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A review by shane_tiernan
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer
4.0
I've been playing D&D since I was 8, that makes 40 years. There have been years here and there where I didn't play and there have been years where I played other systems, but I always come back to D&D. I can't imagine my life without role-playing games. I have spent literally 1000's of hours playing or creating content for role-playing games.
So of course I had to read more about the "father of rpgs". I'm pretty sad that I never actually met Mr. Gygax in person, so I guess this is the next best thing. Unfortunately as with most biographical works about our heroes they can disappoint. This one was no exception. From the story in this book, Gary Gygax just doesn't seem like the kind of person I would like very much. That's not to say that I'm not thankful for his huge contribution to my life, it's just that he seemed like an impulsive, hot-headed, selfish jackass. I could totally relate to the love of gaming, writing and the creativity, but the rest left me shaking my head.
I thought the book was a good balance of personal and business life and was just about the right length for me. The only thing I didn't like about it was the little "D&D session intros" to some chapters, because they sounded like they were written by someone who hadn't really played D&D. I guess it was the author's attempt to make them more "accessible" to non role-playing gamers?
So of course I had to read more about the "father of rpgs". I'm pretty sad that I never actually met Mr. Gygax in person, so I guess this is the next best thing. Unfortunately as with most biographical works about our heroes they can disappoint. This one was no exception. From the story in this book, Gary Gygax just doesn't seem like the kind of person I would like very much. That's not to say that I'm not thankful for his huge contribution to my life, it's just that he seemed like an impulsive, hot-headed, selfish jackass. I could totally relate to the love of gaming, writing and the creativity, but the rest left me shaking my head.
I thought the book was a good balance of personal and business life and was just about the right length for me. The only thing I didn't like about it was the little "D&D session intros" to some chapters, because they sounded like they were written by someone who hadn't really played D&D. I guess it was the author's attempt to make them more "accessible" to non role-playing gamers?