Bob Bledsaw, man behind Judges Guild and the wilderlands

[Glyfair]

The Judges Guild produced modules and supplements that created a mood and flaveor that are still visible in the foundations of even my current campaigns.

I will say that while my favorite RPG sourcebook of all time was not published as a Judges Guild product, it started as one.

Griffin Mountain was originally a "Gateway" (non-Glorantha) adventure for Runequest to be published by JG. Paul Jacquays and Rudy Kraft had some discussions with Greg Stafford about the adventure, Though those discussion Greg fell in love with the project and decided that he wanted to publish it as part of Glorantha. If it wasn't for JG this project would never have happened, and the best area sourcebook would probably have never existed.

 

[LeaderDesslok]

I was priviliged to meet Bob Bledsaw back in 2006 at GenCon, where he led a seminar on the history of Judges Guild. It was a very candid look not only at the Guild, but at the man himself. Bob went through some hard times but kept on fighting. I gained a great deal of respect for Mr. Bledsaw, and I hope his passing will be peaceful.

I wrote several articles for the Fall 2006 edition of the Silven Trumpeter, and I'd just like to share the info on Judges Guild here with you, as many people may not be familiar with the history of the company.

The Death and Rebirth of Judges Guild
by Michael Thompson

Judges Guild is one of the oldest RPG companies in the industry, and was the first to produce supplements and adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons game. At its peak, the company had more than 250 products in production. Sadly, the company faced dramatic complications in the ’80s that all but destroyed it. Today, however, the company is growing again. Bob Bledsaw, founder of Judges Guild, and James Mishler came to Gen Con to share their experiences.

In the early 1980s, the country’s economy was in a downturn. Many people were losing their jobs, and numerous companies were going out of business. The gaming industry was not immune to financial problems, and smaller ventures and hobby shops closed as well. Judges Guild tried to maintain its status as a competitor, but circumstances would not allow for that.

Bob admits to a number of business errors, business disasters and personal problems that led to the end of Judges Guild. He had extended credit to a number of hobby stores that never paid. A Canadian-based company purchased about $100,000 in product over three orders but failed to pay most of the cost. Internal conflicts caused strife and led to some employees stealing data from the company. At the same time, Bob’s family life became extremely difficult: His mother passed away from cancer, his wife suffered from mental illness, and ultimately the couple separated and divorced. Bob also began suffering depression from the immense stress these situations created.

An unscrupulous accounting firm also charged Judges Guild for services that were never performed and for services they were not supposed to perform. The IRS began hounding the company for back taxes they allegedly owed (eventually they were found in error). With these financial problems and the poor economy, Bob was forced to sell the Judges Guild office building. This truly led to the end for the company. Further adding to the downfall, distributors holding Judges Guild’s inventory (worth in excess of $1 million) lost his files and merchandise; some was destroyed in a warehouse fire, while other items simply disappeared. This was too much for Bob, and so he ended Judges Guild.

Fortunately, this was not the end of the story. James Mishler contacted Bob in 1999 regarding the old Judges Guild product line and asked about the prospects for a re-release. With the emergence of 3rd edition D&D and the Open Gaming License, Mishler helped Judges Guild form a partnership with Necromancer Games to bring the City State of the Invincible Overlord and the Wilderlands of High Fantasy back to the market. Necromancer Games also published a Player’s Guide to the Wilderlands and the Judges Guild adventure Caverns of Thracia.

Tegel Manor will be the last product published in the Necromancer Games/Judges Guild partnership. In 2007, Adventure Games Publishing will release Wilderlands of High Adventure under license from Judges Guild and Troll Lord Games. This time, the Wilderlands will be revised and expanded under the Castles & Crusades rules system. Numerous expansions are planned. Bob is also working on two additional Wilderlands’ products: City State of the Sea Lords, which is mostly complete, and City State of the Mages, which is being developed.

Judges Guild is an important and integral part of the history of the RPG industry, and despite its near death in the ’80s, the future is looking bright. We at Silven thank Bob Bledsaw for his contributions to gaming and wish him great fortune in the years ahead.

And just an excerpt from my article on the birth of D&D...

Around 1975, Bob Bledsaw was also working with fantasy rules in his campaigns. He developed a massive world called the Wilderlands and presented it to Gygax and TSR for them to publish. They refused, thinking that the public would not be interested in buying adventures. However, TSR had no concerns with allowing Bledsaw to publish game materials on his own. At the time there were no copyright laws covering roleplaying games, and TSR didn’t think he’d sell anything anyway.

So began the glory days of the Judges Guild. The City State of the Invincible Overlord was the first campaign setting produced, followed quickly by the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. At its peak, Judges Guild had over 250 products in print. Bob played a key role in the development of the game, especially the 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. About one-third of the 1st edition Dungeon Master’s Guide was based off of the rules, charts, lists, and monsters that Bob had developed for his own Wilderlands campaigns. He streamlined a number of confusing or contradictory rules, and essentially created the concept of wilderness adventures.

Both TSR and the original Judges Guild are gone now, but they survive in Wizards of the Coast (who bought TSR in the late 1990’s) and the new Judges Guild (still owned by Bob Bledsaw). They continue to publish interesting and creative products for the gaming industry.

 

[Akrasia]

Sad news. The Wilderlands is probably my favourite campaign setting. The next campaign I run will be set there, in honour of Bob and his creative contributions to our hobby.