Explores a range of philosophical topics, including the nature of free will, the metaphysics of personal identity, the morality of crafting fictions, sex and gender issues in tabletop game play, and friendship and collaborative storytelling. It provides gamers with philosophical insights that can lead to an appreciation of Dungeons and Dragons.

Abbreviations Used in the Text viii Introduction: A Game Like No Other 1 Part I Lawful Good vs. Chaotic Evil 5 1 Sympathy for the Devils: Free Will and Dungeons & Dragons 7 Greg Littmann 2 Paragons and Knaves: Does Good Character Make for a Good Character? 23 J.K. Miles and Karington Hess 3 Is Anyone Actually Chaotic Evil?: A Playable Theory of Willful Wrongdoing 35 Neil Mussett Part II So Did You Win? Philosophy and D&D Gameplay 61 4 Save vs. Death: Some Reflections on the Lifecycle of PCs 63 Christopher Robichaud 5 To My Other Self: Reflection and Existentialism in Dungeons & Dragons 72 Rob Crandall and Charles Taliaferro 6 Player-Character Is What You Are in the Dark: The Phenomenology of Immersion in Dungeons & Dragons 82 William J. White Part III Crafting Worlds 93 7 Imagination and Creation: The Morality of Fiction in Dungeons & Dragons 95 Robert A. Delfino and Jerome C. Hillock 8 Dungeonmastery as Soulcraft 106 Ben Dyer Part IV Foray into the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance 119 9 Menzoberranzan: A Perfect Unjust State 121 Matt Hummel 10 Who Is Raistlin Majere? 132 Kevin McCain Part V The Ethics of Spellcasting 145 11 Expediency and Expendability: An Exhumation of the Morality of Necromancy 147 Matthew Jones and Ashley Brown 12 By Friendship or Force: Is it Ethical to Summon Animals to Fight by Your Side in Dungeons & Dragons? 163 Samantha Noll Part VI Dungeons & Dragons out in the Real World 173 13 “Kill her, kill her! Oh God, I’m sorry!”: Spectating Dungeons & Dragons 175 Esther MacCallum-Stewart 14 Berserker in a Skirt: Sex and Gender in Dungeons & Dragons 189 Shannon M. Mussett 15 “Others play at dice”: Friendship and Dungeons & Dragons 202 Jeffery L. Nicholas Contributors 217 Index 223

Does justice exist in the drow city of Menzoberranzan? How does one cope with the death of a player character? Is it ever morally acceptable to cast necromancy and summoning spells? Is Raistlin Majere the same person over time? Do demons and devils have free will? First introduced by war-game enthusiasts Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons developed into a cultural phenomenon that continues to cast a spell on millions of gaming aficionados around the world. Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy delves into the heroic quests, deadly battles, and medieval courtly intrigue of the legendary role-playing game to probe its rich terrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas. From the nature of free will and the metaphysics of personal identity to the morality of crafting fictions and the role of friendship in collaborative storytelling, D&D players and gaming enthusiasts will gain startling insights into the deep philosophical issues that underlie a broad swath of role-playing tactics and strategies. Put the broadswords away and let Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy transport you across the philosophical divide.