"When researching DIE, I read the vast majority of the existent histories of the RPG. What Van Lente and Fowler have done here is in the first rank of them, absolutely the most accessible and certainly the funniest. I'm actively envious."-- Kieron Gillen, Die, The Wicked + the Divine, Young Avengers--Kieron Gillen

"A raucous, personal history of tabletop gaming -- and especially the personalities who shaped it." -- Patton Oswalt, Minor Threats--Patton Oswalt

"Gaming's twisted history has more heads than a hydra and yet Fred and Tom manage to strike them all and slay the beast. Gamemasters is impressively well researched, masterfully illustrated, and thoroughly entertaining." -- Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian, Dungeons & Dragons)
--Jim Zubkavich

"A fascinating history of real live people who sound like they should be made up and how they made a living making stuff up." -- comedian and writer Blaine Capatch, Nerd Poker--Blaine Capatch

"Fred and Tom have created something very special here. They have managed to take the typically dry subject of gaming history and inject it with all of the excitement and creativity associated with those games. The perfect marriage of storytellers and subject."
-- Stuart Wellington (The Flop House Podcast)--Stuart Wellington

"Van Lente and Fowler roll a critical hit! Gorgeous, funny, and informative -- perfect for grognards and new gamers alike!" -- Matt Forbeck (designer, Marvel Multiverse RPG, Shotguns and Sorcery, Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeonology)
--Matt Forbeck

"Gamemasters strikes the rare balance of historical comics where the laughs are as present as the research. If you have an interest in gaming as a medium and want to understand how tabletop mechanics developed over time, Gamemasters is both wildly entertaining and the sort of must-have resource that belongs on your shelf. In my contributions to the roleplaying game industry, I've often gone back to the basics of, 'why did we make this choice?' Gamemasters gives so many clear, amusing, and memorable answers that its wit will be a part of my thought process for years to come." -- Nolan T. Jones, Co-Founder of Roll20--Nolan T. Jones

"This insanely compelling graphic history had me itching to pick up a d20 (or twenty)."--DC Pierson, author, The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep And Never Had To--DC Pierson

Publisher: Clover Press

Pub date: 2025-06-17

Length: 112 pages