Books by Jon Peterson
Game Wizards: The Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons (Game Histories)
by Jon Peterson
The story of the arcane table-top game that became a pop culture phenomenon and the long-running legal battle waged by its cocreators.
When Dungeons & Dragons was first released to a small hobby community, it hardly seemed destined for mainstream success--and yet this arcane tabletop role-playing game became an unlikely pop culture phenomenon. In Game Wizards, Jon Peterson chronicles the rise of Dungeons & Dragons from hobbyist pastime to mass market sensation, from the initial collaboration to the later feud of its creators, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. As the game's fiftieth anniversary approaches, Peterson--a noted authority on role-playing games--explains how D&D and its creators navigated their successes, setbacks, and controversies.
Peterson describes Gygax and Arneson's first meeting and their work toward the 1974 release of the game; the founding of TSR and its growth as a company; and Arneson's acrimonious departure and subsequent challenges to TSR. He recounts the "Satanic Panic" accusations that D&D was sacrilegious and dangerous, and how they made the game famous. And he chronicles TSR's reckless expansion and near-fatal corporate infighting, which culminated with the company in debt and overextended and the end of Gygax's losing battle to retain control over TSR and D&D.
With Game Wizards, Peterson restores historical particulars long obscured by competing narratives spun by the one-time partners. That record amply demonstrates how the turbulent experience of creating something as momentous as Dungeons & Dragons can make people remember things a bit differently from the way they actually happened.
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Playing at the World, 2E, Volume 1: The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons (Game Histories)
by Jon Peterson
The first volume of two in a new, updated edition of the 2012 book Playing at the World, which charts the vast and complex history of role-playing games.
This new edition of Playing at the World is the first of two volumes that update the 720-page original tome of the same name from 2012. This first volume is The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons, which explores the publication of that iconic game. (The second volume is The Three Pillars of Role-Playing Games, a deeper dive into the history of the setting, system, and character of D & D.) In this first volume, Jon Peterson distills the story of how the wargaming clubs and fanzines circulating around the upper Midwest in the 1970s culminated in Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s seminal role-playing game, D & D. It augments the research of the original editions with new insights into the crucial period in 1972–3 when D & D began to take shape.
Drawing from primary sources ranging from eighteenth-century strategists to modern hobbyists, Playing at the World explores the origins of wargames and roleplaying through the history of conflict simulations and the eccentric characters who drove the creation of a signature cultural innovation in the late twentieth century. Filled with unparalleled archival research (from obscure fanzines to letters, drafts, and other ephemera), this new edition of Playing at the World is the ultimate geek’s guide to the original RPG. As such, it is an indispensable resource for academics and game fans exploring the origins of the hobby.
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Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana: A Visual History
by Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Sam Witwer, Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed
An illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the beloved role-playing game told through the paintings, sketches, illustrations, and visual ephemera behind its creation, growth, and continued popularity.
FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE DIANA JONES AWARD
From one of the most iconic game brands in the world, this official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS illustrated history provides an unprecedented look at the visual evolution of the brand, showing its continued influence on the worlds of pop culture and fantasy. Inside the book, you’ll find more than seven hundred pieces of artwork—from each edition of the core role-playing books, supplements, and adventures; as well as Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels; decades of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; and classic advertisements and merchandise; plus never-before-seen sketches, large-format canvases, rare photographs, one-of-a-kind drafts, and more from the now-famous designers and artists associated with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The superstar author team gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collections of top collectors, as well as the designers and illustrators who created the distinctive characters, concepts, and visuals that have defined fantasy art and gameplay for generations. This is the most comprehensive collection of D&D imagery ever assembled, making this the ultimate collectible for the game's millions of fans around the world.
Copies
No copies available.
Lore & Legends: A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game (Dungeons & Dragons)
by Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Sam Witwer, Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed
An illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life.
When the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana.
Copies
No copies available.
![Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana [Special Edition, Boxed Book & Ephemera Set]: A Visual History](https://images.isbndb.com/covers/6736823482330.jpg)
Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana [Special Edition, Boxed Book & Ephemera Set]: A Visual History
by Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Sam Witwer
A deluxe, special edition package containing art prints, ephemera, and the illustrated guide to the history and evolution of the beloved role-playing game as told through the paintings, sketches, and illustrations behind its creation, growth, and continued popularity.
FINALIST FOR THE HUGO AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • NOMINATED FOR THE DIANA JONES AWARD
From one of the most iconic game brands in the world, this official DUNGEONS & DRAGONS illustrated history provides an unprecedented look at the visual evolution of the brand, showing its continued influence on the worlds of pop culture and fantasy. Inside the book, you’ll find more than seven hundred pieces of artwork—from each edition of the core role-playing books, supplements, and adventures; as well as Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance novels; decades of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; and classic advertisements and merchandise; plus never-before-seen sketches, large-format canvases, rare photographs, one-of-a-kind drafts, and more from the now-famous designers and artists associated with DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. The superstar author team gained unparalleled access to the archives of Wizards of the Coast and the personal collections of top collectors, as well as the designers and illustrators who created the distinctive characters, concepts, and visuals that have defined fantasy art and gameplay for generations. This is the most comprehensive collection of D&D imagery ever assembled, making this the ultimate collectible for the game's millions of fans around the world.
Contained inside a clamshell featuring original illustrations by superstar D&D artist Hydro74, this special edition includes 10 high-quality prints of classic DUNGEONS&DRAGONSartwork, as well as a pamphlet-sized, unpublished original version of the game’s most infamous adventure module and deathtrap Tomb of Horrors, written by DUNGEONS & DRAGONS co-creator Gary Gygax.
Copies
No copies available.
![Lore and Legends [Special Edition, Boxed Book and Ephemera Set] A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game](https://images.isbndb.com/covers/19148383482894.jpg)
Lore and Legends [Special Edition, Boxed Book and Ephemera Set] A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game
by Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Sam Witwer, Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed
A deluxe special edition of Lore & Legends, an illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons' beloved fifth edition.
When the reimagined fifthedition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s Golden Age. How did an analog game nearly a half-century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifthedition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D-its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity-through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo-nominated Dungeons & DragonsArt & Arcana.
The special edition features original cover and slipcase illustrations by Hydro74, three gatefold Through the Ages features that showcase how the artwork of several iconic monsters and characters has changed across editions, and a pull-out drawer that doubles as a dice tray. The drawer holds a 24" x 36" adventure map of Faer n illustrated by Jared Blando, an 8" x 10" art print of the original fifth edition Starter Set cover artwork by Jaime Jones,and a custom resin d20 die.
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The Elusive Shift How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity
by Jon Peterson
How the early Dungeons & Dragons community grappled with the nature of role-playing games, theorizing a new game genre.
When Dungeon & Dragons made its debut in the mid-1970s, followed shortly thereafter by other, similar tabletop games, it sparked a renaissance in game design and critical thinking about games. D&D is now popularly considered to be the first role-playing game. But in the original rules, the term "role-playing" is nowhere to be found; D&D was marketed as a war game. In The Elusive Shift, Jon Peterson describes how players and scholars in the D&D community began to apply the term to D&D and similar games--and by doing so, established a new genre of games.
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Heroes' Feast (Dungeons & Dragons) The Official D&D Cookbook
by Jon Peterson, Michael Witwer, Kyle Newman, Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 80 recipes inspired by the magical world of Dungeons & Dragons
“Ready a tall tankard of mead and brace yourself for a culinary journey to match any quest!”—Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine
From the D&D experts behind Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana comes a cookbook that invites fantasy lovers to celebrate the unique culinary creations and traditions of their favorite fictional cultures. With this book, you can prepare dishes delicate enough to dine like elves and their drow cousins or hearty enough to feast like a dwarven clan or an orcish horde. All eighty dishes—developed by a professional chef—are delicious, easy to prepare, and composed of wholesome ingredients readily found in our world.
Heroes’ Feast includes recipes for snacking, such as Elven Bread, Iron Rations, savory Hand Pies, and Orc Bacon, as well as hearty vegetarian, meaty, and fish mains, such as Amphail Braised Beef, Hommlet Golden Brown Roasted Turkey, Drow Mushroom Steaks, and Pan-Fried Knucklehead Trout—all which pair perfectly with a side of Otik’s famous fried spiced potatoes. There are also featured desserts and cocktails—such as Heartlands Rose Apple and Blackberry Pie, Trolltide Candied Apples, Evermead, Potion of Restoration, and Goodberry Blend—and everything in between, to satisfy a craving for any adventure.
Copies
No copies available.