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Jefferson Swycaffer
Jefferson Putnam Swycaffer (born ) is an American writer best known for his "'' Traveller''-like" science fiction who lives in San Diego. Career Jefferson Swycaffer started his writing career in 1979 at the age of 23 with "At the Sign of the Brass Beast", a swords & sorcery short story published in Andrew J. Offutt's anthology ''Swords Against Darkness IV''. The same year, his short story "A Typical Night in the Life of Nine Ordinary (?) People" was published in the December 1979 edition of ''Dragon'' (Issue #32). In 1984, seven years after the publication of the popular science fiction role-playing game '' Traveller'', Swycaffer wrote ''Not in Our Stars'', a science fiction novel published by Avon Books that used themes and tropes used in ''Traveller''. Swycaffer did not have a license from Game Designers Workshop to publish ''Traveller'' material, so he did not use ''Traveller''s "Charted Space" locations or any personalities mentioned in the game. Instead, he set the novel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DNA Publications
DNA Publications was an American publishing company that existed from 1993 to 2007 and was run by the husband-and-wife team of Warren Lapine and Angela Kessler. Initially based in Massachusetts, DNA Publications relocated to Radford, Virginia. As of 2004, it was the second-largest genre magazine publisher in the United States.Dellinger, Paul (April 27, 2004). "Company will publish Kiss magazine", ''The Roanoke Times & World News'', p. C6. Its first publication, in 1993, was the magazine ''Harsh Mistress'', which Lapine produced in collaboration with Kevin Rogers and Tim Ballon. DNA Publication distributed or published ''Aboriginal Science Fiction, Aboriginal SF'', ''Absolute Magnitude (magazine), Absolute Magnitude'', ''Artemis (magazine), Artemis'', ''Dreams of Decadence'', ''Fantastic Stories (magazine), Fantastic Stories'', ''Mythic Delirium'', ''The Official KISS Magazine'', ''Science Fiction Chronicle'', and ''The Whole Cat Journal''. It also published the book imprints Spyre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Traveller (role-playing Game)
''Traveller'' is a science fiction role-playing game first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop. Marc Miller (game designer), Marc Miller designed ''Traveller'' with help from Frank Chadwick, John Harshman, and Loren Wiseman. Editions were published for ''GURPS'', D20 system, d20, and other role-playing game systems. From its origin and in the currently published systems, the game relied upon six-sided dice for random elements. ''Traveller'' has been featured in a few novels and at least two video games. ''Traveller'' is a tabletop game where characters journey through star systems, engaging in exploration, ground and space battles, and interstellar trading. The game is influenced by various literary works and emphasizes commerce, sociological stratification, and a mix of low and high technology. The setting is centered around the human-dominated Third Imperium, a feudalistic interstellar empire. Despite the focus on humans, the ''Traveller'' universe is cosmopolitan a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in the United States. San Diego is the county seat, seat of San Diego County. It is known for its mild Mediterranean climate, extensive List of beaches in San Diego County, beaches and List of parks in San Diego, parks, long association with the United States Navy, and recent emergence as a wireless, electronics, List of hospitals in San Diego, healthcare, and biotechnology development center. Historically home to the Kumeyaay people, San Diego has been referred to as the ''Birthplace of California'', as it was the first site visited and settled by Europeans on what is now the West Coast of the United States. In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed the area for Spain, forming the basis for the settlement of Alta California, 200 years later. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swords & Sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Howard. While there is a chance example from 1953, Fritz Leiber re-coined the term "sword and sorcery" in the 6 April 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine ''Ancalagon'', to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre. Sword and sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of "good vs evil" in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny. Sword and sorcery is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andrew J
Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "courageous", and "warrior". In the King James Bible, the Greek "Ἀνδρέας" is translated as Andrew. Popularity In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. Australia In 2000, the name Andrew was the second most popular name in Australia after James. In 1999, it was the 19th most common name, while in 1940, it was the 31st most common name. Andrew was the first most popular name given to boys in the Northern Territory in 2003 to 2015 and continuing. In Victoria, Andrew was the first most popular name for a boy in the 1970s. Canada Andrew was the 20th most popular name chosen for male infants in 2005. Andrew was the 16th most popular name for infants in British Columbia i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon (magazine)
''Dragon'' was one of the two official magazines for source material for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game and associated products, along with ''Dungeon (magazine), Dungeon''. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, ''The Strategic Review''. The final printed issue was #359 in September 2007. Shortly after the last print issue shipped in mid-August 2007, Wizards of the Coast (part of Hasbro, Inc.), the publication's current copyright holder, relaunched ''Dragon'' as an online magazine, continuing on the numbering of the print edition. The last published issue was No. 430 in December 2013. A digital publication called ''Dragon+'', which replaced ''Dragon'' magazine, was launched in 2015. It was created by the advertising agency Dialect in collaboration with Wizards of the Coast, and its numbering system for issues started at No. 1. History TSR In 1975, TSR, Inc. began publishing ''The Strate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avon Books
Avon Publications is a leading publisher of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reaching and maintaining spots in bestseller lists, demonstrating the market and potential profits in romance publication. As of 2010, Avon is an imprint of HarperCollins. Early history (1941–1971) Avon Books was founded in 1941 by the American News Company (ANC) to create a rival to Pocket Books. They hired brother and sister Joseph Meyers and Edna Meyers Williams to establish the company. ANC bought out J.S. Ogilvie Publications, a dime novel publisher partly owned by both the Meyers, and renamed it "Avon Publications". They also got into comic books. "The early Avons were somewhat similar in appearance to the existing paperbacks of Pocket Books, resulting in an immediate and largely ineffective lawsuit by that company. Despite this superfici ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Game Designers Workshop
Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding members consisted of Frank Chadwick, Rich Banner, Marc Miller, and Loren Wiseman. GDW acquired the Conflict Games Company from John Hill in the early 1970s. GDW published a new product approximately every twenty-two days for over twenty years. In an effort to bridge the gap between role players, board wargamers and miniature wargamers, the company published RPGs with fantastic settings alongside games with realistic themes including rulesets for 15mm and 20mm miniatures set during the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the modern era; and boardgames involving these eras such as the '' Air Superiority'' series and '' Harpoon''. The company disbanded February 29, 1996 after suffering financial troubles. Products Role ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Infinities Productions
New Infinities Productions was an American game company that produced role-playing games and game supplements. History Immediately after leaving TSR, Gary Gygax helped form New Infinities Productions, Inc. Wargamer and accountant Forrest Baker had worked as a consultant for TSR during 1984 and 1985, and wrote up a business plan that convinced Gygax to try again with the business side of roleplaying; New Infinities was the results, with Baker as CEO and Gygax as chairman of the board. In October 1986, the company was publicly announced. Frank Mentzer and Kim Mohan were design executives and with Gygax formed the creative committee. Gygax, Gary 1987. "From the Sorcerer's Scroll", ''Dragon'' 122:40 (Jun 1987) Before a single product was released, Baker disappeared when his promised outside investment of one to two million dollars failed to come through. In February 1987, Don Turnbull was brought on as the new CEO of New Infinities. Gygax had retained the rights to Gord the Rogue a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TSR (company)
TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been unable to find a publisher for ''D&D'', a new type of game he and Dave Arneson were co-developing, so he founded the new company with Kaye to self-publish their products. Needing financing to bring their new game to market, Gygax and Kaye brought in Brian Blume in December as an equal partner. ''Dungeons & Dragons'' is generally considered the first tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), and established the genre. When Kaye died suddenly in 1975, the Tactical Studies Rules partnership restructured into TSR Hobbies, Inc. and accepted investment from Blume's father Melvin. With the popular ''D&D'' as its main product, TSR Hobbies became a major force in the games industry by the late 1970s. Melvin Blume eventually transferred his shares to his ot ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Freelance Traveller
''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance workers are sometimes represented by a company or a temporary agency that resells freelance labor to clients; others work independently or use professional associations or websites to get work. While the term ''independent contractor'' would be used in a to designate the tax and employment classes of this type of worker, the term "freelancing" is most common in culture and creative industries, and use of this term may indicate participation therein. Fields, professions, and industries where freelancing is predominant include: music, writing, acting, computer programming, web design, graphic design, translating and illustrating, film and video production, and other forms of piece work that some cultural theorists consider central to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1956 Births
Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are killed for trespassing by the Waorani people of Ecuador, shortly after making contact with them. * January 16 – Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser vows to reconquer Palestine (region), Palestine. * January 25–January 26, 26 – Finnish troops reoccupy Porkkala, after Soviet Union, Soviet troops vacate its military base. Civilians can return February 4. * January 26 – The 1956 Winter Olympics open in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. February * February 2 – Austria and Israel establish diplomatic Austria–Israel relations, relations. * February 11 – British Espionage, spies Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean (spy), Donald Maclean resurface in the Soviet Union, after being missing for 5 years. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
