Game Wizards

Discover the colorful history of the table-top RPG phenomenon, Dungeons & Dragons, as a D&D expert examines its surprising successes, setbacks, and controversies. “The battle over Dungeons & Dragons was the ultimate geek war.” —Wired When Dungeons & Dragons was first released to a small hobby community, it hardly seemed destined for mainstream success—and yet this arcane tabletop role-playing game became an unlikely pop culture phenomenon. In Game Wizards, Jon Peterson chronicles the rise of Dungeons & Dragons from hobbyist pastime to mass market sensation, from the initial collaboration to the later feud of its creators, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Inside you’ll learn about: • Gygax and Arneson’s first meeting and their work toward the 1974 release • The founding of TSR and its growth as a company • Arneson’s acrimonious departure and subsequent challenges to TSR • "Satanic Panic" accusations that plagued D&D—and boosted its popularity • TSR’s reckless expansion and near-fatal corporate infighting • And much more! With Game Wizards, Peterson restores historical particulars long obscured by competing narratives spun by the one-time partners. That record amply demonstrates how the turbulent experience of creating something as momentous as Dungeons & Dragons can make people remember things a bit differently from the way they actually happened.