Way back in 1899, author L. Frank Baum wrote and published his magnum opus, the first fairy tale specifically for American children. He wanted to do away with lessons and bad images all the nightmares. Published in 1900, it was called “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”
The book was an instant success and Baum was inundated with letters from fans. Five years later, he followed his fairy tale up with a sequel, “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” This book reintroduced the familiar characters from the first book and introduced new ones, like Jack Pumpkinhead and Princess Ozma.
After that, Baum wrote an Oz book each year. He tried to end the series and start another, even placing it in the same universe (Polychrome, the Rainbow’s daughter showed up in “Sky Island”). But it was not to be, and Baum went back to Oz, producing a total of 14 books before his death in 1919. The publishers hired other authors to continue the series, and people got their yearly dose of Oz. 40 books total were published.
There’s a saying that “If you scratch and Oz fan, you’ll find an Oz book inside.” Truer words were never spoken. Oz seems to have the quality to inspire. over 200 books today have been written by fans returning again and again to the magical fairyland.
Heroes of Oz Role-Playing Game and Guidebook is the next step in Oz fiction. With a role-playing game (RPG), you and a few other players can make your own characters and take them on adventures. One player takes the role of the Historian, who guides the other players. This makes for an immersive experience greater than any video game, because you can do (or at least try) anything.
“Heroes of Oz” is written by Mike Conway (that would be me) and Bruce Gray, a true Oz scholar. Bruce took the task of creating a comprehensive history and gazetteer of Oz, and I took care of the rules, and made sure they made for easy play and fast character creation. With a prepared adventure (the rulebook has one for you), you can be up and running in a half hour.
I’m in the process of getting the main Heroes of Oz website rebuilt, after it was lost by our last web host. We’re planning a slew of stuff to help you and get you going. keep coming back or subscribe for more.
–Mike Conway
