Worlds of Wonder (game)
Worlds of Wonder box cover
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| Designer(s) | Steve Perrin, Steve Henderson (game designer), Gordon Monson, Greg Stafford, Lynn Willis |
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| Publisher(s) | Chaosium |
| Publication date | 1982 |
| Genre(s) | Multi-genre |
| System(s) | Basic Role-Playing |
Worlds of Wonder is a 1982 multi-genre role-playing game produced by Chaosium. It is a boxed set consisting of four 16-page booklets: Basic Role-Playing, Magic World, Superworld, and Future World, an even shorter pamphlet on joining the settings together, a sheet of cardboard figures for each setting, and dice. The authors on the box are credited as Perrin (Steve Perrin), Henderson (Steve Henderson), Monson (Gordon Monson), Stafford (Greg Stafford), and Willin (Lynn Willis).
Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying (BRP) rules, released in 1980, are considered the first commercial generic roleplaying system. Worlds of Wonder added rules for multi-genre support to cover similar ground as the Hero System used in the 1981 superhero game Champions and later products released by Hero Games. The idea, as stated in the pamphlet, was that characters could be created in any of the three settings, or even Basic Role-Playing, then physically travel to any of the three adventuring settings. The pamphlet proposed a neutral area that had magic connections to each of the worlds. Money from each setting would be valuable in the crossroads, at various conversion rates, and characters would be able to physically travel from one world to another.
Each setting booklet, however, was effectively a game in itself, with different (though mostly compatible) character generation and rules.
The Magic World booklet is an attempt to bring the Basic Role-Playing basis of RuneQuest closer to the popular Dungeons & Dragons rules. Character abilities are based on individual skills and percentages, and initial characters can start as one of 4 professions or character classes. Warriors start with more fighting skills, Rogues with adventuring skills, like stealth, Sages with non-combat knowledge skills, and only Sorcerers are permitted magic spell casting. Only Characters could also be members of the standard Tolkienesque fantasy races, such as dwarfs, trolls, goblins, and elves.
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