Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
- Downloads：9134
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-21 17:21:45
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ben Riggs
- ISBN：125027804X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Caroline
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book！As someone who really enjoys D&D but only recently got into playing it for myself， this book unlocked a part of the game that I'd never delved into before， the history of the company that published it。 I'm not usually big on nonfiction reads， but this was engaging， informative， and had， at times， a fun sense of humor to go along with the mind-boggling story of this game and TSR。I was going to give this one 4 stars， because I normally Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book！As someone who really enjoys D&D but only recently got into playing it for myself， this book unlocked a part of the game that I'd never delved into before， the history of the company that published it。 I'm not usually big on nonfiction reads， but this was engaging， informative， and had， at times， a fun sense of humor to go along with the mind-boggling story of this game and TSR。I was going to give this one 4 stars， because I normally need something really memorable about a book to give it all 5， but that didn't come until the final chapters of the book。 I found myself actually excited and overjoyed at the way things played out and how Riggs included them in the history of the company， and I think he managed， the entire time， to remain very neutral on some topics in a way that I really appreciated。 It was a great story， well told， and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys RPG's or gaming in general。 。。。more
Terri
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I've been playing D&D with my friends for years now， so I was very excited to see this book pop up。D&D has always been such a cultural behemoth to me， so it's wild to learn that TSR was in such hot water for most of its existence。 It's hard to imagine a world where the game didn't survive TSR's demise。I'm a sucker for drama， so reading Ben Riggs' research on TSR and all the trouble they experience was really interesting to me。 This is definitely a book geared a little bit more toward people who I've been playing D&D with my friends for years now， so I was very excited to see this book pop up。D&D has always been such a cultural behemoth to me， so it's wild to learn that TSR was in such hot water for most of its existence。 It's hard to imagine a world where the game didn't survive TSR's demise。I'm a sucker for drama， so reading Ben Riggs' research on TSR and all the trouble they experience was really interesting to me。 This is definitely a book geared a little bit more toward people who are either passionate about D&D instead or interested in how to run your business directly into the ground at full speed。 You can tell that Riggs is definitely a big D&D fan who is incredibly interested in every facet of its history。 Which is great， because in my experience， there's a pretty big market for that。If you're a DM or a player or care a lot about someone who is， this is a great book to have around。 。。。more
MissBecka Gee
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As someone who got only touched on RPG in her teens， I found this fascinating。I married a mega D&D nerd， so my education has been increasing over the last 20 years or so。I was able to teach him a thing or two as I listened to this book。There was quite a bit more to the destruction of TSR than anyone on the outside knew possible。I will have to listen to this a couple more times to retain all the info， but I'm okay with that。The amount of research and interviews Riggs did to get this together was As someone who got only touched on RPG in her teens， I found this fascinating。I married a mega D&D nerd， so my education has been increasing over the last 20 years or so。I was able to teach him a thing or two as I listened to this book。There was quite a bit more to the destruction of TSR than anyone on the outside knew possible。I will have to listen to this a couple more times to retain all the info， but I'm okay with that。The amount of research and interviews Riggs did to get this together was highly impressive。Looking forward to listening to it again！Much love to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for my DRC。 。。。more
Emily Neilsen
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I have always been interested in D&D but this book explains the why， the who， and the how of it all。 The way it began and the way it exploded both in growth and the company behind the game itself and the way others swooped in to save it。 Just so fascinating and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in gaming or just human foibles。
Justine || themaritimebookworm
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Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this audiobook。 This review is coming from someone where the only thing I know about DND is from the podcasts I listen to。 This book was fascinating seeing the historical journey of Dungeons and Dragons， the good bad and ugly。 This book has a lot about the business so if it’s not something you can follow it may not be for you。
Mandy
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Audio: Having little interest in D&D， I found this to be very interesting。 It was a really easy and enjoyable listen！
Kenny Johnson
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I received an ARC from St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。I'm familiar with some of Ben Riggs' work。 I previously read his self-published book "Encounter Theory" where he outlines his theory on what makes a good RPG adventure。 I think it's an excellent resource for those creating and running RPG adventures。 I've also read a couple of his articles and had listened to his podcast in the past。 Ben is a very good storyteller which is largely why the book works。 I alr I received an ARC from St。 Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review。I'm familiar with some of Ben Riggs' work。 I previously read his self-published book "Encounter Theory" where he outlines his theory on what makes a good RPG adventure。 I think it's an excellent resource for those creating and running RPG adventures。 I've also read a couple of his articles and had listened to his podcast in the past。 Ben is a very good storyteller which is largely why the book works。 I already some of the facts that Ben reveals in this book， but along with providing new insights， Ben is able to relay much of this information in a fun and entertaining read。 But I do have some complaints。 For some reason， Ben Riggs has decided to refer to Gary Gygax （one of the creators of D&D） as Saint Gary。 In some cases， I wasn't quite sure if he was mocking or honoring Mr。 Gygax。 No matter， he does it so much， almost every time Gary's name is mentioned that it becomes tiresome。 I really wish an editor had put an axe to that decision。 The other problem I have is that the main point of this book， the thesis you might say， is to uncover why TSR （D&D's former parent company） failed。 But the answer is not all the interesting。 It really just boils down to poor management。 Sure， Ben goes into some details about what those poor management decisions were， but unless you're a business major or entrepreneur yourself， most of it isn't that interesting。 The human stories were much more interesting to read。 Reading about one of TSR's dark days in the mid 90s when much of the staff were laid off was compelling and mirror some of my own experiences with mass layoffs from a company。 I wish Ben had focused more on the people stories and less of the details of what TSR was doing， because that whole section （Part 3） was a bit of a slog to get through， save for the end where he does get more into the people and what happened to them。 The one exception is the revelation he gives about how D&D wasn't profitable with a lot of its products and why。 As a gamer， I did find that piece to be interesting。 For the most part though， TSR's demise can best be summed up the same was Lisa Stevens summed it up in his end of the book quote， "Don’t do stupid s#&！。” 。。。more
Jess | dapper。reads
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As a token nerd， I was so excited to see a book about the history of Dungeons and Dragons on NetGalley， and I was even more excited to be approved for the audiobook！I can say that while I’ve played DD here and there， I’ve never played seriously or thought too much about the background and official creation of the game。 While I did wonder in general who comes up with these things， I never thought too much about it。 This book really dove right in and gave us the full history - from the creators to As a token nerd， I was so excited to see a book about the history of Dungeons and Dragons on NetGalley， and I was even more excited to be approved for the audiobook！I can say that while I’ve played DD here and there， I’ve never played seriously or thought too much about the background and official creation of the game。 While I did wonder in general who comes up with these things， I never thought too much about it。 This book really dove right in and gave us the full history - from the creators to the companies that own the rights as well as the playing process and such。 I found it really interesting！If you enjoy learning about the history of games， DD specifically or other RPGs， I’d definitely recommend this one。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Beth
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You may think you know the story of TSR's rise and fall but Riggs got interviews， contracts， and sales data that shows there's so much more to it than you think， and makes it a very entertaining read at the same time。 Read it for fun or to learn what not to do when running a company。See my full review at https://www。enworld。org/threads/slayi。。。 You may think you know the story of TSR's rise and fall but Riggs got interviews， contracts， and sales data that shows there's so much more to it than you think， and makes it a very entertaining read at the same time。 Read it for fun or to learn what not to do when running a company。See my full review at https://www。enworld。org/threads/slayi。。。 。。。more
Korynne
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I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons or any tabletop RPG games， nor watched anyone play them， so I’m not sure why I was drawn to this book。 I’ve always loved video games， so I’ve always wanted to try out D&D and other formats of games， but for some reason I’ve never had the opportunity or means to play。 Nevertheless， I still wanted to read about its history。 Slaying the Dragon is the true story of the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （TSR）， the original creators of Dungeons & Dragons， and I’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons or any tabletop RPG games， nor watched anyone play them， so I’m not sure why I was drawn to this book。 I’ve always loved video games， so I’ve always wanted to try out D&D and other formats of games， but for some reason I’ve never had the opportunity or means to play。 Nevertheless， I still wanted to read about its history。 Slaying the Dragon is the true story of the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （TSR）， the original creators of Dungeons & Dragons， and how the game ultimately ended up in the hands of Wizards of the Coast， TSR’s biggest rival at the time。 Despite having never played D&D and not being a huge fan of nonfiction， I actually found this book to be very interesting and easily readable。 The author’s writing is so captivating and enjoyable。 This wasn’t dry or hard to read at all。 The only real complaint I have is that sometimes I got the people mixed up， but that likely comes from listening to the audiobook and not being able to see the names written down， which overall wasn’t a huge deal。 The audiobook narrator was excellent though and had a great voice to listen to。 The history of D&D is full of surprises and the author did a great job of laying it all out from the beginning， including all the big moments while also highlighting minor details that were notable or simply just interesting facts。 I think it’s hilarious that in the “Satanic Panic” era of the 1970s， people thought D&D summoned actual demons and enticed people to commit suicide。 I’ve never understood how people come to these absurd conclusions about fantasy games or novels。 Overall， Slaying the Dragon was a super fun read that I would definitely recommend to any Dungeons & Dragons fans out there， whether you were a hardcore fan in the ’80s or you’re a casual player now or you only read the novels。 Tabletop and RPG gamers would likely also have a good time reading this book。 Above anything， it’s a really fascinating history， even if you aren’t super familiar with D&D （like me）。 I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this。 My Book Blog: Storeys of Stories 。。。more
Sherrie
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***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***If you want an ego boost， and you're a bit of a geek， you should read this book。 The inventors and leaders of the company that made Dungeons and Dragons were brilliant folks who did everything wrong。 It's astounding that anything was accomplished。 If they can do it， so can you！ It's hard to write a book about the intricacies of a business for multiple reasons。 First， where do you get your information？ How do you fact check？ The author did a stupendous ***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***If you want an ego boost， and you're a bit of a geek， you should read this book。 The inventors and leaders of the company that made Dungeons and Dragons were brilliant folks who did everything wrong。 It's astounding that anything was accomplished。 If they can do it， so can you！ It's hard to write a book about the intricacies of a business for multiple reasons。 First， where do you get your information？ How do you fact check？ The author did a stupendous amount of research for Slaying the Dragon and it shows。 They acknowledge when their information is incomplete and I appreciate that level of honesty。 Second， business is BORING。 Contracts， fees， financial agreements。。。it's hard to write that in a way that keeps people excited。 The author gave it the good college try， though， using very informal language （including the occasional curse word！） and creating a tone that honestly felt like someone chatting with their friends about their hobby。 At first this kind of bugged me， but by the end it felt like a good choice for this particular book。 I expect that this will split the audience a bit。 Overall， this was a fun jaunt through the history of D&D。 If you're a gamer， you might enjoy it。 。。。more
Bethany
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If you're at all into gaming or geek culture and have any interest in history， this is definitely worth a read。 Slaying the Dragon is a fascinating account of the history of TSR， the company that created Dungeons and Dragons， all the way through it being bought by Wizards Of the Coast。 The author interviewed as many people as possible to do research for the book and it offers a nuanced look at what happened， including details on the poor financial decisions that ended up leading to the downfall If you're at all into gaming or geek culture and have any interest in history， this is definitely worth a read。 Slaying the Dragon is a fascinating account of the history of TSR， the company that created Dungeons and Dragons， all the way through it being bought by Wizards Of the Coast。 The author interviewed as many people as possible to do research for the book and it offers a nuanced look at what happened， including details on the poor financial decisions that ended up leading to the downfall of TSR。 But you also see how amazing it was at its best， some of the incredible artists and writers who were developed at the company （even if they too often failed to retain their best talent）。 There are some wild， fun， and tragic stories。 Plus the irony of the fact that this game central to the Satanic Panic of the 80's and 90's was created by a devout Jehovah's Witness！ I enjoyed this a lot， though at times the author inserted himself into the narrative a bit too much。 I do wish this had covered more on HOW D&D became so popular in the mainstream in the past decade or so。 It's mentioned at the end， but not in any great detail。 That said， this is interesting and well-researched。 The audio narrator does a great job and nails the tone of the book - history， but also light and sometimes a bit tongue-in-cheek。 Which works for the topic。 I received an audio review copy of this book via NetGalley， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Megan Ward
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This book is truly on of the best nonfiction books of 2022。 Thank you to Net galley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review。 The narrative that Riggs has woven through all the interviews he's done， it flows and keeps you hooked。 This is only the second book I've read dealing with the subject of D&D's history， （the other being Of Dice and Men） but to me， this one feels to be the superior book。 My true rating is 4。5 because it lacks the perspective of Lorraine Williams， but Riggs does a fai This book is truly on of the best nonfiction books of 2022。 Thank you to Net galley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review。 The narrative that Riggs has woven through all the interviews he's done， it flows and keeps you hooked。 This is only the second book I've read dealing with the subject of D&D's history， （the other being Of Dice and Men） but to me， this one feels to be the superior book。 My true rating is 4。5 because it lacks the perspective of Lorraine Williams， but Riggs does a fairly decent job of acknowledging this lack as well as keeping the portrayal as neutral as possible。 I will be recommending this book to others as I feel others who play D&D but might not now the history， would learn interesting things。 。。。more
brea
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Okay， I will say that I feel like the title is a *liiiitle* misleading as this really has less to do with the history of the game that is Dungeon's and Dragons and more to do with the companies TSR and Wizards of the Coast。 I go into books completely blind， one of my toxic traits， so I'm not dinging points off the rating just because I opted not to read a synopsis but I did want to make that clear in case there are any other toxic heauxs out there like me。 Despite this not being the book I actua Okay， I will say that I feel like the title is a *liiiitle* misleading as this really has less to do with the history of the game that is Dungeon's and Dragons and more to do with the companies TSR and Wizards of the Coast。 I go into books completely blind， one of my toxic traits， so I'm not dinging points off the rating just because I opted not to read a synopsis but I did want to make that clear in case there are any other toxic heauxs out there like me。 Despite this not being the book I actually thought it was going to be， I thought it was super intereting， well researched， and a pretty fair representation of the story of TRS & Wizards of the Coast。 By no means do I consider myself an expert on the topic， but by fair I mean， I think the author did a great job of trying to exhaust all possible options to not slander people who have historically been villianized within TSR and give plenty of options and space for records to be set and air to be cleared。 They did a lot of research， approached scenarios from multiple angles， and when discussing Loraine Williams gave note to how 80s/90s misogyny would have played a role in how she was perceieved as a businesswoman without dismissing her obvious flaws and wrongdoings。 As someone whose first real forray into D&D was through the fantasy novels （and didn't even know they were set in D&D worlds at first！！！）， it was SUPER cool to see how the publishing aspect came into play at TSR because this was something I didn't have any knowledge on。 It was really cool seeing Drizzt's conception， and how R。A Salvatore （who apparently just goes by Bob lol） got his start！ It was just really validating in a nerd way to see how your community was built！ And even the business aspects of the book were shockingly fasincating！！！ This is one of those books that I as I was reading， I was making a list of all the people - both friends， fellow campaign mates， and even library patrons， who I know need to read this book， and I can't wait for publication day so I can put it in their hands！！ Book rating: 3。75/5Narrator rating: 4。5/5 Thank you to Libro。Fm's ALC program and St。 Martin's Press for an early copy of the book for reviewing purposes。 。。。more
Lucy Mitchell
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Thank you so much to @Netgalley for the audiobook ARC copy of Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs！I have been playing D&D for almost 2 years now， but was never really aware of what an incredible history the game had。 Riggs does an excellent job of detailing the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （also known as TSR， the company responsible for the Dungeons and Dragons empire） and game designer Gary Gygax。 I learned so much about the company's modest beginnings， and how genuinely awesome an exper Thank you so much to @Netgalley for the audiobook ARC copy of Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs！I have been playing D&D for almost 2 years now， but was never really aware of what an incredible history the game had。 Riggs does an excellent job of detailing the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （also known as TSR， the company responsible for the Dungeons and Dragons empire） and game designer Gary Gygax。 I learned so much about the company's modest beginnings， and how genuinely awesome an experience it was to work for this corporation。 Through a series of interviews， personal experiences， and historical documentation， Riggs explains in great detail how a company that started off with such great promise， plummeted disastrously at the hands of several misguided individuals。 It was a truly wild ride。The narrator was awesome and made the story sound super engaging， despite some of the very "numbers-oriented" details。 。。。more
Lucy Mitchell
，
Thank you so much to @netgalley for audiobook ARC copy of Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs！I have been playing D&D for almost 2 years now， but was never really aware of what an incredible history the game had。 Riggs does an excellent job of detailing the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （also known as TSR， the company responsible for the Dungeons and Dragons empire） and game designer Gary Gygax。 I learned so much about the company’s modest beginnings， and how genuinely awesome an experienc Thank you so much to @netgalley for audiobook ARC copy of Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs！I have been playing D&D for almost 2 years now， but was never really aware of what an incredible history the game had。 Riggs does an excellent job of detailing the rise and fall of Tactical Studies Rules （also known as TSR， the company responsible for the Dungeons and Dragons empire） and game designer Gary Gygax。 I learned so much about the company’s modest beginnings， and how genuinely awesome an experience it was to work for this corporation。 Through a series of interviews， personal experiences， and historical documentation， Riggs explains I’m great detail how a company that started off with such great promise， plummeted disastrously at the hands of several misguided individuals。 It was truly a wild ride。The narrator was awesome and made the story sound super engaging， despite some of the very “number oriented” details。⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me！ 。。。more
Sarah （Bright & Bookish）
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I was very intrigued when I saw this book appear on NetGalley because I started playing D&D after reading Of Dice and Men: Dungeons and Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M。 Ewalt， when it came out back in 2013。 I was curious to see if this book would cover the same ground in a different way。 This is a very different book from Of Dice and Men。 Whereas that book is looking at D&D as a role playing game， this book was a history of TSR， the company that first released D&D， and that was a n I was very intrigued when I saw this book appear on NetGalley because I started playing D&D after reading Of Dice and Men: Dungeons and Dragons and the People Who Play It by David M。 Ewalt， when it came out back in 2013。 I was curious to see if this book would cover the same ground in a different way。 This is a very different book from Of Dice and Men。 Whereas that book is looking at D&D as a role playing game， this book was a history of TSR， the company that first released D&D， and that was a nuance that I had missed from the description。 Despite it covering a different topic， I found that there was nothing in the first third of the book that I had not known before picking it up and I was a little disappointed。 But then we started learning more about the actual business side of things for TSR， and there was some very good analysis of what lead to TSR being sold to Wizard’s of the Coast in the 90s。 If you are a die hard D&D fan who wants to know every detail of the history of the game then this book is definitely for you。 Likewise if you are interested in learning what not to do with a business I would recommend this book。 Unfortunately， the writing style left much to be desired， feeling at times like unedited notes。 And though it seems the author interviewed numerous people I don’t think he used those interviews to his best advantage。 The organization of the book thematically made it hard to follow what was said by who and when， and I think if I didn’t already have a good grasp on the chronology of events I would have gotten lost。 Overall I was satisfied with this book and it definitely has an audience out there as I mentioned above。Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Jesse
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Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC！Slaying the Dragon is a fascinating look at the rise and fall， and ultimately， the sell-off， of the company that revolutionized role-playing games with the release of Dungeons and Dragons。 The author has obviously done extensive research， and manages to convey lots of insider viewpoints without devolving into sensationalism and finger-pointing。 Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of RPGs in general， and a must-read if you're a D&D aficionado。 Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC！Slaying the Dragon is a fascinating look at the rise and fall， and ultimately， the sell-off， of the company that revolutionized role-playing games with the release of Dungeons and Dragons。 The author has obviously done extensive research， and manages to convey lots of insider viewpoints without devolving into sensationalism and finger-pointing。 Definitely worth the read if you are a fan of RPGs in general， and a must-read if you're a D&D aficionado。 。。。more
Travis
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I read a pre-pub proof sent to me by the publisher。 While this book expands the story of TSR's rise and fall， Riggs over embellishes an already fascinating story。 If you are a D&D enthusiast， this is probably an important book to read。 This is a flawed telling of an important story。 I did learn some things I would not have otherwise known but I didn't enjoy the overwrought prose and the rampant speculation about one of the most important companies in 20th century pop culture history。 I read a pre-pub proof sent to me by the publisher。 While this book expands the story of TSR's rise and fall， Riggs over embellishes an already fascinating story。 If you are a D&D enthusiast， this is probably an important book to read。 This is a flawed telling of an important story。 I did learn some things I would not have otherwise known but I didn't enjoy the overwrought prose and the rampant speculation about one of the most important companies in 20th century pop culture history。 。。。more
LeeAnn
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D&D fans， if you love political intrigue and peering behind the curtain， this book is for you。It's a compilation of facts and stories that tell the behind the scenes tale of the rise and fall of TSR， the company behind the popular Dungeons and Dragons franchise。 Expertly crafted and well-written， this book reads like its own campaign， complete with wizards and bards and rangers。 （And the readers can decide for themselves who the BBEG is at the end。）"Was there a smell in the air？ A glow from bene D&D fans， if you love political intrigue and peering behind the curtain， this book is for you。It's a compilation of facts and stories that tell the behind the scenes tale of the rise and fall of TSR， the company behind the popular Dungeons and Dragons franchise。 Expertly crafted and well-written， this book reads like its own campaign， complete with wizards and bards and rangers。 （And the readers can decide for themselves who the BBEG is at the end。）"Was there a smell in the air？ A glow from beneath the wind-licked waves of Geneva Lake？ Were there portents？ Signs？ Divine hints？ 。。。 The dawn of the medium of roleplaying had humble origins。"Ben Riggs has crafted a story worthy of being told by the world's best GMs。 And he has done so by using the stories from the people who were there at the beginnings of the tale itself。 Well done。 。。。more
Kristin Sledge
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4。5 stars rounded down。Dungeons and Dragons was a very taboo subject in my household growing up。 Living in an EXTREMELY religious house， one where even watching Pocahontas talk to Grandmother Willow was taken as letting demons in/false worship， it was never an option to be exposed in any capacity。 Fast forward to now， where I have played many characters in many campaigns and love everything about D&D。 I feel so lucky that I was able to learn more about the history of this amazing game and that w 4。5 stars rounded down。Dungeons and Dragons was a very taboo subject in my household growing up。 Living in an EXTREMELY religious house， one where even watching Pocahontas talk to Grandmother Willow was taken as letting demons in/false worship， it was never an option to be exposed in any capacity。 Fast forward to now， where I have played many characters in many campaigns and love everything about D&D。 I feel so lucky that I was able to learn more about the history of this amazing game and that we live in a world saturated with exquisite live-play podcasts such as Dungeons and Daddies and Critical Role。Riggs does this story justice， laying out all the avenues（good and bad） taken by the founding company， TSR， throughout the early years of D&D。 He gives a voice to not just Gygax but the artists， writers， and creative minds that kept the wheels of progress moving ever forward。I can't honestly tell you that this Level 9 Monk/Barbarian Fawn player has loved every second of this novel and look forward to future installments of the ever evolving game of Dungeons and Dragons。 4。5 stars rounded down， and a massive recommendation for all those who love table top games; or even those looking to dip their toe in。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andi
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I'd like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me read this book about the rise and fall of TSR。 If you would have met me almost 10 years ago I would have told you very little about what Dungeons and Dragons is。 I would have said， it's a movie and a tv show， and it's roleplaying with dice。 That's it。 In 2014， I had witnessed a video of girls playing a game and thought， 'hm， looks fun， easy，。。 I played video games and I have done roleplaying， So maybe I can do this too。' And now， I'v I'd like to thank the publisher and Net Galley for allowing me read this book about the rise and fall of TSR。 If you would have met me almost 10 years ago I would have told you very little about what Dungeons and Dragons is。 I would have said， it's a movie and a tv show， and it's roleplaying with dice。 That's it。 In 2014， I had witnessed a video of girls playing a game and thought， 'hm， looks fun， easy，。。 I played video games and I have done roleplaying， So maybe I can do this too。' And now， I've played multiple campaigns through both vintage TSR， Wizards of the Coast， and also from current 3。5 and 5 E。 This book is well told， well researched and gives the truth and I think answers that some people seek or have always known （but now confirmed） regarding what on earth was going on in the company。 From the birth of the game through Gary， to the take-over from the female who wished to pay more attention to Buck Rodgers， and the sacking of everyone and everything to keep afloat。 It also goes over some random moments when they tried to make their way into other media like tv and CD roms。I was thoroughly entertained and now I can tell my friends - I know things from this book！ If I never played D&D I would have no interest in this book。 If I played D&D for longer， I might know these stories but not the truth。 So in short， I'd give this a shout-out and a need to purchase book for the person who loves D&D or is fascinated by the world。 。。。more
Jim Razinha
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I received an Uncorrected Digital Galley from the publisher St。 Martin's Press through NetGalley。 I'd requested it because I have a long fascination with TSR and D&D （and I read Of Dice and Men about nine years ago。） I was introduced to D&D back in the late 1970s， played a little， bought one of the supplements Eldritch Wizardry， had the original AD&D books， introduced my older two sons， and then my younger two， even stinting a couple of times as DM。 Still， I've not been a big player。 The younger I received an Uncorrected Digital Galley from the publisher St。 Martin's Press through NetGalley。 I'd requested it because I have a long fascination with TSR and D&D （and I read Of Dice and Men about nine years ago。） I was introduced to D&D back in the late 1970s， played a little， bought one of the supplements Eldritch Wizardry， had the original AD&D books， introduced my older two sons， and then my younger two， even stinting a couple of times as DM。 Still， I've not been a big player。 The younger two， both adult now， continue to play， and when the family can， all of the brothers plus two wives enjoy their sessions with my third son DMing。 All that backstory informs why I requested the book。 It's a sad story for the old fans。 TSR did something nobody else did。 And。。。 they weren't that good at the business part of it。 Riggs investigates and compiles a timeline that probably has a few new tidbits for the diehards。 Rapid rise， long slow fall （with a crest or two） until Wizards finally bought them。 Which worked out because the game is still going。 I can't keep up with the latest round of rules - AD&D was as advanced as I ever wanted - but then I don't have to。This is a good book for the fans， particularly those of us who experienced the earliest days。Not a lot of notes on this， so here's one:[on an early Gygax game] It was a set of medieval combat rules cowritten with Jeff Perren called Chainmail。 Chainmail introduced a number of innovations to the game table。 It provided rules for “man-to-man” combat （instead of combat with massed armies） and a fourteen-page supplement for fantasy that included rules for using elves， dwarves， trolls， and dragons at the table。 The game sold well， but was not a hit。{It may not have been a hit， but I had a copy of the rules…}[for the publisher， a typo] Probably already caught in final editing， but in Chapter 11， the story about Steven Grant and writing some new Hardy Boys books， "A publisher decided to resurrect the twee teen sleuths。。。""twee"？ 。。。more
Rachel
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I never knew all of the intricacies that have gone into creating the Dungeons & Dragons that we know today。 D&D is a pillar of geek culture and it revolutionized gaming as we know it。 Following the rise of TSR， the company that first published D&D， and their eventual demise was an epic journey in and of itself。 Ben Riggs has done his due diligence and created a detailed and comprehensive look into every aspect of the company， their people， and their products。 It is incredibly apparent that he is I never knew all of the intricacies that have gone into creating the Dungeons & Dragons that we know today。 D&D is a pillar of geek culture and it revolutionized gaming as we know it。 Following the rise of TSR， the company that first published D&D， and their eventual demise was an epic journey in and of itself。 Ben Riggs has done his due diligence and created a detailed and comprehensive look into every aspect of the company， their people， and their products。 It is incredibly apparent that he is so passionate about the game and yet he remains impartial as he reports on management’s ill-fated decision-making。 There is a beautiful nostalgia to the beginning days of TSR。 Images of employees running through the hallways of their workplace with Nerf guns in hand make you wish you could have seen the company in those early days。 Riggs interviews the upper echelons of the gaming world and they have some wild stories。 From beginning to end， the book was entertaining and at times felt stranger than fiction。 I was so happy to receive an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway！Overall: a fascinating look at the life of Dungeons & Dragons from its inception to what we know and love today。 。。。more
Martin Maenza
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Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons &d Dragons is scheduled for release on July 19， 2022。 The publisher St。 Martin's Press provided me an early galley in exchange for an honest review。Over the years， I have read a number of books about the creation of this popular tabletop roleplaying game and the company that first produced it。 That includes Game Wizards by Jon Peterson and Of Dice and Men by David W。 Ewalt （the latter of which was a reference for this one）。 I have been playing Dun Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons &d Dragons is scheduled for release on July 19， 2022。 The publisher St。 Martin's Press provided me an early galley in exchange for an honest review。Over the years， I have read a number of books about the creation of this popular tabletop roleplaying game and the company that first produced it。 That includes Game Wizards by Jon Peterson and Of Dice and Men by David W。 Ewalt （the latter of which was a reference for this one）。 I have been playing Dungeons & Dragons since 1982 （when it was known as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons） through today （the 5th Edition of the rules）。 Therefore， any books on the subject are a huge draw for me。Riggs covers a good bit of， for me， familiar ground as he sets the stage and presents the history of the game's origins。 He does so in a very friendly， accessible manner; he does not let dry facts and minutiae of details bog down his presentation of the entire history of the company。 After just a quarter of the way in， he already has moved past the first iteration of TSR with the departure of Gary Gygax。 I appreciated getting further into the company's and the game's story that quickly。Another aspect that I enjoyed of this book was that it touched upon a number of the creative projects and endeavors from the company， outlining which ones were successes （moderately or otherwise） and which ones were failures。 He talks about details of the projects， clearly coming from a fan viewpoint。 But he also talks about the business decisions and feelings from the folks who were involved。 From interviews， Riggs tries to get as many sides of the story as possible in hopes to paint the complete picture。In the end， I found this a good discussion of the company who created one of the most enduring role-playing games so far。 。。。more
Yvette Fernandez Waldrep
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I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway， and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it。 As a fan it was interesting reading about all the ins and outs of how it all started。
Dan
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My thanks to both NetGalley and the the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history on role playing and the company that started it all。As a young lad I was known to sling the dice in quite a few rec rooms， basements of churchs or libraries after school。 Star Frontiers， Gamma World， Top Secret， Shadow Lands， Shadowrun， both Marvel and DC along with Champions， Federation and so many more。 The one though that always took my cash， that made me look at books as collectible and My thanks to both NetGalley and the the publisher St。 Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this history on role playing and the company that started it all。As a young lad I was known to sling the dice in quite a few rec rooms， basements of churchs or libraries after school。 Star Frontiers， Gamma World， Top Secret， Shadow Lands， Shadowrun， both Marvel and DC along with Champions， Federation and so many more。 The one though that always took my cash， that made me look at books as collectible and useful as well as readable， and boy did I love to read those guides， even if I never got to use that information playing was always Advanced Dungeons & Dragons。 I loved the format， the charts， the maps the art， the binding the paper， the smell， everything about them。 Dragon Magazine was my Playboy and my Time Magazine for that matter， and when the fiction books started being released， oh I was in heaven， and much poorer。 Even the Buck Rogers books which get a lot of grief I was into， the game I don't remember much。 Ben Riggs in his book Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons tells the story of the role playing game and company， from its birth to its near death until others increased their percentage on their saving throw， in non gaming terms bought them out and kept them alive。 The book begins with the man who created the basic idea， who working from the work of others， designed the idea of Dungeons & Dragons Gary Gygax。 Gygax wasn't good at much， but making games was his gift， plus luck persistence and really having nothing left to lose。 Also claiming credit was another gift， which is covered in the book。 The book follows the growth of the company that Gygax and two others created TSR， as it rose from a basement， to a dilapidated hotel， to a factory， with money， fame， and outcasts love to follow。 Soon sales were in the millions but a corporate power play left Gygax out of power， sales were slumping and the happy days of making games wasn't so happy。 Publishing fiction books helped the company when it needed it， but soon management problems， money and a changing marketplace added to the companies woes。 Until a little Magic came their way， and soon things changed for the better。 The book if very fun and interesting with a mix of both gaming and business history that tells a very detailed story about TSR， the corporate environment， and more importantly the creative environment。 The book is well sourced with tons of interviews， and Mr。 Riggs is not afraid to tell a story from a few points of few in an effort to get to the truth。 Interviews are hard， as time， age and emotions can have an effect on memory， but Mr Riggs does quite well in getting to the heart of the story。 Some might seem gossipy， and in fact sometimes the writing is a little more blog posting or click bait writing， but that only happens a few times， and does not effect the book。 Definitely for fans of role playing。 I had a lot of fun reading about the various worlds that I used to read about and play back in the day。 Also this is a good book for people who feel creative。 TSR sounded and still sounds like a magical place to have been。 That an idea that a person had at lunch could be illustrated， mapped and made real is just a beautiful wondrous thing to imagine。 If you have an idea， try as hard as you can to get it out there。 Soon there might be books written about you。 。。。more
Jim Curtin
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I absolutely loved this book。 The combination of describing the materials produced by TSR while also discussing the underlying business issues was fascinating， and made for a good read。My biggest issue was sourcing， at least part of which is unavoidable。 The author discusses multiple times the disconnect between everyday employees and the actual sales numbers， but doesn't give a huge amount in the way of financial reporting。 There are a few graphs scattered throughout， and at least some hard num I absolutely loved this book。 The combination of describing the materials produced by TSR while also discussing the underlying business issues was fascinating， and made for a good read。My biggest issue was sourcing， at least part of which is unavoidable。 The author discusses multiple times the disconnect between everyday employees and the actual sales numbers， but doesn't give a huge amount in the way of financial reporting。 There are a few graphs scattered throughout， and at least some hard numbers are discussed， but it's definitely a weakness。 I would chalk some of that up to sources， though; the author worked almost exclusively through interviews， and may not have had access to the financial papers。 。。。more
Ula Cann
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I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway。This was a very interesting read for someone whose experience with d&d is mostly second hand; from watching my husband play over the years with his friends。 It was an interesting history of the company that introduced so many people to this style of game play。 I can’t wait to introduce my kids to it and have them read this book so they have a better understanding of the origins of the game they are playing。
Laura Valenziano
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