Yolanda Frontany’s

Brithplace of D&D

330 Center Street

Event: The Birthplace of D&D®:

Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

Visit the Birthplace of D&D®! A short video provides a virtual tour and history of the house for our Dragon Days guests.

Event: Chainmail, Fantasy Wargaming:

Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm, Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm

Learn to play Gary Gygax's Chainmail game on a real wargaming sand table just like Gary had—and in the same basement he played, using the very same type of figures he used! Chainmail is a set of medieval miniatures wargame rules with an added section on fantasy wargaming. These rules were eventually incorporated into Dungeons & Dragons®. Gaming sessions are open to all and run every hour.

History:

Gary and Mary Jo Gygax moved to 330 Center Street in the autumn of 1966. In this tiny home they raised their five children: Ernie, Elise, Heidi, Cindy, and Luke.

Gygax held GEN CON® 0 in his house in 1967; he hosted games on his basement sand table for the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) war gaming club; and in 1970 he founded the Castle & Crusade Society (C&C Society) as the Earl of Walworth.

In addition to gaming, he operated his shoe cobbling business here from 1971 through 1975. It was here he decided to become a professional game designer, creating and play-testing many games, including Chainmail and, most notably, Dungeons & Dragons®! After the death of Gygax's business partner, Don Kaye, 330 Center Street became the 2nd headquarters of Tactical Studies Rules from the summer of 1975 to early 1976.