Books

Track the development of the tabletop game from homemade hobby to fantasy franchise with this unparalleled artwork collection

Page after page of fantasy imagery chart the progression of character designs…

While not necessarily an outof-the-box success with mainstream audiences, Dungeons & Dragons has gone on to become the definitive role-playing game. Even if you’re not familiar with the game’s lore and mechanics, chances are you’ll be familiar with the image of players crowded round a table of miniatures, rattling dice and updating character sheets, such is its impact.

To tell the story of how the monumental franchise evolved, Dungeons & Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History, takes the somewhat surprising route of explaining it with the game’s art. Surprising because, especially in the 1974 original edition, Dungeons & Dragons was primarily a story created in the imaginations of the players.

This doesn’t mean that this comprehensive book is slow out of the gate. Instead, it opens with a brief look at the state of tabletop gaming at the time, and reveals how the creators of Dungeons & Dragons cleverly worked rules around existing figurines. This is accompanied by charming art from early versions of the game that, while a little amateurish compared to what was to come, showcase the passion and DIY graft that went into getting the game off the ground.

WIth the help of never-before-seen sketches, rare photographs and other elusive paraphernalia, the Dungeons & Dragons story is told over nine chapters that cover all five editions of the game, the ups and downs in between, and its expansion into online realms. Box art, hand-drawn documents and fanzines are also present and correct to help give a broader appreciation of the RPG’s cultural impact.

For D&D devotees, this is a beautifully presented telling of a tale they’ll know all too well. And for those unfamiliar with TSR’s hottest property, the book provides a fascinating account of how a passion project grew into a property that today boasts up to 15 million active users.

Artists are also spoilt, with page after page of fantasy imagery that charts the progression of character designs and the aesthetic of the genre as a whole. Though in a telling quote from the game’s co-creator, Gary Gygax, it seems the more things change for illustrators, the more they stay the same: “Each time we reprint we have to shell out more beans to some grubby artist, but that is life.”

The box art for D&D’s 1977 basic set, painted by Dave Sutherland. Detail from Jeff Easley cover art for Unearthed Arcana, a manual that expanded on the basic AD&D rules.

Wayne Reynolds’ dynamic cover art for the Heroes of the Elemental Chaos supplement from 2012.

Dave Trampler’s cover art for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragon Player Handbook, published in 1978.

Many versions of the Beholder have been designed since its appearance in 1977’s first edition of D&D.