Designers & Dragons

Last updated

Designers & Dragons is a book by Shannon Appelcline about the history of the tabletop role-playing game industry.

Contents

Publication history

Shannon Appelcline wrote the book Designers & Dragons, published in 2011 by Mongoose Publishing.

Appelcline wrote an expanded four-volume version of Designers & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry, published in 2014 by Evil Hat Productions, with one volume dedicated to each decade from the 1970s to the 2000s.

Reception

René Reinhold Schallegger wrote that for his 2018 book The Postmodern Joy of Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium, one of the central texts for the chapter "Generations: The Origins and Development of RPGs" was the original volume of Designers & Dragons, a "comprehensive chronological collection of major RPG publishing houses and their games [...] Appelcline takes a production-oriented approach, chronicling the development of the people who make RPGs and their companies" and that his "detailed content should provide a satisfactory insight into the evolution of the medium in form and content beyond D&D." [1]

Troy Leaman in his 2016 book Playing for Change: FreeMarket and the Rise of Serious Tabletop Role-Playing Games noted how the two volumes on the 1990s and the 2000s "discuss the legal battles and rulings that determined that system mechanics could not be copyrighted." [2]

The 2018 book Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations posits that "true to the intertwining of RPG fandom and scholarship, independent authors like Jon Peterson (2012) and Shannon Appelcline (2015) have produced substantial historiographies of the emergence and evolution of TRPGs and RPGs more generally [...] The historical arc traced here draws in large measure upon two recent histories of the origins of TRPGS: Jon Peterson's Playing at the World (Peterson, 2012) and Shannon Appelcline's multi-volume Designers and Dragons (Appelcline, 2013). Peterson describes the precursors to and influences upon the development of D&D as well as the early history of the game itself (Chapter 3), while Appelcline details the fortunes of the myriad TRPG publishers that emerged, decade by decade, in the wake of D&D's publication. These works provide detailed overviews of the history of RPG publishing, extending earlier, briefer accounts but, in large measure, confirming their outlines." [3]

Patrick Holleman in his 2019 book Reverse Design: Diablo II praised the work of Appelcline, noting of his own previous work Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII, "If you're looking for a longer explanation of RPG design history, I recommend that book and the many great books it cites, especially the work of Jon Peterson and Shannon Appelcline." [4]

Curtis D. Carbonell in his 2019 book Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic wrote that "the broad category of RPGs has been subjected to a considerable amount of critical commentary. ... Jon Peterson's Playing at the World (2012) and Shannon Appelcline's Designers and Dragons (2015) both offer expansive histories of TRPGs. What ties these works together is fantasy's seminal role in opening horizons of possibility for new technological-driven world creation and subject formation." [5]

Matthew B. Caffrey Jr. wrote in his 2019 book On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future that "For the most comprehensive history of not only the birth of Dungeons & Dragons but the role-playing industry itself see Shannon Appelcline's four-title Designers & Dragons series on Kindle from Evil Hat Productions (expanding and updating a single-volume issuance from Mongoose Publishing). It is also a good history of print and miniatures wargame publishers." [6]

Matthew Ryan Williams for Wired wrote that "Shannon Appelcline's four-book series Designers and Dragons presents an incredibly detailed look at the history of tabletop roleplaying games, featuring profiles of more than a hundred companies, including TSR, Wizards of the Coast, and White Wolf. ... For each article, Appelcline gathered as much information as he could from magazines and websites, then ran his research past people who had actually worked at the companies in question. ... Along the way he discovered that the history of tabletop gaming is full of confrontations, betrayals, and scandals, which makes Designers and Dragons a surprisingly lively read." [7]

Dimitra Nikolaidou wrote in the 2020 book War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play how "According to Shannon Appelcline's (2013) exhaustive historical treatise Designers and Dragons, the story of roleplaying games is the story of two different trends coming together: one concerning wargames, the other reflecting the new-found love for fantasy that flourished with the sudden US success of Lord of the Rings in the 1960s." [8]

Gerald Nachtwey wrote in his 2021 book Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games how "Two recent histories of the hobby that have found their way into print are notable: Jon Peterson's Playing at the World (2012), and the series Designers & Dragons by Shannon Appelcline (2013), which devotes one volume each to the 1970s, eighties, nineties, and two-thousands [...] Appelcline's series relies on Peterson's book at many points—especially in the early volumes—but expands on that prior work by focusing more intently on the business end of the early hobby, with special attention paid to things like intellectual property rights, marketing, and distribution. Both authors manage to present a mountain of information in a very accessible, engaging format, and anyone interested in particular stages of the development of the hobby—from hit points and character classes to the first “indie” games and the rise of "story-based" role-playing—will find a rich trove of resources in either work [...] Shannon Appelcline has already written an extensive account of the economic history of the hobby in his Designers & Dragons series, in which he highlights an important fact: however much role-playing games might constitute a labor of love, from their earliest conception they were mined for their profit-making potential." [9]

Ben Riggs in his 2022 book Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons wrote that "when I was assigned to write an article titled “Did You Know that Wizards of the Coast DIDN'T Originally Make Dungeons & Dragons?" for Geek & Sundry, I felt like I knew the exact story I was going to tell about the company's fall. I'd lived through it and read Shannon Appelcline's excellent Designers & Dragons, which touched on the topic. [...] According to RGP historian Shannon Appelcline, "Back in 1978, Gygax had decided that it was best if the players did not know the rules." [...] Thanks to Shannon Appelcline, for his ambitious and clear-cutting work in RPG history." [10]

Stu Horvath in his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe Edition: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership wrote that "A number of references were critical in the writing of this book. First among them is Shannon Appelcline's four-volume history, Designers & Dragons (Evil Hat Production, 2014). Those books were an invaluable resource for getting my facts straight and should be the first stop for anyone desiring to read about the history of the RPG hobby." [11]

Benjamin Joseph Munise in his 2023 PhD thesis "Roleplaying Games and Performance" that "Shannon Appelcline's four-volume Designers & Dragons series, published by the TTRPG publisher Evil Hat Productions [...] combined archival documents and interviews to assemble portraits of significant game designers and the shape of the TTRPG industry over four decades, from the 1970s through the 2000s." [12]

Scott Michael Bruner in his 2023 PhD thesis "Agential Fantasy: A Copenhagen Approach to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game" wrote that "Jon Peterson and Shannon Appelcline's historical scholarship provides the record of the emergence of the TRPG.": 57  Bruner stated that compared to Jon Peterson's Playing at the World (2012), "Appelcline's Designers & Dragons series (2014- 2015) is an equally valuable record of the history of TRPG companies, creators, and philosophies of design.": 66  Bruner noted that Dave Arneson "has not received as much popular recognition – although his influence is being discovered and reevaluated (thanks in part to the rigorous scholarship of historians such as Peterson and Appelcline).": 88  Bruner commented that "Appelcline notes that TRPG play in the 1970s was often “competitive” between players and the referee.": 99  Bruner noted how "In The Science Fiction in Traveller, Appelcline examines many of the most influential texts and genres which influenced the game’s design (2016). ... The literary inspirations that Appelcline and Driussi refer to are based in 20th Century pulp fiction. As with the lurid, fantastic action-oriented titles that inspired Gygax for Dungeons & Dragons, many of Traveller 's literary antecedents are fairly obscure. Appelcline identifies Dickson’s “Childe Cycle” series, H. Beam Piper's space operas, Keith Laumer's comic science fictions, E.C. Tubb's “Dumarest” saga, and David Drake's military science fiction stories, as primary inspirations.": 164–165  Bruner wrote that "Although Miller has cited Asimov’s “Foundation” series as influential to Traveller, most of the works that Appelcline identifies belong to a more heroic, adventurous legacy of science fiction (which might also lend themselves more accessible to a game that requires players to role-play compelling action-oriented heroes) (Wolf). Appelcline posits that Traveller is a “child of the ‘50s and ‘60s,” because its inspirations belong to a mode of science fiction based on an interstellar manifest destiny. ": 166  [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> Fantasy role-playing game

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, later a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail serving as the initial rule system. D&D's publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, and also deeply influenced video games, especially the role-playing video game genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Role-playing game</span> Game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Arneson</span> American game designer (1947–2009)

David Lance Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game (RPG), Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s. Arneson's early work was fundamental to the role-playing game (RPG) genre, pioneering devices now considered to be archetypical, such as cooperative play to develop a storyline instead of individual competitive play to "win" and adventuring in dungeon, town, and wilderness settings as presented by a neutral judge who doubles as the voice and consciousness of all characters aside from the player characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D&D Adventurers League</span> Tabletop role-playing game association

D&D Adventurers League is the organized play association for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) roleplaying game which is officially administered by D&D's publisher, Wizards of the Coast. It was rebranded with the launch of D&D's 5th Edition in 2014. Prior to 2014, it was known as the Role Playing Game Association Network. The organization was originally established by D&D's previous publisher, TSR, Inc., in 1980.

<i>Empire of the Petal Throne</i> Fantasy roleplaying game

Empire of the Petal Throne is a fantasy role-playing game designed by M. A. R. Barker, based on his Tékumel fictional universe. It was self-published in 1974, then published by TSR, Inc. in 1975. It was one of the first tabletop role-playing games, along with Dungeons & Dragons, and was the first published RPG game setting. Over the subsequent thirty years, several new games were published based on the Tékumel setting; however, to date, none have met with commercial success. While published as fantasy, the game is sometimes classified as science fantasy or, debatably, as science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Role-playing game terms</span> Words used in a specific sense in the context of role-playing games

Role-playing games (RPGs) have developed specialized terminology. This includes both terminology used within RPGs to describe in-game concepts and terminology used to describe RPGs. Role-playing games also have specialized slang and jargon associated with them.

<i>Greyhawk</i> (supplement) Tabletop role-playing game supplement for Dungeons & Dragons

Greyhawk is a supplementary rulebook written by Gary Gygax and Robert J. Kuntz for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. It has been called "the first and most important supplement" to the original D&D rules. Although the name of the book was taken from the home campaign supervised by Gygax and Kuntz based on Gygax's imagined Castle Greyhawk and the lands surrounding it, Greyhawk did not give any details of the castle or the campaign world; instead, it explained the rules that Gygax and Kuntz used in their home campaign, and introduced a number of character classes, spells, concepts and monsters used in all subsequent editions of D&D.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set</i> Boxed set for tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons

The Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set is a set of rulebooks for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. First published in 1977, it saw a handful of revisions and reprintings. The first edition was written by J. Eric Holmes based on Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson's original work. Later editions were edited by Tom Moldvay, Frank Mentzer, Troy Denning, and Doug Stewart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Winninger</span> Game designer

Ray Winninger is a game designer who has worked on a number of roleplaying games, including the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. He is the former Executive Producer for the Wizards of the Coast Dungeons & Dragons studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tabletop role-playing game</span> Form of role-playing game using speech

A tabletop role-playing game, also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a classification for a role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech, and sometimes movements. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a set formal system of rules and guidelines, usually containing Dice-Rolling. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

<i>Lords of Creation</i> (role-playing game) Multi-genre role-playing game

Lords of Creation is a multi-genre tabletop role-playing game published by Avalon Hill in 1983. Although expectations were high when Avalon Hill entered the role-playing game market, the game failed to find an audience and was discontinued relatively quickly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Schick</span> Dungeons and Dragons game designer

Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games.

Free RPG Day is an annual promotional event by the Tabletop role-playing game industry. The event rules are fairly simple: participating publishers provide special free copies of games to participating game stores; the game store agrees to provide one free game to any person who requests a free game on Free RPG Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powered by the Apocalypse</span> Game system for tabletop role-playing game

Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) is a tabletop role playing game design framework developed by Meguey Baker and Vincent Baker for the 2010 game Apocalypse World and later adapted for hundreds of other RPGs.

<i>War of Wizards</i> Fantasy tabletop wargame

War of Wizards is a board game published by TSR in 1975. It was TSR's first publication for M. A. R. Barker's world of Tékumel.

Shannon Appelcline is a game designer and game historian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set</span> Role-playing game rule set

The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a category of companion accessories across multiple editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In general, the Starter Set is a boxed set that includes a set of instructions for basic play, a low level adventure module, pre-generated characters, and other tools to help new players get started.

Matthew J. Finch is a writer, game designer, and artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The First Fantasy Campaign</span> Role-playing games supplement

The First Fantasy Campaign is a supplement for fantasy role-playing games written by Dave Arneson and published by Judges Guild in 1977.

<i>The Book of Monsters</i> Role-playing game supplement

The Book of Monsters is a supplement for fantasy role-playing games published by Little Soldier Games in 1976.

References

  1. ↑ Schallegger, René Reinhold (2018). The Postmodern Joy of Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-1-4766-3146-2 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  2. ↑ Leaman, Troy (2016). "Playing for Change: FreeMarket and the Rise of Serious Tabletop Role-Playing Games". In Byers, Andrew; Crocco, Francesco (eds.). The Role-Playing Society: Essays on the Cultural Influence of RPGs. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p.  205. ISBN   978-0-7864-9883-3 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ Zagal, José P.; Deterding, Sebastian, eds. (2018). Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations. New York: Routledge. ISBN   978-1-138-63890-7 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  4. ↑ Holleman, Patrick (2019). Reverse Design: Diablo II. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. ISBN   978-0-429-83410-3 . Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  5. ↑ Carbonell, Curtis D. (2019). Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. p. 2. ISBN   978-1-78962-057-3 . Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  6. ↑ Caffrey, Jr., Matthew B. (2019). On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future. Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College Press. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-935352-65-5 . Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  7. ↑ Williams, Matthew Ryan (2019-07-13). "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Tabletop RPGs". Wired . Archived from the original on 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  8. ↑ Nikolaidou, Dimitra (2020). "The Wargame Legacy: How Wargames Shaped the Roleplaying Experience from Tabletop to Digital Games". In Hammond, Phil; Pötzsch, Holger (eds.). War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-1-5013-5115-0 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Nachtwey, Gerald (2021). Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 12–13. ISBN   978-1-4766-7571-8 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  10. ↑ Riggs, Ben (2022). Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN   978-1-250-27804-3 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  11. ↑ Horvath, Stu (2023). Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe Edition: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN   978-0-262-04822-4 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Munise, Benjamin Joseph (2023-05-24). Roleplaying Games and Performance (PhD thesis). Louisiana State University. p. 16. Archived from the original on 2024-03-24. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
  13. ↑ Bruner, Scott Michael (May 2023). Agential Fantasy: A Copenhagen Approach to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game (PhD thesis). University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. pp. 66, 88, 99, 164–166. Archived from the original on 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2024-03-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.