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.

The kids in our lives all dream of visiting other worlds, of being heroes in their own special Tales. Here's their chance! Little Wizards is a storytelling roleplaying game for inventive and inquisitive kids ages 6-10, developed to introduce them to the magic of creating their own characters and stepping into a whole new world.

Eighth grader Mercer, whose passion is the fantasy role-playing game Wizards of the Warrior World, hopes to use a fund raiser to bring a gaming convention to his middle school, but instead he attracts four genuine wizards who are trapped on Earth and want

The long-running “cult favorite” YA fantasy series continues with a worldwide tournament of magic—from the author of A Wizard of Mars (Slate). Every eleven years, Earth’s senior wizards hold the Invitational: an intensive three-week event where the planet’s newest, sharpest young wizards show off their best and hottest spells. Wizardly partners Kit Rodriguez and Nita Callahan, and Nita’s sister, former wizard-prodigy Dairine Callahan, are drafted in to mentor two brilliant and difficult cases: for Nita and Kit, there’s Penn Shao-Feng, a would-be sun technician with a dangerous new take on managing solar weather; and for Dairine, there’s shy young Mehrnaz Farrahi, an Iranian wizard-girl trying to specialize in defusing earthquakes while struggling with a toxic extended wizardly family that demands she perform to their expectations. Together they’re plunged into a whirlwind of cutthroat competition and ruthless judging. Penn’s egotistical attitude toward his mentors complicates matters as the pair tries to negotiate their burgeoning romance. Meanwhile, Dairine struggles to stabilize her hero-worshipping, insecure protégée against the interference of powerful relatives using her to further their own tangled agendas. When both candidates make it through to the finals stage on the dark side of the Moon, they and their mentors are flung into a final conflict that could change the solar system for the better . . . or damage Earth beyond even wizardly repair. “Apprentices become teachers, friendships turn to romance, and long-simmering subplots achieve resolution in the 10th entry of this well-loved fantasy series . . . A delightful treat.”—Kirkus Reviews

An illustrated book that tells the stories of several of the most famous and infamous wizards of the City of Gateway, a fictional metropolis where magic, the driving force of life in Gateway, is under threat from an oppressive oligarchy. The book is presented as a form of protest against the ruling class and their desire to keep these stories suppressed.

A spellbinding collection of wizardry! For centuries, people have been mesmerized by the spectacular tales of wizards. In this book, you will uncover the mystery behind these sorcerers with folklore, mythology, and poetry from every tradition in the world. From the legendary Telchines, who were entrusted with the upbringing of Olympian gods to the great, wise Gandalf in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the dazzling stories surrounding these magicians are sure to captivate anyone who has ever dreamed of mastering the arcane arts of wizardry. Whether you're interested in exploring the rich history behind these enchanting figures or want to learn more about their magical abilities, you will gain a better understanding of their impact on civilizations as you accompany these powerful conjurors on their spellbinding journeys. Complete with detailed illustrations, this book reveals the incredible power and age-old wisdom of some of the most extraordinary wizards to ever exist.