The second volume of two in a new, updated edition of the 2012 book Playing at the World, which charts the vast and complex history of role-playing games. This new edition of
Playing at the World is the second of two volumes that update the 720-page original tome of the same name from 2012. This second volume is
The Three Pillars of Role-Playing Games, a deep dive into the history of the setting, system, and characters of
D&D--the three pillars indicated by the volume's title. (The first volume of the new edition is
The Invention of Dungeons & Dragons, which explores the publication and reception of that iconic game.)
In this second volume, Jon Peterson covers the medieval fantasy setting--the first pillar--and addresses why the first role-playing game evolved around fantasy and medieval settings as opposed to some other historical setting. In the second pillar, the author explores how the rules of wargames, from their roots in chess variants from eighteenth-century Germany, developed into those of role-playing games. Finally, the third pillar focuses on character, perhaps the most elusive of the three pillars, and investigates how precedents governed the introduction of characters to games more so than the original
D&D rule books.
Filled with unparalleled archival research (from obscure fanzines to letters, drafts, and other ephemera), this new edition of
Playing at the World is the ultimate geek's guide to the original RPG. As such, it is an indispensable resource for academics and game fans exploring the origins of the hobby.
《Playing at the World》第二卷，為2012年書籍的全新更新版，記錄了角色扮演遊戲的廣泛而複雜的歷史。
這本《Playing at the World》的新版本是兩卷中的第二卷，更新了2012年同名720頁原著。這第二卷名為《角色扮演遊戲的三大支柱》，深入探討了《D&D》的背景、系統和角色，這三個支柱正是本卷標題所指的。（新版本的第一卷是《龍與地下城的發明》，探討了這款標誌性遊戲的出版和反響。）
在這第二卷中，Jon Peterson 涵蓋了中世紀幻想背景——第一支柱，並解釋了為什麼第一款角色扮演遊戲圍繞幻想和中世紀背景演變，而不是其他歷史背景。在第二支柱中，作者探討了戰爭遊戲的規則，從18世紀德國的棋類變體起源，如何發展成為角色扮演遊戲的規則。最後，第三支柱專注於角色，或許是三個支柱中最難以捉摸的，並調查了先例如何影響角色在遊戲中的引入，甚至超過了原始《D&D》規則書的影響。
這本《Playing at the World》的新版本充滿了無與倫比的檔案研究（從冷門的同人誌到信件、草稿和其他文獻），是原始角色扮演遊戲的終極極客指南。因此，它是學者和遊戲愛好者探索這項愛好起源的不可或缺的資源。
Jon Peterson 是《紐約時報》暢銷書作者及雨果獎提名者。他是《The Elusive Shift》和《Game Wizards》的作者，並且是《Dungeons & Dragons: Art & Arcana, Lore & Legends》及《Heroes' Feast: The Official Dungeons & Dragons Cookbook》的合著者，以及其續集《Flavors of the Multiverse》的合著者。
