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The Created
''The Created'' is an adventure module for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1993. Plot summary In this ''AD&D'' Ravenloft one-shot adventure, the player characters attend a festival in a village before it drifts into the demiplane of Ravenloft. The character encounter trouble with killer marionettes, and must use their wits. Publication history RM2 ''The Created'' was written by Bruce Nesmith, and published by TSR. The cover artist was Brom, and the interior artist was Dave Simons. Reception Allen Varney reviewed ''The Created'' for ''Dragon'' magazine #201 (January 1994). He liked the adventure "for its chilling premise, elegant craft, and atmospheric staging", and called the village "right out of Pinocchio". While he called the plot "spartan", he noted that the execution "makes the difference". Varney concluded by saying, "Nesmith, one of TSR's most talented staffers, shines in this introductory adventure. It sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules, Tactical Studies Rules (TSR). It has been published by Wizards of the Coast, later a subsidiary of Hasbro, since 1997. The game was derived from miniature wargaming, miniature wargames, with a variation of the 1971 game ''Chainmail (game), Chainmail'' serving as the initial rule system. ''D&D'' publication is commonly recognized as the beginning of modern role-playing games and the role-playing game industry, which also deeply influenced video games, especially the Role-playing video game, role-playing video game genre. ''D&D'' departs from traditional wargame, wargaming by allowing each player to create their own Player character, character to play instead of a military formation. These characters embark upon adventures wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, which later became fantasy literature, fantasy literature and drama. From the twentieth century onward, it has expanded into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, animation, and video games. The expression ''fantastic literature'' is often used for this genre by Anglophone literary critics. An archaic spelling for the term is ''phantasy''. Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror fiction, horror by an absence of scientific or macabre themes, although these can occur in fantasy. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings that reflect the actual Earth, but with some sense of otherness. Characteristics Many works of fantasy use magic (paranorma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Role-playing Game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting or through a process of structured decision-making regarding character development. Actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal role-playing game system, system of rules and guidelines. There are several forms of role-playing games. The original form, sometimes called the tabletop role-playing game (TRPG or TTRPG), is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing game, live action role-playing (LARP), players physically perform their characters' actions.(Tychsen et al. 2006:255) "LARPs can be viewed as forming a distinct category of RPG because of two unique features: (a) The players physically embody their characters, and (b) the g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a '' pocket dimension'' or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called " domains", brought together by a mysterious force known only as the Dark Powers. Each domain is tailored to and mystically ruled by a being called a Darklord who is forever trapped and surrounded by magical mists surrounding the domain. Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire in the original ''AD&D'' ''Ravenloft'' I6 module released in 1983, became the first Darklord, both ruler and prisoner of his own personal domain of Barovia. The story of how Count von Zarovich became Darklord of Barovia was detailed in the 1993 novel '' I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire''. As originally established in the '' Ravenloft: Realm of Terror'' boxed set known as "the Black Box" released in 1990, the Ravenloft campaign setting was located in the Ethereal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Player Character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called non-player characters (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by a gamemaster refereeing tabletop role-playing games. The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character. Video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games, such as multiplayer online battle arena, hero shooter, and fighting games, offer a group of player characters for the player to choose from, allowing the player to control one of them at a time. Where more than one player character is available, the characters may have distinctive Attribute (rol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Nesmith
Bruce Nesmith is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. He was Creative Director at TSR, working on a variety of games including ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and was a senior game designer and design director at Bethesda Game Studios, where he worked on AAA titles such as ''Fallout 3'', ''Fallout 4'' and '' Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion'', and was lead designer on '' Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim''. Career TSR, Inc. hired Nesmith in 1981 to design computer games on the Apple II+, and he soon moved on to be a writer of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' modules. After the original Dragonlance group began, the Dragonlance Series Design Team was later expanded to include Nesmith as well as Margaret Weis, Douglas Niles, Mike Breault, Roger Moore, Laura Hickman, Linda Bakk, Michael Dobson and Garry Spiegle. Nesmith designed '' Ravenloft: Realm of Terror'' (1990), which built on the ideas explored in the original ''Ravenloft'' adventure written by the Hickmans in an attempt to make '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TSR, Inc
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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerald Brom
Gerald Brom (born March 9, 1965), known professionally as Brom, is an American Gothic art, gothic fantasy artist and illustrator, known for his work in role-playing games, novels, and comic books, comics. Early life Brom was born March 9, 1965, in Albany, Georgia. As the son of a United States Army, U.S. Army pilot he spent much of his early years on the move, living in other countries such as Japan and Germany (he graduated from Frankfurt American High School), and in U.S. states including Alabama and Hawaii. Brought up as a military dependent he was known by his last name only, and now signs his name as simply Brom: "I get that asked more than just about any other question. It's my real name, my last name. I got called Brom all the time as a kid, and it just stuck." Brom has been drawing and painting since childhood, although he had never taken any formal art classes. "I wouldn't exactly call myself self-taught, because I've always looked at the work of other artists and emulate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Simons
Dave Simons (December 20, 1954 – June 9, 2009) was an American comic book artist known for his work on ''Conan (comics), Conan'', ''Ghost Rider (comic book), Ghost Rider'', ''Red Sonja'', and ''Spider-Man'' for Marvel Comics and ''Forgotten Realms (comics), Forgotten Realms'' for DC Comics. He is also known for commercial storyboard and games artwork work on ''The Secret Files of the Spy Dogs'' and ''Greyhawk Ruins''. Early life Dave Simons had always wanted to be a comic book artist. ''"I always wanted to do comics since I was about eight years old ... so I started making a point of drawing something every day. I figured if I just kept doing that, then eventually I'd get better at it."'' After a stint in the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard, and a chance series of meetings with Frank Robbins, Simons elected to undertake formal training to be an artist. As part of his education Simons attended the art workshops run by Marvel Comics artist John Buscema. It was while atten ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Allen Varney
Allen Varney (born 1958) is an American writer and game designer. Varney has produced numerous books, role-playing game supplements, technical manuals, articles, reviews, columns, and stories, as well as the fantasy novel ''Cast of Fate'' ( TSR, 1996). Since the 1990s, he has worked primarily in computer games. Early life Varney was born in St. Louis, Missouri and was raised by his mother, Marcelene Varney. He graduated from Reno High School in 1976 and has a dual B.A. in English and history from the University of Nevada, Reno. Gaming career Roleplaying games Varney designed the game ''Necromancer'' (1983), which was published by Steve Jackson Games. Varney wrote ''Son of Toon'' (1986), the third supplement to the '' Toon'' RPG. From 1984 to 1986 he worked as Assistant Editor at Steve Jackson Games (with Warren Spector, then Editor-in-Chief) editing ''Space Gamer'' magazine. Warren Spector and Varney wrote the supplement '' Send in the Clones'' (1985) for the ''Paranoia'' role ... [...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] |
