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hobby, with special attention paid to things like intellectual property rights, marketing, and distribution. 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 hobbyâfrom hit points and character classes to the first âindieâ games and the rise of "story-based" role-playingâwill find a rich trove of resources in either work
Shannon Appelcline has already written an extensive account of the economic history of the hobby in his
261:(Appelcline, 2013). Peterson describes the precursors to and influences upon the development of D&D as well as the early history of the game itself (Chapter 3), while Appelcline details the fortunes of the myriad TRPG publishers that emerged, decade by decade, in the wake of D&D's publication. These works provide detailed overviews of the history of RPG publishing, extending earlier, briefer accounts but, in large measure, confirming their outlines."
25:
66:
238:, 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."
113:
418:"has not received as much popular recognition â although his influence is being discovered and reevaluated (thanks in part to the rigorous scholarship of historians such as Peterson and Appelcline)." Bruner commented that "Appelcline notes that TRPG play in the 1970s was often âcompetitiveâ between players and the referee." Bruner noted how "In
327:. ... 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
252:
posits that "true to the intertwining of RPG fandom and scholarship, 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 The historical arc traced here draws in large
363:
by
Shannon Appelcline (2013), which devotes one volume each to the 1970s, eighties, nineties, and two-thousands Appelcline's series relies on Peterson's book at many pointsâespecially in the early volumesâbut expands on that prior work by focusing more intently on the business end of the early
422:, Appelcline examines many of the most influential texts and genres which influenced the gameâs design (2016). ... The literary inspirations that Appelcline and Driussi refer to are based in 20th Century pulp fiction. As with the lurid, fantastic action-oriented titles that inspired Gygax for
405:
Scott
Michael Bruner in his 2023 PhD thesis "Agential Fantasy: A Copenhagen Approach to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game" wrote that "Jon Peterson and Shannon Appelcline's historical scholarship provides the record of the emergence of the TRPG." Bruner stated that compared to Jon Peterson's
455:, most of the works that Appelcline identifies belong to a more heroic, adventurous legacy of science fiction (which might also lend themselves more accessible to a game that requires players to role-play compelling action-oriented heroes) (Wolf). Appelcline posits that
383:, which touched on the topic. According to RGP historian Shannon Appelcline, "Back in 1978, Gygax had decided that it was best if the players did not know the rules." Thanks to Shannon Appelcline, for his ambitious and clear-cutting work in RPG history."
401:
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."
342:, the story of roleplaying games is the story of two different trends coming together: one concerning wargames, the other reflecting the new-found love for fantasy that flourished with the sudden US success of
287:(2015) both offer expansive histories of TRPGs. What ties these works together is fantasy's seminal role in opening horizons of possibility for new technological-driven world creation and subject formation."
368:
series, in which he highlights an important fact: however much role-playing games might constitute a labor of love, from their earliest conception they were mined for their profit-making potential."
394:(Evil Hat Production, 2014). Those 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."
302:
series on Kindle from Evil Hat
Productions (expanding and updating a single-volume issuance from Mongoose Publishing). It is also a good history of print and miniatures wargame publishers."
272:, "If you're looking for a longer explanation of RPG design history, I recommend that book and the many great books it cites, especially the work of Jon Peterson and Shannon Appelcline."
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245:
noted how the two volumes on the 1990s and the 2000s "discuss the legal battles and rulings that determined that system mechanics could not be copyrighted."
375:
wrote that "when I was assigned to write an article titled âDid You Know that
Wizards of the Coast DIDN'T Originally Make Dungeons & Dragons?" for
87:
74:
123:
994:
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presents an incredibly detailed look at the history of tabletop roleplaying games, featuring profiles of more than a hundred companies, including
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38:
379:, I felt like I knew the exact story I was going to tell about the company's fall. I'd lived through it and read Shannon Appelcline's excellent
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is a âchild of the â50s and â60s,â because its inspirations belong to a mode of science fiction based on an interstellar manifest destiny. "
414:
series (2014- 2015) is an equally valuable record of the history of TRPG companies, creators, and philosophies of design." Bruner noted that
390:
wrote that "A number of references were critical in the writing of this book. First among them is
Shannon Appelcline's four-volume history,
715:
166:
148:
52:
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279:
wrote that "the broad category of RPGs has been subjected to a considerable amount of critical commentary. ... Jon
Peterson's
874:
Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe
Edition: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership
388:
Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, Deluxe Edition: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership
428:
397:
Benjamin Joseph Munise in his 2023 PhD thesis "Roleplaying Games and Performance" that "Shannon Appelcline's four-volume
234:, one of the central texts for the chapter "Generations: The Origins and Development of RPGs" was the original volume of
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447:'s military science fiction stories, as primary inspirations." Bruner wrote that "Although Miller has cited
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how "Two recent histories of the hobby that have found their way into print are notable: Jon Peterson's
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955:
320:
219:
748:"The Wargame Legacy: How Wargames Shaped the Roleplaying Experience from Tabletop to Digital Games"
208:
435:
s literary antecedents are fairly obscure. Appelcline identifies Dicksonâs âChilde Cycleâ series,
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519:"Playing for Change: FreeMarket and the Rise of Serious Tabletop Role-Playing Games"
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The Postmodern Joy of Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium
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Playing for Change: FreeMarket and the Rise of Serious Tabletop Role-Playing Games
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The Postmodern Joy of Role-Playing Games: Agency, Ritual and Meaning in the Medium
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On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future
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On Wargaming: How Wargames Have Shaped History and how They May Shape the Future
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how "According to Shannon Appelcline's (2013) exhaustive historical treatise
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measure upon two recent histories of the origins of TRPGS: Jon Peterson's
947:
Agential Fantasy: A Copenhagen Approach to the Tabletop Role-Playing Game
298:
but the role-playing industry itself see Shannon Appelcline's four-title
222:, with one volume dedicated to each decade from the 1970s to the 2000s.
792:
Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games
647:
Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic
353:
Strictly Fantasy: The Cultural Roots of Tabletop Role-Playing Games
277:
Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic
216:
Designers & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry
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The Role-Playing Society: Essays on the Cultural Influence of RPGs
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that "For the most comprehensive history of not only the birth of
268:
praised the work of Appelcline, noting of his own previous work
687:. Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College Press. p. 126.
833:
Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
373:
Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons
106:
59:
18:
443:'s comic science fictions, E.C. Tubb's âDumarestâ saga, and
716:"Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Tabletop RPGs"
257:(Peterson, 2012) and Shannon Appelcline's multi-volume
230:
René Reinhold Schallegger wrote that for his 2018 book
130:
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https://rpggeek.com/rpgseries/25621/designers-dragons
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War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play
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War Games: Memory, Militarism and the Subject of Play
214:
Appelcline wrote an expanded four-volume version of
566:Zagal, José P.; Deterding, Sebastian, eds. (2018).
311:wrote that "Shannon Appelcline's four-book series
250:Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations
569:Role-Playing Game Studies: Transmedia Foundations
954:. pp. 66, 88, 99, 164â166. Archived from
521:. In Byers, Andrew; Crocco, Francesco (eds.).
290:Matthew B. Caffrey Jr. wrote in his 2019 book
8:
750:. In Hammond, Phil; Pötzsch, Holger (eds.).
53:Learn how and when to remove these messages
334:Dimitra Nikolaidou wrote in the 2020 book
451:âs âFoundationâ series as influential to
167:Learn how and when to remove this message
149:Learn how and when to remove this message
90:of all important aspects of the article.
468:
351:Gerald Nachtwey wrote in his 2021 book
912:Munise, Benjamin Joseph (2023-05-24).
86:Please consider expanding the lead to
714:Williams, Matthew Ryan (2019-07-13).
275:Curtis D. Carbonell in his 2019 book
7:
476:Schallegger, René Reinhold (2018).
944:Bruner, Scott Michael (May 2023).
264:Patrick Holleman in his 2019 book
14:
952:University of WisconsinâMilwaukee
915:Roleplaying Games and Performance
681:Caffrey, Jr., Matthew B. (2019).
270:Reverse Design: Final Fantasy VII
34:This article has multiple issues.
420:The Science Fiction in Traveller
283:(2012) and Shannon Appelcline's
111:
64:
23:
78:may be too short to adequately
42:or discuss these issues on the
995:Books about role-playing games
88:provide an accessible overview
1:
795:. Jefferson, North Carolina:
644:Carbonell, Curtis D. (2019).
527:. Jefferson, North Carolina:
482:. Jefferson, North Carolina:
386:Stu Horvath in his 2023 book
331:a surprisingly lively read."
241:Troy Leaman in his 2016 book
922:. p. 16. Archived from
746:Nikolaidou, Dimitra (2020).
371:Ben Riggs in his 2022 book
1016:
920:Louisiana State University
652:Liverpool University Press
607:Holleman, Patrick (2019).
305:Matthew Ryan Williams for
190:tabletop role-playing game
16:Book by Shannon Appelcline
789:Nachtwey, Gerald (2021).
610:Reverse Design: Diablo II
266:Reverse Design: Diablo II
188:about the history of the
797:McFarland & Company
613:. Boca Raton, Florida:
529:McFarland & Company
484:McFarland & Company
412:Designers & Dragons
399:Designers & Dragons
392:Designers & Dragons
381:Designers & Dragons
366:Designers & Dragons
361:Designers & Dragons
359:(2012), and the series
300:Designers & Dragons
236:Designers & Dragons
218:, published in 2014 by
207:, published in 2011 by
205:Designers & Dragons
181:Designers & Dragons
424:Dungeons & Dragons
410:(2012), "Appelcline's
296:Dungeons & Dragons
871:Horvath, Stu (2023).
756:Bloomsbury Publishing
517:Leaman, Troy (2016).
340:Designers and Dragons
329:Designers and Dragons
313:Designers and Dragons
285:Designers and Dragons
259:Designers and Dragons
408:Playing at the World
357:Playing at the World
321:Wizards of the Coast
281:Playing at the World
255:Playing at the World
220:Evil Hat Productions
830:Riggs, Ben (2022).
209:Mongoose Publishing
196:Publication history
838:St. Martin's Press
799:. pp. 12â13.
201:Shannon Appelcline
186:Shannon Appelcline
133:in your own words.
888:978-0-262-04822-4
847:978-1-250-27804-3
806:978-1-4766-7571-8
765:978-1-5013-5115-0
694:978-1-935352-65-5
661:978-1-78962-057-3
624:978-0-429-83410-3
583:978-1-138-63890-7
542:978-0-7864-9883-3
493:978-1-4766-3146-2
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36:Please help
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445:David Drake
989:Categories
962:2024-03-24
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531:. p.
499:2024-03-24
463:References
426:, many of
325:White Wolf
192:industry.
139:April 2024
96:April 2024
39:improve it
879:MIT Press
615:CRC Press
574:Routledge
457:Traveller
453:Traveller
429:Traveller
226:Reception
80:summarize
45:talk page
131:add one
129:Please
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120:This
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