Farewell to Lee Gold's Alarums & Excursions
Farewell to Lee Gold's Alarums & Excursions
In June of 1975 – the same year Greg Stafford founded Chaosium – Lee Gold published the first issue of Alarums & Excursions. Sadly, I just found out that it has ceased publication just shy of its 50th anniversary, and over 590 monthly issues.
Sadly, I just found out that it has ceased publication just shy of its 50th anniversary, and over 590 monthly issues.
Alarums & Excursions was one of the longest running, if not the longest running APAs ever. It won numerous "best amateur magazine" awards, especially in the 80s and 90s, including being inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 2022.
Old school fantasy covers feel so nostalgic!
Never heard of this specific publication. Does anyone have experience with it? Was it good?
It's the most influential publication on RPG designers that you never heard of. Most of the game design innovations that were made in the '70s, '80s, and '90s came from the pages of A&E in their embryonic form, and it still held quite a bit of impact in the '00s.
...disappointed to see alarums + excursions end so close to the gold mark but by that same measure its run is nothing short of a triumph by modern standards; lee gold's shadow looms large and well-earned...
I've never actually gotten into it at all, but you can feel the influence esp. In old stuff. Unfortunately the way it was published (as an APA) feels like it made it hard to get into