Art for Arts Sake - Not a review of Art & Arcana

I have recently been considering posting pictures of my favourite rpg related pictures over on Twitter (@got_your_games) as a kind of ongoing thread to show some of the things I love. To be fair I have never really been that interested in the art side of things - yes there are things I like but I have never really followed particular artists or art-styles. (This is not because I don't see the talent involved here - it's just never been my bag).

So as I was ruminating the possibility of this the above book came to my notice. I investigated it pre publication and did a bit of research and decided I had to have one - after all what true D&D fan wouldn't want this artifact?

And then, out of the blue, I was gifted the item above! (I don't think I can ever thank the kind donor enough - safe to say I am VERY grateful).

I won't do a review - I can't do it justice with my poor artistic knowledge but will simply say that I strongly encourage you to go out and buy one. I honestly stroked the cover of the special edition box and muttered "My Preciousssss" under my breath when I first opened the parcel.

Buy it now, and follow me on twitter because I'm going to start posting pictures regularly now - I'm empowered by this book - plus it will give me quite a lot of the pictures.



Speaking of books, I have just got a couple of gaming  related books that may get a review. Designers & Dragons by Shannon Appelcline - Looks great with the leather cover but may be tough to read straight through. Role Playing Mastery by Gary Gygax is the other one - wow, just wow. I'm going to try and read it but this looks like being hard work. (Am I alone in thinking Gary Gygax wasn't actually a god, and sometimes had issues with perhaps being a touch "wordy"?!)

Any way, cheerio for now, more to follow.

A Little More Reading

Folowing my last post I need to mention another book that may well pique your interest.




Dice Men: Games Workshop 1975 to 1985 is a coffee table book that we should all own - any boy of a certain age should own this and I would recommend that you order one immediately. (Particularly as this means I will get my copy quicker!)




I don't suppose that there is anything new here but it looks absolutely wonderful. The add ons are a bit of a mixture, I really want the Owl & Weasel but the Warlock of Firetop Mountain leaves me a bit cold. (And lunch witt the authors might be a little outside my paygrade.)




Do yourself, and your 12 year old self a favour and get one now









https://unbound.com/books/games-workshop/

A little light reading

I have, over the years, read a few of the books written about games and gamers and I'll list here as many as I can recall off the top of my head, giving a brief review and recommendation.


The Elfish Gene by Mark Barrowcliffe
Just awesome - I've read this numerous times. One man's childhood in Dungeons & Dragons.
Mark's book is an easy read that will make you laugh, cringe and nod in agreement in equal measures. Stories and anecdotes from a guy on the fringes of reality - I really can't recommend this enough.


Empire of Imagination, Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer
Ok(ish) - reads like a bit of college English project if I'm honest. Lots of re-imagined dialogue in places that does become a little irritating. An easy read but nothing new here.


Of Dice & Men - David M Ewalt
A bit of a modern spin on gamers. Not as heavy on the origin stories of gamers as I might like but worthwhile none the less.


Playing at the World - Jon Peterson
This is the real deal - a full (too full!) and in depth history of wargames and roleplaying. This is, at times, heavy going and has a tendency to read like a text book but is a work of absolute genius - go and buy this book!


Hawk & Moor Trilogy by Clark David Kent
Nice history of the early years of D&D - very well researched timeline of releases and publication. For a book so deep on detail it is a very easy read.


Hunters of Dragons by Ciro Alessandro Sacco
Really just a list of D&D products - perhaps one for the completest!


Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf
Another nice "Geek Journey" (Gilsdorf is a bit of an Uber-Geek and has written quite a lot about the culture over the years). This is a great book - not all specifically game related but all very relevant to our interests.


Achtung Schweinhund by Harry Pearson
Not at all D&D related but one of my favourites - a boys-own story of war and war-toys - excellent.




And a few I haven't read but are on the list to read in the future -


Rise of the Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and the Creation of D&D by David Kushner.
Designers & Dragons by Shannon Appelcline.


and an honourable mention - it's not gaming but it's good stuff.


Watching War films with my Dad by Al Murray






It's well worth hunting out a few of these and I welcome recommendations for further reading