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Of Dice and Men
- The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It
- Narrated by: David M. Ewalt, Mikael Naramore
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
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Of Dice and Men
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Publisher's Summary
The Hobbit meets Moneyball in this definitive book on Dungeons & Dragons - from its origins and rise to cultural prominence to the continued effects on popular culture today.
Here, There Be Dragons.
Ancient red dragons with 527 hit points, +44 to attack, and a 20d10 breath weapon, to be specific. In the world of fantasy role-playing, those numbers describe a winged serpent with immense strength and the ability to spit fire. There are few beasts more powerful - just like there are few games more important than Dungeons & Dragons.
Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974 - decades before the Internet and social media - Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by millions of fans around the world. Now the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player.
In Of Dice and Men, David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game’s roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game’s origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D’s profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America’s most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.
What the critics say
“Dungeons & Dragons has been a huge part of my life. The book sheds light on the world of [D&D co-creator] Gary Gygax, and it also lets the reader into the mind of somebody questioning how cool this game is.” (Vin Diesel)
“An engaging book that fuses history and memoir. [Ewalt] tracks D&D's turbulent rise, fall and survival, from its heyday in the 1980s...to the 21st century.” (The Wall Street Journal)
“David Ewalt offers a genial history of Dungeons and Dragons and its impact on his own geek life.... A highly readable account of a game that seized the imagination of a generation and maintains its grip three decades later.” (Publishers Weekly)
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What listeners say about Of Dice and Men
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- John Le Blanc
- 2022-07-23
My Interest in the Topic is What Kept Me Going.
It was tough at times. I could have done without all the story-book campaign interludes. I so didn't care. It got to where I just had to skip them. I found the history of games and DnD interesting. So was the section on LARPing. But there were other sections, like his first forays into DMing, designing his tower, describing the various people he games with, which were so unengaging. The romanticization and reverence for the game were occasionally a bit over-the-top. Overall, I'll admit the book did make me want to play DnD. So I suppose it could have been worse.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-03-10
great book
this was awsome exactly what I was looking for an over top view of RPGs, not preachy with just the right amount of enthusiasm. but man what the hell happend when you guys got to Sanfansisco?
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Slade Crowe
- 2021-05-19
Work of Art
Wanna learn some DnD history and have fun along the way? This is the book where you will find it.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jeff M
- 2019-02-26
Not all Dungeons and Dragons journey start in a tavern
This was my first adventure in a book about AD&D and it journey. I enjoyed the read and the mixing of the authors research and excerpts of his game mixed in. You can Agree or disagree with his view points as all gamers are unique but that in its core is the beauty of this book.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Benoit L
- 2021-09-09
Informative and fun!
I really appreciated this audiobook! Great information, and fun to listen too. The author is good and the narrator is good too.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jason
- 2022-06-06
David is perfect.
This was a book that I went into with very little expectations. Progressively it got better and better. David is a perfect writer for a book of this stature. Really glad I read it. And honestly. I just want more. Jason.
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