I've just recently started playing DnD so do not have a great idea of the history and backstory, but I am educated now. I loved the cheeky writing by the author and his unflattering nicknames (Saint Gary) for some of the more notorious characters in this story.

This is the only history of DnD that I've read, but I will say this seems a bit biased. I am 100% ok with that, but those that are looking for something more objective (why WOULD you want an objective history of an RPG??) may want to look elsewhere.

So, I’ll be honest…I don’t often pick up non-fiction books. I haven’t really since getting out of grad school, unless it’s a topic I’m really interested in. When I saw this book on NetGalley, I had to put in my request.

TTRPGs have been a part of my life since college, and D&D has been a huge part of my life the past six years or so. I met my husband because of D&D. I met a nice group of amazing and supportive friends because of D&D.

But, while I knew some of the generalities of the history of Dungeons & Dragons, I hadn’t done any deep diving research into it. So this book taught me a lot, and I thought that was really great.

What I can say through all of this is that I feel author Ben Riggs spent a lot of time doing research and reaching out to everyone possible who was involved in the history of this great game. Not everyone responded, and even when one of those people was pretty important to the overall story, particularly the decline of the game, it is my opinion that Ben Riggs still tried to be as balanced and fair as he could be in telling this tale.

There was so much more than I originally thought to the story. It was an experience to make my way through this book and watch the puzzle pieces fall into place. Because of how invested I am these days in D&D, I definitely got excitedly emotional hearing of the successes of D&D and sad emotional when reading over all the trials and tribulations as the decline happened.

And while this book is nonfiction, it didn’t read as dry as some nonfiction books do. It was more like a story, just with more information involved.

All in all, I’m glad I read this book, and if you want to read about the rise and fall of the early days of Dungeons & Dragons, then this book is for you. Of course, this book only covers to the point where Wizards of the Coast bought the company, so perhaps in the future there will be a sort-of sequel book detailing the incredible rise of D&D in the modern era.

Really interesting. Riggs is obviously passionate about nerddom and RPGs--maybe that colors it a little bit, but this is a deep dive on RPGs, D&D, and passion projects.

This was a very middle-of-the-road book for me. But I do know people I can recommend this book to that will love and enjoy it.

Let me start with saying I’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons. As a fan of fantasy fiction, including the Dragonlance series, I’ve always been interested in D&D. The history of the game is interesting. The fact that the creator just wrote something up based on something someone else had come up with, and the relaxed atmosphere of the workplace seemed fitting for this game. D&D is a way to build a game based on these rules, with dice of different counts. However, as the popularity grows and then ebbs, things go a little off the rails. One thing I felt is that the author seems to be a fan, but occasionally seems like he’s mocking those who love the game. This doesn’t happen often, but it seemed jarring when it did. With Wizards of the Coast in the news because of their decisions based around D&D and their other games, this book gives a good background for how D&D got there.

It was ever so much more boring than the most dull of campaigns. I am glad the game outpaced its origins.

I got an ARC of this book.

I am very behind on finishing this book. It is not the book’s fault. I got it and had planned on listening to it on the way to GenCon earlier this year (my partner was supposed to work it for a different TTRPG, but then we didn’t get to go). So I promptly forgot this book existed.

I have been playing D&D in the Forgotten Realms setting since I was about 12. It was a huge bonding experience with my father. I even had some of the novels. I would buy my father all the Forgotten Realms books I could afford for Christmas every year. Based on timing, that was long after TSR was taken over by Wizards of the Coast. Dad even got us Dragon every issue so we could read them together. We would play every weekend, all weekend. D&D was my childhood in a way that would have made sense if I was born in the 80s. So seeing a microhistory about something so integral to my childhood was exciting.

Riggs was a great narrator. He was able to get into the details without bogging them down. I feel like I know so much more about everything. There is clearly things missing, because telling a full story would be impossible. Instead, the main people were mentioned and given time. There were interviews. I wish there were pictures of the art included. There might be, but my kindle didn’t load anything. I did google every artist mentioned to get the full view. So much of the art is gorgeous.

I added more books to me to-read shelf. I had forgotten all about Drizzt, which at this point feels blasphemous. So I am going to make my way through that series eventually.

So much about this book felt like coming home. All the mentions of the things I knew growing up, but then getting the real context for them made this fantastic. The history of the game to the treatment of employees was all in here. It was super engaging.

Overall, one of the best microhistories I have read yet. I need to check out more by Riggs.

As an avid fan of Dungeons & Dragons, I was excited to take a deep dive into the history of the World's Greatest Roleplaying Game.

Ben Riggs did a phenomenal job researching the history of TSR and its impacts on the world of roleplaying games, presenting the reader with unique insight into the behemoth that was TSR. This book is an effort of passion, and the amount of work that went into uncovering some of the behind-the-scenes details is genuinely admirable.

The history presented in this book is an eye-opening journey through the ups and downs of TSR, Gary Gygax, and Dave Arneson. Not only is this an excellent read for fans of the game, but it examines the ease with which a company at its peak can suddenly fall from high.

Highly recommended for anyone familiar with the genre, this book would also make an excellent read for any aspiring entrepreneur as a cautionary tale.

Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs is an informative look at the history of DnD, but a little dense for a casual fan. I skimmed most of this book, but it feels like a good reference to have as I try to get more into DnD.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I decided to request this book because my husband plays Dungeons & Dragons and I did not know anything about it really. This was a way for me to learn the history and foundation of the game he loves. I learned a lot and some of it shocked me. It does kind of give me Social Network vibes, I am not going to lie. It does make a little more sense to me now. It was a little hard for me to read at first but I am sure fans of the game would love it.

A history of the game Dungeons and Dragons and its creators. Full of fun facts for your nerdy gaming friends.

Slaying The Dragon is a heavily researched and in depth look at the creation, rise and fall of Dungeons & Dragons.

The book chronicles the highs and lows of Gary Gygax’s creation and the eventual skyrocketing success that the game would have today with its mentions and appearances in popular shows such as Stranger Things.

Ben Riggs brings you into the inner workings of the creators and how they invented the world in between personal drama and business disputes. Riggs makes the story exciting and fun to read even if you aren’t heavily invested in D&D!

I highly recommend Slaying The Dragon to anyone wanting to read about the creation of one of the biggest media phenomenons of all time!

Slaying the Dragon was great on print and on audio. My husband plays D&D, but I really don't know much about the backstory of how it was created. I loved this non-fiction look into the ups and downs of TSR as a company. This would be a must read for anyone interested in gaming, but also in business stories. Very fascinating!

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***

I've been playing D&D with my friends for years now, so I was very excited to see this book pop up.

D&D has always been such a cultural behemoth to me, so it's wild to learn that TSR was in such hot water for most of its existence. It's hard to imagine a world where the game didn't survive TSR's demise.

I'm a sucker for drama, so reading Ben Riggs' research on TSR and all the trouble they experience was really interesting to me. This is definitely a book geared a little bit more toward people who are either passionate about D&D instead or interested in how to run your business directly into the ground at full speed. You can tell that Riggs is definitely a big D&D fan who is incredibly interested in every facet of its history. Which is great, because in my experience, there's a pretty big market for that.

If you're a DM or a player or care a lot about someone who is, this is a great book to have around.

A true gift for fans of D&D, Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs is full of original, thoughtful research. It finds the thrills in a lengthy story of corporate warfare and business dealings. Most importantly, the author is conscientious about acknowledging places where the history of this beloved IP have been previously mythologized and stretched, and where figures in the story have before been one dimensionally portrayed. The Forgotten Realms is my favorite book series and a long time passion of mine, so seeing all of the research that he put into the novel publishing side of TSR absolutely tickles me. This book was written with me, a contemporary female fan of a historically male dominated hobby, in mind, and I really connected with the material.

I have always been interested in D&D but this book explains the why, the who, and the how of it all. The way it began and the way it exploded both in growth and the company behind the game itself and the way others swooped in to save it. Just so fascinating and I highly recommend this to anyone interested in gaming or just human foibles.

I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons since 1981. I never really understood the reasoning behind different things that happened throughout those first twenty years until I read this book from Ben Riggs. Mr. Riggs has used firsthand sources for his information and it shows with the amount of details inside.
The book starts with the creation of Dungeons and Dragons from Gary Gygax and David Arneson. It tells of the quick evolution of the business and what went into the gathering of the staff at that time. To get the background on the different individuals is very interesting because it makes all the names on the rpg merchandise have a face and a story. From The beginning till the L. Williams era when things took a different path right up to the acquisition of the company from Wizards of the Coast, the reader is engaged with a lot of backstory from the good times and the bad.
The book is very well written and engaging. I had a hard time putting it down. I kept wanting to read the next chapter and there were no dull points in it at all. I would highly recommend this book for those interested in the stories of business from start to finish but especially those who have ever played D&D.


I received an ARC from Net Galley for an unbiased review of this book.

I really wanted to love this because my husband loves Dungeons & Dragons, but the writing was extremely awkward and not fun to read.

Ben Riggs' Slaying the Dragon,is an excellent history of TSR's rise and fall in the RPG world. The period described begins with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson starting the company, and charts the pitfalls and treasure hoards TSR came scross on the way to the top.

Riggs addresses the "St Gary" ethos held up by some of the participants and does not make Lorraine out to be the BBB; she just didn't make decisions like game.

I loved hearing about the creatives side of production, especially about the authors.

Pairs wonderfully with
David Kushner's Rise of the Dungeon Master about Gary himself, and
Either et al's Art and Arcana


4.4/5
Recommending purchase for my geeks at MS/HS libraries