''Alarums and Excursions'' (''A&E'') is an amateur press association (APA) started in June 1975 by

Lee Gold Lee Gold is a member of California science fiction fandom and a writer and editor in the role-playing game and filk music communities. Gaming Gold became prominent after 1975 as the editor of '' Alarums and Excursions'', a monthly amateur p ...

; publication continues to the present day. It was one of the first publications to focus solely on

role-playing 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 ...

History

In 1964, Bruce Pelz of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society (LASFS) began a monthly amateur press association known as ''APA-L''. In 1974, with the publication of ''

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 Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (T ...

'' by TSR, Inc., articles and comments about the new roleplaying game began to fill the pages of ''APA-L''. Pelz felt the discussion was taking up too much space, and he asked

to start a new APA that would take this material and focus entirely on roleplaying games. The first issue of ''Alarums and Excursions'' appeared in June 1975, the title taken from an Elizabethan drama stage direction that moved soldiers across a stage. In addition to removing roleplaying games discussion out of ''APA-L'', the initial aim of the publication was to prevent roleplaying games from becoming so divergent that people from different cities could not participate in games together. The June 2017 collation of ''Alarums and Excursions'' was number 500, with a color cover drawn by

Lee Moyer Lee Moyer is an American painter, illustrator, graphic designer, and web designer. Notable works include posters for musicians Tori Amos and Melissa Auf der Maur, as well as Laurel and Hardy paintings for the covers of their DVD box set collecti ...

and printed by Rob Heinsoo.

Each issue is a collection of contributions from different authors, often featuring game design discussions, rules variants, write-ups of game sessions, reviews, and comments on others contributions. Although game reports and social reactions are common parts of many ''A&E'' contributions, it has also, over the years, become a testing ground for new ideas on the development of the RPG as a genre and an art form. The idea that role-playing games ''are'' an art form took strong root in this

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via a copy machine. Zines are the product of either a single person or of a very s ...

, and left a lasting impression on many of the RPG professionals who contributed. The 1992 role-playing game '' Over the Edge'' was inspired by discussions in ''A&E''. Over the years, contributors have included: *

Terry K. Amthor Terry K. Amthor (October 18, 1958 – September 25, 2021) was an American game designer who worked primarily on role-playing games, and as a fantasy author. Early life and education Amthor was born in Chicago but soon moved to Manitowoc, Wisco ...

Wilf K. Backhaus Wilfried Karl Backhaus (7 November 1946 – 14 October 2009) was a role-playing game designer, business professor, and lawyer. Career Wilf K. Backhaus and Edward E. Simbalist designed a role-playing game called ''Chevalier'', which they brought ...

* Scott Bennie *

Greg Costikyan Greg Costikyan (born July 22, 1959, in New York City), sometimes known under the pseudonym "Designer X", is an American game designer and science fiction writer. Costikyan's career spans nearly all extant genres of gaming, including: hex-based ...

* Doc Cross *

John M. Ford John Milo "Mike" Ford (April 10, 1957 – September 25, 2006) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, game designer, and poet. A contributor to several online discussions, Ford composed poems, often improvised, in both complicated ...

E. Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

* Andrew Gelman *

David A. Hargrave David Allen Hargrave (May 25, 1946 – August 29, 1988), known as ''The Dream Weaver'', was a prolific and sometimes controversial game designer and writer of fantasy and science fiction role-playing games (RPGs). Hargrave's most notable written ...

* Rob Heinsoo *

John Eric Holmes John Eric Holmes (February 16, 1930 – March 20, 2010) was an American professor of neurology and writer of non-fiction, fantasy and science fiction. His writings appeared under his full name and under variants such as Eric Holmes and J. Eric ...

* Wes Ives * Robin Laws *

Nicole Lindroos Nicole Lindroos is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career After twice applying to culinary school, Nicole Lindroos entered the game industry in 1989. Lindroos was one of the Minnesota locals who joined Lion Rampant ...

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 edi ...

* Phil McGregor * Dave Nalle * Mark Rein·Hagen *

Ken Rolston Ken Rolston is an American computer game and role-playing game designer best known for his work with West End Games and on the computer game series ''The Elder Scrolls''. In February 2007, he elected to join the staff of computer games company B ...

* John T. Sapienza, Jr. *

Lawrence M. Schoen Lawrence M. Schoen (born July 27, 1959) is an American author, publisher, psychologist, hypnotist, and expert in the Klingon language. Biography Schoen was born in Chicago, Illinois, but his family moved to Southern California when he was 18 mo ...

Edward E. Simbalist Edward E. Simbalist (5 September 1943 – 12 March 2005) was a role-playing game designer. Career Edward E. Simbalist and Wilf K. Backhaus designed a role-playing game called ''Chevalier'', which they brought to Gen Con IX in 1976 with hopes ...

* Jonathan Tweet * Erick Wujcik *

John Nephew John A. Nephew is an American game designer, who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career John Nephew began freelancing for TSR as a '' Dungeons & Dragons'' author in 1986 while he was still in high school, first writing material for ...

* Spike Y Jones

Reception

In the February 1976 issue of '' Strategic Review'' (Issue 6),

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

complimented the new APA, calling it "an excellent source of ideas, inspirations and fun." Although Gygax felt some of the contributors were "woefully lacking in background", and the quality of printing varied dramatically from issue to issue, he concluded, "For all of its faults, it is far and away the best ''D&D'' '

, and well worth reading. See for yourself why it rates a Major Triumph." In the June 1981 edition of '' Dragon'' (Issue #50), Dave Nalle reviewed ''Alarums and Excursions'' after its 63rd issue (November 1980), and although he found the writing style "a bit stuffy", with a "tendency for the writers to pat each other on the back", he still called it "the top APA publication... This is a very well run APA and features many of the leading thinkers in fantasy gaming."

Awards

To date, ''Alarums and Excursions'' has been a winner of the Charles Roberts/

Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 a ...

four times: * "Best Amateur Adventure Gaming Magazine" in 1984 * "Best Amateur Game Magazine" in 1999 * "Best Amateur Game Periodical" in 2000 and 2001

References

External links

Alarums and Excursions page

Lee Gold's index of APA-L's pre-A&E D&D-related content
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alarums And Excursions Fanzines Magazines established in 1975 Organizations established in 1975 Origins Award winners Role-playing game magazines Science fiction organizations Magazines published in Los Angeles

History

Contents

Reception

Awards

References

External links