Questions form the PasT...

[Eristophenes]

I'm newbie to D&D and I'v got some questions concerning the past of AD&D and D&D...

1. What were the original game worlds (or settings) in 2nd edition?

2. When was Ravenloft published, and who was its author?

3. What's the difference between Al-Qadim and Zakhara? What does exactly Al-Qadim stands for? Is it a name? A land? A God? What is a meaning of Al-Qadim?

4. What's the difference between Tales of the Lance and Sragonlance SAGA except that SAGA is after the War?

Regards...

 

[Ravellion]

I can only really answer 4. Dragonlance SAGA is a game system radically different from D&D. So the timeline was unpopular, but the game system was also unpopular - SAGA, hence, was a very big flop.

Rav

 

[diaglo]

1. 2edADnD relied heavily on the Forgotten Realms. this included Maztica, Kara-Tur, and the Heartlands. Basically what was known of Aber-Toril.

And included the introduction of Spelljammer

Other worlds/ systems were also introduced like Al-Qadim, Dark Sun, Ravenloft, DragonlanceBirthright, Mystara, etc...

2edADnD also converted the Greyhawk setting.

2. The Hickmans were responsible for the introduction of Ravenloft. I6 Raveloft was produced for 1edADnD. i bought and played it in 1985.

3. Al-Qadim was a new system. It was based on the Arabian Nights theme of fantasy. It didn't do well. And IIRC merged with the FR setting.

4. War of the Lance was 1edADnD. it was a series of modules produced to follow the Chronicles.

 

[Henry]

I'm newbie to D&D and I'v got some questions concerning the past of AD&D and D&D...

1. What were the original game worlds (or settings) in 2nd edition?

2. When was Ravenloft published, and who was its author?

3. What's the difference between Al-Qadim and Zakhara? What does exactly Al-Qadim stands for? Is it a name? A land? A God? What is a meaning of Al-Qadim?

4. What's the difference between Tales of the Lance and Dragonlance SAGA except that SAGA is after the War?

Regards...

1. The original worlds for D&D were as follows:

Greyhawk, back in about 1976 or so, along with Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign. Both were pretty standard generic fantasy settings. Think Fantasy a la Fritz Leiber or Michael Moorcock and you will have a general ideal.

"The Known World" for Basic D&D, which got converted to the "Mystara Campaign" for 2nd Edition. Again, pretty standard fantasy, but with occasional twists, such as nations of Lycanthropes and dog-men, and nuclear power sources that fueled magic in some places.

Dragonlance - created for TSR by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, it was the first setting that was entirely centered around Dragons. SAGA was an attempt at a new game system by TSR. Many fans were upset by this choice, as Dragonlance had been firmly established as a standard D&D campaign. Many fans were upset when the SAGA conversion was done because (A) it was already firmly established in the D&D system, and many fans wanted D&D material for supplementing their DL campaigns, and (B) the Events of the novel Dragons of Summer Flame were reflected in the SAGA version, and these events radically altered the campaign setting. Many fans claimed it wasn't recognizable anymore.

Forgotten Realms you probably know about.

Dark Sun - post-apocalyptic fantasy mixed with AD&D. In my opinion, one of TSR's most original settings, that turned every D&D convention on its ear.

Al-Qadim - Think "1001 Arabian Nights" to get the flavor of this campaign. 'Al-Qadim' I believe means "The Old" or "The Ancient" in arabic. It can also refer to Allah, which had some people in an uproar for a very short while. Zakhara was the continent on which the Setting of Al-Qadim was based; Zakhara is to Al-Qadim what Faerun is to the Forgotten Realms.

Planescape - a cross-world setting, with an infinitely large city, that touched every D&D place in existance. It was meant to be a "tie-point" for all D&D campaigns to meet.

Birthright - the players play rulers of whole coutnries, who have faint touches of godlike power from a divine war fought generations ago. The PC's are "haves" in a world of "have-nots."

Ravenloft it sounds like you know about.

If there are any I've missed, someone please correct me!

Ravenloft was published in 1990, BEFORE Vampire the Masquerade, believe it or not.

 

[Wicht]

4. War of the Lance was 1edADnD. it was a series of modules produced to follow the Chronicles.

I had always thought the modules was actually in the works before the novels were written due to the fact that the novels were in part adaptations of the playtesting of the modules. I can't remember which were actually printed first though, novels or modules.

 

[diaglo]

i bought them as they came out. the autumn novel came first in printing.

i don't know if you have the old Dragon issues at the time. but they released side tales for the heroes in issues 70 something thru 80 something.

 

[BluWolf]

I think the first appearance of "Ravenloft" was a module called "the secret of Gryphon Hill????" or something Gryphon Hill. I'm drawing a blank.

Greyhawk and Blackmoor were the first campaign worlds. I think Blackmoor was actually first.

I know there was a link out there in cyberspace somewhere that did a pretty good job of setting the chronology down. Anyone remember the link?

 

[diaglo]

I think the first appearance of "Ravenloft" was a module called "the secret of Gryphon Hill????" or something Gryphon Hill. I'm drawing a blank.

I10 Gryphon Hill was the second in the series.

the original was I6 Ravenloft. the 25th Anniversary boxed set had a repeat appearance of it.

i'm at work. but for some reason 1985 sounds about right for its release.

 

[Jhamin]

The origional appearence of Ravenloft was in module I6: Ravenloft. As has been stated elsewhere this was in 1985. In the origional module there was not a whole campaign setting, there was just this one creepy castle and the oppressed village it overlooked. The adventure was very hack and slash (as was the custom at the time) but it broke new ground in atmosphere, staging, & the importance of the villian (Strahd). Many people feel that if you play at the reccomended levels, there is virtually no way the Players can win.

The house on Gryphon Hill was a sequel to Ravenloft. It once again shines in atmosphere & characters, but is a little incoherent in layout. (There are bunches of 5HD undead in the basement of an inhabited house. Nobody seems to notice, ect) Azalin makes his first appearence here, but doesn't seem to have much to do.

A few years after Grypon Hill, the Ravenloft campaign setting was created. The settings of both the the previous modules were adapted into the world. Ravenloft transplants nicely, but the events of Grypon Hill are heavily changed to fit the new world.