The Atlas of The Dragonlance World

The Atlas Of The Dragonlance World

Dragonlance modules and sourcebooks are modules and sourcebooks printed for the Dragonlance campaign setting in the Dungeons & Dragons style of game. The Dragonlance game project began Tracy and Laura Hickman with the idea of a world dominated by dragons. As they drove from Utah to Wisconsin so Tracy could take up a job with TSR in 1981 they discussed this idea. In 1982 Tracy proposed at TSR a series of three modules featuring evil dragons. When this plan reached then head of TSR Gary Gygax it fitted well with an idea he had considered of doing a series of 12 modules each based on one of the official Monster Manual dragons. The project was then developed, under the code name "Project Overlord" to plan the series. The original group included Tracy Hickman, Harold Johnson, Larry Elmore, Carl Smith and Jeff Grubb.

Later in the development process it was decided that a trilogy of fantasy novels would be released with the modules. Originally an external writer was hired, but the design group found themselves more and more disillusioned with his work. At this point it was suggested that Hickman and Margaret Weis, an editor in TSR's book department who had become involved with the project, ought to write the books. They wrote the five chapters over a weekend and were given the job to write the accompanying novels based on that.