry, Of Dice and Men recounts the development of a game played by some of the most fascinating people in the world. Chronicling the surprising history of D&D’s origins (one largely unknown even to hardcore players) while examining the game’s profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.

HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS.Ancient red dragons with 527 hit points, +44 to attack, and a 20d10 breath weapon, to be specific. In the world of fantasy role-playing, those numbers describe a winged serpent with immense strength and the ability to spit fire. There are few beasts more powerful—just like there are few games more important than Dungeons & Dragons.In Of Dice and Men, journalist David M. Ewalt chronicles the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria of the 1980s that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he examines the game's surprising history and assesses its profound impact on our culture, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences.An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.DAVID M. EWALT began playing Dungeons & Dragons when he was ten years old. Now an award-winning journalist, he writes about games for such publications as Forbes and New York magazine, talks about games on television and radio, and plays games in and around his Brooklyn, New York, home. Join him or find out more at davidmewalt.com. Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974--decades before the Internet and social media--Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by millions around the world. Now the authoritative history of the game is revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the game's surprising origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D's impact, Ewalt interweaves subculture analysis with his own gaming experiences to shed light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.--From publisher description. Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974 -- decades before the Internet and social media -- Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by millions around the world. Now the authoritative history of the game is revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D & D player. David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the game's surprising origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D & D's impact, Ewalt interweaves subculture analysis with his own gaming experiences to shed light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment Cover Dedication I Am Not a Wizard 1: You’re All at a Tavern 2: Little Wars 3: Grognards 4: Druids with Phaser Guns 5: Strength of Character 6: Temple of the Frog 7: The Breaking of the Fellowship 8: Why We Play 9: Arneson vs. Gygax 10: The Satanic Panic 11: Death or Glory 12: Resurrection 13: The Inn at World’s Edge 14: D&D Next 15: The Song of Marv and Harry 16: Pilgrimage Acknowledgments About David M. Ewalt Notes Index Copyright **__The Hobbit__ meets __Moneyball__ in this definitive book on Dungeons & Dragons—from its origins and rise to cultural prominence to the continued effects on popular culture today.** **HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS.**__Of Dice and Men____Of Dice and Men__