Designers & Dragons: The 80s

A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry

By: Shannon Appelcline

Narrated by: Colby Elliott

Part two of a four-volume set!

Everything you've wanted to know about the origins of roleplaying games...

Designers & Dragons: The '80s is a comprehensive picture of the growth of the RPG industry. This second edition expands the original single book into a series of four, and we’ve added over 10,000 new words to this volume alone. Take an in-depth look at ’80s style gaming courtesy of companies like Steve Jackson Games and West End Games, plus an intro to the small (but mighty!) presses of the decade. Regardless of your gaming background, Shannon Appelcline’s meticulously researched history won’t disappoint.

In this volume, you’ll find:

• A foreword by Mike Pondsmith, founder of R. Talsorian and creator of Cyberpunk
• Profiles for 23 1980s gaming companies including Steve Jackson Games, Palladium Books, and Mayfair Games
• The inside scoop behind games like GURPS, Champions, and Battletech
• 10 things you might not know about roleplaying in the ’80s
• An extensive bibliography and index

Meet the characters behind the characters and the gamers behind the games in Designers & Dragons: The ’80s!

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2014 Shannon Appelcline (P)2021 Last Word Audio

Not For Everyone, But Perfect For What It Is

This second volume in Appelcline's Designers & Dragons gives us an in-depth and incredibly well-researched look at those companies that appeared during the Golden Age of the RPG Industry. Tabletop gamers who want a peek at what actually transpired at the time, why some games and companies failed, where they ended up, the people behind it, the lawsuits, the mismanagement, bad luck, and what trends steered the exploding 80's gaming market should pick this up. It's a must for any gamer who wants the history of the hobby.
I look forward to the release of the 3rd book. I only wish Audible listed this as a series. As of now, it appears like "The 70's" and "The 80's" are two separate books and not Books 1 and 2 of the Designers & Dragons Series.