| 1966 |
- International
Federation of Wargamers formed by Gary
Gygax and other wargamers.
|
| 1969
|
- Chainmail,
written by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren, is published
by Guidon Games.
|
| 1970
|
- Dave
Arneson creates a battle scenario involving a castle
sewer.
|
| 1971
|
-
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson collaborate to create
"The Fantasy Game."
|
| 1972
|
- Gary
Gygax and Don Kaye form a partnership called Tactical
Studies Rules.
|
| 1974
|
-
Brian Blume joins Tactical Studies Rules and brings
financing to publish the Dungeons
& Dragons® game, orginally called "The Fantasy
Game."
-
In one year, the entire hand-assembled print run of
1,000 games sells out.
|
| 1975
|
- Tactical
Studies Rules dissolves and a new company forms, TSR®
Hobbies, Inc.
- Empire
of the Petal Throne becomes the first game product
published.
-
Two supplements follow to the D&D® game, Greyhawk
and Blackmoor.
-
The Dungeon!® boardgame is published.
-
A third roleplaying game-the Boot Hill® game,
set in the Wild West-is introduced.
|
| 1976
|
-
The first professional magazine devoted to fantasy
and science fiction is published: The
Dragon® magazine.
-
TSR Hobbies hosts the Gen
Con® Game Fair for the first time.
-
The first Dungeons & Dragons® tournament is
held-a tradition continued to this day.
- D&D
supplements 3 and 4-Eldritch
Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods, and Heroes
- are introduced.
|
| 1977
|
-
The D&D Basic Set is published.
-
TSR Hobbies publishes the Monster Manual, the
first hardbound book ever published by a game company.
It contains more than 350 monsters to challenge players.
- The
first playing aids for the D&D game are produced,
Dungeon Geomorphs and Monster and Treasure
Assortments.
|
| 1978 |
- A
new version of the D&D game is released, the
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons® game.
-
The first product for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
game is released, the Player's Handbook.
-
TSR Hobbies produces a series of six adventures that
had previously only been used in tournaments.
-
TSR Hobbies moves to downtown Lake Geneva above the
Dungeon Hobby Shop from the old gray house that was
Gary Gygax's home.
|
| 1979
|
- The
second AD&D® manual, the Dungeon Master®
Guide, is published.
-
Radio ads introduced Morley the Wizard for the first
time.
|
| 1980
|
-
To meet growing international demand, TSR, Ltd. is
formed in England.
-
The first fantasy setting for the AD&D game is introduced,
the World of Greyhawk® setting.
-
Another genre for the roleplaying game is introduced,
the Top Secret® espionage game.
-
A note written on TSR stationery about a fictitious
assassination plot (part of a playtest for the Top
Secret espionage game) brings the FBI to the offices
of TSR Hobbies.
-
The Role Playing Game
Association™ is formed to promote quality roleplaying
and unite gamers across the nation.
|
| 1981
|
- TSR
Hobbies switches from typewriters to computers.
-
Inc. magazine lists TSR Hobbies as one of the hundred
fastest- growing, privately held companies in the
United States.
-
TSR Hobbies again moves offices, this time to aformer
medical supply building with attached warehouse.
-
The RPGA® Network
publishes the first edition of Polyhedron®
newszine, a 16-page, black-and-white newsletter.
|
| 1982
|
- TSR
Hobbies breaks the 20 million mark in sales.
-
Two new roleplaying games are introduced-the GangBusters®
game of the roaring '20s and the Star Frontiers®
science fiction game.
-
Exclusive distribution of the D&D game is established
in 22 countries.
-
French is the first language adaptation for the D&D
game and many other translations follow: Danish, Finnish,
German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian,
Swedish, and more.
-
An Educational department is established to develop
curriculum programs for reading, math, history, and
problem-solving-the greatest success being the Endless
Quest® book series.
|
| 1983
|
- TSR
Hobbies seeks diversification and acquires or starts
several new business ventures: a needlecraft business,
miniatures manufacturing, toy and gift ventures, and
an Entertainment division pursuing motion picture
and television opportunities.
-
TSR Hobbies acquires the trademarks and copyrights
of SPI and Amazing®
Stories magazine.
-
The company changes its name to TSR, Inc.
-
The Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series
premieres on September 17. This series spawns more
than 100 different licenses and leads its time slot
for two years before going into syndication.
|
| 1984 |
-
TSR, Inc. releases the Dragonlance®
saga after two years of development. The Dragonlance
saga makes TSR the number-one publisher of fantasy
and science fiction novels in the nation.
-
TSR, Inc. signs license agreements to publish the
Marvel Super Heroes®
game, the Adventures of Indiana Jones™ game,
and the Conan™ game.
|
| 1985
|
-
The Gen Con Game Fair moves to Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
due to the need for additional space.
- Oriental
Adventures, a new hardbound book, is the biggest
seller.
-
TSR introduces the All My Children™ game, based
on the number-one ABC daytime drama; more than 150,000
copies are sold.
|
| 1986 |
-
TSR introduces Dungeon®
Adventures magazine, an all-adventure bimonthly
magazine.
-
New management buys all the stock in the company.
|
| 1987 |
-
The immense Forgotten
Realms® campaign setting is released.
-
A small team of designers starts work on the second
edition of the AD&D game. It is the most massive
coordinated task ever undertaken by the company and
would take nearly two years to complete.
|
| 1988 |
-
The Bullwinkle & Rocky™ roleplaying game-with
a spinner and hand puppets-is released.
-
TSR surprises most of the industry by publishing one
of the bestselling wargames of all time-The Hunt
for Red October™ game, based on the hit novel
by Tom Clancy.
-
The Gen Con Game
Fair joins forces with its major competitor, Origins™.
|
| 1989 |
- Advanced
Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition releases.
-
Releases for 2nd Edition include Dungeon Master
Guide; Player's Handbook; Monstrous
Compendiums® Volumes 1, 2, and 3;
The Complete Fighter's Handbook; and The
Complete Thief's Handbook.
- AD&D
2nd Edition launches into space with the release of
the Spelljammer®
space fantasy supplement.
- The
RPGA Network branches
out into Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the U.K., Israel,
and Australia.
|
| 1990 |
- Count
Strahd Von Zarovich becomes one of the most popular
and enduring villains of the AD&D game
with the release of the Ravenloft®
campaign setting.
- After
a three-year hiatus, a Dragonlance calendar
is released - which sells out within a month and is
one of the top ten calendars of the year.
- The
West Coast division of TSR, Inc. is opened to develop
entertainment projects and a series of science-fiction,
horror, and action/adventure comic books.
|
| 1991 |
- The
savage world of Athas is introduced to fans through
the Dark Sun®
campaign setting
- An
introductory Dungeons and Dragons game aimed
at beginners is released.
- TSR
enters the collector card market with the first of
three annual sets of collectable cards, featuring
the fantastic art of TSR's incredible illustrators.
|
| 1992 |
- The
first Al Qadim® product is released, Arabian
Adventures. This product sets a new standard in
graphics design and shows how versatile and sophisticated
the AD&D rules are.
- TSR's
first hardcover novel is published. Legacy,
by R.A. Salvatore,
leaps to the top of The New York Times bestseller
list within weeks of it's release.
- The
Gen Con Game Fair breaks all previous attendance
records for any U.S. gaming convention; more than
18,000 people attend.
|
| 1993 |
- The
Forgotten Realms campaign setting receives
a new graphic look.
- The
Monstrous Compendiums are repackaged
as the Monstrous Manual™ tome.
- A
new approach to gaining new players is tried with
the release of the Dragon Strike® Entertainment
product, which includes a revolutionary 30-minute
video explaining the concepts of role-playing.
|
| 1994 |
- In
response to the success of trading card games, TSR
publishes Spellfire®:
Master the Magic, a trading card game featuring
the well-known names and settings of the AD&D
game.
- Heads
turn as the graphics-and attitude-heavy Planescape®
world is introduced.
- The
first products including an audio compact disc are
introduced.
|
| 1995 |
- TSR
marks it's 20th anniversary with new versions of the
Player's
Handbook and Dungeon
Master Guide, the Blood Wars® card
game, the Player's Option® and Dungeon Master
Option rulebooks, the Dragon Dice® game,
and dozens of other games and supplements.
- The
Birthright®
campaign expands roleplaying games in a revolutionary
manner, introducing blood magic, the power of the
land, and the divine right of kings.
|
| 1996 |
- TSR
releases the first ever CD-ROM for the AD&D
game - the AD&D
Core Rules CD-ROM.
- The
Wizard Spell Compendiums, a new series, is launched,
compiling all wizards' spells into four volumes.
- The
award-winning Dragonlance:
Fifth Age® roleplaying game is released. The game
uses cards instead of dice and emphasizes storyline
development.
|
| 1997 |
- A
new era in gaming commences as Wizards
of the Coast, Inc. - the Seattle based leader
in the fantasy gaming arena, known worldwide for it's
Magic: The Gathering®
trading card game - purchases TSR.
- The
Alternity® roleplaying
game, a space opera roleplaying game, is released.
|
| 1998 |
|
| 1999 |
- TSR
celebrates it's 25th birthday with the Silver Anniversary
Tour of game stores throughout the United States.
- The
Alternity game's second campaign setting is introduced
at the Gen Con game Fair. The Dark Matter®
setting depicts a near-future world full of the paranormal
and occult.
|
