Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition

Last updated
Cover of Dragonlance classics.png

Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition is a 1999 role-playing game supplement published by TSR for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that recalls the Dragonlance series of adventures and novels published fifteen years before, and also celebrates the 25th anniversary of D&D itself.

Contents

Plot summary

Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition is a rewrite of the original DL series of adventures including all-new scenes. [1] [2] In the words of TSR, the product is "a retelling of the greatest fantasy role-playing epic ever." [3] The adventures described within are a blend of the original Dragonlance adventures and the trilogy of Dragonlance novels — Dragons of Autumn Twilight , Dragons of Winter Night , and Dragons of Spring Dawning — that were published in conjunction with the original adventures. [3] The adventures are written using the rules for both AD&D and the SAGA System [4] that TSR briefly used before the introduction of the 3rd edition of D&D.

Publication history

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of D&D, TSR released several supplements in 1999 to update some of the most popular of TSR's Dungeons & Dragons adventures, including Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff (1999), Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition (1999), Ravenloft (1999), Return to the Keep on the Borderlands (1999) and Return to White Plume Mountain (1999). [5] :284

Dragonlance Classics: 15th Anniversary Edition was published in May 1999. [6]

Reception

Writing for Inquest Gamer , Dan Joyce was pleased that TSR was "moving away from the complex floorplans of its wargaming roots and becoming more story-driven." He also liked the blend of "dungeon crawls, urban adventures, travel, intrigue, war... even love." However, Joyce noted that because the adventures followed the plots of the novels and original adventures, "it railroads the game somewhat" and compared the result to the linear storyline of a Fighting Fantasy book. Joyce concluded by giving the product a grade of "B-", saying, "As a campaign for gamemasters and players who know next to nothing about the original Dragonlance trilogy, this could be fantastic, because it'll be all new and the linear nature of the campaign could be concealed with some clever GM chicanery." [3]

In Issue 121 of Casus Belli Frédéric Ménage noted approvingly that "The plot has been completed by new episodes, which fill in some original narrative cracks, and the descriptions of the characters played or not played are more detailed, the psychological tensions better underlined." Ménage concluded with an enthusiastic recommendation, saying, "If you could only play one role-playing campaign in your life, this is it: it imposes itself by its epic breath and the richness of its character." [4]

Related Research Articles

Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories. Several years later, Greenwood brought the setting to publication for the D&D game as a series of magazine articles, and the first Realms game products were released in 1987. Role-playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since, as have various licensed products including novels, role-playing video game adaptations, comic books, and the film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSR, Inc.</span> Former company, publisher of "Dungeons & Dragons"

TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been unable to find a publisher for D&D, a new type of game he and Dave Arneson were co-developing, so founded the new company with Kaye to self-publish their products. Needing financing to bring their new game to market, Gygax and Kaye brought in Brian Blume in December as an equal partner. Dungeons & Dragons is generally considered the first tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), and established the genre. When Kaye died suddenly in 1975, the Tactical Studies Rules partnership restructured into TSR Hobbies, Inc. and accepted investment from Blume's father Melvin. With the popular D&D as its main product, TSR Hobbies became a major force in the games industry by the late 1970s. Melvin Blume eventually transferred his shares to his other son Kevin, making the two Blume brothers the largest shareholders in TSR Hobbies.

Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Tracy Hickman met his future writing partner Margaret Weis at TSR, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, a series of novels, licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Hickman</span> American writer

Tracy Raye Hickman is an American fantasy author. He wrote the Dragonlance novels with Margaret Weis. He also wrote role playing game material while working for TSR and has cowritten novels with his wife, Laura Hickman. He is the author or co-author of over 60 books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Weis</span> American fantasy novelist

Margaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.

Jeff Grubb is an author of novels, short stories, and comics, as well as a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the Dragonlance campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the Forgotten Realms setting with Ed Greenwood. His written works include The Finder's Stone Trilogy, the Spelljammer and Jakandor campaign settings, and contributions to Dragonlance and the computer game Guild Wars Nightfall (2006).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Niles</span> American writer & game designer

Douglas Niles is a fantasy author and game designer. Niles was one of the creators of the Dragonlance world and the author of the first three Forgotten Realms novels, the Star Frontiers space opera setting and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game.

<i>Return to the Keep on the Borderlands</i> D&D module

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is a 1999 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is a sequel to the original The Keep on the Borderlands module (B2) from 1979. Both modules were published by TSR, Inc.

The Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game has been adapted into many related products, including magazines, films and video games.

The DL series is a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first published items that established the Dragonlance fictional universe. The original DL series was released from 1984 to 1986, with the final two modules added to it in 1988. In the 1990s these roleplaying adventures from the original series were collected and revised for 2nd Edition AD&D as the three DLC Dragonlance Classics modules. There were also versions of the module series released in 1999, 2000 and 2006.

<i>Dragons of Despair</i> 1984 book by Tracy Hickman

Dragons of Despair is the first in a series of 16 Dragonlance adventures published by TSR, Inc. (TSR) between 1984 and 1988. It is the start of the first major story arc in the Dragonlance series of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) role-playing game modules, a series of ready-to-play adventures for use by Dungeon Masters in the game. This series provides a game version of the original Dragonlance storyline later told in the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels. This module corresponds to the events told in the first half of the novel Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Its module code is DL1, which is used to designate it as the first part of the Dragonlance adventure series.

<i>Return to White Plume Mountain</i>

Return to White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game released in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast under its then recently acquired "TSR" imprint. It is set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and is a sequel to Lawrence Schick's 1979 module White Plume Mountain.

<i>Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff</i>

Against the Giants: The Liberation of Geoff is an adventure module for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>The Ruins of Undermountain</i> Forgotten Realms boxed set accessory

The Ruins of Undermountain is a boxed set for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was written by Ed Greenwood and published by TSR. It featured box cover art by Brom. and was published in 1991.

<i>Dragonlance Classics</i> D&D module

Dragonlance Classics is a series of adventure modules for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.

<i>Creative Campaigning</i>

Creative Campaigning is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1993.

The Dragonlance Chronicles is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, which take place in the Dragonlance setting. This series is the first set of Dragonlance novels, and is followed by the Dragonlance Legends series.

The Sylvan Veil is a 1999 role-playing game adventure published by TSR for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

References

  1. "Dragonlance Classics (15th Anniversary Edition)".
  2. "Dragonlance Classics 15th Anniversary Edition - RPGnet RPG Game Index".
  3. 1 2 3 Joyce, Dan (August 1999). "Dragonlance Classics". Inquest Gamer . No. 52. p. 94.
  4. 1 2 Ménage, Frédéric (August–September 1999). "Dragonlance Classics: La campagne mythique!". Casus Belli (in French). No. 121. p. 70.
  5. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN   978-1-907702-58-7.
  6. "WotC Product Library: Dragonlance Classics: 15th Anniversary Edition". wizards.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2002.