Record of Lodoss War

Lore & Background

Record of Lodoss War recounts the adventures of Parn, a youth seeking to restore his family's honor, accompanied by friends including the high elf Deedlit. The plot follows RPG conventions, with characters undertaking quests. Later volumes focus on Spark, who protects Neese, daughter of Slayn and Leylia, and eventually becomes ruler of Marmo. The Legend of Crystania setting features former villain Ashram as a would-be hero under a spell.

Reader's Guide

Record of Lodoss War originated in 1986 as a Dungeons & Dragons 'replay' serialized in Comptiq magazine, later adapted into novels by Ryo Mizuno. The replays—transcripts of RPG sessions—became popular even among non-gamers, influencing Japanese fantasy fiction. The franchise's significance lies in its role as an early Japanese high fantasy work, bridging tabletop RPGs and light novels. Its adaptations, including anime and video games, have reached English-speaking audiences. The replays were published as paperbacks by Kadokawa Shoten, and the novelizations followed from 1988 to 1993, with the first volume, The Grey Witch, published in English in 2017.

Did You Know?

• The character Deedlit was played by Ryo Mizuno's friend and fellow writer, not Hiroshi Yamamoto.
• The replays were originally serialized in Comptiq from September 1986 to November 1988.
• The first novelization, The Grey Witch, was published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment in 2017.
• The original replays used only the Tunnels & Trolls system; Dungeons & Dragons and RuneQuest were not used.