Dragonlance

::For the dragonlance weapon as seen in the Dragonlance world, see dragonlance

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Dragonlance is a large series of fantasy books, and a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. Draconians and kenders are creatures unique to this fantasy world. To further differentiate it from other similar fantasy settings, Dragonlance is supposed to have a (fairly unique in fantasy) post-apocalyptic feel, although this emphasis has considerably lessened over the years.

Related Topics:
Book - Dungeons & Dragons - Campaign setting - Draconians - Kender - Post-apocalyptic

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This series was published by TSR, Inc. to supplement their Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game products. It is currently published by the company that purchased TSR in 1997, Wizards of the Coast. (Wizards of the Coast was subsequently purchased by Hasbro, Inc, in 1999.) Wizards of the Coast has licensed Sovereign Press to publish further Dragonlance game material.

Related Topics:
TSR - Advanced Dungeons & Dragons - Wizards of the Coast - Sovereign Press

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The world of Dragonlance was the first fictional world to be professionally produced as a role-playing game world, with product tie-ins (novels, role-playing modules, figurines, etc.) prepared and manufactured when it was first released. Before Dragonlance, fictional role-playing worlds evolved from the amateur creations of the games' players (with the most notable example being the Greyhawk campaign setting), or from previously existing fictional settings (I.C.E's MERP) or settings based in the real world. The success of the Dragonlance series encouraged role-playing game producers to invent and market additional fictional game worlds, such as the Ravenloft series.

Related Topics:
Role-playing game - Greyhawk - MERP - Ravenloft

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The most important books of the Dragonlance series were written by the authoring team of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Other notable writers within the series include Richard A. Knaak, Douglas Niles, Roger E. Moore, Don Perrin, Jean Rabe, Paul B. Thompson, Tonya C. Cook and Chris Pierson.

Related Topics:
Margaret Weis - Tracy Hickman - Richard A. Knaak - Douglas Niles - Roger E. Moore - Don Perrin - Jean Rabe - Paul B. Thompson - Tonya C. Cook - Chris Pierson

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For most of Dragonlance's history, 'main storyline' has meant those books that were set in the world's 'present' and moved events forward. For example, until Dragons of Summer Flame, almost all novels were set before the Chronicles trilogy, often in ancient history.

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Weis and Hickman are widely, if incorrectly, regarded as the creators (or owners) of Dragonlance.

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Jean Rabe's trilogy was set some thirty years after Dragons of Summer Flame and about five years prior to War of Souls. The series, like the Fifth Age setting, is controversial among fans. War of Souls did not follow on from Rabe's ending, and her series seemed to be more or less ignored for continuity purposes.

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Overall, fan opinion of the main storyline books from The Second Generation onwards has been mixed. Dragons of Summer Flame and the War of Souls trilogy both sparked nearly as much controversy as Rabe's books.

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While Dragonlance is a shared world, there has been some history of continuity problems, due (judging from insider statements in forums such as alt.fan.dragonlance) to a combination of the sheer difficulty of coordination and internal politics.

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Summer 2006 will the see the release of the Dark Chronicles, a trilogy detailing the events surrounding the Hammer of Kharas, Kitiara, Soth and Raistlin.

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