# Dicing with Dragons > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dicing_with_Dragons > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Dicing_with_Dragons.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicing_with_Dragons > Source revision: 1333368023 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Dicing with Dragons Author Ian Livingstone Genre Role-playing games Publisher Routledge & Kegan Paul Publication date 1982 1982 book by Ian Livingstone ***Dicing with Dragons*** is a book written by [Ian Livingstone](/source/Ian_Livingstone) and published by [Routledge & Kegan Paul](/source/Routledge_%26_Kegan_Paul) in 1982 that explains what role-playing games are. ## Contents *Dicing with Dragons* is an introduction to the then-new world of role-playing games.[1] Livingstone explains how role-playing games work, and includes a solo adventure, "Eye of the Dragon", as an example. Livingstone then details the major role-playing systems that dominated the market in 1982: - *[Dungeons & Dragons](/source/Dungeons_%26_Dragons)* - *[RuneQuest](/source/RuneQuest)* - *[Traveller](/source/Traveller_(role-playing_game))* - *[Tunnels & Trolls](/source/Tunnels_%26_Trolls)* He also briefly describes 31 other role-playing games, including *[Boot Hill](/source/Boot_Hill_(role-playing_game))*, *[Bushido](/source/Bushido_(role-playing_game))*, *[Call of Cthulhu](/source/Call_of_Cthulhu_(role-playing_game))*, *[Gamma World](/source/Gamma_World)*, *[Gangbusters](/source/Gangbusters_(role-playing_game))*, and *[Top Secret](/source/Top_Secret_(role-playing_game))*. There are also chapters on: - Accessories, including summaries of adventures for the role-playing games previously mentioned, and magazines and [fanzines](/source/Fanzines) specializing in role-playing games - How to paint miniature figures - How to be a [gamemaster](/source/Gamemaster) - Computer systems and computer games that were available in 1982 - Descriptions of several live action games that would later evolve into [Live action role-playing games](/source/Live_action_role-playing_games) (LARPs) ## Publication history *Dicing with Dragons* was written by [Ian Livingstone](/source/Ian_Livingstone), with illustrations by [Russ Nicholson](/source/Russ_Nicholson), and was published by [Routledge & Kegan Paul](/source/Routledge_%26_Kegan_Paul) (U.K.) and by the [New American Library](/source/New_American_Library) in 1983, with a 2nd U.S. edition by [Signet](/source/Signet_Books) in 1986.[2] Geraldine Cooke, an editor at [Puffin Books](/source/Puffin_Books), was looking to revive the firm's moribund science fiction, fantasy and horror collection. A friend told her about a new store in [Hammersmith](/source/Hammersmith) called [Games Workshop](/source/Games_Workshop) that specialized in role-playing games. After meeting with the owners, [Steve Jackson](/source/Steve_Jackson_(British_game_designer)) and Ian Livingstone, she asked them to write a book exploring the role-playing industry. The book they gave her instead was an actual role-playing adventure called *[Warlock of Firetop Mountain](/source/Warlock_of_Firetop_Mountain)*, eventually published under the [Puffin Books](/source/Puffin_Books) imprint, the first of many very popular *[Fighting Fantasy](/source/Fighting_Fantasy)* books.[3] Ian Livingstone did write the originally requested book about role-playing, *Dicing with Dragons*, but it was published in the U.K. by [Routledge & Kegan Paul](/source/Routledge_%26_Kegan_Paul) in 1982, not Penguin. The illustrations, almost all of them square, were created by [Russ Nicholson](/source/Russ_Nicholson). The artist later explained that Jackson and Livingstone had requested the square format for *Warlock of Firetop Mountain*, and Livingstone wanted the same format used in this book.[4] In 1983, *Dicing with Dragons* was published in the United States by [Plume](/source/Plume_(publisher)), an imprint of [New American Library](/source/New_American_Library).[5] In 1986, an Italian translation, *Giocare a dadi col drago*, was published by Milanese publisher [Longanesi](/source/Longanesi); the Italian edition included a new preface written by Giampaolo Dossena.[6] ## Reception In the February 1983 edition of *[White Dwarf](/source/White_Dwarf_(magazine))* (Issue #38), [M L Rowland](/source/Marcus_L._Rowland) was impressed by *Dicing with Dragons*, calling it "probably the most complete summary of the role-playing hobby available, and well worth buying for its appendices alone." Rowland concluded with a strong recommendation, giving the book an excellent rating of 9 out of 10.[1] In the April 1983 edition of *[Imagine](/source/Imagine_(AD%26D_magazine))* (Issue 1), [Dave Pringle](/source/David_Pringle) commented that "In addition to covering all the familiar RPG ground, this book contains a useful chapter on computer games. Recommended."[7] In a 2014 retrospective review, [Pornokitsch](/source/Pornokitsch) stated that "Livingstone's *Dicing with Dragons* is interesting *because* it is so dated – a peek at the formative years of role playing games."[8] ## Reviews - *[Fantasy Review](/source/Fantasy_Review)*, October 1984[9] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WD38_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WD38_1-1) [Rowland, M L](/source/Marcus_L._Rowland) (February 1983). "Open Box". *[White Dwarf](/source/White_Dwarf_(magazine))*. No. 38. [Games Workshop](/source/Games_Workshop). pp. 12–13. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-HW_2-0)** Schick, Lawrence (1991). *Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games*. Prometheus Books. p. 364. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-87975-653-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-87975-653-5). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Green, Jonathan (2014). *You Are the Hero*. Snowbooks Ltd. p. 21. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781909679405](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781909679405). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Nicholson, Russ (2012-04-07). ["Dicing with Dragons"](https://russnicholson.blogspot.com/2012/04/dicing-with-dragons.html). *The Gallery: Art of Russ Nicholson*. Retrieved 2020-06-17. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Dicing with Dragons"](https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/46447/dicing-dragons). *RPG Geek*. Skotos Tech Inc. Retrieved 2020-06-17. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Katz, Demian (2003). ["Dicing with Dragons: Italian Translation"](https://gamebooks.org/dicing.htm). *gamebooks.org*. Retrieved 2020-06-17. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Imagine1_7-0)** [Pringle, Dave](/source/David_Pringle) (April 1983). "Book Review". *[Imagine](/source/Imagine_(AD%26D_magazine))* (review) (1). TSR Hobbies (UK), Ltd.: 16. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Underground Reading: Dicing with Dragons and Shared Fantasy"](https://www.pornokitsch.com/2014/09/review-dicing-with-dragons-shared-fantasy.html). Pornokitsch. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Publication: Fantasy Review, October 1984"](http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?283715). *isfdb.org*. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dicing with Dragons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicing_with_Dragons) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dicing_with_Dragons?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.