It can be tough to shop for D&D players. That’s why we just published our D&D gift guide, full of ideas for beginners, veterans, and DMs. But if you want one recommendation that fans of the legendary tabletop game will appreciate, we know just the thing: The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977 delves into the creative process that spawned D&D, and is a great way to reconnect with the roots of the game. This 576-page visual history is currently on sale for just $49.99 at Amazon — half off it’s usual price of $99.99. While this book has been on sale previously, this Black Friday deal is the best price we’ve ever seen for the definitive D&D history text.
The perfect gift for D&D OGs is 50% off for Black Friday
This tome detailing the origins of the tabletop RPG has never been cheaper
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Image: Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics
Alice Jovanée (she/her) is a commerce writer, and she has been writing about gaming and tech since 2005. Prior to Polygon, she worked at publications such as The Verge.
The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons features a wealth of illustrations and documents from both Gygax and Arneson, accompanied by commentary from D&D historian Jon Peterson (Wizards of the Coast shares a disclaimer for anyone who’s jumping into this book that some of its contents and depictions don’t reflect the company’s values).
However, the coolest addition to this text is the original first draft of Dungeons & Dragons, a document previously unavailable to the public. While some aspects of the popular tabletop roleplaying game have changed drastically over the years, many of the visual threads and references can be traced back to their origins, with creatures like The Roper and Mindflayer still clearly recognizable from their concept art. All of this, and much more make this a fantastic gift to pick up for a D&D fan in your life.
1/4Image: Wizards of the Coast
Looking for more? Check out all of Polygon’s favorite early Black Friday deals on board games, video games and gaming accessories, and Magic: The Gathering. And subscribe to our newsletter below to get great deals delivered to your inbox every week.
