publisher annihilation 
___MASK89___ ( often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards ) is an American publisher of games , primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes , and formerly an operator of retail stores for games . Originally a basement - run role - playing game publisher , the company popularized the collectible card game genre with "" in the mid - 1990s , acquired the popular " Dungeons & Dragons " role - playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR , and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed " Pokémon Trading Card Game ". The company ' s corporate headquarters are located in Renton , Washington in the United States of America . Pool of Radiance is a role - playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations , Inc ( SSI ) in 1988 . It was the first adaptation of ___MASK87___ ' s " Advanced Dungeons & Dragons " (" AD & D ") fantasy role - playing game for home computers , becoming the first episode in a four - part series of " D & D " computer adventure games . The other games in the " Gold ___MASK26___ " series used the game engine pioneered in " Pool of Radiance ", as did later " D & D " titles such as the " Neverwinter Nights " online game . " Pool of Radiance " takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting , with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan . Neverwinter Nights is a third - person role - playing video game developed by BioWare . ___MASK25___ was originally set to publish the game , but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Atari . It was released on Microsoft Windows on June 18 , 2002 . BioWare later released a free Linux client in June 2003 , requiring a purchased copy of the game to play . MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003 . A role - playing video game ( commonly referred to as role - playing game or RPG , and in the past was also known as computer role - playing game or CRPG ) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character ( and / or several party members ) immersed in some well - defined world . Many role - playing video games have origins in pen - and - paper role - playing games ( Including " Dungeons & Dragons ") and use much of the same , settings and game mechanics . Other major similarities with pen - and - paper games include developed story - telling and narrative elements , player character development , complexity , as well as replayability and immersion . The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed . RPGs have evolved from simple text - based console - window games into visually rich 3D experiences . Since the 1980s , Role - playing is the most commercially viable video game genre in ___MASK70___ , and has more market share of any other genre in the japanese gaming industry , although in the 2010s first - person shooters and western iOS and Android games were becoming rapidly and increasingly popular in that country . Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the " Dungeons & Dragons " (" D & D ") fantasy role - playing game . Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as " The Realms ", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories . Several years later , Greenwood brought the setting to the " D & D " game as a series of magazine articles , and the first Realms game products were released in 1987 . Role - playing game products have been produced for the setting ever since , as have various licensed products including sword and sorcery novels , role - playing video game adaptations ( including the first massively multiplayer online role - playing game to use graphics ), and comic books . The Forgotten Realms is one of the most popular " D & D " settings , largely due to the ___MASK43___ of novels by authors such as R . A . Salvatore and numerous role - playing video games , including " Pool of Radiance " ( 1988 ), " Eye of the Beholder " ( 1991 ), " Baldur ' s Gate " ( 1998 ), " Icewind Dale " ( 2000 ) and " Neverwinter Nights " ( 2002 ). Icewind Dale is a role - playing video game developed by ___MASK48___ and originally published by ___MASK25___ for Windows in 2000 and by MacPlay for OS X in 2002 . It takes place in the " Dungeons & Dragons " Forgotten Realms campaign setting , and is based on the 2nd edition ruleset . The player begins the game by creating an adventuring party , which becomes enlisted as a caravan guard in the wake of strange events . As the story progresses , the player learns of a demonic feud that threatens the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale . Annihilation is a NY Times Best Seller fantasy novel by Philip Athans . It is the fifth book of the War of the Spider Queen hexad and , like other books in the series , it is set in the Forgotten Realms setting for Dungeons & Dragons . War of the Spider Queen is a " New York Times " best - selling series of novels set in the " Forgotten Realms " universe published by ___MASK89___ . The series contains six books focused on the drow and their principal deity Lolth . Each of the six novels in the series is written by a different author with veteran Forgotten Realms author R . A . Salvatore overseeing the project . Cover art for each book in the series was designed by Gerald Brom who has done other Forgotten Realms work including reprints of The Avatar Series . Ed Greenwood ( born July 21 , 1959 ) is a Canadian - born fantasy writer and the original creator of the " Forgotten Realms " game world . He began writing articles about the Forgotten Realms for " Dragon " magazine beginning in 1979 , and subsequently sold the rights to the setting to ___MASK87___ , the creators of the " Dungeons & Dragons " roleplaying game , in 1986 . He has written many Forgotten Realms novels , as well as numerous articles and " D & D " game supplement books . Baldur ' s Gate is a fantasy role - playing video game developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by ___MASK25___ . It is the first game in the " Baldur ' s Gate " series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms , a high fantasy campaign setting , using a modified version of the " Advanced Dungeons & Dragons " (" AD & D ") 2nd edition rules . The game received critical acclaim and was credited for revitalizing the computer role - playing game genre . The game allows development of the player character through choice of companions , dialogue choices , exploration , and battle . " Baldur ' s Gate " uses a reputation system and rewards the player depending on the choices made in the game . Fantasy is a fiction genre set in an imaginary universe , often but not always without any locations , events , or people from the real world . Most fantasy uses magic or other supernatural elements as a main plot element , theme , or setting . Magic and magical ___MASK51___ are common in many of these imaginary worlds . Fantasy is generally distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of scientific and macabre themes , respectively , though there is a great deal of overlap between the three , all of which are subgenres of speculative fiction .