Tagmar
Encyclopedia
Tagmar is a roleplaying game (RPG) launched in 1991 by GSA that claims to be the first such Brazilian offering on what was at the time a nascent market.
The game was a typical early 1990s RPG but featured a series of innovations, the main one being that it was a self-contained package with everything necessary to play provided in a single book: rules, setting, magic, creatures and a pre-prepared adventure for beginners. At the time, RPG books were imported to Brazil and it was necessary to have several to play a game.
Based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
, Tagmar faced accusations that it was based on Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D), especially from Dragão Brasil magazine, at the time edited by Marcelo Cassaro
, while others claimed that is was very different. Due to a variety of factors including price, availability and innovation, such as the unprecedented concept of "Heroic Energy", in a short time Tagmar became a success and gathered a large fan base.
During the 1990s, the "world" of Tagmar was enlarged through the publication of complementary books such as the "Creatures Book" (Livro de Criaturas) and "The Empire" (O Império). These books provided details on the appearance, skills and habitat of the creatures of Tagmar as well as information about new geographic regions.
This success continued until 1997 when the publisher GSA closed down leaving Tagmar to stagnate.
using a Creative Commons license
whereby all creative and development work was done by volunteers with two main objectives:
At the beginning of the 90s, Tagmar was considered one of the leading RPGs but the game did not follow the trends of other RPGs. As the Tagmar II Project began, a work plan was developed to address the following issues in the original game:
Following one year's development work, Tagmar version 2.0 was released in September, 2005. In March, 2006, version 2.1 added more rules and delivered the long-awaited expanded setting with the launch of the Book of Kingdoms. The current version, Tagmar 2.2 was launched in July, 2007 and brings increments to the professions of Bard and Tracker, an expanded and comprehensive Book of Creatures as well as numerous improvements to the rules.
The game was a typical early 1990s RPG but featured a series of innovations, the main one being that it was a self-contained package with everything necessary to play provided in a single book: rules, setting, magic, creatures and a pre-prepared adventure for beginners. At the time, RPG books were imported to Brazil and it was necessary to have several to play a game.
Based on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, Tagmar faced accusations that it was based on Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D), especially from Dragão Brasil magazine, at the time edited by Marcelo Cassaro
Marcelo Cassaro
Marcelo Cassaro is a Brazilian author of comics, RPGs and the sci-fi book Sword of the Galaxy . Along with Marcelo Del Debbio, he is one of the most well-known RPG authors in Brazil, he is also known for creating Holy Avenger, the longest living non-child-oriented comic in Brazil, as well as...
, while others claimed that is was very different. Due to a variety of factors including price, availability and innovation, such as the unprecedented concept of "Heroic Energy", in a short time Tagmar became a success and gathered a large fan base.
During the 1990s, the "world" of Tagmar was enlarged through the publication of complementary books such as the "Creatures Book" (Livro de Criaturas) and "The Empire" (O Império). These books provided details on the appearance, skills and habitat of the creatures of Tagmar as well as information about new geographic regions.
This success continued until 1997 when the publisher GSA closed down leaving Tagmar to stagnate.
Renaissance
In September 2004, the original authors of Tagmar met and decided to release the commercial rights of the RPG on a not for profit basis. The "Tagmar II Project" then brought together a group of people to create the new version. This project was based on Open GamingOpen gaming
Open gaming is the movement within the role-playing game industry that is somewhat similar to the open source movement. The key aspect is that authors give recipients of works covered by copyright a license to certain rights, such as the right to make copies or the right to create derivative...
using a Creative Commons license
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
whereby all creative and development work was done by volunteers with two main objectives:
- Create a new modern, updated and expanded version of Tagmar.
- Deliver a professional 100% free (for non-commercial purposes) RPG downloadable from the Internet.
At the beginning of the 90s, Tagmar was considered one of the leading RPGs but the game did not follow the trends of other RPGs. As the Tagmar II Project began, a work plan was developed to address the following issues in the original game:
- Inability to create characters (long-winded and required many tables based on numerous rolls of the dice.)
- Good setting, but too small.
- Imbalances between the professions and races.
- Few options for character customization.
- Combat system difficult to understand and use.
- Little emphasis on roleplaying (interpretation) and the setting.
Following one year's development work, Tagmar version 2.0 was released in September, 2005. In March, 2006, version 2.1 added more rules and delivered the long-awaited expanded setting with the launch of the Book of Kingdoms. The current version, Tagmar 2.2 was launched in July, 2007 and brings increments to the professions of Bard and Tracker, an expanded and comprehensive Book of Creatures as well as numerous improvements to the rules.
Published material
Currently, Tagmar 2 has an extensive list of published titles that can be downloaded for free from the official site. Among these are:- Manual de Regras (Rules Manual)
- Livro dos Reinos (Book of Kingdoms)
- Livro de Criaturas (Monsters' Book)
- Livro de Magias (Book of Magic)
- Livro de Cronicas (Chronicles)
- Livro dos Arquétipos (Archetypes)
- Livro de Introdução à Ambientação (Introduction to the Setting)
- Livro das Ordens Sacerdotais (Clerical Orders)
- Romance Traição & Magia (Treachery and Magic - Novel)
- 4 Aventuras Prontas (Four ready to play adventures )
- 6 Guias dos Colégios de Magia (Six Magic School Guides)
- Guia Rápido de Criação de Personagens (Rapid Character Creation Guide)
- Guia de Magia para Principiantes (Beginner's Magic Guide)