Shannon Appelcline

Last updated

Shannon Appelcline is a game designer and game historian.

Contents

Career

Shannon Appelcline writes columns for Skotos Tech. [1] Appelcline and Christopher Allen wrote articles on the subject of how game systems work at Christopher Allen's blog, Life with Alacrity. [2] Appelcline is a writer and technologist, and with Christopher Allen he wrote iPhone in Action: Introduction to Web and SDK Development, an introductory tutorial which teaches the basics of both native (SDK) and web programming for the iPhone, and which also introduces Objective-C. [3] Appelcline is the lead designer at Skotos, and he has written about emergent cultures within the games he designs (2000–2006). [4]

Appelcline wrote the book Designers & Dragons , published in 2011 by Mongoose Publishing. 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." [5]

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. The 2018 book Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations posits that "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 [...] Appelcline details the fortunes of the myriad TRPG publishers that emerged, decade by decade, in the wake of D&D's publication." [6] Curtis D. Carbonell in his 2019 book Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic wrote that "Jon Peterson's Playing at the World (2012) and Shannon Appelcline's Designers and Dragons (2015) both offer expansive histories of TRPGs." [7] 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." [8] 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 [...] 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." [9] Gerald Nachtwey wrote in his 2021 book Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games how "Appelcline's series relies on Peterson's book at many points [...] but expands on that prior work by focusing more intently on the business end of the early hobby [...] 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 [...] will find a rich trove of resources in either work." [10] Ben Riggs in his 2022 book Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons called the book "excellent" and wrote "Thanks to Shannon Appelcline, for his ambitious and clear-cutting work in RPG history." [11] 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 Appelcline's four-volume Designers & Dragons 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." [12]

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." [13] Scott Michael Bruner in his 2023 PhD thesis "Agential Fantasy: A Copenhagen Approach to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game" wrote 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  [14]

Awards

Designers & Dragons won a Judges' Spotlight award at the 2012 ENnie Awards, [15] and won the Gold Ennie for Best RPG Related Product in 2015. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Baker (game designer)</span> American writer and game designer

Keith Baker is an American game designer and fantasy novel author. In addition to working with Wizards of the Coast on the creation of Eberron, he has also contributed material for Goodman Games, Paizo Publishing and Green Ronin Publishing. In 2014, Baker and Jennifer Ellis co-founded the indie tabletop game company Twogether Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Ronin Publishing</span>

Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Chris Pramas and Nicole Lindroos, they have published several role-playing game–related products. They won several awards for their games including multiple Origins, ENnie, Pen & Paper, and Inquest Fan Awards.

Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced.

Paizo Inc. is an American role-playing game publishing company based in Redmond, Washington, best known for the tabletop role-playing games Pathfinder and Starfinder. The company's name is derived from the Greek word παίζωpaizō, which means 'I play' or 'to play'. Paizo also runs an online retail store selling role-playing games board games, comic books, toys, clothing, accessories and other products, as well as an Internet forum community.

Evil Hat Productions is a company that produces role-playing games and other tabletop games. They are best known for the free indie RPG system Fate, Blades in the Dark, and Thirsty Sword Lesbians, all of which have won multiple awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Schwalb</span> American game designer

Robert J. Schwalb is a writer in the role-playing game industry, and has worked as a game designer and developer for such games as Dungeons & Dragons, A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, and many other RPG supplements.

<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.

Owen K.C. Stephens is a game designer who has worked on a number of products for the Starfinder, Pathfinder and Star Wars Roleplaying Game and other games.

<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.

Jason L. Blair is an American writer and game designer, best known for his work on the roleplaying game Little Fears.

<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.

Cam Banks is a game designer known for his work on the Cortex System line of roleplaying games as lead designer for Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, and the Big Damn Heroes Handbook supplement to the Serenity Role Playing Game, among other titles. He is the Cortex Creative Director for Fandom Tabletop, the publishers of Cortex Prime.

<i>A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying</i> Tabletop role-playing game

A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying is a role-playing game published by Green Ronin Publishing in 2009.

<i>Dragon Age</i> (role-playing game) Tabletop role-playing game

Dragon Age is a role-playing game published by Green Ronin Publishing in 2010. It is based on the Dragon Age video game series by BioWare, and uses the video game series' setting.

Edward P. Healy is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He co-founded Eden Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Patrick Fannon</span> American role-playing game designer and writer

Sean Patrick Fannon is an American role-playing game designer and writer. He has been working in the gaming industry since 1988, and is best known for his work with the Savage Worlds game system, including his epic fantasy setting, Shaintar, and his conversion of the classic game Rifts. He has also worked as a designer in the video game industry and a consultant in the film industry.

<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.

The Cortex System is a collection of related roleplaying games. Its most recent iteration, Cortex Prime, was designed by Cam Banks and initially published by Fandom Tabletop, then acquired by Dire Wolf Digital. Prior versions appeared in the licensed roleplaying games published by Margaret Weis Productions, where it was used as the house system. Cortex is an adaptable game system focusing on characterization and story development.

Grant Howitt is a tabletop role-playing game designer, publisher, and journalist. He won six ENNIE Awards for his game Heart: The City Beneath. His game Honey Heist, which inspired an online trend of self-published games with one-page rulesets, has been featured on Critical Role, The Adventure Zone, and Friends at the Table. Through his publishing company Rowan, Rook and Decard, Howitt is a co-designer on Kieron Gillen's DIE: The Roleplaying Game.

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

References

  1. ↑ Bartle, Richard (2004). Designing Virtual Worlds. Berkeley, California: New Riders Press. p. 607. ISBN   0-131-01816-7 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Internet Archive.
  2. ↑ Davis, Steven B. (2008). Protecting Games: A Security Handbook for Game Developers and Publishers. Boston: Charles River Media. Cengage Learning. p. 192. ISBN   978-1-58450-670-6 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ "iPhone in action; introduction to Web and SDK development". Scitech Book News. Vol. 33, no. 4. Copyright Clearance Center. December 2009. ProQuest   200187115.
  4. ↑ Pearce, Celia (2009). Communities of Play: Emergent Cultures in Multiplayer Games and Virtual Worlds. Cambridge: MIT Press]. p. 156. ISBN   978-0-262-16257-9 . Retrieved 2024-03-24– via Google Books.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ 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.
  12. ↑ 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.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ "2012 Noms and Winners | ENnie Awards". www.ennie-awards.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "2015 ENnie Award Winners | ENnie Awards". www.ennie-awards.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2022.


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.