By Todd Russell
With Stern Pinball release at the start of 2025 of Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant’s Eye (0.85 code) Stern Pinball Pro 2025 Detailed First Thoughts After Flipping on Location I was motivated to check back into what’s happening in the D&D scene. Yeah, I know they have since released King Kong: Myth of Terror Island and some pinfolks have moved on, but I feel like D&D is a much bigger IP than an original King Kong story, even though it’s an Elwin. We’ll cover that another time, let’s chat D&D.
Missed this book last year and am interested in it. Maybe not at the $99 on Amazon price tag, or same price in the official D&D store (https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/everything-else/D3923000), but maybe picking it up used somewhere, someday.
Let’s go through the book blurb.
The first draft of original D&D by co-creator Gary Gygax on a home typewriter? Along with notes from Arneson, also sounds like a neat historical journey.
This hardcover book was originally published June 18, 2024 and has over 576 pages. I’m going to need bookshelf for D&D books, something is telling me, as I keep looking at buying the new D&D books as well.
Thriftbooks has this “new” for $85.53 (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dungeons–dragons-dd-the-making-of-original-dd-1970-1976-hardcover_dungeons–dragons/52429103/#edition=71053907&idiq=63599173)
eBay had a seller listing this book new starting at a bid of $58.99 with $8.99 media mail shipping. The buy it now price + shipping still puts it lower than Thriftbooks ($12.69 shipping + $85 there).
Tempting! I put in a bid … and won (at the lowest and only bid!). In fact, it arrived here and picked up from the post office (hint, it’s the brown box):
In a past live Twitch stream, I opened and looked at the book for the first time. It comes with a blank character sheet. This is one heavy, heavy book, but I’ve been paging through it here and there.
Have been looking over the newest core rules deals as well. There is a bundle for both digital and physical.
The cost for those are $179 (https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/core-rules/core-rulebook-bundle)
2025 seems like it might be a costly year for buying D&D-related gaming stuff, but already stated this would be a year going back in time (see: 2025 Resolution: Travel Back in Gaming Time)
I haven’t played a game of D&D since the 80s. Tried to get the kids into it in the late 90s, but never really went anywhere at the time.
Has anybody reading read this Making of Dungeons & Dragons book? Played the newest rule book version of D&D? Share in the comments your thoughts.