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Stephen R. Marsh
Stephen R. "Steve" Marsh is an American game designer and lawyer best known for his contributions to early editions of TSR's '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG). Some of the creatures he created for the original edition of ''D&D'' in 1975 have been included in every subsequent edition of the game. Game design career Early to mid-1970s: Original D&D While attending high school, Marsh began to play military boardgames. His interest led him to attempt to design what would now be called a roleplaying game based on his board games and using ''The Golden Bough'' as the basis for a magic system. Marsh also suggested a new character class, the mystic, that could teleport to various planes of existence via mental powers. Although the character class concept was not published, some of the mental abilities of the mystic were altered and then published in the '' Eldritch Wizardry'' supplement the following year as the first psionic powers for ''D&D''. Marsh w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TSR (company)
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules, Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast (now a subsidiary of Hasbro) since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargaming, miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game Chainmail (game), ''Chainmail'' serving as the initial rule system. ''D&D'' 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. ''D&D'' departs from traditional wargame, wargaming by allowing each player to create their own Player character, character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon adventures within a fantasy setting. A Dungeon Mas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, animations and video games. Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror fiction, horror by the respective absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these genres overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that emulate Earth, but with a sense of otherness. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient mythology, myths and legends to many recent and popular works. Traits Most fantasy uses magic (paranormal), magic or other supernatural elements as a ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tabletop Role-playing Game
A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of 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. The terms ''pen-and-paper'' and ''tabletop'' are generally only used to distinguish this format of RPG from other formats, since neither pen and paper nor a table are strictly necessary. Gameplay Overview In most games, a specially designated player typically called the game master (GM) purchases or prepares a set of rules and a fictional setting in which each player acts out the role of a single character. The GM describes the game world and its inhabit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roleplaying Game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), 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 role-playing game system, system of rules and guidelines. There are several forms of role-playing games. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing game, live action role-playing (LARP), players physically perform their characters' actions.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique features: (a) The players physically embody their characters, and (b) the game takes place in a physica ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eldritch Wizardry
''Eldritch Wizardry'' is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game. Its product designation is TSR 2005. Contents ''Eldritch Wizardry'' introduced psionics and the druid character class. The 60-page supplement added several other new concepts to the ''D&D'' game, including demons (and their lords Orcus and Demogorgon), psionics-using monsters (such as mind flayers), and artifacts (including the ''Rod of Seven Parts'' and the ''Axe of the Dwarvish Lords''). Any human of any alignment or any character class, except monks and druids, may have a chance to have psionic ability. Each of the character classes has its own list of psionic abilities which it may gain, and the book offers psionic attack and defense modes of various types. The druid, first introduced in the ''Greyhawk'' supplement as a monster, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Psionics (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, psionics are a form of supernatural power similar to, but distinct from, arcane and divine magic. Overview Psionics are manifested purely by mental discipline. Psionics were originally introduced in the original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Supplement III – ''Eldritch Wizardry''. Psionics have appeared in all editions; however, they are only part of the core rules in ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition. In 2nd, 3rd and 3.5 editions, psionics are divided into five or six disciplines, or groupings of powers. In 2nd edition, Psionicists gradually gain access to additional disciplines as they advance in level. In 3.5 edition, several psionic character classes are forced to choose one of them, thereby losing access to the most potent powers of the others. In 2nd edition, each power is tied to an ability score (generally Constitution, Intelligence or Wisdom); in 3rd edition, each discipline is tied to an ability score; and in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evil Hat Productions
Evil Hat Productions is a company that produces role-playing games and other tabletop games. Chief among them is the free indie RPG, ''Fate'', which has won numerous awards. History Fred Hicks had been working with Lydia Leong, Rob Donoghue, and others to run LARPs at AmberCon NorthWest starting in 1999, and came up with the name Evil Hat for themselves. While on a trip to Lake Tahoe, friends Hicks and Donoghue developed a new game based on a conversation about running another ''Amber'' game and fixing some problems with ''FUDGE''; the result was ''Fate'' which Hicks and Donoghue would publish under the name Evil Hat. Donoghue and Hicks released a complete first-edition of ''Fate'' through Yahoo! Groups (January 2003) then cleaned up the technical writing and slightly polished the system for a second edition (August 2003). Hicks and Donoghue began work on the licensed '' Dresden Files Roleplaying Game'' in 2004, but publication was held up because they decided to use ''Spir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monster Manual
The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR (company), TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includes monsters derived from mythology and folklore, as well as creatures created specifically for ''D&D''. Creature descriptions include game-specific statistics (such as the monster's Experience point#Level-based progression, level or number of hit dice), a brief description of its habits and habitats, and typically an image of the creature. Along with the ''Player's Handbook'' and ''Dungeon Master's Guide'', the ''Monster Manual'' is one of the three "core rulebooks" in most editions of the ''D&D'' game. As such, new editions of the ''Monster Manual'' have been released for each edition of ''D&D''. Due to the level of detail and illustration included in the 1977 release, the book was cited as a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dungeons & Dragons Expert Set
The ''Expert Set'' is an expansion boxed set for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was first published in 1981 as an expansion to the '' Basic Set''. Having been told that Greyhawk was reserved for ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'', Schick and Moldvay decided to use their own setting of Mystara specifically around The Known World area which resembled 15th century Europe. Publication history 1981 version The ''Basic Set'' saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay. The overarching goal of the revision was to provide subsequent expansions to the game, each describing a specific set of levels of character development. The ''Basic Set'' described character levels 1 through 3, as had its immediate predecessor, the ''Basic Set'' edited by J. Eric Holmes in 1977. The Moldvay ''Basic Set'' was immediately followed by the release of the ''Expert Set'' edited by Dave Cook and Stephen R. Marsh, supporting character levels 4 through 14. '' The Isle of Dread'' was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judges Guild
Judges Guild is a game publisher that has been active since 1976. The company created and sold many role-playing game supplements, periodicals and related materials, but became best known during the late 1970s and early 1980s as one of the leading publishers of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' related materials. Its flagship product, ''City State of the Invincible Overlord'', was the first published RPG supplement to feature a fully developed city environment. The supplement was followed closely by numerous ancillary cities, maps, and other materials published by Judges Guild. History Judges Guild was founded on July 4, 1976, utilizing concepts developed by co-founder Bob Bledsaw, in his home ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') campaign. Bledsaw, along with partner Bill Owen, travelled to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin to visit the headquarters of Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), publishers of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', on July 17, 1976. Bledsaw and Owen had hoped to convince TSR to publish some of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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