The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games [Paperback]

Michael J. Tresca (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2010 | ISBN-10: 078645895X | ISBN-13: 978-0786458950

Tracing the evolution of fantasy gaming from its origins in tabletop war and collectible card games to contemporary web-based live action and massive multi-player games, this book examines the archetypes and concepts within the fantasy gaming genre alongside the roles and functions of the game players themselves. Other topics include: how The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings helped shape fantasy gaming through Tolkien's obsessive attention to detail and virtual world building; the community-based fellowship embraced by players of both play-by-post and persistent browser-based games, despite the fact that these games are fundamentally solo experiences; the origins of gamebooks and interactive fiction; and the evolution of online gaming in terms of technological capabilities, media richness, narrative structure, coding authority, and participant roles.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Game designer, author, and artist Michael J. Tresca has authored numerous supplements and adventures for publishers of fantasy role-playing games. An administrator at RetroMUD, he lives in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: McFarland (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078645895X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786458950
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,332,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael "Talien" Tresca is a game designer, author, communicator, and artist. He is the National RPG and Sci-Fi Movie Examiner and recently published three books, the non-fiction history of gaming, The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games from McFarland Publishing, his fantasy fiction debut, The Well of Stars, from Three Ravens Books, and the young adult fantasy Awfully Familiar from Dark Quest Books. Michael has authored numerous supplements and adventures for publishers of Open Game License and D20-compatible games, including AEG, MonkeyGod Enterprises, Goodman Games, Otherworld Creations, Privateer Press, RPGObjects and Ronin Arts. A top 1,000 reviewer for Amazon, his articles and reviews have appeared in Allgame.com, D20 Filtered, Dragon Magazine, Gamers.com, Pyramid, and RPG.net. He has participated in panels about electronic and tabletop role-playing games at ConnectiCon, Dragon*Con, and I-Con.

When he's not writing, Michael can be found as his alter ego, Talien, on RetroMUD as an administrator. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, a preschooler, and a toddler.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Very informative December 8, 2010

By Alexander Hinkley

Format:Paperback

The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games is a great book to learn how and why certain RPG game mechanics came to exist. I was surprised to learn just how little I knew about the background of role-playing games. While incredibly informative, the book is also very interesting to read. Tresca definitely knows what he is talking about and judging by the sheer volume of references found throughout you can tell he put a lot of work into this book. Highly recommended for any and all fans of the RPG genre.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed, yet very useful March 22, 2011

By Harviainen Jussi T

Format:Paperback

Compared to earlier works on the history of role-playing games, Tresca does an admirable job. From Tolkien to tabletop to digital, as well as some other variants, he shows the main paths by which role-playing games have changed and evolved, in style and content. He even pays special attention to the way certain phenomena (particularly larps) have much more complex roots. Tresca has made a serious attempt at being inclusive, even as he concentrates on American fantasy games, and while he does not get all of the facts always right, the effort has to be applauded. Nordic immersion debates and Forgean design theorists, for example, do get discussed, so it is obvious that he has done his homework.

There are some more serious problems, though. Most prominently, the author tends to ramble. He spends loads of time explaining unnecessary things like game minutiae, quoting friends and family, and mentioning anecdotal material probably of interest to mostly just himself. Certain definitively significant games are never discussed, and several references he uses are missing from the list at the end. The effect is that the whole work comes through as ambitious and impressive in scope, yet sloppy.

Somewhat flawed as it may be, Tresca's book is nevertheless absolutely mandatory reading for all serious role-playing scholars. As far as providing an "official history" of role-playing games goes, I think he has all in all succeeded quite well.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating stroll through history January 17, 2011

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

Fantasy role playing games are the ancestors of modern video games, and their family line runs deep. "The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games" looks at the history of these games, drawing back to Tolkien's book and his massive construction of his world. These books spawned war games, card games, Dungeons & Dragons, modern massively online role playing games, and much more on top of that. A fascinating stroll through history, "The Evolution of Fantasy Role-Playing Games" is an excellent pick and is highly recommended.