In 1974, the release of Dungeons & Dragons forever changed the way that we experience imagined worlds. No longer limited to simply reading books or watching movies, gamers came together to collaboratively and interactively build and explore new realms. Based on four years of interviews and game recordings from locations spanning the United States, this book offers a journey that explores how role-playing games use a combination of free-form imagination and tightly constrained rules to experience those realms. By developing our understanding of the fantastic worlds of role-playing games, this book also offers insight into how humans come together and collaboratively imagine the world around us.

As dragons roam the lands that will become Glantri, leaving havoc, destruction, and death in their wake, an unpromising young man, a female sword-fighter, her dwarven sidekick, and a ne'er-do-well storyteller and prophet set out to defend their world. Original.

Celebrate fifty years of the spellbinding settings and planes of Dungeons & Dragons with this beautifully illustrated exploration of the multiverse. “A wonderful collection. This incredible journey through the fantastical realms that inspired countless tables to roll dice together is both an educational and a visual treat!”—Matt Mercer Worlds & Realms is an illustrated, story-driven retrospective celebrating the immersive worldbuilding of D&D since the iconic game’s inception in 1974. Legendary mage Mordenkainen takes adventurers on a fantastical journey through the multiverse, delving into memorable and fascinating lore and locations across all five editions of the game. With Mordenkainen’s guidance, readers will revisit worlds that have come to define D&D over the decades, from the familiar realms of the Material Plane to lands beyond the Astral Sea. Mordenkainen’s philosophical musings provide a mage’s-eye view of the worlds’ unique features, creatures, and characters, captivating readers’ imaginations as they learn more about the history and mysteries of the multiverse. Additionally, readers will join adventuring parties with inhabitants of each realm through exclusive short stories by award-winning contributors Jaleigh Johnson, Jody Houser and Eric Campbell, Jasmine Bhullar, and Geoffrey Golden. Full of exciting and enchanting artwork showing fifty years of gameplay evolution from vintage D&D through the present, with original cover and chapter-opener illustrations, Worlds & Realms is a spellbinding tour of the strange and wonderful worlds of the multiverse, appealing to both new and long-standing fans alike.

Larry Niven created his popular "Magic Goes Away" universe in 1967, and it has been a source of delight and inspiration ever since. By asking the simple question, What if magic were a finite resource?, Niven brought to life a mesmerizing world of wonder and loss, of hope and despair. The success of his first story collection, "The Magic Goes Away, " birthed two sequel anthologies, "The Magic May Return" and "More Magic." All three volumes are collected here for the first time, with stories by Niven himself, as well as contributions by such luminaries of fantasy as Roger Zelazny, Fred Saberhagen, Steven Barnes, and Poul Anderson. Featuring a brand-new introduction by Larry Niven, "The Magic Goes Away Collection" gives readers insight into the breathtaking world of Niven and Jerry Pournelle's "The Burning City" and "Burning Tower" and stands on its own as a landmark in fantasy fiction

Takahiro has successfully repelled Travis Mortimer’s Fourth Company from Shiran’s hometown, but he fears his actions could lead to conflict with the entire Holy Order. In hopes of thwarting such trouble, he beseeches the Akerian royal family to serve as mediators. If only the ominous shadow of the fake savior incidents weren’t looming overhead... Meanwhile, Iino Yuna continues her investigation with the Holy Order and discovers the cruel truth behind the incidents. And if that weren’t enough, a mysterious stranger has even more daunting news for her. Can Takahiro secure a peaceful life in this world with his loved ones? Or will the machinations of others force the hand of the visitor who gives hearts to monsters?