Judges Guild
Encyclopedia
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. Its flagship product was City State of the Invincible Overlord
, the first published RPG city supplement; there were numerous ancillary cities, maps and other supplements.
campaign. The founders, Bob Bledsaw & Bill Owen, had traveled to the headquarters of TSR
- the publishers of D&D - to ask them to publish Owen's American Civil War rules. There they met with D&D co-creator Dave Arneson
, who gave Bledsaw and Owen verbal approval to produce some play aids for D&D. At that time, TSR's only published play aids for D&D were the poorly received Dungeon Geomorphs
. Judge's Guild was granted a license to produce AD&D and D&D materials, which had to be reviewed for continuity within the game systems.
After an initial investment of $400 to pay for printing the first City-State maps, the partners took them to Gen Con
1976. After selling dozens of subscriptions (of which the maps were the initial installment, lettered "I") and passing out fliers that got them many more, they had broken even in a matter of weeks.
Owen subsequently left the partnership, and Judges Guild was incorporated in 1978. The company rapidly gained popularity amongst D&D fans for their prolific product line and then-unprecedented detail, at a time when such sources were rare. At its peak in the early 1980s, the firm employed 42 people and had over 250 products in print.
Even by that point, however, the company's fortunes were declining. Its production values were stagnant as the roleplaying games industry moved to professional typesetting, full color art and slick and hardcovered material, elements Judges Guild was slow to adopt. Further, the Judges Guild fantasy RPG products - their biggest sellers - remained in their 1970s dungeoneering paradigm, replete with puns, dungeon gauntlets, and isolated cities in howling wildernesses, even as newer companies published more integrated products favoring the growing realism movement. Its license to publish Advanced Dungeons & Dragons materials lapsed in 1982. Judges Guild's last significant product was City-State of Tarantis, published in 1983 to little notice, and the firm was out of business by 1985.
Subsequently, Gamescience published reprints of some of the Judges Guild adventures, while Mayfair Games
obtained publishing rights to the City-State of the Invincible Overlord, which they repackaged in 1987 with many ill-received changes.
, Chivalry & Sorcery, DragonQuest
, Empire of the Petal Throne, Tunnels and Trolls
, RuneQuest
, Superhero 2044 and Villains and Vigilantes
. They also produced some generic supplements, as well as two RPG magazines, The Dungeoneer and Pegasus.
In 2002, Necromancer Games, under license and in cooperation with Bledsaw and other original Judges Guild writers published revised editions of the City State of the Invincible Overlord
, the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy compilation boxed set and a revised edition of Caverns of Thracia, all for use with the d20 System.
In 2006, Judges Guild announced that it licensed the Wilderlands of High Fantasy setting to Adventure Games Publishing, which would publish a variant campaign setting, the Wilderlands of High Adventure, as well as Wilderlands products compatible with the Necromancer Games edition, using the Castles & Crusades
rules rather than the generic d20 System rules.
Also in 2006 Judges Guild licensed Goodman Games
and Eostros Games to publish revised editions of Thieves' Fortress of Badabaskor, Citadel of Fire and Dark Tower, updated for the d20 system. They were all released in 2007.
Bob Bledsaw, founder of Judges Guild, died on April 19, 2008, from cancer.
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
game supplements, periodicals and related material, most notable as one of the leading publishers in the late 1970s and early 1980s of 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...
-related materials. Its flagship product was City State of the Invincible Overlord
City State of the Invincible Overlord
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...
, the first published RPG city supplement; there were numerous ancillary cities, maps and other supplements.
History
Judges Guild was started July 4, 1976, utilizing concepts developed in Bob Bledsaw's local D&DDungeons & 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...
campaign. The founders, Bob Bledsaw & Bill Owen, had traveled to the headquarters of TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
- the publishers of D&D - to ask them to publish Owen's American Civil War rules. There they met with D&D co-creator Dave Arneson
Dave Arneson
David Lance "Dave" Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game , Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s...
, who gave Bledsaw and Owen verbal approval to produce some play aids for D&D. At that time, TSR's only published play aids for D&D were the poorly received Dungeon Geomorphs
Dungeon Geomorphs
Dungeon Geomorphs is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The Dungeon Geomorphs were a DM's aid that consisted of dungeon map sections that can be cut apart and put together like puzzle pieces in various ways...
. Judge's Guild was granted a license to produce AD&D and D&D materials, which had to be reviewed for continuity within the game systems.
After an initial investment of $400 to pay for printing the first City-State maps, the partners took them to 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...
1976. After selling dozens of subscriptions (of which the maps were the initial installment, lettered "I") and passing out fliers that got them many more, they had broken even in a matter of weeks.
Owen subsequently left the partnership, and Judges Guild was incorporated in 1978. The company rapidly gained popularity amongst D&D fans for their prolific product line and then-unprecedented detail, at a time when such sources were rare. At its peak in the early 1980s, the firm employed 42 people and had over 250 products in print.
Even by that point, however, the company's fortunes were declining. Its production values were stagnant as the roleplaying games industry moved to professional typesetting, full color art and slick and hardcovered material, elements Judges Guild was slow to adopt. Further, the Judges Guild fantasy RPG products - their biggest sellers - remained in their 1970s dungeoneering paradigm, replete with puns, dungeon gauntlets, and isolated cities in howling wildernesses, even as newer companies published more integrated products favoring the growing realism movement. Its license to publish Advanced Dungeons & Dragons materials lapsed in 1982. Judges Guild's last significant product was City-State of Tarantis, published in 1983 to little notice, and the firm was out of business by 1985.
Subsequently, Gamescience published reprints of some of the Judges Guild adventures, while Mayfair Games
Mayfair Games
Mayfair Games is a publisher of board, card, and roleplaying games. They also license German-style board games and publish them in English throughout the world...
obtained publishing rights to the City-State of the Invincible Overlord, which they repackaged in 1987 with many ill-received changes.
Historical products
The most popular products was the original City-State maps & book, Tegel Manor and Judges Shield, a foldout two-page heavy stock compilation of monsters and rules (that were, at the time, scattered across numerous TSR rulebooks) for quick reference; the term became standard for all subsequent similar products industry-wide. The company also produced licensed products for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, TravellerTraveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
, Chivalry & Sorcery, DragonQuest
DragonQuest
DragonQuest is a fantasy role-playing game originally published by Simulations Publications in 1980. Where first generation fantasy role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons restricted players to particular character classes, DragonQuest was one of the first games to utilize a system that...
, Empire of the Petal Throne, Tunnels and Trolls
Tunnels and Trolls
Tunnels & Trolls is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. The second modern role-playing game published, it was written by Ken St...
, RuneQuest
RuneQuest
RuneQuest is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1978 by Chaosium, created by Steve Perrin and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of Glorantha. RuneQuest was notable for its original gaming system and for its verisimilitude in adhering to an original fantasy world...
, Superhero 2044 and Villains and Vigilantes
Villains and Vigilantes
Villains and Vigilantes is a superhero-themed role-playing game which competed primarily with Champions and Superworld in early to mid 1980s.-Origin:...
. They also produced some generic supplements, as well as two RPG magazines, The Dungeoneer and Pegasus.
Return
Judges Guild returned in 1999, selling revised copies of the City State of the Invincible Overlord, a reintroduction of Pegasus magazine that lasted two issues (#14 & #15), the Revised Treasury of Archaic Names, and an edited version of Dark Tower, in addition to classic original products; the company also produced products for the d20 system.In 2002, Necromancer Games, under license and in cooperation with Bledsaw and other original Judges Guild writers published revised editions of the City State of the Invincible Overlord
City State of the Invincible Overlord
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...
, the Player's Guide to the Wilderlands, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy compilation boxed set and a revised edition of Caverns of Thracia, all for use with the d20 System.
In 2006, Judges Guild announced that it licensed the Wilderlands of High Fantasy setting to Adventure Games Publishing, which would publish a variant campaign setting, the Wilderlands of High Adventure, as well as Wilderlands products compatible with the Necromancer Games edition, using the Castles & Crusades
Castles & Crusades
Castles & Crusades is a role-playing game published by Troll Lord Games in 2004. It was conceived as a reimagining of classic Dungeons & Dragons using streamlined mechanics from third edition Dungeons & Dragons. The game uses many of the d20 System mechanics, but eliminates skills and feats and...
rules rather than the generic d20 System rules.
Also in 2006 Judges Guild licensed Goodman Games
Goodman Games
Goodman Games is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Goodman Games is best known as the publisher of the Dungeon Crawl Classics series of adventure modules, as well as the Dragonmech and the award-winning Etherscope role-playing games, and has...
and Eostros Games to publish revised editions of Thieves' Fortress of Badabaskor, Citadel of Fire and Dark Tower, updated for the d20 system. They were all released in 2007.
Bob Bledsaw, founder of Judges Guild, died on April 19, 2008, from cancer.
External links
- JudgesGuild.org Official Judges Guild website
- JudgesGuild.net Bob Bledsaw's obituary
- JudgesGuild.com for Necromancer's licensed Judges Guild products
- Adventure Games Publishing Official Adventure Games Publishing website
- Judges' Guild Codex version info and collectors value for older Judges Guild publications
- Judges Guild Product list by type with cover pictures.