Powers and Perils
Encyclopedia
Powers & Perils is a role-playing game
written by Richard Snider and published by Avalon Hill
in 1983 as a boxed set. It consisted of four main rule books ("The Character Book", "Combat and Magic", "The Creature Book", and "Treasure and Human Encounters") and a fifth book describing an adventure set in Mordara County. A second boxed set contained information on the world, named Perilous Lands, in the form of three books: "The Map Book", "Sites of Power", and "The Culture Book". Subsequent expansions were printed in Heroes magazine and an adventure for high level characters, Tower of the Dead, was released in 1984. Unfortunately Avalon Hill had no previous experience with role-playing games, being primarily a producer of strategy and war games such as Tactics II
; Blitzkrieg
and Squad Leader, and Powers & Perils died before its time. Overpricing and strong competition from first edition Dungeons & Dragons
saw P&P on store shelves at 2 to 3 times the price being asked for its contemporaries. The game was discontinued after 1984 and all support for it dropped.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
written by Richard Snider and published by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
in 1983 as a boxed set. It consisted of four main rule books ("The Character Book", "Combat and Magic", "The Creature Book", and "Treasure and Human Encounters") and a fifth book describing an adventure set in Mordara County. A second boxed set contained information on the world, named Perilous Lands, in the form of three books: "The Map Book", "Sites of Power", and "The Culture Book". Subsequent expansions were printed in Heroes magazine and an adventure for high level characters, Tower of the Dead, was released in 1984. Unfortunately Avalon Hill had no previous experience with role-playing games, being primarily a producer of strategy and war games such as Tactics II
Tactics (game)
Tactics is generally credited as being the first board wargame. It was designed by Charles S. Roberts in 1952, and self-published in 1954 under the company name of The Avalon Game Company...
; Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg (game)
Blitzkrieg was an early strategic-level wargame first published in 1965 by the Avalon Hill Game Company. The game depicted a war between two fictional countries on the map of an imaginary continent...
and Squad Leader, and Powers & Perils died before its time. Overpricing and strong competition from first edition Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
saw P&P on store shelves at 2 to 3 times the price being asked for its contemporaries. The game was discontinued after 1984 and all support for it dropped.