Heroic Worlds

by Lawrence Schick

Book Overview

This history of role-playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons explains their evolution and gives complete definitions and descriptions for related game products.Arriving on the scene in 1973, such games caught on rapidly and spawned a thriving industry. These games are regularly played improvisations, with rules that allow for consistent resolution of action, in which heroic characters created by the players battle enemies or solve mysteries. Featuring...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B007CZM42I
• ISBN13: 9780879756536
• Release Date: July 1991
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.4" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

Blast from the past

Ok, this book isn't even close to being current. However, it lists all the great classics from the past- and even a few that aren't so classic (like the small supplement I wrote!). Great reference guide.

Everything about rpgs up to 1991

Complete compendium of RPGs from their origins up to 1991. Includes excerpts from interviews, lists and commentary by the author. It's the sine qua non book for the true collector.

a great fun reference for the classic RPG era

I have spent way way too many hours over the years poring over my battered but beloved copy of this book. An ultra-detailed reference to RPGs from the dawn of roleplaying through 1991, it's a wonderful treat for the RPG fan. Now all we need is a 2nd edition or vol. 2, covering the revolutions of Vampire/dramatic roleplaying, LARPs, d20 and all the innovations of the last 17 years!!! Still, this book as it stands is a great reference. D & D fans especially will be delighted at the ton of info. covering the early years of their favorite game.

The best history of gaming ever

I began role-playing in the late seventies, when all of the earliest role-playing games were still available for sale. Reading "Heroic Worlds" is like returning to those early days, both in its comprehensive listing of every role-playing game release available up through 1990, and in its evocation of the state of the art of role-playing games in its early days. This book is bound to be a classic for a number of reasons: one, it's the only place that will serve the collector hoping to buy every single supplement for their favorite game; two, it's the best history available on the subject, even today; and three, it will serve the game designers of the future, in seeing what has already been done, and what still remains to be done. It's a wonderful read, as well. Now all we need is a second edition, that updates the subject to the present day!

The definitive resource for collectors of RPG's bar none

This book has it all for collectors of RPG material from the earliest days to 1990. One can only hope that a sequel can be published eventually that would cover 1991-present. The book is divided into sections of role-playing based on genre. Each item has a general description followed by how many different editions were published, how many pages, any inserts and other pertinent information. There are also special notes on special collectable items and quotes from many of the original designers themselves on their creations and how they were created. This book really contains just about every RPG product ever published, even the small press items that are impossible to come by. The author really knows his area and did his homework. This book is sine qua non for the RPG collector. Absolutely superb!