The Alchemist's Bench: TSR Watch

In 1998, TSR was bought by Wizards of the Coast. In 1999, Wizards was bought by Hasbro. This succession of corporate buy-outs means that HeroQuest manufacturer Milton Bradley and Dungeons and Dragons publisher TSR are now part of the same corporate family. And TSR is planning a massive Dungeons and Dragons relaunch in August 2000, to be followed by the release of a D&D "Adventure Game..."

This page has been set up to keep an eye on happenings at TSR that are of potential interest to fans of HeroQuest. We'll list news items from the Alchemist's Bench (our HeroQuest e-mail newsletter), but that's not all. If a hot story breaks, we'll list it here immediately, even if we're weeks away from releasing a new issue of the newsletter.

(Please notice that the most recent items are added to the top of the list.)

November 1999

Bill S. Interview about release plans.

Role-Play News interview with Bill Slavicsek, Director of Roleplaying R&D, Wizards of the Coast

Slavicsek was (of necessity) vague in this inverview, but he did make some revelations:

he implied plans for a big-box D&D miniatures game like Warhammer,
he specifically confirmed plans for "versions of the game for different platforms and audiences."
These will include
- a Fast-Play version and
- an Adventure Game version (which may just be an elaborately-packaged introductory RPG set, rather than a boardgame)

August 1999

GenCon Announcements ("TSR's Figure-Friendly New Direction"):

AD&D renamed to D&D
D&D Third Edition Due in August 2000, to feature improved minis support
D&D Miniatures
Dragon CD-ROM nearing release