Different Worlds (US 1979-1987)

Origins of Different Worlds Magazine By Tadashi Ehara
Back in the late 1970s, every major hobby game company had an in-house magazine to help promote their products. Avalon Hill was the pioneer with their General. SPI had Strategy & Tactics. TSR had The Dragon. Even Metagaming had The Space Gamer. These magazines were called “house organs” although most covered other companies’ games.

Since we were ambitious, Chaosium decided to publish our own magazine devoted to role-playing games. With Greg Stafford and Lynn Willis’s blessing, I volunteered to be the editor/publisher. Our house organ would cover not just Chaosium games, but all role-playing games.

I asked for title suggestions and Steve Perrin came up with Different Worlds, evocative of the various fantasy and science fiction environments covered by role-playing games.

To provide content for the first issue, I invited all the prominent game designers and role-playing personalities at the time to submit a “My Life & Role-Playing” article. The response exceeded expectations and many heart-felt articles were submitted.

The premiere issue of Different Worlds debuted in early 1979 with articles from 13 of these members of the role-playing world. Many others followed in subsequent issues. To my chagrin, Greg Stafford himself has never contributed to the “My Life & Role-Playing” series. The premier issue also launched another popular series. “Different Worlds Presents” introduced the world settings of various role-playing games. The first was “Archaeron,” Ed Simbalist’s Chivalry & Sorcery campaign world, complete with his own hand-drawn map.

I believe the initial print run of Different Worlds #1 was 1500 copies. It sold out quickly so we reprinted another 1000, which also promptly sold out. It is also the first Chaosium publication to be typeset.

Different Worlds #2 marks the first appearance of “A Letter from Gigi,” arguably the most famous and infamous gossip column in the industry. It was my great pleasure and privilege to edit Gigi’s letters in every issue that has appeared since then.

At Chaosium, I spent half my time with business matters and half my time publishing. For publishing, half was devoted to Different Worlds and the other half publishing products. In a good year I published six issues of Different Worlds and two Chaosium products.

Different Worlds itself added 10-15% to Chaosium revenues in magazine and advertising sales. I also estimate that it raised Chaosium product sales by another 10-15%. It was never a moneymaker by itself. But it was worth it.

Different Worlds Website, issues are still available for purchase.

  • Issues #1 – #38 published by Chaosium.
  • Issues #39 – #46 published by Sleuth Publications.
  • Different World Index by Shannon Appel.

Different Worlds #01 (1979)

Different Worlds #02 (1979)

Different Worlds #03 (Jun/Jul 1979)

Different Worlds #04 (Aug/Sept 1979)

  • Waha’s Quest By Greg Stafford
    • HeroQuest Sneak Preview
  • More Quick Plugs

Different Worlds #05 (Oct/Nov 1979)

  • Some Greek Gods – RQ/Gateway Cult – Cult of Apollo by Geoffrey Dalcher

Different Worlds #06 (Dec/Jan 1980)

  • Finding Level in Runequest by Ray Turney
    • Converting characters to and from RuneQuest
  • RQ/Gateway Cult – Cult of Gestetner by Greg Costikyan
  • Letter from Greg Stafford on Inginew Bonesmithson

Different Worlds #07 (Apr/May 1980)

Different Worlds #08 (Jun/Jul 1980)

  • RQ/Gateway Cult – Zelan The Beast by Ron Weaver

Different Worlds #09 (Jun/Jul 1980)

Different Worlds #10 (Oct/Nov 1980)

  • RQ Variant: Another Look at RuneQuest Movement by Morgan O. Woodward III

Different Worlds #11 (Feb/Mar 1981)

  • Review – Duck Tower by Anders Swenson
  • Review – City of Lei Tabor by Anders Swenson
  • RQ/Gateway Cult: Cult Of Kali by by Greg Costikyan

Different Worlds #12 (July 1981)

Different Worlds #13 (August 1981)

Different Worlds #14 (September 1981)

  • Come, Clash with the Titans.
    • RQ stats on movie monsters by Larry DiTillio
      • Monsters: Medusa, Dioskilos – Two Headed Wolf, Kraken, Stygian Witches, Astral Vulture, Swamp Creatures, Calibos, Lord of the Marsh, Swamp Huntsman.
      • Magic Items: Sword Of Aphrodite, Shield Of Hera, Helm Of Athena, Bubo.

Different Worlds #15 (October 1981)

Different Worlds #16 (November 1981)

  • Cult of Indalas Somer by Angus MacDonald

Different Worlds #17 (December 1981)

  • Ware Hall, solo scenario by Sandy Petersen
    • Set in the Big Rubble
  • Enuk Manamee cult by Greg Wilson
    • The Fire God of the Tundra Nomads
    • Gateway
  • Questworld – An Approach To World-Building
  • Reviews – Cults of Terror – Reviewed by Patrick Amory

Different Worlds #18 (January 1982)

  • Tale of the Jolly Soldier by Ken Rolston
    • RuneQuest scenario

Different Worlds #21 (June 1982)

Different Worlds #22 (July 1982)

  • Special RuneQuest Issue
  • Cult of Dionysus
    • Gateway cult by Michael Kolb
  • Advice from Rurik
    • RQ Q&A by Steve Perrin
  • Rune Fix 1 by Greg Stafford
    • Teaching Skill
    • Speaking, Reading, and Writing Languages
    • Initiates and Cult Spirits
    • Familiars
    • Binding Spirits
    • The Spirit Place
    • Spirits
  • Eight New Weapons for RuneQuest by Paul Cardwell, Jr.
    • Atlatl, Boomerang, Lasso, Bolas, Bullwhip, Caltrops, Dropped rocks
  • Quick Plugs – Borderlands

Different Worlds #24

Different Worlds #26

  • Special Norse Issue
  • Cult of Odin by Angus MacDonald
  • Quick Plugs – QuestWorld

Different Worlds #27

Different Worlds #28

Special Player Character Issue
  • Questworld RuneQuest -Cult of Taigaluk the Hunter by Greg Wilson.
  • Dragon’s Past 1, Gloranthan Military Experience by Greg Stafford

Different Worlds #29

  • Advice from Rurik
  • Ringworld Preview

Different Worlds #30

Special Superhero Issue
  • A Game Forever RQ3 preview

Different Worlds #31

Special Fantasy Issue
  • RQ Companion review

Different Worlds #32

Special Ancient Cultures Issue
  • RQ3 preview. Interview with Sandy Peterson

Different Worlds #33

Special Post-Holocaust Issue
  • Pavis Review

Different Worlds #35

Special Horror Issue
  • Playtesting RuneQuest by Jeff Okamoto

Different Worlds #36

Special Magic Issue
  • Where’s Ogmar?, Gloranthan scenario by Alan LaVergne
  • Ringworld Errata

Different Worlds #37

  • What Happened to RuneQuest by Chaosium Staff
  • Special Ringworld Module: Louis Wu & His Motley Crew” by Ed Gore

Different Worlds #38

  • Cult of Uleria by Sandy Petersen & Greg Stafford

Different Worlds #40

  • SoloQuest 3 review by Steve List
  • Metal Marvels: RuneQuest Miniatures by Ral Partha and Trollkin Forge” by John T. Sapienza, Jr.

Different Worlds #41

  • RuneQuest 3 Review by Steve List

Different Worlds #43

  • Down Among the Dead Men, fiction by Oliver Dickinson

Different Worlds #44

  • Bad Example, fiction by Oliver Dickinson

Different Worlds #45

  • Pavis Quest, scenario by Anthony Gresham, pages 22-24

Different Worlds #46

  • Disease in Glorantha, article by Oliver Dickinson, pages 36-37

Issues

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