A Brief History of Role Playing Games

Entering the Second Year

By Victor Raymond
Illustrated by Lew Hartman

By 1976, then, there were several roleplaying games out on the market, with several more in the works. Clubzines and fanzines had grown up around the hobby, and it was clear that role-playing was here to stay. The dispute between TSR and Avalon-Hill & SPI about convention primacy continued, which may have had something to do with the introduction of so-called tournament play of D&D at GenCon VIII and IX. The original tournament designs emphasized individual role-playing, but that slowly changed to a more teambased approach.

Even so, the hallmark of the period was that the entire hobby was really uncharted territory. Past miniatures and strategy games could only go so far to point out ways to take role-playing; it was up to the players, referees and designers to decide what was the best way to do things.

In June 1976, TSR began publication of an entirely different magazine, The Dragon. Over time, The Strategic Review had gone from a six page newsletter to a saddle-stiched magazine on glossy stock, but the structure of the 'zine had not followed suit. It was decided then that a new magazine was needed to be a voice in the burgeoning FRP market. Thus The Dragon was born. The first issue was 30 pages in length, with a full-color cover, and included such items as a new set of fantasy miniatures rules, new monsters, and a brief article by Fritz Leiber, who would later be the special guest at GenCon IX

With the publication of the first issue of The Dragon, it was clear that fantasy roleplaying had gone from being a modest oddity of the miniatures market, to something quite new and different. There was no doubt that role-playing would continue to grow as a hobby, and in so doing lead to a shift in the economic balance of power in the industry. That issue, along with several others, will be addressed in Part 2: A Shock to the System - Role Playing from 1976 to 1983.

Victor Raymond is a long-time gamer, who grew up in Minneapolis-St. Paul. 31 years old, he works as a community organizer around progressive Issues, and has also been active in the science fiction fan community. He is fond of playing GURPS, Castle Falkenstein, and Tekumel.

A Brief History of Role Playing Games Part 1: RPGs to 1976

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