Shout-outs to GURPS authors in Playing At The World

If you haven't read Playing At The World, you're really missing out.

Jeff Grubb just did a nice review of it over on his blog, and the author has posted bits of gaming history on his blog as well.

What amused me was running across the names of a couple of GURPS authors in the history of D&D.

First was my Low-Tech co-author Stoddard. He's also, appropriately, the author of GURPS Fantasy.

Jon Peterson mentions Bill Stoddard's possible influence on the Bard class for D&D.

"Bill Stoddard of San Diego equipped the Poet (for whom the 10th level title is "Bard") with an "Entrancement" ability which can hold an "intelligent creature immobile while the song lasts" - Playing At The World, pg. 543

It also points out that some of his level titles predate their use in the "official" Strategic Review version of the bard.

Over the years Bill has occasionally discussed playing white box D&D back in the day. So it was amusing to come across his work in a serious academic look at the history of RPGs as a having written rules back in the day.

Lee Gold is also all over the place for "Alarums & Excursions," but Lee Gold also wrote the first edition of GURPS Japan. Lee Gold was doing pretty much the same the decade before that book first came out - making, extending, and writing game rules.