Introduction

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A Brief History of The Game

The Game has its roots in a from-scratch system originally developed by Bernard Beam in the summer of 1989. This was a very simple skill-based system that relied heavily on the creativity of both the players and the GM. Incidentally, this was also the first non-computer RPG that the author ever took part in. Over the course of the next several years, the system was developed and reworked several times. Primary redevelopment was done by Scott Wilhelm, who expanded the skills system and created the original spell lists of the Magic Colleges.

The author was only marginally involved in the design process, though certainly possessed of his own opinions, until late 1990. At that time, the author took the basic charts that were then in use and entered them into a simple WordPerfect document. Before this, the “rules” had been hand-written on spiral notebook paper and photocopied for distribution to the players. The intent of the author was to standardize the rules, to minimize the session-to-session changes that had begun to plague the system as it became increasingly complex. As the rules of the system became more defined, Scott Wilhelm named it “Legends: The Lost Crusades.”

In late 1992, the original players were significantly scattered such that both development and play of “Legends” ceased.

After a gaming sabbatical of about six months followed by minor experimentation with commercial FRPGs, the author dusted off the “Legends” rules. A week or two of intense thought and rework later, a new group of players was collected and the short life of “Legend 2” began. The birth of the author’s son brought this period of gaming to a halt, giving him time to think in depth about RPG mechanics and system consistency.

In the autumn of 1993, the author began the development of the RPG he has decided to call “The Game.” The Game was a completely new system, though still skills-based. In fact, the only concepts left from the original “Legends” are “Magic Colleges” and “Combat Phases.” The characters from the short “Legends 2” campaign were converted into The Game and development and playtesting commenced simultaneously. The combat system and magic skills both went through extensive modifications from their original incarnations, much to the chagrin of the players who had to convert and re-convert their characters (Paul Hanson’s character, Monty, for instance, underwent significant conversion at least 4 times).

The Game is still undergoing changes, some more or less minor than others, but has retained the same basic shape since late 1994.

Contacting the author

Should you feel a need to get in contact with the author of The Game for any reason (comments, suggestions, high praise, ancestral insult, et cetera), please feel free to write him at the following address:

David R. Michael

112 East 54th Street

Tulsa, OK 74105

Home Page: http://www.davidrm.com