Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
- Downloads：6220
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-09 08:16:40
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Ben Riggs
- ISBN：125027804X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Role-playing game historian Ben Riggs unveils the secret history of TSR— the company that unleashed imaginations with Dungeons & Dragons， was driven into ruin by disastrous management decisions， and then saved by their bitterest rival。
Co-created by wargame enthusiasts Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson， the original Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game released by TSR （Tactical Studies Rules） in 1974 created a radical new medium: the role-playing game。 For the next two decades， TSR rocketed to success， producing multiple editions of D&D， numerous settings for the game， magazines， video games， New York Times bestselling novels by Margaret Weis， Tracy Hickman， and R。 A。 Salvatore， and even a TV show！ But by 1997， a series of ruinous choices and failed projects brought TSR to the edge of doom—only to be saved by their fiercest competitor， Wizards of the Coast， the company behind the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering。
Unearthed from Ben Riggs’s own adventurous campaign of in-depth research， interviews with major players， and acquisitions of secret documents， Slaying the Dragon reveals the true story of the rise and fall of TSR。 Go behind the scenes of their Lake Geneva headquarters where innovative artists and writers redefined the sword and sorcery genre， managers and executives sabotaged their own success by alienating their top talent， ignoring their customer fanbase， accruing a mountain of debt， and agreeing to deals which， by the end， made them into a publishing company unable to publish so much as a postcard。
As epic and fantastic as the adventures TSR published， Slaying the Dragon is the legendary tale of the rise and fall of the company that created the role-playing game world。
Co-created by wargame enthusiasts Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson， the original Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game released by TSR （Tactical Studies Rules） in 1974 created a radical new medium: the role-playing game。 For the next two decades， TSR rocketed to success， producing multiple editions of D&D， numerous settings for the game， magazines， video games， New York Times bestselling novels by Margaret Weis， Tracy Hickman， and R。 A。 Salvatore， and even a TV show！ But by 1997， a series of ruinous choices and failed projects brought TSR to the edge of doom—only to be saved by their fiercest competitor， Wizards of the Coast， the company behind the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering。
Unearthed from Ben Riggs’s own adventurous campaign of in-depth research， interviews with major players， and acquisitions of secret documents， Slaying the Dragon reveals the true story of the rise and fall of TSR。 Go behind the scenes of their Lake Geneva headquarters where innovative artists and writers redefined the sword and sorcery genre， managers and executives sabotaged their own success by alienating their top talent， ignoring their customer fanbase， accruing a mountain of debt， and agreeing to deals which， by the end， made them into a publishing company unable to publish so much as a postcard。
As epic and fantastic as the adventures TSR published， Slaying the Dragon is the legendary tale of the rise and fall of the company that created the role-playing game world。
Reviews
Sara
，
Was hoping for a little more commentary and love about D&D and how it grew， this was just about the internal politics of the company - it's more of a company study for business students than actually anything fun to read。 That said， well researched and detailed， probably will end up being a good academic resource。 Was hoping for a little more commentary and love about D&D and how it grew， this was just about the internal politics of the company - it's more of a company study for business students than actually anything fun to read。 That said， well researched and detailed， probably will end up being a good academic resource。 。。。more
vpetronio
，
Gamer's teling OF TSRGood but written from a gamers point of view。 Needed a better edited I think but really interesting story of the originators of RPG Gamer's teling OF TSRGood but written from a gamers point of view。 Needed a better edited I think but really interesting story of the originators of RPG 。。。more
Dave Wheeler
，
It feels like this book was written for fans of D&D who already know some of the history of the original company and it’s major players。 I enjoyed learning about TSR and D&D as I have never played， but I heavily disliked the writing style and decisions。 It is very fanboy-y and I felt that the author did not include enough dates of events in the first half of the book。 Also the casual language was very off putting， for example the many uses of “Saint Gary” in reference to creator Gary Gygax。 I en It feels like this book was written for fans of D&D who already know some of the history of the original company and it’s major players。 I enjoyed learning about TSR and D&D as I have never played， but I heavily disliked the writing style and decisions。 It is very fanboy-y and I felt that the author did not include enough dates of events in the first half of the book。 Also the casual language was very off putting， for example the many uses of “Saint Gary” in reference to creator Gary Gygax。 I enjoyed the content but reading this book was a chore。 。。。more
Shelbie Marks
，
This book was a great look at the history of TSR and Dungeons and Dragons。 Unfortunately the writing was less than stellar。 Riggs regularly inserted his own opinions and speculations in ways that felt odd from a storytelling perspective。 There were also a lot of ellipses which I think was meant to convey suspense about what would happen next， but ultimately that fell flat and felt strange。 Overall， intriguing content and clearly well researched， but poor writing and storytelling made it feel ver This book was a great look at the history of TSR and Dungeons and Dragons。 Unfortunately the writing was less than stellar。 Riggs regularly inserted his own opinions and speculations in ways that felt odd from a storytelling perspective。 There were also a lot of ellipses which I think was meant to convey suspense about what would happen next， but ultimately that fell flat and felt strange。 Overall， intriguing content and clearly well researched， but poor writing and storytelling made it feel very repetitive and clunky。 。。。more
Justin Curtis
，
a fascinating and sobering behind-the-scenes look at some of the history of D&D， mainly focusing on the 1985-1997 years and the bad business decisions that culminated in the “death” of TSR。 was both cool and sad to hear stories about a lot of familiar names。
Dave
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I no nonsense deep dive into the history of TSR and Dungeons and dragons。 This is more of a business book。 Genuinely enjoyed it。 Non-gamers might not enjoy it as gamers。
Donny Lang
，
I enjoyed it a lot， having never read anything about the business side of TSR。 It dredged up a lot of happy memories from my middle and high school days playing D&D with friends in basements and reading R。A Salvatore books in class instead of paying attention to the teacher。
Arthur B
，
One of the first significant D&D histories to unpack how TSR fell apart during the Lorraine Williams years。 Riggs adopts a fairly conversational non-academic tone and relies mostly on interviews， but does dig up at least some documentary evidence - some of which is outright startling。 Full review: https://refereeingandreflection。wordp。。。 One of the first significant D&D histories to unpack how TSR fell apart during the Lorraine Williams years。 Riggs adopts a fairly conversational non-academic tone and relies mostly on interviews， but does dig up at least some documentary evidence - some of which is outright startling。 Full review: https://refereeingandreflection。wordp。。。 。。。more
Art Steventon
，
I PURCHASED THIS BOOK - THIS REVIEW IS NEITHER PAID FOR OR BOUGHT IN KIND。 I’ve just finished this book - SLAYING THE DRAGON， The secret history of Dungeons & Dragons。It’s a history of the game， and the people who made it， from the beginnings of Gygax & Arneson， through to the purchase of the company by Wizards of the Coast。 It’s a human story， told through the authors discussions and interviews wit the people who were there， names that ring out like legends to those of us who eagerly devoured t I PURCHASED THIS BOOK - THIS REVIEW IS NEITHER PAID FOR OR BOUGHT IN KIND。 I’ve just finished this book - SLAYING THE DRAGON， The secret history of Dungeons & Dragons。It’s a history of the game， and the people who made it， from the beginnings of Gygax & Arneson， through to the purchase of the company by Wizards of the Coast。 It’s a human story， told through the authors discussions and interviews wit the people who were there， names that ring out like legends to those of us who eagerly devoured their work - Gygax， Easley， Brom， Salvatore， Weiss， Grubb， Stark， Greenwood and Dille to name but a few of the most talented people of TSR， tales full of wonderful memories， hubris， poor decisions and luck。 It also explains a LOT about what happened in the mid to late 90’s， when TSR seemed to be putting out a new setting every other month， but still went bust - how could that have occurred？ I can’t recommend this enough， to both RPG enthusiasts and those with an interest in business histories。 。。。more
Abigail
，
I really enjoyed the snark throughout the book。 It was a great way to learn about the history of the company behind D&D and how lucky we are that D&D even still exists today in spite of all the bad decisions its founding company made。
Andy M
，
I must give Riggs the benefit of the doubt。 Publishers are often insistent on titling a book against the author's wishes。 For non-fiction especially， this can either draw a greater audience or elicit greater disappointment if readers find something other than expected。 The development of the game and the gaming culture and the reactions of parents and communities were mainly confined to the first three chapters。 By the fourth chapter， the snout of the pig in the poke emerged。 I found a book main I must give Riggs the benefit of the doubt。 Publishers are often insistent on titling a book against the author's wishes。 For non-fiction especially， this can either draw a greater audience or elicit greater disappointment if readers find something other than expected。 The development of the game and the gaming culture and the reactions of parents and communities were mainly confined to the first three chapters。 By the fourth chapter， the snout of the pig in the poke emerged。 I found a book mainly about a corporation and its most famous brand。 This nearly made me give up reading further， for I wanted more of what I read in the first few chapters。 The remaining twenty-three did offer important insights in how great ideas get sabotaged and what makes creators leave the jobs of their dreams。 The sources for this information were likely much more difficult for any author to pursue， even if the resulting work as a whole is less riveting。 。。。more
Jordan
，
This book will no doubt stand amongst the pillars of RPG history。 Meticulously researched， yet the book never forgets that these were things that happened to real people。
Justin
，
A good read， informative & moves well。 The authorial voice is a bit intrusive but there’s info here which you won’t get elsewhere。 I wish the author had been able yo get an interview with Lorraine Williams， because he just seems so sad he didn’t。
Anxious Bibliophile Jacqueline
，
I love playing D&D and learning the history of the game's development in Ben Riggs book， was a great listen。 The last line of the book was a quote from Lisa Stevens about what she learned from TSR， she said "Don't do stupid shit。" It was great to hear the stories of some great artists and writers who were given a chance by TSR and to learn how Wizards of the Coast ended up with the company。There is no feeling like the comradery of sitting around a table with friends for hours living an adventure I love playing D&D and learning the history of the game's development in Ben Riggs book， was a great listen。 The last line of the book was a quote from Lisa Stevens about what she learned from TSR， she said "Don't do stupid shit。" It was great to hear the stories of some great artists and writers who were given a chance by TSR and to learn how Wizards of the Coast ended up with the company。There is no feeling like the comradery of sitting around a table with friends for hours living an adventure in the theater of the mind。✨I play a Neutral Good Half-Orc Monk named Halfor the Handsome who meditates to find inner peace， carries a travel tea set， and is a skilled woodworker。 He was raised in a halfling monastery and is traveling the world recording stories。 ✨Thank you @netgalley and McMillan Audio/ St。 Martin's press for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Heather
，
Very enlightening。 I've gotten more involved with RPGs as I've gotten older and enjoy them quite a bit。 Figured I'd learn about the history。 Never new that Brom was involved with RPGs but I should have guessed， it makes perfect sense。 Very enlightening。 I've gotten more involved with RPGs as I've gotten older and enjoy them quite a bit。 Figured I'd learn about the history。 Never new that Brom was involved with RPGs but I should have guessed， it makes perfect sense。 。。。more
Jeremy
，
The information contained in here is decent。 Especially for those who weren't around when TSR was falling apart。 While some of the sales data is new there isn't really anything here earth shattering when it comes to new information。The author's writing style is a bit off putting for me。 I would have liked less of his voice in here as I find his view less helpful as opposed to the views of the people he is interviewing。 The information contained in here is decent。 Especially for those who weren't around when TSR was falling apart。 While some of the sales data is new there isn't really anything here earth shattering when it comes to new information。The author's writing style is a bit off putting for me。 I would have liked less of his voice in here as I find his view less helpful as opposed to the views of the people he is interviewing。 。。。more
Anxious Bibliophile Jacqueline
，
I love playing D&D and learning the history of the game's development in Ben Riggs book， was a great listen。 The last line of the book was a quote from Lisa Stevens about what she learned from TSR， she said "Don't do stupid shit。" It was great to hear the stories of some great artists and writers who were given a chance by TSR and to learn how Wizards of the Coast ended up with the company。There is no feeling like the comradery of sitting around a table with friends for hours living an adventure I love playing D&D and learning the history of the game's development in Ben Riggs book， was a great listen。 The last line of the book was a quote from Lisa Stevens about what she learned from TSR， she said "Don't do stupid shit。" It was great to hear the stories of some great artists and writers who were given a chance by TSR and to learn how Wizards of the Coast ended up with the company。There is no feeling like the comradery of sitting around a table with friends for hours living an adventure in the theater of the mind。✨I play a Neutral Good Half-Orc Monk named Halfor the Handsome who meditates to find inner peace， carries a travel tea set， and is a skilled woodworker。 He was raised in a halfling monastery and is traveling the world recording stories。 ✨Thank you @netgalley and McMillan Audio/ St。 Martin's press for giving me the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Sara
，
I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book。As someone born and raised in the state of Wisconsin， I was quite surprised to learn that the immersive game I play once a week friends was developed here in my home state。 The fact that this is a game that has a very dramatic history （which fits） matches the fact that the company who developed it has just as crazy of a history， if not more。 I appreciated everything that this book taught me about I received this book in exchange for an honest review which has not altered my opinion of this book。As someone born and raised in the state of Wisconsin， I was quite surprised to learn that the immersive game I play once a week friends was developed here in my home state。 The fact that this is a game that has a very dramatic history （which fits） matches the fact that the company who developed it has just as crazy of a history， if not more。 I appreciated everything that this book taught me about what happens when we get a little too ambitious and forget what is really important to the consumer。 That and the fact that a game such as D&D really isn't the best business since you only have to buy it once。 Huh， never really thought about that from a business sense。While this book is obviously a history of D&D， it more looks at the history of the company that developed it， TSR。 Without getting into too many details， TSR was a company that has tried to fit into so many niche markets that it seems to have lost its identity along the way， at least that's what it seems like。 They have done everything from game creation to publishing and according to Riggs and his research they have done it in the really the best way possible。 The book was well organized and the information in it was interesting and researched using actually quotes from people who were there。 As far as the narration went， I think it was very well done and easy to follow。 His voice， while portraying emotion did so without bias as is expected for a non-fiction book。 It was a little slow to listen to， so I had it playing at 1。75 speed for most of the duration。Overall， highly recommend this book as it was fun to listen to and very interesting as well。 I learned a lot about the history of D&D as well as found a few authors that I have pinaly picked up to read。 4。5 out of 5。 。。。more
Dave Astels
，
Start to finish this book was thoroughly enjoyable。 I've consumed any and all material on the history of RPGs， especially D&D， that I could find and this was the most enjoyable of everything I've read。 Not just well researched and well presented， but extremely well written。 Interestingly I found myself following the path I do when reading an engrossing， enjoyable novel （and it does read like a novel）: at some point everything else goes on hold and I read until it’s finished。 The author teased a Start to finish this book was thoroughly enjoyable。 I've consumed any and all material on the history of RPGs， especially D&D， that I could find and this was the most enjoyable of everything I've read。 Not just well researched and well presented， but extremely well written。 Interestingly I found myself following the path I do when reading an engrossing， enjoyable novel （and it does read like a novel）: at some point everything else goes on hold and I read until it’s finished。 The author teased a sequel。。。 I hope he’s serious about that！ 。。。more
Chelsea Balch
，
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to get this book in exchange for my honest fair review。 I was drawn in by the cover of this book。 The story was a bit out of my range of normal books， but if was still an interesting read。
John
，
As a long-time gamer and games industry professional， I was curious to see what I could learn from this book that would fill in the gaps in my knowledge of TSR and its inner-workings。 I've heard many anecdotes over the years， some seemingly almost mythical， and I really appreciated the author's work in getting the parties involved to go on the record with their recollections。 I've known a few people involved with the company in various ways， and they all have tales to tell。 Its too bad that Gyga As a long-time gamer and games industry professional， I was curious to see what I could learn from this book that would fill in the gaps in my knowledge of TSR and its inner-workings。 I've heard many anecdotes over the years， some seemingly almost mythical， and I really appreciated the author's work in getting the parties involved to go on the record with their recollections。 I've known a few people involved with the company in various ways， and they all have tales to tell。 Its too bad that Gygax himself passed away， and was not a first-person informant for this history， but the author has done of fine job of putting the pieces together into a full picture of the rise and fall of TSR， and the rebirth of its premier product through Wizards of the Coast。 I would have loved to see the story extended just a bit further， into the development of 3rd ed DnD， but I recognize that the author's focus was on TSR。 Perhaps the full history of Dungeons and Dragons itself awaits another tome。 Its rise and wane and rebirth into a celebrity streaming phenomenon would make for an epic tale。 There is some truly great talent behind this and other role-playing games， although in spite of that I found the author's continual reference to the "geniuses" behind the game and spin-off novels as a bit hyperbolic。 Still， I guess its a term that gets thrown around all the time in other business histories， so why not give the game devs their due too？ There are some cautionary tales here， about management vs creative， and the casual disregard by management for the unique contributions of talented people that led to tragically mistaken ideas about the interchangable/replaceable nature of that talent。 TSR's management paid a price for that and other errors of judgement。 They say that in the end， history will be the judge， and Ben Riggs gets that process started here。 。。。more
Kars
，
A history of TSR focusing on the period between the ousting of Gygax and the sale to WotC。 Riggs argues the company could have been successful if it wasn’t for all the “stupid shit” management engaged in。 He has unearthed several examples of this， chief among them the Random House deal， which allowed the company to pile on debt。 Along the way Riggs waxes lyrically about many of the late era TSR creations。 Several chapters feel like tangents that could have been cut， but do make for entertaining A history of TSR focusing on the period between the ousting of Gygax and the sale to WotC。 Riggs argues the company could have been successful if it wasn’t for all the “stupid shit” management engaged in。 He has unearthed several examples of this， chief among them the Random House deal， which allowed the company to pile on debt。 Along the way Riggs waxes lyrically about many of the late era TSR creations。 Several chapters feel like tangents that could have been cut， but do make for entertaining reading （e。g。 the tale of stillborn comics publisher TSR West）。 He writes in a familiar tone， and frequently inserts himself into the narrative， which felt a bit gratuitous at times。 He also leans on some stock phrases such as “Saint Gary”， “damning with faint praise”， and the fact that all creators he portraits are “geniuses”。 Still， this made for enjoyable summer vacation reading。 I ripped through it in a few sittings， and enjoyed the peak behind the curtain of the company that made all those game books that were part of the pop cultural background of my teens in the nineties。 。。。more
Pierre Armel
，
This is the review of a reader who paid the full price for this book。 No review copy here！ I loved this book and devoured it in a few hours。 If you are into RPGs that is a fascinating and thoroughly researched account of the history of TSR， the company behind D&D， but also of its creative and less creative staff。 If you are not into RPGs that is still the riveting story of a company which never found the way to balance creative craziness and corporate requirements。 Recommended！
Brent
，
An indispensable read if you're interested in the history of D&D。 A great story well-told even if you're not。 An indispensable read if you're interested in the history of D&D。 A great story well-told even if you're not。 。。。more
Felix
，
Stuff you knew and stuff you didn't。 Stuff you knew and stuff you didn't。 。。。more
Tom
，
I managed to wade my way through the first part of the book， but that was it。 Sure， there's some really interesting history in here， but the writing is amateurish and in dire need of editing。 Tons of thinly-veiled and snarky personal attacks get in the way of telling the story。 The most damning indictment of the book is the quantity of "（he/she） wouldn't talk to me and I can't blame （him/her）" statements made throughout the section I did manage to read--not good。Don't trust the majority of the o I managed to wade my way through the first part of the book， but that was it。 Sure， there's some really interesting history in here， but the writing is amateurish and in dire need of editing。 Tons of thinly-veiled and snarky personal attacks get in the way of telling the story。 The most damning indictment of the book is the quantity of "（he/she） wouldn't talk to me and I can't blame （him/her）" statements made throughout the section I did manage to read--not good。Don't trust the majority of the other reviews--they're all written by people who received free copies。 。。。more
Garrett Rooney
，
My only complaint about this book is that it ended too soon。 It does a fantastic job of telling the behind the scenes story of the rise and fall of TSR， but it only hints at what would happen to D&D once it was acquired by Wizards of the Coast。 I want the rest of the story！
Debra Medina
，
Dear Slaying the Dragon，I am a huge nerd， and have played D&D for many years。 I knew a little bit about the fall of TSR and rise of Wizards of Coast but had no idea about the depths of the mistakes of the company management and how far the company that started the role playing industry fell。 You were so well researched， and chock full of information of the rise and fall of TSR。 I loved that your story was woven in with the financial details and research that was involved in writing you， but the Dear Slaying the Dragon，I am a huge nerd， and have played D&D for many years。 I knew a little bit about the fall of TSR and rise of Wizards of Coast but had no idea about the depths of the mistakes of the company management and how far the company that started the role playing industry fell。 You were so well researched， and chock full of information of the rise and fall of TSR。 I loved that your story was woven in with the financial details and research that was involved in writing you， but the facts did not take away from the drama and interest I had in your over all story。 You layed bare all of the successes and missteps that Loraine Williams took as the head of TSR， how she initially saved the company from Gary Gygax' mistakes and helped deliver it into the hands of a company that has treated the intellect property of D&D with care and respect and helped it continue into success today。 。。。more
Mike Zwick
，
Informative。 Learned more about the dissolution of TSR and the backstory than I knew before。 Some of the conventions the author used throughout the book were annoying ， such as "Saint Gary" and "By Arneson's beard" but overall a seemingly fair treatment of all parties involved。 Informative。 Learned more about the dissolution of TSR and the backstory than I knew before。 Some of the conventions the author used throughout the book were annoying ， such as "Saint Gary" and "By Arneson's beard" but overall a seemingly fair treatment of all parties involved。 。。。more
Seth Davis
，