The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 is a 576-page, glossy-paged tome with silk bookmarks, color-coded sections, and a short commentary by gaming historian Jon Peterson. A museum-quality book that weighs a little over two pounds, the lightly annotated contents are reproductions of notes, drafts, and publications filled with handwriting, illustrations, and antique typefaces. Combined, they chronologically tell the story of how Dungeons & Dragons was designed and how its early concepts evolved from miniature war gaming to tabletop roleplaying.

Available now, The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 is the type of book that encapsulates an entire gaming museum’s worth of history. Anyone who grew up with D&D will appreciate the careful choices made to arrange this book. Part 1: Precusors has a red border and includes materials such as “Warfare in Miniature” by Gary Gygax as well as Dave Arneson’s reports on his Blackmoor campaign. Part 2, the blue section, is the 1973 draft of Dungeons & Dragons. Readers will want to pay special attention to the summary on page 84 that discusses how Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson arranged the manuscript subtitled “Rules for Fantastic Medieval Paper & Pencil, Board, and Miniature Figure Campaign Games.”

Following the 1973 draft, Part 3: Original Dungeons & Dragons, bordered in gold, prefaces the reprint with a short, but crucial history on pages 201 and 202. This introduction provides a bridge between the draft and the finished version which has been included in its entirety. Lastly, the book ends with Part 4: Articles & Additions bordered in green. This section includes almost 250 pages of articles, fan-submitted maps and letters, the first Greyhawk and Blackmoor supplements, and so much more. To close, a short Afterword lightly touches on the monumental history presented in the aforementioned book.

The retail price of The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 is $99.99, reflecting the fact that this book is a collected edition of multiple games, drafts, letters, and light commentary. The price does make sense due to the volume of content and quality of the book–it is quite beautiful and perfect for collectors as its both a celebration of Dungeons & Dragons and a commemorative edition for the 50th anniversary. If you’re thinking about holiday gift ideas, it is perfect for DMs and players who have a deep connection to the game.

If you’re searching for a copy online, you can purchase Dungeons & Dragons – the Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977 on Amazon. You can also find a copy at game and book stores, too, just don’t give up if you can’t find the book right away. Some places list the book as The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 and others list the title similar to Amazon’s.

This review was written by Allie Brooks. A copy of The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 was provided to FlamesRising.com for a review by Wizards of the Coast. The affiliate links in this review point to Amazon.

Tags | DnD, dungeons and dragons