Dungeons & Dragons: The Making of Original D&D: 1970 – 1977

The definitive history of the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

Here is the ultimate record of how Dungeons & Dragons came to be. The Making of Original D&D is an extraordinary collection of rare documents that sheds light on D&D’s origin story. Uncover materials never released to the public, including Gary Gygax’s first draft of original D&D, and early published writings such as the 1974 original D&D “white box” booklets and supplements. Each document is featured alongside insightful commentary from one of the game’s foremost historians, Jon Peterson.

A Note on Legacy Content

At Wizards of the Coast, we recognize that some of the legacy content in this product does not reflect the values of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudices that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

New features:

Unearth the very first draft of original D&D, never released to the public until now. Crafted on Gygax’s home typewriter, this 1973 document contains handwritten notes by both Gygax and Arneson.

Discover approximately 30 early articles and rare documents that lay the foundation for modern D&D, including unpublished correspondence between Gygax and Arneson.

Peruse a remarkable collection of magazine and fanzine articles, many of which are no longer publicly available or remain undiscovered by D&D historians and fans of classic D&D.

Flip through facsimiles of all the first printings of Original D&D, compiled in a single book for the first time in D&D’s publishing history.

Explore the creation and development of the original 1974 game with insightful commentary by Jon Peterson, one of D&D’s foremost historians.

Commemorate our 50th anniversary with this homage to D&D’s past as we celebrate how far D&D has come. Here’s to 50 years, and 50 more!