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Alternity Supplements
''Alternity'' is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) published by TSR in 1997. Following the acquisition of TSR by Wizards of the Coast, the game was discontinued in 2000 as part of a broader rationalisation of TSR's business holdings, but it retains a small and devoted fanbase. Parts of ''Alternity'' as well as TSR's classic '' Star Frontiers'' game were later incorporated into the ''d20 Modern'' game, especially the ''d20 Future'' setting. ''Star*Drive'' was the first campaign setting published for ''Alternity'', and was introduced in 1998. System Characters were created with a point-based system, and could be either humans, mutants, one of several alien species presented in the core books, or original aliens created by the GM. Classes were replaced by professions, which dictated what skills and abilities were cheaper for any given hero to get, though a few skills (in particular, psionics) were restricted to specific professions. Skills are classified into broad and sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Slavicsek
Bill Slavicsek (born October 6, 1971) is an American game designer and writer who served as the Director of Roleplaying Design and Development at Wizards of the Coast. He previously worked for West End Games and TSR, Inc., and designed products for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Star Wars'', ''Alternity'', '' Torg'', ''Paranoia'' and ''Ghostbusters''. Biography Early life Bill Slavicsek was born and raised in New York City. Slavicsek was a comic book, horror, and science fiction fan as a boy: "Some of my earliest memories involve looking at issues of Marvel Comics, drawing my own comics, and watching old SF and horror movies on TV". Interested in gaming from an early age, Slavicsek was introduced to role-playing games in 1977 when he discovered ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Originally intending to pursue a career as a comic book artist, Slavicsek switched to journalism and communication at St. John's University. West End Games After working for a year at a community newspaper, Slavicsek w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sliders (TV Series)
''Sliders'' is an American science-fiction and fantasy television series created by Robert K. Weiss and Tracy Tormé. It was broadcast for five seasons between 1995 and 2000. The series follows a group of travelers as they use a wormhole A wormhole is a hypothetical structure that connects disparate points in spacetime. It can be visualized as a tunnel with two ends at separate points in spacetime (i.e., different locations, different points in time, or both). Wormholes are base ... to "slide" between parallel universes. Weiss, Tormé, Leslie Belzberg, John Landis, David Peckinpah, Bill Dial, and Alan Barnette served as executive producers at different times of the production. For its first two seasons, it was produced in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was filmed primarily in Los Angeles, California, in the last three seasons. The first three seasons were broadcast by Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. After being canceled by Fox, the series moved to Sci-Fi Channel for its ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Role-playing Game Systems
Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing as "the changing of one's behaviour to fulfill a social role", in the field of psychology, the term is used more loosely in four senses: * To refer to the playing of roles generally such as in a theatre, or educational setting; * To refer to taking a role of a character or person and acting it out with a partner taking someone else's role, often involving different genres of practice; * To refer to a wide range of games including role-playing video game (RPG), play-by-mail games and more; * To refer specifically to role-playing games. Amusement Many children participate in a form of role-playing known as make believe, wherein they adopt certain roles such as doctor and act out those roles in character. Sometimes make believe adopts an o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alternity
''Alternity'' is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) published by TSR, Inc., TSR in 1997 in games, 1997. Following the acquisition of TSR by Wizards of the Coast, the game was discontinued in 2000 as part of a broader rationalisation of TSR's business holdings, but it retains a small and devoted fanbase. Parts of ''Alternity'' as well as TSR's classic ''Star Frontiers'' game were later incorporated into the ''d20 Modern'' game, especially the ''d20 Future'' setting. ''Star*Drive'' was the first campaign setting published for ''Alternity'', and was introduced in 1998. System Characters were created with a point-based system, and could be either humans, mutants, one of several alien species presented in the core books, or original aliens created by the GM. Classes were replaced by professions, which dictated what skills and abilities were cheaper for any given hero to get, though a few skills (in particular, psionics) were restricted to specific professions. Skills are clas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wizard Entertainment
Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as Wizard World, was a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company that became Wizard Entertainment began in 1991 as Wizard Press, the publisher of the monthly magazine '' Wizard''. That company evolved into a multi-title publishing company with diversified interests in branded products and related convention operations. By 2011, the company had discontinued its print division to focus exclusively on its convention business. By 2015, the company had expanded to producing 25 annual conventions around the U.S. In 2021, Wizard sold its convention events business to FanExpo. Corporate history Gareb Shamus founded '' Wizard'' magazine in January 1991 shortly after he graduated from college. The company was originally based in Congers, New York. ''Wizard'' magazine was successful, and the company expanded its publishing operations with more magazines devoted to other elements of the collectible industry. Wizard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
InQuest Gamer
''InQuest Gamer'' was a monthly magazine for game reviews and news that was published from 1995 to 2007. The magazine was published by Wizard Entertainment (not to be confused with Wizards of the Coast, which produced its own CCG magazine, '' The Duelist''). Originally, the magazine was named ''InQuest'' and focused solely on collectible card games (CCGs); ''InQuest'', along with its competitor ''Scrye'', were the two major CCG magazines. Later, the magazine changed its focus to cover a wider range of games, including role-playing games, computer and video games, collectible miniature games, board games, and others. History ''InQuest'' #0, the first issue, was published in April 1995. Because it was first published about two years after the release of '' Magic: The Gathering'', the trading card game was one of ''InQuest's'' main topics. ''InQuest'' was frequently home to fictional cards, including "purple" cards featured in issue #22 (February 1997). These hypothetical cards, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of April 2025, Kickstarter has received US$8.71 billion in pledges from 24.1 million backers to fund 277,302 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects. People who back Kickstarter projects are offered tangible rewards or experiences in exchange for their pledges. This model traces its roots to subscription model of arts patronage, in which artists would go directly to their audiences to fund their work. History Kickstarter launched on April 28, 2009, by Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, and Charles Adler. ''The New York Times'' called Kickstarter "the people's National Endowment for the Arts, NEA". ''Time (magazine), Time'' named ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and Video game publisher, publisher based in Irvine, California, and a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Originally founded in 1991, the company is best known for producing the highly influential massively multiplayer online role-playing game ''World of Warcraft'' (2004) as well as the multi million-selling video game franchises ''Diablo (series), Diablo,'' ''StarCraft'', and ''Overwatch''. (until 2009: 20M) The company also operates Battle.net, an Online game, online gaming service. Founded as Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduates of the University of California, Los Angeles: Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce the company began development of their own software in 1993, with games like ''Rock n' Roll Racing'' and ''The Lost Vikings'', and changed its name to Chaos Studios, Inc. the same year, then to Blizzard Entertainment after being acquired by distributor Davidson & Associates in 1994; that y ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
StarCraft
''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance among four species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the ever-evolving insectoid Zerg, the powerful and enigmatic Protoss, and the godlike Xel'Naga creator race—in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector. The series debuted with the video game '' StarCraft'' in 1998. It has grown to include a number of other games as well as eight novelizations, two ''Amazing Stories'' articles, a board game and other licensed merchandise, such as collectible statues and toys. Blizzard Entertainment began planning ''StarCraft'' in 1995 with a development team led by Metzen and Phinney. The game debuted at the 1996 Electronic Entertainment Expo and used a modified '' Warcraft II'' game engine. ''StarCraft'' also marked the cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma World
''Gamma World'' is a post-apocalyptic science fantasy role-playing game in which player characters explore Earth centuries after the collapse of civilization, searching for artifacts from the time before "The Great Upheaval". The game was originally designed by James M. Ward and Gary Jaquet, and first published by TSR in 1978. It borrows heavily from Ward's earlier role-playing game, ''Metamorphosis Alpha''. Setting ''Gamma World'' takes place in the mid-25th century, more than a century after a second nuclear war had destroyed human civilization. This war is only vaguely described in most editions of the game, and what details are provided change from version to version: The first two editions explained that ever-increasing material prosperity and leisure had led to ever-more radical and violent social movements, culminating in a final war in the years AD 2309–2322, and ascribe the final annihilation to a terrorist group called "The Apocalypse" and the ensuing retaliation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The X-Files
''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The original series aired from September 10, 1993, to May 19, 2002, on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox, spanning List of The X-Files episodes, nine seasons, with 202 episodes. A The X-Files season 10, tenth season of six episodes ran from January to February 2016. Following the ratings success of this revival, ''The X-Files'' returned for an The X-Files season 11, eleventh season of ten episodes, which ran from January to March 2018. In addition to the television series, two feature films have been released: the 1998 film ''The X-Files (film), The X-Files'' and the stand-alone film ''The X-Files: I Want to Believe'', released in 2008, six years after the original television run ended. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent, Special Agents Fox Mulder (David ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark•Matter
''Dark•Matter'' is a science fiction/conspiracy theory campaign setting set in the modern day. It was originally published in December 1999 by Wizards of the Coast as the second campaign setting for the ''Alternity'' science fiction role-playing game. It was written by Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook. It was later converted to '' d20 Modern'' rules as a stand-alone book in 2006. Development Wolfgang Baur did considerable research into the occult, UFO, and government conspiracy theories in preparation for writing the ''Dark•Matter'' game. Setting The Hoffmann Institute investigates strange creatures and phenomena. Players take on the roles of members of this organization, and delve into the supernatural and mysterious. The premise of the game is that nearly every strange or supernatural story ever widely told is true, but a web of conspiracies and secret organizations hide this truth from the average person. The premise was not unique to ''Dark•Matter'' and had first been u ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
