It’s been four years since Steenz and Samuel Sattin announced Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games, and now we have an official release date! The Beat can also reveal the cover art for the nonfiction graphic novel, seen below.
Side Quest explores the history of roleplaying games through personal anecdotes from illustrator Steenz and writer Sattin, as well as research that digs deep into the medium’s rich history. For example: The War of the Worlds author H.G. Wells created a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) in the early 20th century. This, and other interesting facts, are presented throughout Side Quest—with written and visual context.
Whether you’re a seasoned RPG player, a new player, or even someone with no relationship to the medium, Side Quest is an engaging, informative read designed to be approachable for every reader. The book has gone on its own journey during the publication process, and we’re thrilled to finally get our hands on it later this year.
Sattin’s work includes comics like Unico: Awakening and Adventure Quest, as well as the prose novels League of Somebodies and The Silent End. Steenz is an Eisner and Dwayne McDuffie Award-winning cartoonist whose daily Heart of the City comic strip is nationally syndicated. During their time as an associate editor at Lion Forge, Steenz edited mixed media TTRPG magazine Rolled and Told, which combined gaming with comics and prose.
Side Quest: A Visual History of Roleplaying Games will hit shelves on October 8 from Harper Collins. Pre-orders are available now.
