Secrets of Blackmoor: Reviews

Spoiler-free and tease-filled review of The Secrets of Blackmoor – The True History of Dungeons & Dragons Documentary on Idle Red Hands

"Secrets of Blackmoor is a movie any roleplaying game fan interested in the roots of the hobby should watch." - Stargazer's World

"In the Twin Cities in 1963, a group of young men with an interest in military games got together to play war games at their homes. The film effectively puts forth how an 1880s war tactics manual titled Strategos was the source for their understanding and apprehension of what would become D&D and impact the entire realm of role-playing that gamers drench themselves in today all over the world, undreamed half a century ago. The Secrets of Blackmoor richly contextualizes its captivating back story." - John Townsend, Lavender Magazine

"It's a mitzvah that Graves and Morgan got these men and women on film to talk about how they created the hobby we all love, and I definitely recommend watching Secrets when you get a chance." - Rob Barrett, Vargold: The Wolf-Time

Extremely thorough and thoughtful review by Christian Toft Madsen on Vimeo. Part 1 talks of previous attempts at making a documentary on the subject, and part 2 (linked) covers Secrets of Blackmoor.

"the impact of D&D is rarely a focal point of design work and its historical record is can be a little difficult to access. To that end, Secrets of Blackmoor is a documentary that you absolutely need to watch." - Nick LaLone, The Geek Anthropologist