Every good gamer knows that Vin Diesel used to play Dungeons & Dragons. I have personally used that fact to validate my hobby to my ‘cooler’ friends who only obsess about car parts and RC vehicles. But when a book like 30 Years of Adventure comes out, with a foreword by the muscle-bound star of The Fast and the Furious, gamers can finally prove, once and for all, that they can be just as cool as the guys who spend their entire Saturday on the sofa watching football (as opposed to spending their entire Saturday on the sofa playing D&D).
30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons is a validation for closet gamers and the coolest coffee table book I own. Wizards of the Coast published this large book as a celebration, not just of the game, but of the culture of D&D. Everything about this book, from the seriously cool plastic jacket to the beautiful full-color paintings that grace every page, from the stories of the early days of D&D to the acquisition by Wizards of the Coast, is a salute to Dungeons & Dragons and its millions of fans.
Presentation
Ordinarily, when I review a book, I talk first about the actual written content and comment on the art afterward. In the case of 30 Years of Adventure, however, such a review would be almost backwards. The real draw of the book, and the thing that is going to make casual shoppers pull it off the shelf, is its beautiful and stylish visual presentation.
The first striking thing about the book is not even the cover – it’s the dust jacket. The jacket is semi-opaque, paper-thin plastic. An introductory quote from Vin Diesel graces the back of the jacket in red ink, and a very cool design on the front of the cover announces the title of the game.
The jacket is cool, but the cover art is no slouch. A Larry Elmore painting graces the cover with a warrior facing down a seriously pissed dragon. The back is covered with various character illustrations from the hundreds of D&D books. But the really interesting thing about the cover is that it is presented entirely in shades of gold – no color anywhere. Combined with the see-through cover, the effect is awesome.
The great design continues throughout the book. Nearly every page contains some of the more memorable paintings from the long lineage of D&D books. Some of the more memorable interior art is presented as well – who else remembers with fondness three wizards arguing over a table full of gems? Personally, my favorite drawing from the original books – an elven warrior maiden in chainmail that somehow allows here nipples to protrude – is sadly missing, but there is a whole lot of great art in this book.
The design does not stop at killer paintings. The layout of the book announces, with no room for misunderstanding, that this is an artistic undertaking. The copy in the main body of the book tilts at a slight angle, making it visually interesting, if slightly more difficult to read. The testimonials of dozens of D&D fans – from members of popular bands to everyone’s favorite Star Trek star, Will Wheaton – are framed inside pages reminiscent of the old pullout Monster Manual inserts.
Writing
This book is an incredibly interesting read. I read it cover-to-cover, and not just because I was preparing to write this review. Aside from the fact that the actual information is interesting, I was able to relax with the writing style of the core authors and learn a lot more about a game that took up so many of my free time hours for so long.
I must admit that I found the testimonials – mostly just tales of how the writers got involved with the game – got stale about halfway through. They all started to sound alike. After you read five famous people in a row saying, ‘D&D helped me learn to use my imagination,’ the next twenty people saying the same thing is a little boring. It was still kind of neat to see that the Barenaked Ladies game, or that Will Wheaton still runs a game, but I hadn’t heard of three-quarters of these people, and didn’t particularly care about why they started gaming.
The part that is really compelling is the actual history of the game. The book starts out with the creation of Dungeons & Dragons by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. I never realized that Arneson actually created the first RPG, based on Gygax’s Chainmail rules, and showed it to Gygax at a wargaming convention. I also did not realize how far back the game really goes. I mean, I knew about the initial paper books, but did not know that D&D had been out for six years when I started playing.
After the origin story, 30 Years of Adventure goes on to describe the evolution and concepts behind nearly every product line ever developed by TSR. From Greyhawk to Planescape, and even the later stuff, everything is discussed here. If you ever wanted to read about the birthplace of Ravenloft or the original designer of Forgotten Realms, it’s all here. The book even outlines some products I did not know about, and I was surprised to find out there was anything I did not know about D&D.
The book finishes with a frank telling of the demise of TSR. I was a little sad at this point, not because of TSR’s final failing, but because I cherished the idea of the ‘little game company that could.’ Finding out that TSR was a several-million-dollar corporation shattered some irrational preconceptions that I had held near and dear for a very long time. Of course, it would not make any sense for TSR to make as many books as they did without an entire company, but I always liked the romantic dream of the guys working out of their garage and printing with money they saved by eating macaroni and cheese. Some part of me always knew that TSR was bigger than that, but I never really realized how much bigger.
If TSR was big, however, Wizards was positively gargantuan. When the opportunity came for Wizards of the Coast to purchase the failing game monolith, they came up with $30 million to acquire TSR. That is a small buyout compared to something like Exxon-Mobil, but it dwarfs the heck out of 99% of game companies today.
The book is obviously a little self-congratulatory – after all, it is a celebration. But for a celebration, the authors are remarkably honest. They discuss problems with management, poor business decisions, and rivalries, all with a refreshing lack of excuses. The information presented here is fun to read and incredibly informative, yet quite frank and honest.
Summary
Books like 30 Years of Adventure do not come out often enough. Granted, fifty bucks is a lot for a book with no rules, but considering the production values here, that is well-spent money. 30 Years of Adventure manages to make me damned proud of being a gamer, something that usually only happens when I meet other gamers. I would leave this book on my coffee table for guests to flip through, just so they can see how cool my hobby really is.
If you’re a gamer who loves a pretty book, you owe it to yourself to part with $50 and get yourself a copy of 30 Years of Adventure. If you have always wanted to know a whole lot more about the game that started it all, this is a must-buy. And if you just want to show anyone who visits your home that gaming is a cool hobby, buy 30 Years of Adventure and present it prominently in your home. I know I will.
Style: 5 – This book could not be much prettier. Everything about 30 Years of Adventure oozes style.
Substance: 4 – The writing is solid and the information is interesting. It is not particularly deep or compelling, and the testimonials get a little boring, but this is a well-written book.
Review Summary