When We Were Wizards  By  cover art

When We Were Wizards

By: Traction Media
  • Summary

  • WHEN WE WERE WIZARDS charts the rise and fall of Gary Gygax, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and co-founder of TSR, the company that published it. Despite its enduring popularity, few fans know the true story of ambition, disillusionment, rancor, and betrayal behind the game’s meteoric rise. As D&D took off in the late 70s and early 80s, family bonds were tested, friendships were betrayed, and personal demons were unleashed. For Gary, realizing the American Dream was only the first step; hanging on to it was even harder.
    Traction Media
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Episodes
  • System Shock
    Jul 31 2022

    Episode 3 – Seizing the momentum of D&D’s growing popularity, Gary and his partner Brian Blume press on with an investment from Brian’s father, Melvin. The company moves into a new headquarters and hires on friends from the Twin Cities and Lake Geneva. It looks like Camelot, but underneath the surface, grievances fester and friendships fracture. Then, a reckoning at a shareholder’s meeting threatens the company’s future.

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    43 mins
  • Detect Magic
    Jul 8 2022

    Episode 2 -

    In Minneapolis, a hive-mind of creative synergy reaches a critical mass with a game from Dave Arneson called “Blackmoor.” Convinced of its potential, Gygax and Arneson work furiously to develop the idea into what eventually becomes Dungeons & Dragons. But when he is unable to find a publisher for it, Gary and a childhood friend start their own company to print and sell D&D. The future looks bright until a tragedy tests Gary’s resolve.

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    41 mins
  • Eye of the Beholder
    Jul 3 2022

    Episode 1 - 

    In the early 1960s, Gary and Mary Jo Gygax move their young family to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to escape their urban life in Chicago,. Though he works as an insurance underwriter by day, Gary spends his nights and weekends as a central figure in a burgeoning community of wargame players seeking camaraderie and a distraction from a turbulent era. When he’s fired from his job, Gary begins a second career as a shoe-cobbler while continuing to pursue his creative ambitions. Barely able to make ends meet, Gary is on the verge of abandoning his dream altogether when a fellow gamer from the Twin Cities introduces him to a game that will change both of their lives forever.

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    44 mins

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