Jeux de rôle, the first French non-fiction book about RPGs
Jeux de rôle, by Gildas Sagot, subtitled Tout savoir sur les jeux de rôle et les livres dont vous êtes le héros, was first published in 1986 by Gallimard Jeunesse. It is the first non-fiction book in France entirely devoted to the then-emerging phenomenon of roleplaying games and gamebooks. Long out of print and now a cult item, it has been reissued by Posidonia (under the Le Plumier des Chimères imprint), letting new generations and nostalgic fans alike rediscover it.
A complete overview of 1980s roleplaying
Jeux de rôle serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding this world at a time when it was still mysterious to the general public. The book defines roleplaying (the Game Master's role, the use of polyhedral dice), analyzes the success of gamebooks like the Fighting Fantasy series, offers an overview of the flagship titles of 1986 (Dungeons & Dragons, Call of Cthulhu...), and touches on the beginnings of computer RPGs.
Gildas Sagot (1958-2018), a major figure in the French gaming scene of the 1980s and 1990s, is also the author of the Défis et Sortilèges gamebook series.
