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in: Pages with reference errors, Articles requiring citations, Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons related products

Revision as of 17:05, 22 January 2020 by BeardWizard (Message Wall | contribs) (1 revision: Imported from the Annex, which rescues deleted pages from Wikipedia.)
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The Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game has spawned many related products, including films and videogames.

Magazines

File:Dragon342Cover.jpg

Dragon Magazine, #342 (Paizo, 2006)

In 1975, TSR began publishing The Strategic Review. At the time, roleplaying games were still seen as a sub-genre of the wargaming industry, and the magazine was designed not only to support Dungeons & Dragons and TSR's other games, but also to cover wargaming in general. In short order, however, the popularity and growth of Dungeons & Dragons made it clear that the game had not only separated itself from its wargaming origins, but had launched an entirely new industry unto itself. The following year, after only seven issues, TSR cancelled The Strategic Review and replaced it in 1976 with The Dragon (later Dragon Magazine).

Although Dragon Magazine was originally designed to support the roleplaying industry in general, it has always been primarily a house organ for TSR's games with a particular focus on D&D. Most of the magazine's articles provide supplementary material for the game, including new races, classes, spells, traps, monsters, skills, and rules. Other articles will provide tips and suggestions for players and DMs. The magazine has also published a number of well-known, gamer-oriented comic strips over the years, including Wormy, SnarfQuest, Yamara, Knights of the Dinner Table, Nodwick, Dork Tower, and The Order of the Stick.

In 1986, TSR launched a new magazine to complement Dragon. Dungeon Adventures, published bimonthly, published nothing but adventure modules for Dungeons Masters. While Dungeon now publishes other kinds of material as well, Dungeons & Dragons adventures remain its main focus.

While many other magazines have partially or fully devoted themselves to supporting Dungeons & Dragons, Dragon and Dungeon remain the only two official publications for the game. In 2002, Wizards of the Coast licensed the two magazines to Paizo Publishing. Publication of both magazines then ceased in September 2007 as the owning company opted for an online model. In total, there were 359 Dragon issues and 150 Dungeon issues released.[1]

Films and TV

A popular Dungeons & Dragons animated television series was produced in 1983. The cartoon was based upon the concept of a small group of young adults and children who get transported to a D&D-based fantasy realm by riding a magical roller coaster. When they arrive, they are given potent magical weapons and must survive against the chromatic dragon Tiamat and a power-hungry nemesis called Venger. They are assisted in each episode by a gnome-like creature called Dungeon Master and a baby unicorn named Uni.[2]

A Dungeons & Dragons movie was released in 2000 to largely negative criticism.[3] Dungeons & Dragons 2: Wrath of the Dragon God, a made-for-TV sequel, was first aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on October 8th, 2005, and was released on February 7, 2006 on DVD.[4] (This sequel is also known by the alternate title Dungeons & Dragons 2: The Elemental Might.[citation needed])

In 2003, a computer animated motion picture entitled Scourge of Worlds: A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure was produced for DVD, featuring the iconic characters (Regdar, Mialee, and Lidda) created for the 3rd Edition. This is an interactive movie that asks viewers to decide what actions the heroes should take at crucial points in the story, allowing hundreds of different story-telling combinations. A special edition was released later that included even more choices, two additional endings, the making of the Scourge of Worlds, and the original (linear) version of film.

The official Dragonlance Chronicles animated movie, Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight is set for release in Winter 2007/2008, with the voices of Michael Rosenbaum, Kiefer Sutherland, Lucy Lawless, and Michelle Trachtenberg.[citation needed]

Computer and video games

File:Baldur's Gate box.PNG

Baldur's Gate (1998), a computer role-playing game based on Dungeons & Dragons

Seventy-three unique digital games had been released and sold under the D&D license as of May 2006. Almost half of these games were published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI). Most, but not all, are computer role-playing games that use rules derived from some version of the D&D rules. Many of the games were released on multiple platforms, including personal computers, consoles, and handheld devices (including mobile phones). Notable titles include:

Title Year Description
Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game 1980 The first D&D game marketed for public consumption that contained digital electronics. This is a board game/computer game hybrid, with a D&D table-top look-and-feel. Dungeon walls, monsters, and traps manifest themselves as series of beeps from the internal computer.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Cartridge 1982 Designed for the Intellivision, the first console game based licensed under the D&D license.
Pool of Radiance 1988 The first D&D computer game. Designed by SSI, the same game engine would be used to develop ten more D&D games, the Gold Box series. It was "remade" by UbiSoft in 2001 under the name Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor.
Eye of the Beholder 1990 The first in a trilogy of popular games designed by Westwood Studios and published by SSI in the early 1990s.
Neverwinter Nights 1991
to
1997 		Developed by Stormfront Studios and was one of the first graphical MMORPG, paving the way for other games including Ultima Online and Everquest. The game was a major hit, and the name and settings formed the basis for the Neverwinter Nights PC game (see below).
Tower of Doom 1993 Two beat 'em up/role-playing game hybrid series by Capcom.
Shadow over Mystara 1996
Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance 1996 Developed by Synergistic Software, a subsidiary of Sierra Entertainment and was an innovative mix of strategy and role-playing gaming, and featured realistic (for the time) 3D graphics. Unfortunately, the game was not a major success due to the decreased popularity of Dungeons & Dragons inspired games at that time.
Baldur's Gate 1998 From Interplay Entertainment, was developed by Bioware and was the first D&D computer game to use Bioware's Infinity Engine. It met with critical success and was followed by several more D&D games from Bioware, including an expansion pack, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, and two sequels, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal.
Planescape: Torment. Icewind Dale and Icewind Dale II 1999
to
2002 		Developed by Interplay's Black Isle Studios and also used the Bioware Infinity Engine.
Neverwinter Nights 2002 This game from Bioware included the Aurora toolset that allows users to create custom modules. Several expansion modules were sold by the distributor.
Neverwinter Nights 2 2006

For a full list of licensed D&D digital games, see List of Dungeons & Dragons computer and video games.

Novels

Template:See also

File:NortonQuagKeepGaughanCover.jpg

Quag Keep (DAW Books, 1979), the first published novel to be set in a specific D&D campaign setting.

Several hundred novels have been published based upon Dungeons & Dragons.

  • Fantasy Grand Master Andre Norton's novel Quag Keep, published in 1979, was set in Greyhawk, making it the first novel to use a D&D campaign setting.
  • Throughout the early 1980s, TSR printed several series of gamebooks of varying complexity under series titles such as Endless Quest, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Gamebooks, HeartQuest, and 1 on 1 Adventure Gamebooks. Most of these books were based on D&D, although some were based on other TSR role-playing games.
  • The Dragonlance product line, begun in 1984, was the first series of novels produced by TSR and has since seen more than 190 titles published.
  • D&D creator Gary Gygax's series of Gord the Rogue novels, published from 1985 to 1988, was set in his Greyhawk campaign setting. A number of other novels have also been set in Greyhawk.
  • Numerous novels have been set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting by such authors as R. A. Salvatore and setting creator Ed Greenwood.
  • A number of books have also been published under the generic Dungeons & Dragons heading. They are as follows:

2nd Edition Novels

Dragon Strike

  • The Wizard's Tale (October 1993), by Michael Andrews, (ISBN 1-56076-896-7)
  • The Thief's Tale (October 1993), by Michael Andrews, (ISBN 1-56076-897-5)
  • The Warrior's Tale (October 1993), by Michael Andrews, (ISBN 1-56076-919-X)
  • The Elf's Tale (October 1993), by Michael Andrews, (ISBN October 1993)

Iconic Character

Knights of the Silver Dragon

Penhaligon

Comics

File:TempestGate1Cover.jpg

Tempest's Gate: Born of Fire by Sean Smith (Kenzer & Co., 2001)

During the 1980s and 1990s, DC Comics published several licensed D&D comics, including Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms, and Spelljammer. Also during the 80s, one-page "mini-comics" appeared as advertisements in both Marvel and DC publications, always ending with "To Be Continued..."

After the release of the 3rd Edition, KenzerCo, better known for the popular gaming comic Knights of the Dinner Table, secured the licensing rights to produce official D&D comics. Using the license, they produced a number of different mini-series. One notable mini-series for this comic line entitled Tempest's Gate was authored by Sean Smith. It featured memorable iconic characters of D&D such as Zed Kraken, a powerful and influential magus.[1]

In 2002, Iron Hammer Graphics published the single-issue comic Vecna: Hand of the Revenent. In 2005, the license passed to Devil's Due Productions. Starting in June of that year, Devil's Due began releasing official adaptations of D&D tie-in novels, starting with Salvatore's Dark Elf Trilogy.

As webcomics grew, many were created around the idea of D&D, some of them even going as far as publishing actual books. Amongst the more popular ones are Rich Burlew's The Order of the Stick and Tarol Hunts's Goblins. The game has also been seen in several FoxTrot comic strips over the years played by Jason and his best friend Marcus. Some comics, such as Commissioned, are based around a D&D gaming group, and follows their games (although the comics often move into other settings in later strips). Commissioned also contains an ongoing series, "The Adventures of Elf, Dwarf and Weretiger", which follows a D&D campaign played out by the usual characters of the comic.

Board games

Several board games have been sold either under the Dungeons & Dragons trademark or in association with it:

  • Dungeon! (1975), a board game published by TSR, featured similar gameplay and genre tropes to D&D and was frequently advertised in D&D products.
  • Dungeons & Dragons Computer Labyrinth Game (1980) This was the first computer/board game hybrid and the first D&D licensed game that contained digital electronics.
  • Quest for the Dungeonmaster (1984)
  • Dragons of Glory (1986)
  • Dragon Lance (1988)
  • Mertwig's Maze (1988) by Tom Wham [2]
  • The New Dungeon (1989)
  • The New Dungeon Miniatures and Game Supplement (1989)
  • Magestones (1990)
  • Greyhawk Wars (1991)
  • Dragon Quest (1992)
  • The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons (1991) This game is in a way an introduction to RPG but is played as a board game. Three expansions were released for it: Dragon's Den, Haunted Tower, Goblin's Lair.
  • The Classic Dungeon (1992)
  • DragonStrike (1993) used a simplified form of D&D and included an instructional video tape in which costumed actors, combined with computer-generated imagery, played the characters and monsters from the board game.
  • Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1995) An introductory board version of the AD&D system via basic scenarios played with miniatures (plastic, included), and a campy/nifty CD for both ambiance and automated DM instructions.
  • Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (2000) Based upon the roleplaying system D&D here we have a typical dungeon crawl game.
  • Clue Dungeons & Dragons (2001) Standard Clue with a D&D fantasy theme and optional wandering monsters.
  • Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Adventure Boardgame (2002) Cooperative dungeon crawl game in which a party of four heroes strives to complete adventures that the Dungeon Master puts before them (In the Style of HeroQuest). Two expansions have been released for this game:
    • Eternal Winter (2004)
    • Forbidden Forest (2005)
  • Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game (2004 & 2006) A simplified version of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed as an introduction to roleplaying, but is in essence a boardgame in the style of presentation.

Software

  • Advanced Dungeons & Dragons CD-ROM Core Rules (1996) – Collection of tools for players (ISBN 0-7869-0602-2)
  • Core Rules CD-ROM 2.0 (1998) – Collection of tools for players (ISBN 0-7869-0793-2)
  • Core Rules 2.0 EXPANSION (1999) – Updates for Core Rules CD-ROM 2.0 (ISBN 0-7869-1543-9)

Soundtrack

The first official soundtrack to Dungeons & Dragons was produced when Wizards of the Coast teamed up with Midnight Syndicate, producing the 24 track album Dungeons & Dragons.[5] The album was released on August 12, 2003, and recieved positive reviews from both the gaming and music community.

References

  1. ↑ Paizo Publishing to Cease Publication of DRAGON and DUNGEON
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God
  5. ↑ Midnight Syndicate Makes D&D Music

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