City State of the Invincible Overlord
Encyclopedia
The City-State of the Invincible Overlord was the first published fantasy role-playing game
city setting, designed for use with Dungeons & Dragons
, and officially approved for use with Dungeons & Dragons from 1978 through 1983. Published by Judges Guild
and later under license by Necromancer Games
, the City-State of the Invincible Overlord was first released at Gen Con
IX in 1976.
City-State of the Invincible Overlord was designed by Bob Bledsaw with the assistance of Owen, and was based on Bledsaw's own Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
The City-State launched Judges Guild as a company, and was the centerpiece of its Wilderlands of High Fantasy campaign setting, the first licensed and published Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.
The City-State itself was a single city designed to be both as a base for campaigning, as well as a seed for city-based adventures. A second product, Wraith Overlord, explored the city's subterranean cellars, sewers and catacombs.
The City-State was used as a home-base for characters created by Judges Guild in other products. Attention was also paid to synchronising the City-State with broader adventure possibilities: a northern Dwarven fortress city Thunderhold with an associated "dungeon" area; and a series of four modules written to explore areas adjacent to the route from the City-State to Thunderhold, as well as a fifth which was to introduce a "witch" NPC character class.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
city setting, designed for use with Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, and officially approved for use with Dungeons & Dragons from 1978 through 1983. Published by Judges Guild
Judges Guild
Judges Guild is a small game publisher in the business of creating and selling role-playing game supplements, periodicals and related material, most notable as one of the leading publishers in the late 1970s and early 1980s of Dungeons & Dragons-related materials...
and later under license by Necromancer Games
Necromancer Games
Necromancer Games was an American publisher of role-playing games. With offices in Seattle, Washington and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, the company specialized in material for the d20 System, with most of its products being released under the Open Game License of Wizards of the Coast.The company's...
, the City-State of the Invincible Overlord was first released at Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
IX in 1976.
City-State of the Invincible Overlord was designed by Bob Bledsaw with the assistance of Owen, and was based on Bledsaw's own Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
The City-State launched Judges Guild as a company, and was the centerpiece of its Wilderlands of High Fantasy campaign setting, the first licensed and published Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting.
The City-State itself was a single city designed to be both as a base for campaigning, as well as a seed for city-based adventures. A second product, Wraith Overlord, explored the city's subterranean cellars, sewers and catacombs.
The City-State was used as a home-base for characters created by Judges Guild in other products. Attention was also paid to synchronising the City-State with broader adventure possibilities: a northern Dwarven fortress city Thunderhold with an associated "dungeon" area; and a series of four modules written to explore areas adjacent to the route from the City-State to Thunderhold, as well as a fifth which was to introduce a "witch" NPC character class.
Editions
The City-State has gone through several editions:- Campaign Installment I (1976), 16-page booklet.
- Guide to the City State (1977), 56-page booklet.
- Revised City State of the Invincible Overlord (1978-1980, three printings), 80-page book.
- Revised City State of the Invincible Overlord (1981-1983, three printings), 96-page book.
- Revised City State of the Invincible Overlord (1999), 96-page book.
- City State of the Invincible Overlord (2004), 288-page hardcover book, published by Necromancer Games.