 | |
| Designers | Tom Moldvay |
|---|---|
| Publishers | Avalon Hill |
| Years active | 1983–1984 |
| Genres | Role-playing game |
| Systems | Original |
| Chance | Dice rolling |
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.
Lords of Creation is not set in a single genre but is designed to allow players to play their characters through scenarios in settings varying from fantasy to science fiction to modern espionage. Characters gain powers and skills as they progress, including magical abilities and high-tech cybernetics. Their progression leads to demigod status – eventually powerful characters become "Lords of Creation", with the ability to create their own pocket universe.
A player whose character advances to level of "Lord of Creation" can then take on the role of gamemaster, refereeing the game in their character's pocket universe.
The boxed set contains
Avalon Hill was the industry leader in board wargames in the 1960s and 1970s, so when the company announced a foray into the world of role-playing games, the assumption was that they would become a leader in that field as well. [2] Avalon Hill's strategy was to release a very complex game and a simpler game, somewhat akin to TSR's strategy with the complex Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) and the simpler D&D Basic Set . The complex game was Powers & Perils , released in 1983. [2] Game historian Shannon Appelcline called it "a grave disappointment" and quoted one reviewer who stated that it "add[ed] nothing to the genre of fantasy roleplaying games." [2]
Avalon Hill's second prong of their role-playing strategy, released a few months after Powers & Perils, was the multi-genre Lords of Creation, designed by Tom Moldvay, well-known in the industry for his work at TSR on the second edition of the D&D Basic Set as well as several notable D&D adventures. Moldvay's creation was released as a boxed set, with art by Jean Baer, Dave Billman and Bob Haynes. In comparing it to Powers & Perils, Appelcline called it "a more playable, simpler game." [2]
Avalon Hill announced that five adventures would be published for Lords of Creation:
However, the last two adventures were never published. Poor sales of both Lords of Creation and Powers & Perils led to the discontinuation of both games by the end of 1984. [2]
In Issue 6 of Fantasy Gamer , Warren Spector thought the game was "hopelessly mediocre — good at some things but great at none." However, he realized that the game might be of value for players new to role-playing games. [3]
Mike Dean reviewed Lords of Creation for the British games magazine Imagine , and stated that "All in all, LoC is a powerful new concept in RPGs and should do well in sales." [4]
In his 1990 book The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games , game critic Rick Swan called the rule that allowed an advanced player character to actually become the gamemaster "the game's most interesting feature." Otherwise Swan called this game "not an exceptional RPG", noting that the game "mixes the elegant with the awkward." Swan felt that "there's simply too much ground to cover in too little space; if the referee wants to create an adventure with a time-traveling theme, he'll need a lot more than what's given here." Swan concluded by giving the game a rating of 2.5 out of 4, saying, "For those willing to put up with some murky ideas, Lords of Creation can be an interesting game, unpredictable, and decidedly eccentric." [5]
In a retrospective review on the website Black Gate, Ty Johnston called Lords of Creation "very much a game of its time, but in many way it's also a game ahead of its time [...] one of the earliest to stretch beyond the boundaries of any single genre." [1]
Top Secret is an espionage-themed tabletop role-playing game written by Merle M. Rasmussen and first published in 1980 by TSR, Inc.
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Thomas Steven Moldvay was an American game designer and author, best known for his work on early materials for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).
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Powers & Perils (P&P) is a role-playing game written by Richard Snider and published by Avalon Hill in 1983 as a boxed set.
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.
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. 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. Within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.
Daredevils is a tabletop role-playing game published by Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) in 1982 that is meant to emulate pulp magazine fiction of the 1930s.
A gamemaster's screen, also called a GM's screen, is a gaming accessory, usually made out of either cardboard or card stock, and is used by the gamemaster to hide all the relevant data related to a tabletop role-playing game session from the players in order to not spoil the plot of the story. It also hides any dice rolls made by the gamemaster that players should not see. In addition, screens often have essential tables and information printed on the inside for the gamemaster to easily reference during play.
Lawrence Schick is a game designer and writer associated with role-playing games.
Richard Leonard Snider was a game designer who worked primarily on role-playing games.
Role Aids is a line of role-playing game supplements published by Mayfair Games starting in 1982 intended for use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
Dungeon Planner Set 1: Caverns of the Dead is an adventure published by Games Workshop in 1984 for use with fantasy role-playing games.
Vikings, Nordic Roleplaying for RuneQuest is a boxed tabletop role playing game supplement, written by Greg Stafford and Sandy Petersen, with a cover by Steve Purcell. Published under license by Avalon Hill in 1985 for Chaosium's fantasy role-playing game RuneQuest.
Land of Ninja is a supplement published under license by Avalon Hill in 1987 for Chaosium's fantasy role-playing game RuneQuest.
The Horn of Roland is an adventure published by Avalon Hill in 1984 for the multi-genre role-playing game Lords of Creation.
Tower of the Dead is the only adventure published by Avalon Hill in 1984 for the fantasy role-playing game Powers & Perils.
Omegakron is the final adventure published by Avalon Hill in 1984 for the multi-genre role-playing game Lords of Creation.
