Alarums and Excursions

Alarums and Excursions (A&E) is a photocopied monthly roleplaying game apazine started by Lee Gold in 1975 and published every month since then through to July 2022, except one due to travel, one for medical issues and two for convention attendanceAlarums and Excursions webpage, updated July 2021. This was at a time when the tabletop roleplaying community was dominated by men - she wrote, edited, compiled and published what became one of the most enduring APA zines in the genre.
The name comes from Shakespeare -"alarums and excursions" is a stage direction to indicate a confused uproarMeet the Woman Who by 1976 Was the Most Important Gamer in Roleplaying After Gary by DM David, June 16, 2020, which effectively describes D&D at times. Each issue is a collection of contributions from different authors across the U.S., U.K. and Canada, plus occasional contributors from Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and NorwayRPG Magazine and Zine Index, Alarums and Excursions Page - via Wayback Oct 24/06. It features game design discussions, rules variants, write-ups of game sessions, reviews, and comments on others' contributions. Lee also contributes her own column, Tantivy.
The zine began for two reasons: firstly, there were complaints that discussion of the new roleplaying game, D&D, were swamping the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society newsletter APA-L and secondly, Lee Gold felt there needed to be a central point to discuss ideas and prevent the game from becoming so divergent it was unplayable except by specific people in their specific groups:
In this aim, Lee was successful, with the zine becoming a testing ground for new ideas on the development of the RPG as a genre and an art form. This helped game designers understand that roleplay is an art form and led to the development of a variety of new games, both official and unofficialAlarms and Excursions - Contents, Wikipedia . A number of the zine's regular contributors became notable in game design and science fiction and fantasy writing:
* Terry K. Amthor
* Wilf K. Backhaus
* Scott Bennie
* Greg Costikyan
* Doc Cross
* John M. Ford
* E. Gary Gygax
* Andrew Gelman
* David A. Hargrave
* Rob Heinsoo
* John Eric Holmes
* Wes Ives
* Robin Laws
* Nicole Lindroos
* Stephen R. Marsh
* Phil McGregor
* Dave Nalle
* Mark Rein·Hagen
* Ken Rolston
* John T. Sapienza, Jr.
* Lawrence M. Schoen
* E. Simbalist
* Jonathan Tweet
* Erick Wujcik
* John Nephew
* Spike Y Jones
A&E runs ad-free. Issues 1-311 were provided in print format only. Since issue 312, it is also available via .doc and/or .pdf form (only with a "vow not to send copies to other people")
It is estimated that as of 2023, there are 560 issues published. Back issues are available to be ordered (issues 1-311 have been scanned and converted to .pdf), and some are available in hard copy, stored in Lee's home and garage:
== Creator Reactions==
Initially, Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson, supported the zine, even contributing to it himselfBasic and Advanced—Dungeon & Dragons goes two directions (Part 3) DM David, December 19, 2016 in issues 2, 8 and 15 and calling it a Major Triumph in his 1976 review of the zine in The Strategic Review Issue 6. However he grew to view APAs as a threat to his intellectual property as well as an unwelcome source of criticism from players. In Dragon Issue 16 (1978), he describes APAs as "...generally beneath contempt, for they typify the lowest form of vanity press. There one finds pages and pages of banal chatter and inept writing from persons incapable of creating anything which is publishable elsewhere. Therefore, they pay money to tout their sophomoric ideas, criticise those who are able to write and design, and generally make themselves obnoxious. * While there are notable exceptions, they are far too few to give any merit to the vehicles they appear in." Dragon Magazine Issue 16, page 16As a note to the article, he explains his change of heart:"When I first got into this business, I felt that the APA-zines might be good for the hobby. I even reviewed a number of them for TD readers. Now I know the error of my thinking. They serve no useful purpose."Dragon, Issue 16, page 21 - Editor's NoteIn 1981, Dragon reviewed A&E for it's 50th Issue, calling it "the top APA publication... This is a very well run APA and features many of the leading thinkers in fantasy gaming.Dragon Magazine, Issue 50, page 26"
==Awards==
*Origins Award
**"Best Amateur Adventure Gaming Magazine" in 1984
** "Best Amateur Game Magazine" in 1999
**"Best Amateur Game Periodical" in 2000 and 2001
**"Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame" in 2022
==Legacy==
A&E's legacy is best summed up by Lee Gold herself:
==External Links==
"Lee Gold: 45 Years of Alarums & Excursions!" Zenoplus Archives, June 18, 2020
"Meet the Woman Who by 1976 Was the Most Important Gamer in Roleplaying After Gary" DM David Blog, June 16, 2020
DNA Episode 086 - Interview with Lee Gold - via YouTube
Alarums and Excursions - Wikipedia
==References==
Category:Dungeons & Dragons Zines
Category:1970s Zines
Category:1980s Zines
Category:1990s Zines
Category:2000s Zines
Category:2010s Zines
Category:2020s Zines
Category:1975 Zines