Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & DragonsThe first comprehensive biography of geek and gaming culture's mythic icon, Gary Gygax, and the complete story behind his invention of Dungeons & Dragons. The life story of Gary Gygax, godfather of all fantasy adventure games, has been told only in bits and pieces. Michael Witwer has written a dynamic, dramatized biography of Gygax from his childhood in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to his untimely death in 2008. Gygax's magnum opus, Dungeons & Dragons, would explode in popularity throughout the 1970s and '80s and irreversibly alter the world of gaming. D&D is the best-known, best-selling role-playing game of all time, and it boasts an elite class of alumni--Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, and Vin Diesel all have spoken openly about their experience with the game as teenagers, and some credit it as the workshop where their nascent imaginations were fostered. Gygax's involvement in the industry lasted long after his dramatic and involuntary departure from D&D's parent company, TSR, and his footprint can be seen in the role-playing genre he is largely responsible for creating. Through his unwavering commitment to the power of creativity, Gygax gave generations of gamers the tools to invent characters and entire worlds in their minds. Witwer has written an engaging chronicle of the life and legacy of this emperor of the imagination. |
Contents
Here There Be Dragons | |
LEVEL 2 | |
Sunday in the Park with Gary | |
Tactical Studies Anyone? | |
LEVEL 4 | |
The Art of Making | |
The Dictator | x |
Trojan Horse | xxviii |
LEVEL 8 | xlvi |
The End of the Road | lxi |
LEVEL 9 | lxv |
The Road Goes Ever | lxxix |
Gary Gygax A Lifes Work | xcvii |
Notes | cxii |
Other editions - View all
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons Michael Witwer Limited preview - 2015 |
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons Michael Witwer No preview available - 2016 |
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons and Dragons Michael Witwer No preview available - 2015 |
Common terms and phrases
AD&D adventure module Advanced Dungeons adventure module adventure module TSR April 28 August Avalon Hill Blackmoor Blume brothers board game Brian Blume called campaign Chainmail chess Chicago cited in Peterson company’s creative D&D Game Dangerous Journeys Dave Arneson Dimery Don Kaye DUNGEON MASTER Dungeons & Dragons EGARY Egbert Elise Ernest fantasy father Figure Frank Mentzer game design gamers gaming group Gary Gygax Gary post Gary’s geeks Gen Con Greyhawk Guidon Games Gygax and Sacco Ibid inspired Kask Lake Geneva later Lejendary Adventures LGTSA Lorraine Williams loved Luke magazine Mary Jo GygaxWalker medieval miniatures wargame movie novel Paul Stormberg phone interview PLAYER SIREGARY playing games popular published pulp Quoted from Gygax release Retrieved Rob Kuntz role roleplaying game royalty scene is based story Street supplement Tactical Studies Rules things thought Troll Lord Games TSR Hobbies TSR’s twentysided Wizards World RPG young