Imagine (AD&D magazine)

Imagine Magazine was a monthly magazine dedicated to the first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeons and Dragons role playing game systems published by TSR UK Limited.

History

Imagine was published between April 1983 and October 1985. The print run lasted for 31 issues (30 monthly issues and one special edition) before its cancellation.

Don Turnbull was cited as Publisher and Paul Cockburn as Assistant Editor throughout the majority of the lifetime of the publication.

Imagine Magazine was responsible for several creative spin-offs, notably the Pelinore gaming world.^[1] The magazine also featured the classic adventure game comic The Sword of Alabron in issues 1 to 16. This was briefly revived as a second story arc titled Auchter's Axe in issues 29 to 30 prior to the magazine's cancellation.

Neil Gaiman wrote film reviews for several issues of Imagine Magazine in the early part of his career, taking over from Colin Greenland, and had his first short story "Featherquest" published here in May 1984. Gaiman's "How to Sell the Ponti Bridge", reprinted for the first time in M is for Magic was also first published in Imagine in March 1985.

Some of the official AD&D material originally published in Imagine was collected and used in Unearthed Arcana.^[2]

When some disgruntled TSR UK staffers were made redundant they started the publication Game Master in an attempt to preserve the experience of Imagine. Game Masters included some popular features, such as Pelinore, and also ran various articles containing details on Imagine's closure which criticized Gary Gygax and TSR.^[1]

References