anaxis
09-10-2002, 02:14
[Most of you may know, but maybe this will still interest you .... and sorry if the english is not always perfect but I translated it from french]
The following information come from a study about Role Play Games written by Gary Fine and called "Shared Fantasy".
===================
Everything began with HG Wells who is regarded as the grand-father of the
wargames ... that is to say the great-grand-father of the rpg.
Wargames, that is simulation of fights, can be seen back to the Sumer time,
like 4 thousands years ago.
The nowadays wargames are coming from prussia around the XIXth century.
The Kriegspiel introduced ideas like : board, dice ...
After the french-prussian war, English created their own version of wargames
and they were used by army to be trained with tactics.
Wells is the first one to open those games to amateurs.
1915 : he published a bunch of wargames rules in his book, Little Wars
(which is now considered as a bible).
Wells is also the first one to think about little figurines to increase the
implication in the game.
Even if the book was then famous, wargames didnt take off before 1953 when
Charles Roberts started selling the first "on plate" wargame.
Even if the enthusiasm wasnt really here, Roberts insisted and created "The
Avalon Hill Game Compagny".
During the 1960's and 1970's, wargames reached their hightest popularity.
And at the end of the 1960's, there was a real wargame sub-culture. This
environment helped the creativity which would be the fuel for role play
games.
However, a spark was still needed.
This spark was : Lord of the Rings.
Published all over the USA in 1966, this book changed the litterature world
and many teenagers life (teenagers who were the majority of the wargames
players).
Historical battles were pushed away in favor of the War of the Ring. People
wanted then to know how powerful could be an Orc or a Balrog and how far
could go a lightning spell.
It was just a matter of time for the first game in Tolkien world was released. But there still was a little obstacle : too little wargames took place in the medieval time to help the introduction of some elements like magic or dragons.
Two men took this route : Ernest (Gary) Gygax and David Arneson.
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Gygax, Jeff Perren and some friends created a wargame giving a complete sight and simulation of medieval war.
It was called Chainmail and published by Gygax's company, Tactical Studies Rules.
It's a later version, more known, which became the first wargame including rules for giants, trolls, dragons and magic.
This game is considered as the immediate predecessor of Dungeons and Dragons.
When he created Chainmail, Gygax was member of association called "The Castles and Crusades Society". And one of the other member, Arneson, had already started testing a few role play games ideas. It was in 1968 and it basically was THE first step towards role play game.
In the beginning of the 1970's, Arneson's creativity met Gygax's imagination.
In 1970 or 1971 (Arneson himself doesnt remember for sure), Arneson took the system of Chainmail and played the very first real session of role play game.
This very party was about to become the later known as Blackmoor campaign.
Gygax quickly went on with an adventure which would become Greyhawk campaign.
During the following years, the two players played and tested the rules of what would become Dungeons and Dragons, the first marketed role play game in 1974.
A new entertainment was born.
Less than one year after the D&D's release, Arneson left the TSR company. Gygax and his new partner, Brian Blume, went ahead but without giving any of the legal royalties Arneson was allowed to get.
In 1979, there was a trial and TSR finally bought Arneson's rights. The pity is that now, Gygax is admired as the only and real creator of role play games ...
The following information come from a study about Role Play Games written by Gary Fine and called "Shared Fantasy".
===================
Everything began with HG Wells who is regarded as the grand-father of the
wargames ... that is to say the great-grand-father of the rpg.
Wargames, that is simulation of fights, can be seen back to the Sumer time,
like 4 thousands years ago.
The nowadays wargames are coming from prussia around the XIXth century.
The Kriegspiel introduced ideas like : board, dice ...
After the french-prussian war, English created their own version of wargames
and they were used by army to be trained with tactics.
Wells is the first one to open those games to amateurs.
1915 : he published a bunch of wargames rules in his book, Little Wars
(which is now considered as a bible).
Wells is also the first one to think about little figurines to increase the
implication in the game.
Even if the book was then famous, wargames didnt take off before 1953 when
Charles Roberts started selling the first "on plate" wargame.
Even if the enthusiasm wasnt really here, Roberts insisted and created "The
Avalon Hill Game Compagny".
During the 1960's and 1970's, wargames reached their hightest popularity.
And at the end of the 1960's, there was a real wargame sub-culture. This
environment helped the creativity which would be the fuel for role play
games.
However, a spark was still needed.
This spark was : Lord of the Rings.
Published all over the USA in 1966, this book changed the litterature world
and many teenagers life (teenagers who were the majority of the wargames
players).
Historical battles were pushed away in favor of the War of the Ring. People
wanted then to know how powerful could be an Orc or a Balrog and how far
could go a lightning spell.
It was just a matter of time for the first game in Tolkien world was released. But there still was a little obstacle : too little wargames took place in the medieval time to help the introduction of some elements like magic or dragons.
Two men took this route : Ernest (Gary) Gygax and David Arneson.
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Gygax, Jeff Perren and some friends created a wargame giving a complete sight and simulation of medieval war.
It was called Chainmail and published by Gygax's company, Tactical Studies Rules.
It's a later version, more known, which became the first wargame including rules for giants, trolls, dragons and magic.
This game is considered as the immediate predecessor of Dungeons and Dragons.
When he created Chainmail, Gygax was member of association called "The Castles and Crusades Society". And one of the other member, Arneson, had already started testing a few role play games ideas. It was in 1968 and it basically was THE first step towards role play game.
In the beginning of the 1970's, Arneson's creativity met Gygax's imagination.
In 1970 or 1971 (Arneson himself doesnt remember for sure), Arneson took the system of Chainmail and played the very first real session of role play game.
This very party was about to become the later known as Blackmoor campaign.
Gygax quickly went on with an adventure which would become Greyhawk campaign.
During the following years, the two players played and tested the rules of what would become Dungeons and Dragons, the first marketed role play game in 1974.
A new entertainment was born.
Less than one year after the D&D's release, Arneson left the TSR company. Gygax and his new partner, Brian Blume, went ahead but without giving any of the legal royalties Arneson was allowed to get.
In 1979, there was a trial and TSR finally bought Arneson's rights. The pity is that now, Gygax is admired as the only and real creator of role play games ...