The Books
Designers & Dragons is a series of books & articles covering the history of the roleplaying industry. The following books are either currently available or in planning.
Company Histories
Designers & Dragons: The ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s, and Platinum Appendix (Evil Hat: 2014-2015). Anthologies of company histories are the heart of Designers & Dragons. This is the second edition of these volumes, which consists of four core volumes that tell the stories of the roleplaying industry in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s, one company at a time. A Platinum Appendix contains additional histories requested by Kickstarter patrons as well as yearly chronicles from 2008-2014.
The paperback editions of these books, which were funded by a 2014 Kickstarter, are partially out-of-print, but can still be found on some secondary markets. (We printed a lot!) They also remain available as audio books, as eBooks, and as POD hardcovers. An older first edition (2011) from Mongoose Publishing also exists, but the full content was reprinted in the second edition. A third edition is planned, with work to begin in 2027.
Designers & Dragons: The Chromatic Appendix (Patreon). History articles from this blog that haven’t reappeared in one of the core Designers & Dragons volumes have been organized into an amateur PDF. Most importantly, this includes the yearly chronicles from 2015-2024, supplementing the Platinum Appendix. The Chromatic Appendix is currently available at the Designers & Dragons Patreon. There’s no decision as to whether it might appear in a more professional form in the future.
Product Histories
Designers & Dragons Origins (Evil Hat: 2026). A 4-book history of Dungeons & Dragons, covering OD&D, AD&D 1e, Basic D&D, and the later Mystara products for AD&D 2e. These books were funded on BackerKit in 2025 and are planned to ship in July 2025. If you missed the crowd-funding, you can preorder the books now.
Additional work is now being done in a 6(?) book follow-up on AD&D 2e, which likely won’t be completed for several years.
System Histories
This is Free Trader Beowulf (Mongoose Publishing: 2024). This full-length story of the Traveller RPG covers the entire Traveller history, from its beginnings with GDW through the brief publication of Imperium Games into the hiatus of the Long Night and the modern day with Mongoose. Individual chapters also cover other major contributors such as the many third-party publishers of the 70s and 80s, DGP, and HIWG.
Though some of the companies in This is Free Trader Beowulf also appear in Designers & Dragons, the Traveller system history was researched and written from scratch.
Pending Releases
Designers & Dragons: The Lost Histories & The ’10s (Evil Hat: Pending). Work began on a new series of company histories in 2020, including two volumes telling the stories companies from the ’70s through ’00s not covered in the original Designers & Dragons volumes and two volumes covering the ’10s in the same format. 74 histories were eventually composed.
Because the second edition Designers & Dragons company history books are of print, it was a little tricky figuring out how to release these, but I think our current plan is to reprint the originals in their original form and make these available. Though there will be a third edition containing EVERYTHING it’s a good distance off (probably at least 5 years).
Status. Feature complete in May 2025. Sent to Evil Hat by May 2026. Currently undergoing editorial back and forth.
Free Trader Beowulf Origins (Mongoose: 2027). This is a product history of Classic Traveller that will follow the format of Designers & Dragons Origins but tell the story of GDW’s board game and RPG releases for Traveller from 1977-1987, in honor of Traveller’s 50th anniversary. Technically, I guess it’s Volume 1, to leave the possibility open for more volumes down the road. (I’ve got at least three more mapped out as possibilities.)
Losing Sanity: A System History of Call of Cthulhu (?: 2028?). A book-length look at the Call of Cthulhu game system, its principals, and its licensees. Also, some side chapters on Lovecraft and his circle and on other game systems about Cthulhu. Did I mention that I was a Call of Cthulhu editor for Chaosium for about two years in the ’90s and also the rules maven for the Mythos card game? This is a topic that I have a long interest in, so it’s great to right it. I’ve had a few different publishers express interest, and this will almost certainly end up with a Call of Cthulhu publisher.
Under Consideration
Keep Your Laser Handy: A System History of Paranoia. I’ve had some publishing interest expressed in this one, but can’t fit it into my schedule at the moment.
[Nifty Quote]: A System History of BRP. More generally, I have a deep relationship with Chaosium’s BRP system, so I’ve long considered a history of its games, from Chaosium to Drakar och Demoner and back again.
Designers & Dragons: [Some Great Subtitle]. Having written the histories of about 150 companies, I’d love to produce a single-volume overview of the history of the industry.