Royal Mail: Wizards Stamp Collections.....

In Great Britian, the Royal Mail will be releasing a "Magical Realms" stamp collection featuring some of Britian's famous fictional personas. If you are a stamp collector or someone who would love to give a unique gift, then look no further. These stamps feature personas from "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Discworld", "Harry Potter", and the "Arthurian Legends".

Founders of Roleplaying: John R. R. Tolkein

J.R.R. Tolkein was born in Republic of the Orange Free State, in lived from 1892 to 1973. He is creditted with being the father of modern fantasy. Originally written between 1925-1928, he is best known for his work "The Hobbit" published in1936, and the "Lord of the Rings" in 1954. These books provided the ground work of high fantasy that would go on to inspire others in the world of fantasy.

He was a scholar, author, military man, and a linguist. He developed a rich history and myth that was the entire back story of the world of Middle-Earth. He also created several unique languages and writings systems for cultures of the world that our used and spoken by many. His has also posthumously published several books further detailing Middle Earth. Beyond that he has also contributed the European myths and legends, the Arthurian Cycle, poem, linguistics, and many other essays of academia.

His mythos has come to touch not only literary works, but also film, RPGs, and miniature games as well.

Founders of Roleplaying: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

My first introduction to the world of fantasy and role-playing was through Dragonlance. It was the first series to truly capture my imagination and heart, and it eventually opened up the greater world of literature to me.

Margaret Weis was born in Missouri in 1948 and Tracy Hickman was born Utah in 1955. They are the co-creators of the Dragonlance world. There first three books released in 1985, started a whole line of books and expanded by other authors. The campaign setting that they created grew and became the 4th Campaign Setting of the Dungeons and Dragons world. Since then they have collaborated many times expanding their original creations as well creating other worlds. The Deathgate Cycle, Starshield, Dark Sword, Rose of  the Prophet, and the Dragonships of Vindras are another popular line of novels designed by them both. Together they also brought to life Larry Elmore's Sovereign Stone Trilogy and RPG.

Separately, Tracy Hickman and his wife Laura, created a few independent adventures for Dungeons and Dragons in the early 80's. In 1983 they created Ravenloft, which has been a beloved horror campaign setting that has touched almost every campaign world ever since! Tracy Hickman continues to create new worlds and continues to bring new ideas to fantasy ans sci-fiction literature. 

Magaret Weis has continued to write in her own way and now owns a publishing company that produces some RPG systems for many popular TV Dramas such as; Battlestar Galactica, Leverage,Smallville, Serenity, and Supernatural.

 I had the privilege of meeting them both back in 1996 at a booking signing in Brea, CA. It was one of the greatest moment of my life as I got to meet Mrs. Weis, Mr. Hickman, and Mr. Perrin.

Founders of Roleplaying: H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft lived from August 20, 1890 to March 15, 1937, born on Providence, Rhode Island. He was an American author most noted for his fiction works in the genre of weird fantasy and horror. He developed the idea of  "Cosmic Horror" that would shape many of his literary works. He believed that our existence was mere nothing to he multitude of time and space, and that humanity if exposed to the awful truth of this would be driven insane. After all he would seem to be quite correct, for his view was not geocentric at all. As humans how can we believe that we are the center of the cosmos? An interesting note is that he himself suffered as a child from night terrors.... some say it is a rare parasomnia disorder (although in modern times it is now uncommon and closely linked to Alien Abduction).

His works were oddly facilitating in retrospect, for he wrote that out there in the cosmos an ancient alien intelligence dwelt. That in the ancient past it has visited earth, and that records of their passing can be found in ancient civilizations that have been long lost. He wrote of people who had come across these things and events. People haunted and driven into insanity by things they could not truly comprehend or grasp. Throughout his writings, these events are shorts stories that are seemingly unrelated. Yet in the greater picture and expanded upon by other writers, became the Cthulhu Mythos.

Founders of Roleplaying: E. Gary Gygax

One of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons, E. Gary Gygax was born in Illinois and lived from 1938-2008. He along with Dave Arneson birthed a genre of Role Playing that has been alive and well since 1974, Dungeons and Dragons. Yet early one in his career, he had a love for minature wargames and was an avid player since 1967, especially with campaigns set during the medieval period. In 1972, he devloped his own rules set known as Chainmail. In the subsequent years that followed, he and Dave got together and used those rules with Dave's own setting Blackmoor. Thus, the world of Dungeons and Dragons was born.

By 1977 a new version of the game was developed and became the World of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. This new setting was part of Gary's own world, which would come to be known as Greyhawk that would be published in 1983. He also created a series of novels, the Gord the Rogue (Oerth), which detailed more of the world of Greyhawk. During this time, he also became producer of the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon show. Sadly though by 1985 due to some company wheeling and dealing between shareholders of the company, Gary was forced to leave TSR.

However, in 1986 he returned to the world of gaming with a new company and a campaign world related to Greyhawk. It would come to be known as Mythus, using his new Dangerous Journeys RPG system. It was on the world of Aerth which was one of five parallel worlds related to his original Greyhawk setting. He even wrote a line of novel supporting the world. He also continued writing the Gord series, which out of revenge... had the world of Oerth destroyed since being taken away from him back in 1985. Likewise he wrote another series, Sagard the Barbarian (Yarth). By 1999 he started another rule system and another campaign world, this time known as Lejendary Adventures.

Toward the end of his life, he worked closely with Troll Lords Games, writing a series of open source book (d20) on creating campaign worlds. He also attempted to bring to life his original version Castle Zagyg that was destroyed by TSR. This project was named Castle Yggsburgh, but sadly was never finished due to his death. E.G.G. was a beloved icon, and homages can be found in various media from video to literature.

Founders of Roleplaying: Dave Arneson

One of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons, Dave Arneson was born in Minnesota and lived from 1947-2009. He along with Gary Gygax birthed a genre of Role Playing that has been alive and well since 1974, Dungeons and Dragons.

Before D&D back in 1970, he created a campaign world known as Blackmoor. This campaign setting would lay the foundation of the world of Mystara which was known as the official World of Dungeons and Dragons. However, he left the company in 1976, and managed to keep the rights of his original material. For a time he did work with TSR and contributed to much of the developing campaign world.

With the advent of 3E Dave Arneson once again emerged, and brought Blackmoor back to the world of gaming. Much more detail to his original world was finally published and was well received by the Fans.

Founders of Roleplaying: H.G. Wells

Many people know of H.G. Wells as one of the fathers of science-fiction. He was born in London, England and lived from 1866-1946. He has written a number of popular books dealing with Time Travel (The Time Machine), Alien Invasions (War of the Worlds), and horrors of science gone awry (Island of Dr. Moreau, Food of the Gods) are just to name a few. As a man, he deeply cared of humanity and was troubled by the political and socio-economical development of that time. Some of his other works go deeper into this new climate of change.

In 1914 he published a book called "Little Wars" which laid the foundation for tabletop RPGs. His game focused on re-enacting famous military battles through the use of miniatures, and seeing the outcomes changed by rules of chance and the players moves. As you can see this has inspired many of the other tabletop miniature games readily available on the market from Heroclix and Mage Knight to Warhammer Fantasy and Iron Kingdoms.
Dungeons and Dragons also at one point had it own miniatures line in Chainmail. It resurface twiced during the eras of 2nd and 3rd Edition. Today the use of minature are strongly incouraged in elements of RPGs


You can read his full result along with audio here, bought to you by Public Literature.org.

Founders of Roleplaying: Mark Rein-Hagen

Mark Rein-Hagen in was 1964. He along with Johnathan Tweet developed the Ars Magica game that was originally produced under their company Lion's Rampart 1989. Ars Magica was a campaign setting based around spellcasters during the medieval age. Ars Magica and its history would eventually become the backdrop of Mage: The Ascension.  It wasn't until 1990 that his company merged with that of White Wolf Magazine (and independent gaming magazine founded in 1986) in 1990. Together they formed White Wolf Studios. 

In 1991 the World of Darkness was born with Vampire: The Masquerade. This became a premiere horror genre that redefined the traditional notions of vampires set in the modern world. Since he helped flesh out the rest of the World of Darkness; Werewolf: The Apocalypse in 1992, Mage: The Ascension in 1993, Wraith: The Oblivion in 1994, Changeling: The Dreaming in 1995, Trinity in 1997, Hunter: The Reckoning in 1999, Exalted in 2001, and Demon: The Fallen in 2002. The Trinity line existed outside the World of Darkness, while Exalted existed in the Second Ages of Prehistory (obvious links to the World of Darkness can be found here).

In 2001 here created the first collectible action figure game known as Z-G.

Founders of Roleplaying: Ed Greenwood

Ed Greenwood, was born in Toronto, Canada in 1959. He is the author and creator of the 3rd Campaign Setting for Dungeon and Dragons. As the creator of the Forgotten Realms back in 1975, his setting was not fully published until 1987. He had help in expanding his world with Jeff Grub.For the past 20 years, the Forgotten Realms has remained the flagship campaign setting for the world of Dungeons and Dragons.

Ironically Ed seems to be our Earth's Elminister. He has appeared numerous time at various convention in the guise of the famed archmage of Faerun. Also in his fictional works he has played host to Mordenkainen of Oerth and Dalamar the Dark in his "Wizard's Three" articles found in Dragon Magazine.

Besides writing for the Forgotten Realms, he has also written several other series such as; The Band of Four, Falconfar, and Novel of Niflehiem series. In 2006 he created another Campaign Setting world known as Castlemourn.