HAWK & MOOR Book 1: The Dragon Rises (5e Deluxe Edition)
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Lake Geneva¸ 1972. Gygax. Arneson. Come experience the Golden Age...
THE CREATION of the world's preeminent Fantasy Role-Playing Game (FRPG)¸ Dungeons & Dragons ¸ is one of the most fascinating tales to be told in all the shared histories of entertainment¸ play and game design. Two very different men¸ David Lance Arneson and Ernest Gary Gygax¸ undertook an unprecedented collaboration which gifted us - as their shared legacy - with one of the most intriguing games the world has yet experienced. Their game did not just simulate one isolate corner of reality; it dared to encompass the entirety of all realms of adventure¸ the consensual playground of the human imagination.
HAWK & MOOR tells the story of Dave and Gary¸ and the many other people whose efforts gave first life to the game we know and love today. Arneson had spectacular ideas¸ but Gygax knew how to refine them. Collaboration soon turned to conflict as Arneson believed his game was being taken from him¸ and Gygax crystallized systems where incomprehensible riddles had stood before. Both men were creative geniuses¸ but the game they created from Gygax's Chainmail (1971) was the end result not only of their teamwork¸ but also of their clashes and disagreements.
HAWK & MOOR chronicles that first legendary game to arise from the Golden Age of Fantasy Role-Playing. Herein you will find Gary's life story¸ the history of Gen Con and the Castle & Crusade Society¸ and details concerning the conception of Castle Greyhawk. This first book also includes new revelations pertaining to Arneson's Blackmoor and its influences; tales from the Blackmoor Dungeons and Loch Gloomen; details on Gary's first dungeon adventure; an exploration of the links between H. P. Lovecraft¸ Robert E. Howard¸ and the earliest underworld adventures; the secrets of the asylum which inspired Castle Greyhawk; and much more.
HAWK & MOOR¸ The Unofficial History of Dungeons & Dragons ¸ includes 117¸000+ words on over 410 pages¸ supported by a detailed chronology¸ extensive research into the inspirational origins of D&D¸ and over 560 footnotes and annotations.
The adventure begins here. Prepare yourself¸ take up torch and sword. Come along and experience an unprecedented journey into the Golden Age!
Reader Praise for Hawk & Moor
* Cited in Michael Witwer's Selected Biography for Empire of Imagination (pg. 270)
* "In short... great job¸ fascinating story! You'd think I¸ of all people¸ would be familiar with the 'genesis narrative'¸ but I wasn't.... Thank you for the enormous amount of effort you put into this." (Foulfoot¸ Acaeum)
* "A really wonderful analysis of the origins of Dungeons & Dragons¸ with the best real attempt I have ever seen to reconstruct the contributions of Dave Arneson to the hobby." (5 stars¸ Amazon)
* "Much of this story has never been told before... the author gathered hundreds of forum posts¸ personal interviews¸ and other research into an easily-digestible narrative that entertains as it educates." (5 stars¸ Amazon)
* "If you are looking for a history of D&D this is the book. I am a second gen D&D player¸ cut my teeth on Chainmail and basic¸ had the privilege to meeting all the men in this book. Take it from me¸ I enjoyed and found it to be closest to the truth." (4 stars¸ Amazon)
* "I cannot recommend this series of books highly enough for anyone with a serious interest in the history of D&D in particular and RPGs in general." (5 stars¸ Amazon)
* "Weaves together scarce contemporary primary source material with conflicting thirty-odd year old recollections. It is