Slaying the Dragon

A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons

By: Ben Riggs

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins

Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

2022 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

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.

©2022 Ben Riggs (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Review to Follow

I liked it a lt. More review to follow when I pull my thoughts together

D&D the struggle and salvation

loved this inside scoop on the death of TSR and its revival by Wizards of the Coast!

Interesting history well told

Any fan of Dungeons and Dragons will enjoy this history of the game and the company it spawned. Well written and engaging, and the narrator performance is top notch.

Good but inclined to Hyperbole

Very good but far too inclined to call people geniuses,.. It gushes when a deeper evaluation is called for. Has the bones of a great book but doesn't quite live up to it; it is not "The Soul of a New Machine". But it is certainly worth reading if you have an interest in Dungeons and Dragons history.

Adolescence and DnD 1978+

The audio book was a revelation and was such a tragic story to see the decline of TSR. The author did it justice in its laying out background and the people involved. In addition, the narrator was entertaining and kept my interest through the story. I can relate with the author since I was 13 years old and discovered DnD in 1978, and it has been part of my life even today at 57. When I was younger into my mid to late-20s, I played DND on Saturdays nights at least twice a month or more and attended the local conventions, but being married with children, work, as well as friends moving away, like the saying "All good things it came to an end". But, over the years, I've stayed in touch by playing various DnD computer games (The Gold Box games on my Amiga, then Baldur's Gate, NWN, etc), likewise reading the various books (R.A Salvatore books being my largest and favorite collection). As a side note, I was the odd one out, since I never got into nor bought Magic The Gathering, this was mainly because I felt that it made you buy card deck after card deck to be successful vs DnD I didn't have to buy nothing more than the inital books and use my imagination.
Nuff said.

Really clears up a lot of grey area

While the story does contain author opinion it does go in depth and cleared up a lot of grey area about the fall of TSR. It's a story rich in facts, told at a very nice pace and I had a difficult time switching it off. I highly recommend it not just for the story about TSR but for the lessens one can apply to their own life and career about how to be or not be successful.

ESSENTIAL history of the RPGS giant that started it all.

Perfectly combines in depth detail with range and scope on the founding growth trials mistakes and rebirths of Dungeons & Dragons.

Difficult book.

Slaying the dragon, the book, was difficult. I liked aspects of it. Shoot, probably most of it. I didn't care for how the author mocked Gary Gygax, couldn't see what the Blooms were up to, & I thought his bringing fetish up as wholly unnecessary & mean spirited. Otherwise, I found the book educational in other areas it covered. It was especially illuminating on the final painful moments 💔 of TSR. Truly, it reminded me of how my Mom slowly slipped away. With TSR, they had a room full of product that might have helped save them, but they couldn't publish. With my Mom, she had the antibiotics that might save her, but they couldn't cleanse her blood, so it could work. Truly painful! Unlike my Mom, Wizards of the Coast, head by a TSR fan, reached in & saved TSR. I hadn't previously understood how dire the situation was, nor understood how Wizards worked to mend fences. I especially appreciated Wizards giving all original art to the artists who created the art, should they want it (previously held by TSR). Such a huge gesture, worth millions. I was sad to hear of how the wonderful other settings, like Plainscape & Dark Sun, were discontinued & surprised they never made money, for that matter. I wasn't a fan of how the author continually reached out in his writing to say he wished Loraine would have spoken to him. He considered her a savior of TSR, at least until she wasn't. It seems she did help save TSR from the mistakes of the Blooms, but she lacked the spark to see TSR launch again. She seemed to have had a personal dislike of Gary, so instead of realizing his spark could be put to use to help her, she attempted to quell that spark. She didn't do well under the sell to Wizards. I didn't wish her ill. It isn't my way. I think she was increasingly boxed in & acting as she was forced to, by circumstances & poor financial decisions. I'd like to have seen her last minute negotiations to look after the people of TSR & accept a business loss with the sale in a better light, but it didn't have to go the way it did, is the thing, isn't it? I'm glad Wizards mended fences with the creators & appreciated the treasure they now held. Anyway, I couldn't sleep. I felt the need to write about my take on this book. Maybe I can sleep now. Goodnight.

Fascinating look at the history of TSR

The vocal performance is easy to follow and moves at a good clip as the narrator reads. The book itself is a pretty in-depth and very well researched account of the events that transpired to land TSR where it ended up in its final days. Highly recommend to anyone who is curious about the downfall of on of the biggest Table Top Gaming companies of the early RPG scene.

Eye opening story of the rise and fall of TSR.

Wow!!! Never knew a tenth of how it fell. I grew up during this era, owned, played and went through the "occult" speeches that everyone thought the players were involved with. Even today, my parents think I dabble in the occult and going to HELL because I still play.

This is a good book to reminisce those times, it's a greater book to answer questions I had with what happened to TSR.

I grew up with TSR, and I miss her, this book helps me with closure to why my friend disappeared.

Gygax forever!