A History Of Pen & Paper RPGs

Thanks to Skotos.net for their column discussing a brief history of tabletop role-playing games, as the author, aided by resources such as the Pen & Paper RPG database, charts the evolution of the RPG from 'character modelling' in the earliest titles ("...the purpose was to create statistics, abilities, and rules which could be used to depict a character"), through 'character development' in the original 1974 Dungeons & Dragons ("Instead of having static characters, players were offered ways for their characters to evolve and change"), right up to the 'story telling' emphasis in the '80s and beyond ("player investment in individual characters was dramatically reduced in exchange for telling better stories.")

Comments

Re:Oh, yeah, that's why

[tommertron]

They wanted $35! The movie only cost me ten bucks, and it had better acting.

Dude, $35 for a tabletop set is a pretty good deal considering most PC or console games start at around $60, and those games only last 20 hours on average. Invest in a couple of books and dice and you've got basically infinite playing time.

The handbooks are a good deal these days.

[IM6100]

I just looked, and all the old AD&D handbooks are a good deal these days on eBay. I don't have a complete set (actually, all I have is the 2nd ed. Player's Handbook) but I think I'll put together a set. When those fine books can be had for $6-8 each, it's time to spend fifty bucks or so and have a bit of history. It's the kind of material that's at bottom right now and probably won't ever be cheaper. And I looked a bit ago at what they're asking for the new edition handbooks that (apparently) just came out. Ouch!