Everything you've wanted to know about the origins of roleplaying games... Designers & Dragons: The 80s is a comprehensive picture of the growth of the RPG industry. This second edition expands the original single book into a series of four, and we ve added over 10,000 new words to this volume alone. Take an in-depth look at 80s style gaming courtesy of companies like Steve Jackson Games and West End Games, plus an intro to the small (but mighty!) presses of the decade. Regardless of your gaming background, Shannon Appelcline s meticulously researched history won t disappoint. In this volume, you ll find: A foreword by Mike Pondsmith, founder of R. Talsorian & creator of Cyberpunk Profiles for twenty-three 1980s gaming companies including Steve Jackson Games, Palladium Books, and Mayfair Games The inside scoop behind games like GURPS, Champions, and Battletech Ten things you might not know about roleplaying in the 80s An extensive bibliography and index Meet the characters behind the characters and the gamers behind the games in Designers & Dragons: The 80s!