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From: Kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com>
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Subject: 40 Years Ago: Dragonlance Catches Fire
Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 15:06:16 +0100
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Source: 
https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2024/11/40-years-ago-dragonlance-catches-fire/

40 Years Ago: Dragonlance Catches Fire

How a long car ride became worth more than a dragon’s hoard.

Troy Brownfield

Ten years into the spread of Dungeons & Dragons as a pop culture 
phenomenon, parent company TSR introduced a new twist. Created by module 
writer Tracy Hickman and his wife Laura, the Dragonlance shared universe 
would quickly become one of the most popular settings that the company 
ever created. Still going strong as a novel and gaming brand four 
decades later, here’s the story of how a car ride shaped a brand that 
brought us more than 200 novels.

Laura Hickman introduced her husband, Tracy,  to Dungeons & Dragons by 
giving him the game as a birthday present. The couple took their first 
official steps in the D&D world as creators when they wrote two modules 
(separate, playable adventures for the game) called Rahasia and Pharaoh. 
They were originally published elsewhere, but Tracy decided to pitch 
them to TSR itself. Not only did the company make them official modules, 
they offered him a staff job in 1982. As the Hickman family drove from 
Utah to Wisconsin for Tracy to start work, Tracy and Laura kicked around 
a new idea that would highlight dragons in a separate world with its own 
storyline.

The Hickmans made a major mark on D&D in 1983 with the publication of 
the Ravenloft module. A new horror setting featuring immediate fan 
favorite vampire character Strahd von Zarovich, Ravenloft would be a 
major success and open up whole new avenues of storytelling within the 
gaming system. The Hickmans had been working through the idea for 
several years, playtesting the concepts with a group of friends. The 
success of their modules would prime them for their next big idea, and 
the playtesting group would continue to be a part of that.

That same year, Margaret Weis was hired as a book editor for TSR in 
their fiction division. She already had a history of writing children’s 
books, including adventure stories. Weis was asked to help coordinate a 
pitch from Tracy that was being referred to as Project Overlord, a 
tongue-in-cheek reference to the Allied invasion of Normandy in World 
War II. The plan called for the development of a novel and three gaming 
modules in a brand-new world named Krynn that the Hickmans were 
developing. The major characters were already developed and getting 
fleshed out in playtest sessions. Weis hired an author for the book, but 
they were having trouble with the characterizations and overall story. 
It quickly became apparent that Weis and Hickman needed to write the 
book themselves.

Heading into 1984, TSR began to tease the arrival of something new and 
big. Ads began to appear in the D&D magazine, Dragon, that “Dragonlance 
is coming.” One issue of Dragon included a teaser short story from Weis 
and Hickman, “The Test of the Twins,” featuring the twin brothers 
Caramon the warrior and Raistlin the wizard. The first gaming module, 
Dragons of Despair, appeared in March. Despair set the stage, 
introducing the world of Krynn where dragons were reawakening, the old 
gods were possibly returning, and heroes were being called to action in 
the face of war. The module introduced several playable characters who 
would be the leads in the novel.

By November 1984, the D&D world was ready when the first book arrived. 
Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the first Dragonlance novel by Weis and 
Hickman, featured a cover by beloved D&D artist Larry Elmore. The book 
was an immediate success. By the time it was released, the plan had 
changed from a single book and three modules to a trilogy of novels and 
multiple modules. The plan worked; the second book, Dragons of Winter 
Night, dropped in mid-1985, and Dragons of Spring Dawning landed that 
September. The bestselling books and the strong-selling — and quickly 
propagating — number of game modules told TSR that fans really liked the 
dragon-heavy world of Krynn and its complicated protagonists. Among the 
characters, the break-out stars were the kind-hearted fighter Caramon 
and his acerbic twin Raistlin, a sorcerer touched by darkness; Tanis 
Half-Elven, the half-human, half-elf leader who is torn by his heritage 
and his love for two women; and Tasslehoff Burrfoot, a member of the 
short-in-stature kender race who manages to be a wide-eyed innocent 
chatterbox, an inveterate kleptomaniac, and incredibly brave all at once.
The Twins trilogy (Photo by Troy Brownfield)

It wasn’t too surprising then when TSR announced a second trilogy 
focusing on Caramon and Raistlin (along with Tasslehoff) for 1986. Time 
of the Twins, War of the Twins, and Test of the Twins all came out that 
year; when Test dropped, it hit The New York Times Bestseller List. 
After that, it was essentially off to the races. Over the years, 
Dragonlance would become a major expression, or product group, for TSR. 
Over 212 novels were released, as well as more than 80 modules and 
sourcebooks. On the whole, there have been more than 35 million 
Dragonlance books sold. 2008 saw the release of an animated version of 
the original novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight; despite having great 
voice actors like Kiefer Sutherland (a very well-cast Raistlin) and Lucy 
Lawless, the film was plagued by bad animation and a worse script 
adaptation.

As for Weis and Hickman, they have continued to write in their universe 
for many years. As a shared universe concept, most of the novels are 
written by other writers, but Weis and Hickman have always borne the 
“spine” of the main continuity. Their 17 books together (and a number of 
short stories) comprise the series’ core story (along with Weis’s “Dark 
Disciple” trilogy, the Raistlin-centered The Soulforge, and three books 
by Weis and Don Perrin). However, everything wasn’t always golden; in 
October of 2020, the pair filed suit against Wizards of the Coast (who 
bought TSR in 1997) over a new trilogy that fell through. The writers 
dismissed their suit that December, and shortly thereafter their new 
trilogy was announced. The third book of that series arrived in August; 
another from the pair is on the books for February of 2026.
Action figures for Drizzit Do’Urden and Guenhwyvar from Hasbro (Photo by 
Troy Brownfield)

The legacy of Dragonlance in both gaming and publishing is a substantial 
one. Fans have been following the characters and situations in novels 
and games for 40 years. The success of the brand allowed TSR to pursue 
other setting and novel combinations, the most successful of which has 
been Forgotten Realms and its breakout star, the dark elf Drizzt 
Do’Urden. R.A. Salvatore has written 39 of tThe Drizzt novels and sold 
another 35 million books, with dozens of entries on the NYT bestsellers 
list. Despite their prodigious sales, Dragonlance and Drizzt are 
possibly the most popular fictional franchises overlooked by mainstream 
readers.  Regardless, the success of these books is rooted in their 
strong storytelling, relatable characters, and, well, totally awesome 
dragons.