Bibliography and Recommended Further Reading
Bibliography and Recommended Further Reading
Aslam, Hamna., and Joseph Alexander Brown. Affordance Theory in Game Design A Guide Toward Understanding Players. 1st ed. 2020., Springer International Publishing, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02123-7.
Browning, Christopher. “How to Calculate Ability Scores D&D 5E.” Plus One to Gaming, Plus One to Gaming, 16 Oct. 2023, www.plusonetogaming.com/blog-episodes/how-to-calculate-ability-scores-dnd-5e#:~:text=To.
Carter. “Personalities of Players of Dungeons and Dragons.” Psychological Reports., vol. 82, no. 1, 1998, pp. 182–182, https://doi.org/info:doi/.
Chenault, Davis, and Stephen Chenault. The Castle Keeper’s Guide. Troll Lord Games, 2010.
Chenault, Davis, et al. Castles & Crusades Players Handbook: A Guide and Rules System for Fantasy Role Playing. Troll Lord Games, 2014.
Cogburn, Jon, and Mark Silcox. Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy. Open Court Pub., 2012.
Cook David and Gary Gygax. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide. Second edition revised and updated ed. TSR 1989.
“D&D Dice Explained.” Die Hard Dice, 2023, www.dieharddice.com/pages/dnd-dice-explained.
“D&D Explained in 5 Minutes.” YouTube, Dunegoncast, 26 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgvHNlgmKro&ab_channel=TheDungeoncast.
“D&D 5e Combat Explained in 5 Minutes.” YouTube, Dungeoncast, 25 July 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tnrATiclg4&ab_channel=TheDungeoncast.
“D&D 5e Spellcasting Explained in 5 Minutes.” YouTube, Dungeoncast, 9 Aug. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMxZDMgZKbI&ab_channel=TheDungeoncast.
“Dungeons and Dragons Mathematics.” Dungeons and Dragons Mathematics, The Monkey House, 4 May 2008, monkeysushi.net/gaming/DnD/math.html.
“Dungeons & Dragons: The World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game.” Dungeons & Dragons | The World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game, WIZARDS OF THE COAST LLC, 2024, www.dndbeyond.com/.
Dunnjenn. “Research in Dungeons and Dragons - Sojourners Awake.” Sojourners Awake - Crafting Leaders and Artists through Tabletop Role Playing Games, 6 Aug. 2021, sojournersawake.com/2021/08/06/research-in-dungeons-and-dragons/.
Egloff, Ben, et al. The Game Master’s Book of Astonishing Random Tables : 300 Unique Roll Tables to Enhance Your Worldbuilding, Storytelling, Locations, Magic and More for 5th Edition RPG Adventures. , Illustrated by Jasmine Kalle et al., Media Lab Books, 2023.
Ellis, Simon. Cognitive gameplaying: Playing games with cognitive computing. Diss. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 2016.
Ellis, Simon, and James Hendler. "Computers Play Chess, Computers Play Go… Humans Play Dungeons & Dragons." IEEE Intelligent Systems 32.4 (2017): 31-34.
Emblem, Holly. “Understanding Probability Theory with Dungeons and Dragons.” Medium, Towards Data Science, 26 Aug. 2018, towardsdatascience.com/understanding-probability-theory-with-dungeons-and-dragons-a36bc69aec88.
Ewalt, David M. Of Dice and Men : The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It. First Scribner hardcover edition., Scribner, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2013.
Garcia, Antero. “Gaming Literacies: Spatiality, Materiality, and Analog Learning in a Digital Age.” Reading Research Quarterly, vol. 55, no. 1, 2020, pp. 9–27, https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.260.
Green, Kris H. “Coming out of the Dungeon: Mathematics and Role-Playing Games.” Fisher Digital Publications, St. John Fisher University, 2012, fisherpub.sjf.edu/math_facpub/19/.
Gygax Gary. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Random House 1987.
Gygax, Gary. Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Player’s Handbook. 2nd ed., TSR, 1980.
Gygax Gary. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual: An Alphabetical Compedium of All of the Monsters Found in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Including Attacks Damage Special Abilities and Descriptions. 2nd ed. TSR Hobbies ; Distributed in the U.S. by Random House 1978.
Gygax Gary. Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual II : An Alphabetical Listing of Monsters Found in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventures Including Attacks Damage Special Abilities Descriptions and Random Encounter Tables. 1st ed. TSR ; Distributed in the U.S. by Random House 1983.
Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game : Hero’s Guide. West End Games 1998.
Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game : Secrets of the Ancient World. West End Games 1998.
Kopp, Drew. “How to Build Wonder Woman in Dungeons & Dragons.” CBR, Comic Book Resources, 6 May 2022, www.cbr.com/wonder-woman-build-guide-dnd-5e-dc/.
Kushner, David. Rise of the Dungeon Master : Gary Gygax and the Creation of D & D. Illustrated by Koren Shadmi, Nation Books, 2017.
Lai, Tri, and Gregg Musiker. “Dungeons and Dragons: Combinatorics for the DP3 Quiver.” Annals of Combinatorics, vol. 24, no. 2, 2020, pp. 257–309, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00026-019-00487-y.
Langley, Kevin, and Marissa Diaz. “Dungeon and Dragons: 50 Years of Adventure.” KTALnews.Com, KTALnews.com, 8 Jan. 2024, www.ktalnews.com/entertainment-news/dungeon-and-dragons-50-years-of-adventure/.
Leung, C J. “How to Dungeon Master - for Absolute Beginners (D&D5E).” YouTube, Don’t Stop Thinking, 7 Apr. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL43rhEsU_g&ab_channel=Don%27tStopThinking.
Miller, John J. “Dungeons & Dragons in a Digital World.” The Wall Street Journal. Eastern Edition, Eastern edition, 2008.
Mizer, Nicholas J. The Greatest Unreality: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Experience of Imagined Worlds. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2015.
Mogensen, Torben. "Dice-Rolling Mechanisms in RPGs." (2006).
Robichaud, Christopher. “Save vs. Death.” Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 2014, pp. 61–71, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118921166.ch4.
Schreiber, Ian. Game Balance. 1st ed., CRC Press, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315156422.
Segoni, Samuele. “A Role-Playing Game to Complement Teaching Activities in an ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ Teaching Course.” Environmental Research Communications, vol. 4, no. 5, 2022, pp. 51003-, https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/ac6f47.
Shen, Zhenyuan. “Procedural Generation in Games: Focusing on Dungeons.” SHS Web of Conferences, vol. 144, 2022, pp. 2005-, https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202214402005.
Shubik, Martin. “It is not just a game!” Simulation & Gaming, vol. 40, no. 5, 2009, pp. 587–601, https://doi.org/10.1177/1046878109333722.
Sich, Dan. “Dungeons and downloads: Collecting tabletop fantasy role‐playing games in the age of downloadable pdfs.” Collection Building, vol. 31, no. 2, 2012, pp. 60–65, https://doi.org/10.1108/01604951211229854.
Slavicsek, Bill, and Richard Baker. Dungeons & Dragons for Dummies. Wiley, 2005.
Sullivan, Anne Margaret. The Grail Framework: Making Stories Playable on Three Levels in CRPGS. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2012.
“Welcome to the World of Dungeons and Dragons!” DnD Beyond, Wizards of the Coast, 2024, www.dndbeyond.com/how-to-play-dnd.
Willmert, Justin. “Basic D&D Statistics: DICE Rolling with Advantage.” Basic D&D Statistics: Dice Rolling with Advantage, 2020, justinwillmert.com/articles/2020/basic-dd-statistics-dice-rolling-with-advantage/.
Willmert, Justin. “Basic D&D Statistics: Sums of Dice Rolls.” Basic D&D Statistics: Sums of Dice Rolls, 2020, justinwillmert.com/articles/2020/basic-dd-statistics-sums-of-dice-rolls/.
Witwer, Michael. Empire of Imagination : Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons. Bloomsbury USA, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc., 2015, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2675841.
Witwer, Michael, et al. Lore & Legends : A Visual Celebration of the Fifth Edition of the World’s Greatest Roleplaying Game. First edition, Ten Speed Press, 2023.
Links to Books in our Catalog and Downloads
Affordance Theory in Game Design by ISBN: 9783031009952Publication Date: 2020-03-26Games, whether educational or recreational, are meant to be fun. How do we ensure that the game delivers its intent? The answer to this question is playtesting. However, a haphazard playtest process cannot discover play experience from various dimensions. Players' perceptions, affordances, age, gender, culture, and many more human factors influence play experience. A playtest requires an intensive experimental process and scientific protocols to ensure that the outcomes seen are reliable for the designer. Playtesting and players' affordances are the focus of this book. This book is not just about the playtest procedures but also demonstrates how they lead to the conclusions obtained when considering data sets. The playtest process or playtest stories differ according to the hypothesis under investigation. We cover examples of playtesting to identify the impact of human factors, such as age and gender, to examine a player's preferences for game objects' design and colors. The book details topics to reflect on possible emotional outcomes of the player at the early stages of game design as well as the methodology for presenting questions to players in such a way as to elicit authentic feedback. This book is intended mainly for game designers, researchers, and developers. However, it provides a general understanding of affordances and human factors that can be informative for readers working in any domain.
Cognitive gameplaying: Playing games with cognitive computing by Call Number: ProQuest DissertationsISBN: 9781369136678Publication Date: 2016The analysis of games and game-playing has long been a mainstay of research in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). From the first development of game theory by Morgenstern and von Neumann and Samuels’ creation of a program to play the game of draughts at a level sufficient to challenge a human to the present day, much work has been undertaken to improve the ability of a computer to comprehend, analyse and play a game at a human level. Much of this work has been in a class of games readily tractable to game-theoretical approaches, such as chequers, Othello and chess; many other games exist which by nature or design resist standard AI techniques. ...
Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy by Call Number: GV1469.62.D84 D388 2012ISBN: 9780812697964Publication Date: 2012-09-11This volume will convince readers that the swift ascent of the tabletop role-playing gameDungeons and Dragons to worldwide popularity in the 1970s and 1980s is "the most exciting event in popular culture since the invention of the motion picture." Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy presents twenty-one chapters by different writers, all D&D aficionados but with starkly different insights and points of view. It will be appreciated by thoughtful fans of the game, including both those in their thirties, forties, and fifties who have rediscovered the pastime they loved as teenagers and the new teenage and college-student D&D players who have grown up with gaming via computer and console games and are now turning to D&D as a richer, fuller gaming experience. The book is divided into three parts. The first, "Heroic Tier: The Ethical Dungeon-Crawler," explores what D&D has to teach us about ethics and about how results from the philosophical study of morality can enrich and transform the game itself. Authors argue that it's okay to play evil characters, criticize the traditional and new systems of moral alignment, and (from the perspective of those who love the game) tackle head-on the recurring worries about whether the game has problems with gender and racial stereotypes. Readers ofDungeons and Dragons and Philosophy will become better players, better thinkers, better dungeon-masters, and better people. Part II, "Paragon Tier: Planes of Existence," arouses a new sense of wonder about both the real world and the collaborative world game players create. Authors look at such metaphysical questions as what separates magic from science, how we express the inexpressible through collaborative storytelling, and what the objects that populateDungeons and Dragons worlds can teach us about the equally fantastic objects that surround us in the real world. The third part, "Epic Tier: Leveling Up," is at the crossroads of philosophy and the exciting new field of Game Studies. The writers investigate what makes a game a game, whether D&D players are artists producing works of art, whether D&D (as one of its inventors claimed) could operate entirely without rules, how we can overcome the philosophical divide between game and story, and what types of minds take part in D&D.
Empire of Imagination by Call Number: GV1469.62.D84 W57 2015ISBN: 9781632862792Publication Date: 2015-12-03The life story of Gary Gygax, godfather of all fantasy adventure games, has been told only in bits and pieces. Michael Witwer has written a dynamic, dramatized biography of Gygax from his childhood in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to his untimely death in 2008. Gygax's magnum opus, Dungeons & Dragons, would explode in popularity throughout the 1970s and '80s and irreversibly alter the world of gaming. D&D is the best-known, best-selling role-playing game of all time, and it boasts an elite class of alumni--Stephen Colbert, Robin Williams, and Junot Diaz all have spoken openly about their experience with the game as teenagers, and some credit it as the workshop where their nascent imaginations were fostered. Gygax's involvement in the industry lasted long after his dramatic and involuntary departure from D&D's parent company, TSR, and his footprint can be seen in the genre he is largely responsible for creating. But as Witwer shows, perhaps the most compelling facet of his life and work was his unwavering commitment to the power of creativity in the face of myriad sources of adversity, whether cultural, economic, or personal. Through his creation of the role-playing genre, Gygax gave two generations of gamers the tools to invent characters and entire worlds in their minds. Told in narrative-driven and dramatic fashion, Witwer has written an engaging chronicle of the life and legacy of this emperor of the imagination.
Of Dice and Men by Call Number: GV1469.62.D84 E93 2013ISBN: 9781451640502Publication Date: 2013-08-20The Hobbit meets Moneyball in this definitive book on Dungeons & Dragons--from its origins and rise to cultural prominence to the continued effects on popular culture today. HERE, THERE BE DRAGONS. Ancient red dragons with 527 hit points, +44 to attack, and a 20d10 breath weapon, to be specific. In the world of fantasy role-playing, those numbers describe a winged serpent with immense strength and the ability to spit fire. There are few beasts more powerful--just like there are few games more important than Dungeons & Dragons. Even if you've never played Dungeons & Dragons, you probably know someone who has: the game has had a profound influence on our culture. Released in 1974--decades before the Internet and social media--Dungeons & Dragons inspired one of the original nerd subcultures, and is still revered by millions of fans around the world. Now the authoritative history and magic of the game are revealed by an award-winning journalist and lifelong D&D player. In Of Dice and Men, David Ewalt recounts the development of Dungeons & Dragons from the game's roots on the battlefields of ancient Europe, through the hysteria that linked it to satanic rituals and teen suicides, to its apotheosis as father of the modern video-game industry. As he chronicles the surprising history of the game's origins (a history largely unknown even to hardcore players) and examines D&D's profound impact, Ewalt weaves laser-sharp subculture analysis with his own present-day gaming experiences. An enticing blend of history, journalism, narrative, and memoir, Of Dice and Men sheds light on America's most popular (and widely misunderstood) form of collaborative entertainment.
Rise of the Dungeon Master (Illustrated Edition) by Call Number: GV1469.62.D84 K87 2017ISBN: 9781568585598Publication Date: 2017-05-09Rise of the Dungeon Master tells, in graphic form, the story of Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, one of the most influential games ever made. Like the game itself, the narrative casts the reader into the adventure from a first person point of view, taking on the roles of the different characters in the story. Gygax was the son of immigrants who grew up in Lake Geneva, WI, in the 1950s. An imaginative misfit, he escaped into a virtual world based on science fiction novels, military history and strategic games like chess. In the mid-1970s, he co-created the wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons game, determining the rules and inventing the signature 20-sided dice. Starting out in the basement of his home, he was soon struggling to keep up with the demand. Gygax was a purist, in the sense that he was adamant that players use their imaginations and that the rules of the game remain flexible. A creative mind with no real knowledge of business, he made some strategic errors and had a falling out with the game's co-creator, his close friend and partner, David Arneson. By the late 1970s the game had become so popular among kids that parents started to worry -- so much so that a mom's group was formed to alert parents to the dangers of role play and fantasy. The backlash only fueled the fires of the young fans who continued to play the game, escaping into imaginary worlds. Before long, D&D conventions were set up around the country and the game inspired everything from movies to the first video games. With D&D, Gygax created the kind of role playing fantasy that would fuel the multibillion dollar video game industry, and become a foundation of contemporary geek culture.
- Castles & Crusades Players Handbook: A Guide and Rules System for Fantasy Role Playing
Castles & Crusades is a fantasy table top role playing game (#ttrpg) that is quick to learn, easy to play, and allows you a wide range of customization. With our simple yet diverse attribute-based rules system, players choose among 13 archetypal character classes and 7 races with which to create their characters. Spells, equipment, fast-paced combat rules, and all essential information needed to play a game of Castles & Crusades are in the Players Handbook. - AD&D Monster Manual I
Now you can download the 1st Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual. An encyclopedic collection of information certain to be of invaluable use to players and Dungeon Masters alike, the Monster Manual comes complete with game specifications, background details and, in many cases, an illustration in addition!
- AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide
Here is the essential manual for the AD&D game Dungeon Master.
All the information you need to create and run thrilling, swords-and-sorcery adventures is clearly laid out in the Dungeon Master Guide. Learn all there is to know about magical spells, hundreds of magical devices and treasures, battles, travel, experience awards, and more. This fresh, new format is your guidebook to the challenging world of the AD&D Dungeon Master. - Castle Keeper's Guide
The Castle Keepers Guide includes a host of new material for the role playing enthusiast; from world creation, to dungeon designs, managing non-player characters, character attributes at high levels, spell use and cost, equipment its use and wastage, the tumult of storms, from warfare to combat, monsters, treasure, death and more. The Castle Keepers Guide provides the CK and the Player with a host of new tools for their use; tools designed to enhance play, not hinder it; designed to be malleable from gaming table to gaming table. - The Grail Framework: Making Stories Playable on Three Levels in CRPGs
Computer role-playing games (CRPGs) have strong narratives, but in general lack interesting and meaningful choices for the player within the story. As a result, the stories are not playable. This breakdown happens at four different levels within storytelling: the player, quest, game and world story levels. The world story level is the structure and setting of the world that the game inhabits and is generally static. The game story level describes the over-arching story which is at best minimally branching in most CRPGs. The quest story level is the level in which players are given a series of tasks to complete, with little choice in the outcome. Finally, the player story level of storytelling within CRPGs is defined by a sequence of moment-to-moment decisions a player makes within the constraints of the game mechanics, which the player feels is worth re-telling. The Grail Framework was created to address playability at three of the levels: the game, quest, and player story levels.
This dissertation presents the Grail Framework and its use in creating more playable stories. It first describes CiF-RPG and how social mechanics give rise to a new set of player stories. It then moves on to discuss GrailGM which uses content selection methods to create dynamic quest and game stories. From there, the discussion turns to the tools, Brainstormer and Social Mechanics Design Tool, created to ease the authorial burden of creating content for dynamic systems, followed by the playable experiences, EMPath and Mismanor, designed and built to explore the possibilities of playable story. Finally, it ends with evaluating the expressive range of the systems.