Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs

I write role playing games. I’ve taken a break over the past year because of improving my mental health after a bad run with my previous company, as well as improving my physical health so my disabilities leave something of me. However, I still have a project or three I need to complete, if only to say that I could do it on my own and with the people I’ve chosen to work with. TL;DR: I’ve been in the trenches.

So have the people discussed in the Slaying the Dragon, which is a history of the Dungeons and Dragons franchise from the moment Gary Gygax started to it, from its growth from his basement into what it became under Wizards of the Coast. It collects news stories, personal interviews, and observations regarding how the game became what it is today.

It’s fitting that I read this book during the WoTC monetization OGL nightmare. That need to keep creating projects so you can make money is what the makers of Advanced D&D have struggled with all along: from the early days of just putting out too much work and diluting their product lines and creating trading card games, to trying to find the spotlight in Hollywood. The same story plays out again and again: gamers are not business men, but we seem to have a need to control every aspect without seeking appropriate counsel from those in the know. 

This book is required reading for anyone who is in or wants to be in the business of making games. I see many parallels to mistakes I have personally made or have been a party or witness to. Had I read this book? I would have known better. It reiterates, without saying it, that no matter the game or format, we all end with the same issues because it’s the people that severely underestimate what it means to interact with others and run the business side of creating those games.

Would I Read it Again?: Yep. I bought a copy specifically for highlighting and discussing if/when anyone else in my house bothered to read it. 

Rating: 3.5. While the author’s voice makes an otherwise dry topic more interesting to read, it also has moments where the bias toward or against certain people is really obvious. At times, it could use a little more objectivity in the subject . Yes, only a fan could write this way, but they also need to separate themselves from the artists they love.