Of Dice and Men

The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It

De: David M. Ewalt

Narrado por: Rob Brinkmann, Pavi Proczko

Updated with an introduction by Joe Manganiello and extensive new content 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.

Connection

In the end, DND is a fun way to connect with yourself and the people around you. Thanks for the excellent listen

Nice overview

I am glad the author has updated the book to reflect current happenings with WOTC and the OGL fiasco. Overall, a solid read that offers a framework for the history of D&D and other Tabletop RPGs.

Point of view was personal.

A book I’ve had on my to be read list for quite some time. I’m glad Audio had it available.

Welp... The dice wanted to tell a story

What a fantastical collection of information that brought us to the tabletop world we're in today. The inclusion of the actual fantasy story intertwined with history was an amazing touch that makes me miss my gaming group immediately.

"Thanks for the fish"

Thank you for this! what a step into the past yet to be fair I'm a 90's kid. T

the love of the game!

great book, author, and game. hope I get to meet David Ewalt at a convention or game table soon!

Who is this for?

As a lifelong veteran of table top roll playing games, this review pains me to write.

Weird levels of detail throughout. If you're already familiar with D&D, huge amounts of gaming minutia can be omitted. If you're not familiar, then you're unlikely to be invested enough to slog through these details.

The first chapter was looong and awful; I almost quit the book here. Second chapter which was only marginally better. I was about to give up but the 3rd chapter finally hooked me.

Topics were all over the place: sometimes we following a D&D game, or the author's personal history, or the history of D&D and its company/founders, then for some reason non-D&D live action roll playing. Yeah, it's all kinda D&D related, but it felt like an unfocused mess.

It's not all bad. In fact, there are some really gripping parts of the book and I did make it to the end. I can't help but be disappointed about how much better this could have been.