''The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game'' is a

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. Participa ...

published by

Pelgrane Press Pelgrane Press Ltd is a British role-playing game publishing company based in London and founded in 1999. It is co-owned by Simon J Rogers and Cat Tobin. It currently produces GUMSHOE System RPGs, '' 13th Age'', the Diana Jones award-winning '' ...

in 2001.

Description

''The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game'' is an adaptation of

Jack Vance John Holbrook Vance (August 28, 1916 – May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. Though most of his work has been published under the name Jack Vance, he also wrote several mystery novels under pen names. ...

's ''

Dying Earth ''Dying Earth'' is a fantasy series by the American author Jack Vance, comprising four books originally published from 1950 to 1984. Some have been called picaresque. They vary from short story collections to a fix-up (novel created from older ...

'' novel series. The game situates players in Vance's world populated by desperately extravagant people.

Publication history

signed a contract with

Robin Laws Robin D. Laws (born October 14, 1964 in Orillia, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian writer and game designer who lives in Toronto, Canada. He is the author of a number of novels and role-playing games as well as an anthologist. Career Robin D. Laws ...

on 1 November 1999, and revealed on 20 January 2000 that Laws would be the core author of their upcoming roleplaying game based on the

stories in the

setting. Laws was the senior designer for ''The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game'', and a sourcebook for the setting titled ''White-Walled Kaiin''.

Phil Masters Phil Masters is a British role-playing game designer and author. Career Phil Masters' writing credits in role-playing games go back to ''White Dwarf'' Magazine #20 and the ''Fiend Folio'' of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. Masters wrote about ...

also contributed articles to ''The Excellent Prismatic Spray'', a magazine supporting ''The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game'' by Pelgrane Press. After a number of releases in the ''Dying Earth'' line, by these authors and others, the license for the RPG was allowed to expire in 2009. However, sales in response to the "closing out" sale held by Pelgrane Press were so strong, that the license was renewed in 2010 and expanded to cover the ''

Gaean Reach The Gaean Reach is a fictional region in space that is a setting for some science fiction by Jack Vance. All of his series and standalone works that are set in a universe evidently including the Gaean Reach, perhaps set inside it or outside it, ha ...

'' books, and a new ''Gaean Reach'' RPG by Robin Laws was released at the end of 2011 which incorporated certain elements of the '' GUMSHOE'' system alongside the ''Dying Earth'' mechanics.

Reception

Shannon Appelcline comments: "''The Dying Earth Roleplaying'' game is an RPG that does a superb job of capturing the feel of Jack Vance's foundational fantasy books. If you've always wanted to engage in amoral behavior under a wavering sun, this is your opportunity." In a review of ''The Dying Earth Roleplaying Game'' in '' Black Gate'', John ONeill said "there's plenty to enjoy about ''The Dying Earth'' RPG, even if you never use the rules to guide your dice arm" and noted that "The support materials were superb".

Other reviews

Pyramid review
*''

Alarums & Excursions ''Alarums and Excursions'' (''A&E'') is an amateur press association (APA) started in June 1975 by Lee Gold; publication continues to the present day. It was one of the first publications to focus solely on role-playing games. History In 1964, B ...

'', #402 (Mar 2009, p.38) and #403 (April 2009, p.39) *''Imazine'', #37 (January 2002, p.4) *''

Warpstone ''Warpstone'' was an independent magazine that covered the topic of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. The magazine was in circulation from 1996 to 2014. The name was derived from warpstone, a fictional mutagen in the ''Warhammer'' fictional universe ...

'', Issue 20 (Summer 2003, p. 2) *''

Games Unplugged ''Games Unplugged'' was an American magazine dedicated to the adventure tabletop gaming industry. The bimonthly magazine, headquartered in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, ran for 34 issues, from June 2000 until May 2004. The company also had a website, G ...

'', Issue 8 (June 2001, P.21)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dying Earth Roleplaying Game, The British role-playing games Fantasy role-playing games Pelgrane Press games Robin Laws games Role-playing games based on novels Role-playing games introduced in 2001