Elfquest (role-playing game)
Elfquest is a role-playing game published by Chaosium in 1984, based on the Elfquest series of comics.
Contents
A licensed tabletop Elfquest RPG was produced by Chaosium in 1984, utilizing the Basic Role-Playing system which had first appeared in the game Runequest and some original illustrations by Wendy Pini, including the character sheets. Only 3 supplements were produced for the game, ElfQuest Companion – which included random character generation tables, and was included in the paperback second edition.[1] Sea Elves – noteworthy for introducing information and art provided by the Pinis describing the Sea Elf tribe long before they appeared in any of the comics. Elf War – which contained several adventures outside of the comic-book continuity. 6 boxed sets of 25 mm white metal miniatures for the game were released by Ral Partha.
Publication history
Between 1984 and 1987 Chaosium published the Elfquest RPG and several supplements.
- Elfquest (1984 Box)
- The Elfquest Companion (1985)
- The Sea Elves (1985)
- Elfwar (1987)
- Elfquest (1987 Box)
Both the role-playing game and the comics themselves have sprung a number of online games (mostly MUSHes).
Elfquest did not sell nearly as well as hoped. Sandy Petersen, who worked at Chaosium at the time Elfquest was developed, blames this on it being given to the same developer as the new edition of Runequest which was being worked on at the same time, which resulted in Elfquest being used as a 'test bed' for complex mechanics that were going to be used in Runequest. Petersen speculates that the resulting game was much more complex than fans of the Elfquest comics were likely prepared for.[2]