Publication history Dragonlance

tracy hickman , margaret weis @ gen con 2008.

hickman developed world creation technique writing , self-publishing wife laura adventure modules rahasia (1979) , pharaoh (1980), , writing tsr s ravenloft module (1983). unemployed in 1982, , tsr offered him job based on submission of several modules. year, while driving utah wisconsin start job tsr, hickman , wife created dragonlance universe concept. during trip, hickman , wife discussed 2 ideas had had several years: entire world used support storyline, , world dominated dragons.

their ideas received tsr, marketing department felt had enough dungeons, not enough dragons. hickman suggested series of twelve modules, each featuring different dragon. tsr employee harold johnson suggested hickman should try additional support other tsr staff members and, after period of months, hickman had support of jeff grubb, larry elmore, roger moore, doug niles, michael williams, , others whom discussed ideas project. meanwhile, weis editing , writing various endless quest books tsr. dragonlance group decided novels should accompany game modules; tsr reluctantly agreed , hired writer. hickman became design coordinator project overlord, cover name later known dragonlance saga.

tsr decided create franchise, including modules, board games, lead figures, and—for first time—novels. weis had been hired editor; hickman, began working author hired write novels. weren t satisfied author, , decided should ones write books. collaborated on weekend, writing prologue first 5 chapters of first novel, dragons of autumn twilight, based on module dragons of despair. tsr liked treatment , gave them assignment, firing author. after 2 years of development, tsr released dragons of autumn twilight supplement advanced dungeons & dragons game. tsr had doubts finished novel s sales potential, , attempted order thirty thousand copies, ordering minimum print run of fifty thousand. success of novel prompted tsr publish more copies meet demand. dragonlance received ancillary products such novels, calendars, computer games, , books of artwork.

further development

in mid late 1980s, rift developed between weis , hickman, , tsr. pair feeling under-appreciated company, , when tsr turned down darksword series of novels, went bantam books. bantam made them offer, accepted, , stopped writing dragonlance novels tsr. returned write dragons of summer flame tsr in 1995, thinking final dragonlance novel. @ time, dragonlance gaming had been converted saga system, limited success, , that, combined tsr s general financial troubles, put setting s future in doubt. wizards of coast bought troubled tsr in 1997, , weis , hickman proposed war of souls trilogy, published in 2000–2002. 3 novels made new york times bestseller list, , setting commercially revitalized. 1998, original dragonlance trilogy had sold on 3 million copies worldwide , spawned dozens of sequels. central books of dragonlance series written authoring team of weis , hickman; however, many other writers have made contributions, including richard a. knaak, douglas niles, roger e. moore, don perrin, jean rabe, paul b. thompson, tonya c. cook, michael williams, nancy varian berberick, , chris pierson.

in 2001, wizards of coast licensed sovereign press publish further dragonlance game materials. began newly revised dragonlance campaign setting in 2003, used new dungeons & dragons 3rd edition rules. on april 23, 2007, weis announced wizards of coast had not renewed sovereign s license, , dragonlance rpg game supplements , accessories released through end of year.