They Came to Slay: The Queer Culture of D&D

Wired contributor Carter debuts with an enthusiastic if uneven queer history of the popular tabletop role-playing game. In eight compact chapters, Carter summarizes the worldwide phenomenon of Dungeons & Dragons and makes a case for its “almost utopian” potential for queer players in particular. “Certain [D&D] gameplay elements lend themselves to queer play, exploration and joy,” he asserts—among them D&D’s performative aspect, which “facilitate[s] social queer connections”; the plasticity baked into the Dungeon Master’s role as the game’s adaptive impresario; the game-adjacent culture of fan-made content; and the many ways D&D has grown to reflect and cater to queer fans. Though sometimes his argument can feel overdetermined, Carter excels in the close read, as in a section re-envisioning the game’s hallmark character sheet (with which players select their characters’ attributes) as a vehicle with real world potential for players exploring their own sexual or gender identities. The book vacillates in tone and style between ethnography and introductory pamphlet, and Carter’s aims are most coherent when he writes in the approachable, merry gameplay register, especially in winning interludes during which he serves as a wily Dungeon Master guiding the reader. Less convincing are passages glossing the game’s origins and procedures, which don’t always support a reading of D&D as inherently queer. Still, fans will appreciate this fond account of the game’s social impact. (Oct.)