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<blockquote data-quote="gdmcbride" data-source="post: 5845004" data-attributes="member: 49338"><p>Let me take a historical tact on the question. Suppose that TSR never was. No Chainmail. No D&D. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson sold shoes.</p><p> </p><p>By 1973, GDW had already published their first science-fiction wargame <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triplanetary" target="_blank">Triplanetary</a> by no less a luminary than Marc Miller. Galactic Warfare by Davco was published in the UK in the same year. The idea was already floating around of science fiction gaming.</p><p> </p><p>Wargames were already going strong. And amongst them were medieval wargames like the influential <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bodenburg" target="_blank">Seige of Bodenburg.</a></p><p> </p><p>The SCA was already around as well, founded in 1966. People were already pretending to be medieval persons (with even light fantasy elements).</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._A._R._Barker" target="_blank">M.A.R. Barker</a> had already create Tekumel. Greg Stafford was already fiddling with Glorantha.</p><p> </p><p>Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies were in the theaters (Golden Voyage of Sinbad in 1974). Rankin Bass would release the animated Hobbit in 1977. Star Wars would rock the nation that same year. </p><p> </p><p>Fantasy and Sci-fi were on the rise. Wargames were big. Pretending to be someone medieval was just starting to blossom. All that we were waiting for was for someone to get the idea "Aha! A wargame where you only play one person -- your 'character'" and to publish it.</p><p> </p><p>I think RPGs were an idea whose time had come. Someone else would have eventually published a fantasy RPG. The rules and world would have no doubt been different. But if there was no Dungeons and Dragons, I think instead we would all be reminiscing about original edition Wizards and Werewolves.</p><p> </p><p>I am not belittling one iota Gygax and Arneson. God knows I love those guys and I love their game and its million descendants.</p><p> </p><p>But RPGs? They were going to happen. It was inevitable as the rain.</p><p> </p><p>Thank goodness.</p><p> </p><p>Gary McBride</p><p><a href="http://www.firemountaingames.com" target="_blank">Fire Mountain Games</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gdmcbride, post: 5845004, member: 49338"] Let me take a historical tact on the question. Suppose that TSR never was. No Chainmail. No D&D. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson sold shoes. By 1973, GDW had already published their first science-fiction wargame [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triplanetary"]Triplanetary[/URL] by no less a luminary than Marc Miller. Galactic Warfare by Davco was published in the UK in the same year. The idea was already floating around of science fiction gaming. Wargames were already going strong. And amongst them were medieval wargames like the influential [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bodenburg"]Seige of Bodenburg.[/URL] The SCA was already around as well, founded in 1966. People were already pretending to be medieval persons (with even light fantasy elements). [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._A._R._Barker"]M.A.R. Barker[/URL] had already create Tekumel. Greg Stafford was already fiddling with Glorantha. Ray Harryhausen Sinbad movies were in the theaters (Golden Voyage of Sinbad in 1974). Rankin Bass would release the animated Hobbit in 1977. Star Wars would rock the nation that same year. Fantasy and Sci-fi were on the rise. Wargames were big. Pretending to be someone medieval was just starting to blossom. All that we were waiting for was for someone to get the idea "Aha! A wargame where you only play one person -- your 'character'" and to publish it. I think RPGs were an idea whose time had come. Someone else would have eventually published a fantasy RPG. The rules and world would have no doubt been different. But if there was no Dungeons and Dragons, I think instead we would all be reminiscing about original edition Wizards and Werewolves. I am not belittling one iota Gygax and Arneson. God knows I love those guys and I love their game and its million descendants. But RPGs? They were going to happen. It was inevitable as the rain. Thank goodness. Gary McBride [URL="http://www.firemountaingames.com"]Fire Mountain Games[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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