In 1964, Bruce Pelz of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society began a monthly amateur press association known as APA-L. In 1974, with the publication of Dungeons & Dragons by TSR, Inc., articles and comments about the new roleplaying game began to fill the pages of APA-L. Pelz felt the discussion was taking up too much space, and he asked Lee Gold to start a new APA that would take this material and focus entirely on roleplaying games. The first issue of Alarums and Excursions appeared in June 1975, the title taken from an Elizabethan dramastage direction that moved soldiers across a stage. In addition to removing roleplaying games discussion out of APA-L, the initial aim of the publication was to prevent roleplaying games from becoming so divergent that people from different cities couldn't participate in games together. The June 2017 collation of Alarums and Excursions was #500, with a color cover drawn by Lee Moyer and printed by Rob Heinsoo.
Contents
Each issue is a collection of contributions from different authors, often featuring game design discussions, rules variants, write-ups of game sessions, reviews, and comments on others contributions. Although game reports and social reactions are common parts of many A&E contributions, it has also, over the years, become a testing ground for new ideas on the development of the RPG as a genre and an art form. The idea that role-playing games are an art form took strong root in this zine, and left a lasting impression on many of the RPG professionals who contributed. The 1992 role-playing gameOver the Edge was inspired by discussions in A&E. Over the years, contributors have included:
In the February 1976 issue of Strategic Review, Gary Gygax complimented the new APA, calling it "an excellent source of ideas, inspirations and fun." Although Gygax felt some of the contributors were "woefully lacking in background", and the quality of printing varied dramatically from issue to issue, he concluded, "For all of its faults, it is far and awaythe bestD&D 'zine, and well worth reading. See for yourself why it rates a Major Triumph." In the June 1981 edition of Dragon, Dave Nalle reviewed Alarums and Excursions after its 63rd issue, and although he found the writing style "a bit stuffy", with a "tendency for the writers to pat each other on the back", he still called it "the top APA publication... This is a very well run APA and features many of the leading thinkers in fantasy gaming."
Awards
To date, Alarums and Excursions has been a winner of the Charles Roberts/Origins Award four times:
