15. Founding Dungeons and Dragons

On episode 14 of The Carousel Podcast, the creators When We Were Wizards podcast tell the story of the founding of Dungeons and Dragons. Why is it so fascinating?Because for millennia, there were only six types of tabletop games: dice, miniatures, boards, tiles, cards, pen-and-paper. In 1972, a group of oddballs sitting around a table in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin gave birth to a seventh type: the role playing game. Not only did it change gaming—and later video gaming—forever, but its fantasy-fandom ecosystem defines global popular culture today. It’s almost impossible to understate D&D’s impact on the world.Yet somehow, the story of how Dungeons and Dragons came to be—and how it blew up the lives of the nerds who created it—has never been properly told in the mainstream. That’s what screenwriter/director Adam Turner and games historian Paul Stormer seek to remedy with their addictive new podcast When We Were Wizards.The story begins with a down-on-his-luck shoe cobbler (yes really) named Gary Gygax. His charisma and dedication cultivated a center of gravity for the tiny community of experimental board gamers in the 1960s. Two decades later, he’d be living in the “Playboy Mansion for Nerds” in Beverly Hills amid an all-out war for the ownership of D&D… When We Were Wizards on Apple PodcastsWhen We Were Wizards on Spotify The Carousel is a reader-supported publication. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecarousel.substack.com/subscribe