Network to the Rescue: Difference between revisions

* ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' was the only real option for roleplayers for years. With the guiding hands of [[Gary Gygax]] and [[Dave Arneson]], the granddaddy of all [[RPG]]s inspired ''[[Final Fantasy]]'', and gave rise to popular novels featuring characters such as [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Drizz't Do'urden]]. However, the good times weren't meant to last - things started falling apart after Gygax sold the company to [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Lorraine Williams]] (this deserves [https://medium.com/@increment/the-ambush-at-sheridan-springs-3a29d07f6836 a separate story]), who proceeded to milk the franchise dry by paying herself for licensing ''[[Buck Rogers]]'' game ''[http://www.battlegrip.com/june-1990-tsr-previews-and-the-xxvc-roleplaying-game/ thenXXVc]'' and trying to stick a finger into every pie, oversaturating the market with new [http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10427&whichpage=35#220460 compulsively "thematic"] settings (which developers added in part because [[Executive Meddling|management could only mess with so much at once]] - such as ''[[Spelljammer]]'', which has become a [[Cult Classic]]) and occasionally games. This expansion eventually outstripped TSR's ability to support (this could be alleviated by more flexible approach of "micro-setting" - invented, tested on ''Jakandor'', and then ignored) or even develop past [[Obvious Beta|half-baked stage]], which in turn meant some of these withered, or even were killed before release - ''Proton Fire''™ ended with [http://www.battlegrip.com/juneproton-1990fire-tsrroleplaying-previewsgame-andfrom-the-xxvc-roleplaying-gametsr/ 1 (one) adpreview] in ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' as grand total of existence visible to consumers. And then launched disastrous [[Follow the Leader|rip-offs]] of their biggest competitor, ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]''. Eventually, this and her terrible attitude towards fans, where she would have TSR [[Kick the Dog|sue fans for ''even talking about D&D on dedicated forums'']] caught up with the company, killing TSR. Suddenly, the makers of MTG, [[Wizards of the Coast]], decided to rescue D&D by buying it out. Why? Not only would it give Wizards something to fall back on if ''Magic'' ever stopped selling, but Peter Adkison [[Big Name Fan|was a big fan of D&D]], and wanted to ensure its survival. More of the story can be found [http://pc.gamespy.com/articles/539/539628p1.html here].