Cross Additional Writing: Patricia Barnabie, Jesse Sky Character Illustrations: Lius Lasahido Monster Illustrations: Sebastian Kowoll Concept Illustration: Wadim Kashin Region Maps: John Stevenson (Sirinkman) Dungeon Maps: Nicolas Spinelli Playtesters: Josh Yoder, Jordan Lander, Christopher Ohlen Special Thanks: Dean Andersen Arcanum Worlds ON THE COVER Khalid, Minsc, Imoen, and Dynaheir make their way through the streets of Baldur’s Gate, while a certain Red Wizard of Thay secretly watches from a nearby balcony.ĭUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. James Ohlen February 2019Įditing: Jesse Sky Graphic Design and Layout: Michal E. The book would also provide beautiful artwork, maps, and narratives for Baldur’s Gate, along with its characters and creatures, for those who have the same love of the fantasy city that I do. I decided that I wanted to create something that could be a good introduction to pen-and-paper D&D for those who had only ever played video game RPGs. Through them, I was put into contact with Wizards of the Coast and the DM’s Guild. These guys run the company called Beamdog, which put out enhanced versions of the Dungeons and Dragons video games that BioWare and Black Isle developed all those years ago. While working on that book, an opportunity to revisit Baldur’s Gate was given to me by two old friends: Cameron Tofer and Trent Oster. I partnered up with another ex-BioWare creative director named Jesse Sky to work on Odyssey. The first book I started work on was called Odyssey of the Dragonlords. And then recently, I thought: what if I could return to what I did decades ago, but apply it to the pen-and-paper games that inspired Baldur’s Gate? It would be a way to give back to the community that inspired video game RPGs, and it would be a way to work on something that gave me the fulfilment I craved.
At least, not with the creative control that I wanted. That was more than a decade ago, and I really didn’t see an opportunity to go back to what I loved doing in the video game industry. The last time I really worked directly on the design and story of a game was Dragon Age: Origins. But as video games became more complicated and I gained more responsibility, I got further away from the hands-on design. When I was working on Baldur’s Gate, I was doing the hands-on design for the story, the levels, and the mechanics. After working in the video game industry for more than twenty years, I decided that I needed to take a break. Baldur’s Gate launched a career in video games that has allowed me to meet and work with amazingly talented people, and tell personal stories in some of my favorite fictional worlds. Many of these heroes and villains would be used in the story of the first video game I ever worked on: Baldur’s Gate. Not all at once, of course! This campaign birthed all sorts of heroes and villains that were a result of the cooperative storytelling that is the hallmark of Dungeon & Dragons. In my teenage years, I ran a Forgotten Realms campaign for almost a decade that included 30 different players. A meticulous, entertaining, essential critical resource.The city of Baldur’s Gate holds a special place in my life. “Roberts’s deft anatomisation of the evolution of science fiction, from deep roots in Ancient Greek literature to its present preeminence in popular culture, is remarkably wide-ranging and marvellously detailed. Call, author of “BDSM in American Science Fiction and Fantasy”) This is likely to become the standard work in the field.” (Lewis W. The second edition preserves most of the major arguments and interpretations from the first, and adds a wealth of new material. “The revised edition of Professor Roberts's History of Science Fiction is a truly comprehensive history of European and American SF. Now thoroughly revised and updated, it makes an indispensable contribution to literary history.” (Patrick Parrinder, Emeritus Professor, University of Reading, UK)
“This immensely readable critical survey combines a strong thesis with engaged, provocative and often highly original accounts of an astonishing range and variety of texts.