An illustrated guide to Dungeons & Dragons’ beloved fifth edition told through interviews, artwork, and visual ephemera from the designers, storytellers, and artists who bring it to life. When the reimagined fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons debuted in the summer of 2014, the game was on the brink of obsolescence. But within a few short years, D&D found greater success than it had ever enjoyed before, even surpassing its 1980s golden age. How did an analog game nearly a half century old become a star in a digital world? For the first time, Lore & Legends reveals the incredible ongoing story of Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition from the perspective of the designers, artists, and players who bring it to life. This comprehensive visual guide illuminates contemporary D&D—its development, evolution, cultural relevance, and popularity—through exclusive interviews and more than 900 pieces of artwork, photography, and advertising curated and analyzed by the authors of the bestselling and Hugo Award–nominated Dungeons & Dragons Art & Arcana.
Authors
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC /ˈwɒtˌsiː/ or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR, and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Renton, Washington in the United States.[1] Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
Kyle Newman is an award-wining filmmaker and New York Times Bestselling, Hugo Award-nominated author. His directorial work encompasses multiple feature films including, 'Fanboys,' the Star Wars-fueled comedy starring Kristen Bell and Seth Rogen, the action-comedy 'Barely Lethal' starring Oscar Nominees Hailee Steinfeld and Samuel L. Jackson for A24 Films, '1UP,' starring Ruby Rose for Lionsgate and Buzzfeed Studios set in the world of esports, and the upcoming official 'Dungeons & Dragons Documentary' exploring the fifty-year history of the iconic game for Entertainment One, Ltd. which he is also executive producing. He has directed the music’s top artists including Taylor Swift (“Style”, “Clean” and 1989 World Tour content featuring Selena Gomez, Haim and more), Lana Del Rey (“Summertime Sadness”) and Cyn (“Losing Sleep” and “House with a View” guest starring Katy Perry) with his work garnering billions of views. Newman produced the acclaimed documentaries 'Raiders: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made,' about three teenagers who set out to recreate Steven Spielberg’s classic Raiders of the Lost Ark shot-for-shot and 'A Disturbance in the Force' which explores the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special (an official 2023 SXSW Film Festival Selection). He also crafted the story for the hit Netflix Original animated feature 'Gnome Alone' for Shrek-producer John H. Williams. He is a New York Times bestselling author known for his work on the Hugo Award and Locus Award-nominated 'Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana,' a history of the world’s greatest roleplaying game as well as 'Heroes’ Feast: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cookbook,' which debuted on all major bestseller lists including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly. His two new books — 'Heroes’ Feast: Flavors of the Multiverse' and 'Lore & Legends,' which chronicles D&D’s improbable resurgence—hit shelves in Fall of 2023. Newman, an honors graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of Film/TV and the recipient of the esteemed ‘Martin Scorsese Award for Excellence in Directing’, has written and/or directed for clients including A24 Films, The Microsoft Corp., Interscope Records, Starz Entertainment, Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro), The Coca-Cola Company, Starwars.com, 20th Century Fox, Capitol Records, Entertainment Weekly, Buzzfeed, Big Machine Records, Lionsgate, Endemol Shine, Millennium Films, Pacific Life Insurance, Lucasfilm, Ltd., NECA/WizKids, Games For Windows, Awesomeness TV, Hooters of America, Titan Publishing, Unsub Records, The Saturday Group and Universal Republic Music. A proud member of the Director’s Guild of America, he resides in Los Angeles with his partner Cyn and his three sons James Knight, Leo Thames and Etienne Noel.
