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Precursor to Tabletop RPGS
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Fantasy tabletop game Chainmail was commercially released.
Chainmail was fantasy-themed tabletop wargame which had the players assume command of a singular figurine.
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Dungeons and Dragons was released by Tactical Studies Rules (TSR).
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The Rise of Tabletop RPGS
The number of commercial RPG products on the market rapidly grew. Companies such as Games Workshop and Fantasy Flight produced Science Fiction and Fantasy offerings such as Traveller Runequest, Tunnels and Trolls, etc., all vying for a market share. -
Advanced Dungeons and Dragon was released.
A revised manuelf was released to the public over the course of two years, greatly expanding all sections of the original content, for both the players and the gamemaster. -
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The Migration into Electronic Gaming.
Electronic games began adopting many of the themes and elements of RPG gaming into their systems and structure. Today, one of the most popular Massive Multiplayer Game, World of Warcraft, draws heavily from its tabletop RPG origins. -
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition was released
An updated revision of the AD&D ruleset, including additional content for specific features and aspect not currently covered in the first edition. -
Magic: the Gathering was released.
Wizards of the Coast released Magic: the Gathering, a highly successful collectible card game. Magic's rise popularity was relatively proportional to tabletop RPG's decline in the following years. -
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Collectible Card Games - The Herald of Change
When Wizards of the Coast released Magic: the Gathering, many companies followed suit, trying to capitalize on the new market and the audience for D&D declined.
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AD&D: Player's Option supplements were released.
A re-release of 2nd Ed. with new revisions, art, and layout. -
Wizards of the Coast acquired TSR and its product line including Dungeons and Dragons
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Dungeons and Dragons, 3rd Ed. Release
3E D&D was released, along with the unveiling of a new 'D20' system that fundamentally changed combat and non-combat rules. -
Dungeons and Dragons, ver. 3.5 Release
Release of 3rd Ed. with revisions to primarily gamemaster content. -
Dungeons and Dragons, 4th Ed. Released
4th ed. of Dungeon and Dragons released to the public, with mixed level of reception. -
Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Ed. Released
Latest D&D edition was released, incorporating elements from each previous version, but drawing heavily from 3rd edition ruleset, with elements that were positively accepted from 4th ed. as well.
