Margaret Weis Tracy Hickman

Tracy Hickman is an American author and game designer, best known for his collaborative work with Margaret Weis, particularly the Dragonlance series. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Hickman's early life included a love for reading, a period as a missionary for the LDS Church in Hawaii and Indonesia, and marriage to his high school sweetheart, Laura Curtis. Laura introduced him to Dungeons & Dragons, a game that significantly influenced his career. After a series of varied jobs, Hickman joined TSR, the publisher of D&D, where he and Laura contributed to influential role-playing game modules like Ravenloft, shifting the design towards more complex narratives. His collaboration with Margaret Weis on Dragonlance became a major success, spawning numerous novels and game products, and establishing a unique co-writing dynamic where Weis focused on writing and Hickman on world-building and storytelling. Beyond Dragonlance, Hickman has authored or co-authored over 60 books, including other fantasy series and gaming fiction, and has been recognized for his significant impact on the gaming fiction genre.

Raised in Salt Lake City, Tracy Hickman developed an early passion for reading, particularly science fiction, fostered by his parents. After graduating high school, he served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii and Indonesia. Upon returning, he married Laura Curtis, who introduced him to Dungeons & Dragons. This pivotal moment led him to invest in game materials, which he later described as his best career investment. Hickman attended Brigham Young University, where he humorously noted he nearly failed his creative writing course. Before his notable career in publishing, he held a variety of jobs, including supermarket stocker, movie projectionist, and theater manager.

Hickman's professional journey took a significant turn when he and his wife, Laura, privately published adventure modules like Rahasia and Pharaoh. Facing debt, Hickman approached TSR, the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, with these modules. TSR not only purchased them but also offered Hickman a position, leading the couple to relocate to Wisconsin. Together, the Hickmans contributed to TSR's RPG portfolio, with their work on modules like Pharaoh and Ravenloft being credited with shifting RPG design away from simple dungeon crawls towards more intricate, plot-driven adventures. Ravenloft, in particular, was developed as a Halloween project for friends and later became a highly influential module.

Hickman conceived the idea for the Dragonlance setting while traveling to join TSR, envisioning a world where dragons regained their formidable status. This concept evolved into the Dragonlance Chronicles, a project that paired him with Margaret Weis. Their collaboration resulted in the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, and the subsequent Chronicles series. This project was groundbreaking for TSR, integrating adult novels with games and merchandise. Hickman and Weis developed a distinct co-writing method, with Weis as the primary writer and Hickman as the 'storyteller and world builder.' Their partnership extended to the Dragonlance Legends trilogy and numerous other projects, solidifying their reputation in fantasy literature and gaming.

Following his departure from TSR in 1987, Hickman continued a prolific writing career, co-authoring over 30 novels with Margaret Weis, including series like the Darksword trilogy and The Death Gate Cycle. He also explored other fictional settings, such as the Starshield Project, which aimed to blend science fiction and fantasy elements and even had an ambitious goal of financing a Mars colony. Hickman's influence on the gaming fiction genre was widely recognized; in 1999, Pyramid magazine named him one of the most influential persons of the millennium in adventure gaming, and he was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 2002 for his role in the Dragonlance phenomenon. He also released a guide for Dungeon Masters, XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery, and participated in hosting interactive role-playing experiences at conventions.

“I spent part of my student loan money to buy game materials. It turned out to be the best career investment any of that money was ever used for.”

“They said it would be easier to publish my adventures if I was part of the company. So, we made the move from Utah to Wisconsin. It was a terrifying experience. We had no money. My parents begged us not to venture into such foreign territory to pursue such a bizarre career. My father wrote that there was a secure job as a fry cook in Flagstaff (where my parents were living), and he pleaded with me to come take it.”

“I still believe the original Ravenloft modules were perhaps the best that ever had my name on them.”

“Starshield is a universe where a society of dragons can confront blaster-armed spacemen or wizards wielding magic staves with computer targeting”

“Starshield Project grew out of [his] desire to share the creation process with all [their] fans.”