Designers & Dragons - A History of the RPG Industry

[MongooseMatt]

Designers & Dragons, a comprehensive history of the RPG industry, has just arrived at our warehouse and is now shipping.

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/rpgs/othergames/designers-dragons.html

Compiled over many years from hundreds of interviews and research projects, this book is a history of the roleplaying game industry, and forms the most complete record of all the games, companies and talented individuals that have propelled roleplaying games to where they are today.

Rather than being a simple, linear history, this book takes a unique perspective on the roleplaying industry. Reflecting the creation of thousands of talented individuals and scores of talented companies, this book instead devotes individual sections to describing the histories and products of almost 60 different companies that have published roleplaying games from 1974 to the present day. The companies are laid out in a chronology based upon when each began publishing in the roleplaying field.

Designers & Dragons comes in a quality black leather finish, ensuring its collectibility for years to come. Less than a thousand have been printed, so grab your piece of history while you can!

 

[mechascorpio]

Matt,

This has got to be one of the finest books Mongoose has ever released. My compliments to you, Shannon, Charlotte and Will. There have only been a handful of books that chronicle the history of the hobby, and most have been incomplete and/or inaccurate. I think time will show that Designers & Dragons will be regarded as the authoritative reference guide on the subject, for what it's worth.

I especially appreciate the way Shannon handled the narrative in a non-linear fashion. At first I thought it would make it difficult to connect the influences between the companies and the games over time, but it was presented brilliantly ("What to Read Next"... genius). And the layout and quality is just lovely. As someone who has been gaming since '78, I feel this is the kind of book that the hobby and the industry deserves, but would never get. I know this sounds all kiss-assy, but this isn't just a book or a Mongoose product; it's a true contribution to gamers and gaming history. Thank you!

I hope you're all deservedly proud of this and that it's a big success. Please make certain it gets nominated for awards next year. It deserves the highest recognition.

 

[Clanger]

Will it be avaliable on Kindle at anytime?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Will it be avaliable on Kindle at anytime?

The formatting required to put it on Kindle is... formidable.

I would like to, but we have no plans at this time.

 

[Just a player]

Some books simply demand a hardcopy, hardcover tome. This is one of them. You don't need a kindle version of this, you don't even want it. This is a book worth having as a book.

 

[DaRepurgata]

Hi,

Will the book be reprinted?
The only one I was able to found, was 250$ on amazon. I guess we all understand that's a little expensive...

 

[MongooseMatt]

I am afraid this one won't be reprinted.

 

[DaRepurgata]

Oh! So I will have to find one somewhere else... C'est la vie I guess.

Thank you

 

[danskmacabre]

Noooo! please reprint it!
I really want this book..

 

[MongooseMatt]

You can still get it as an ebook;

http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/96077/Designers-%26-Dragons

 

[danskmacabre]

yeah I just wanted a physical book.
I should have grabbed a copy at Dragonmeet, oh well..

 

[danskmacabre]

If you had enough people wanting it, would you consider a reprint?
Like some sort of POD arrangement?

 

[MongooseMatt]

I am afraid it is just not possible - the book is too big for that to be realistic.

 

[Jack Campbell]

A reprint would be good to see. Even in the $100 price range. After being poured over, it would sit in my collection next to Ptolus, The World's Largest Dungeon, Rappan Athuk, and my Planescape boxed set. It is that kind of book. I always surprised by publishers that fail to take advantage of the desires of the collector community. Premiums could easily be charged for products like these.

 

[lastbesthope]

I meant to mention, when I was at Mongoose at the tourney, there were at least 3 hard copies of the book still for sale....

LBH

 

[Jack Campbell]

So where do I buy a single, solitary copy, of one of those three hard copies?

 

[MongooseMatt]

Drop me a line at msprange@mongoosepublishing.com, and we'll see if we can work something out.

 

[lastbesthope]

Drop me a line at msprange@mongoosepublishing.com, and we'll see if we can work something out.

Do I get a commission?

LBH

 

[danskmacabre]

Does that mean there's 2 left?

Are they for sale?

 

[Waynes_Books]

RPGNow no longer has the pdf available.

Is Designers & Dragons going to see print again, or at least be available in electronic format?