TSR liked their treatment and gave them the assignment, firing the author. They collaborated over a weekend, writing the prologue for the first five chapters of the first novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, based on the module Dragons of Despair. They weren't satisfied with the author, and decided they should be the ones to write the books. Weis had been hired as an editor with Hickman, she began working with the author hired to write the novels. TSR decided to create a franchise, including modules, board games, lead figures, and - for the first time - novels. Hickman became the design coordinator for Project Overlord, the cover name for what would later be known as the Dragonlance saga. The Dragonlance group decided that novels should accompany the game modules TSR reluctantly agreed and hired a writer. Meanwhile, Weis was editing and writing various Endless Quest books for TSR. TSR employee Harold Johnson suggested that Hickman should try to get additional support from other TSR staff members and, after a period of months, Hickman had the support of Jeff Grubb, Larry Elmore, Roger Moore, Doug Niles, Michael Williams, and others with whom they discussed ideas for the project. Hickman suggested a series of twelve modules, each featuring a different dragon. Their ideas were well received by TSR, whose marketing department felt they had enough dungeons, but not enough dragons. During the trip, Hickman and his wife discussed two ideas they had had for several years: an entire world used to support a storyline, and a world dominated by dragons. That year, while driving from Utah to Wisconsin to start a job with TSR, Hickman and his wife created the Dragonlance universe concept. He was unemployed in 1982, and TSR offered him a job based on his submission of several modules.
Hickman developed his world creation technique by writing and self-publishing with his wife Laura the adventure modules Rahasia (1979) and Pharaoh (1980), and writing TSR's Ravenloft module (1983). Publication history Creation Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis at Gen Con 2008. Along with D&D 's world of the Forgotten Realms, Dragonlance is one of the most popular shared worlds in fiction. The Heroes of the Lance, created by Weis and Hickman, are the popular protagonists of the Chronicles trilogy. Since the publication of Dragonlance: Fifth Age in 1996, the fifth age, the Age of Mortals, has been used. The novels and related game products are primarily set in the fourth age, The Age of Despair. The history of Krynn consists of five ages. The fictional Dragonlance world of Krynn contains numerous characters, an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography. Dragonlance returned in 2022 with a new adventure module and the start of a new novel trilogy.
Following Wizards of the Coast's acquisition of TSR in 1997, Wizards licensed Dragonlance to Margaret Weis's company Sovereign Press to produce game materials this licensing agreement ran from 2001 to 2007. Over 190 novels have used the Dragonlance setting the Dragonlance campaign setting has also been used for multiple editions of Dungeons & Dragons and for the SAGA System. While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels, short stories and game supplements to the setting. The novel began the Chronicles trilogy, a core element of the Dragonlance world. In 1984, TSR published the first Dragonlance game module, Dragons of Despair, and the first novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight. The adventures during that game inspired a series of gaming modules, a series of novels, licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures. Tracy Hickman met his future writing partner Margaret Weis at TSR, and they gathered a group of associates to play the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Novels, game accessories, film, audiobooksÄragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc.