Laura Curtis Hickman
Laura Hickman
Born	Laura Curtis (1956-12-07) December 7, 1956 (age 68) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Occupation	Novelist, game designer
Period	1984–present
Genre	Fantasy fiction
Spouse	Tracy Hickman (m. 1977)
Children	4
Website
www.bakingoutsidethebox.com

Laura Curtis Hickman (born December 7, 1956) is an American fantasy author, best known for her works in game design and fantasy novels cowritten with her husband, Tracy Hickman.

Early life

[edit]

Laura Curtis was born on December 7, 1956, in Long Beach, California.^[1] She married Tracy Hickman in 1977.^[2] They have four children. Laura Hickman is a member of the LDS Church.^[1]

Career

[edit]

Early on in her marriage, Hickman introduced her husband, Tracy, to the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game.^[3] The two co-wrote modules for the game while living in Provo,^[4] resulting in the original versions of the modules Rahasia and Pharaoh,^[5] which the Hickmans self-published through DayStar West Media in 1980.^[6]^: 15 Their adventure modules began as "photocopied pages with covers [they] would staple together on the card table in [their] kitchen."^[3] These early modules were a significant innovation for fantasy RPG modules, since they had an interesting story with an objective that was achievable in one or two sessions, as well as dungeons that were based in the architecture of a possible location.^[6]

During the early 1980s, the Hickmans were living in Logan, Utah, and were struggling financially^[3] after Tracy's business associate left him with $30,000 in debt.^[5] Upon hearing that the Dungeons & Dragons publisher, TSR, would pay $500 for new modules,^[3] the Hickmans decided to send Rahasia and Pharaoh to the company.^[5] TSR agreed to publish the Hickmans' modules.^[5]

The Hickmans started working at TSR and moved to Wisconsin, developing their idea for Dragonlance during the drive there.^[3]^[5] Laura was the inspiration for the character Laurana Kanan. Dragonlance became "the first project TSR, Inc. had undertaken that would include adult novels as well as games, calendars, and other spin-off products."^[5] The Dragonlance universe, supported by many writers and artists at TSR, become very popular, with half a million game modules and two million books sold by 1987.^[5] While at TSR, the Hickmans wrote the popular and innovative Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft (1983) module.^[2] Polygon writer Charlie Hall described the module as "the first story-based D&D campaign".^[7] The book Dungeon Master For Dummies chose the module as one of the ten best classic adventures and praised the detailed yet concise plot and isometric maps. The book also claims that Ravenloft "inspired game designers and Dungeon Masters to take the art of adventure to the next level." Ravenloft inspired a campaign setting of the same name.^[8]

The Hickmans published the Bronze Canticles series together, starting with Mystic Warrior in 2004.^[9] Tracy and Laura hosted a podcast called DragonHearth until December 2010.^[10] They also wrote the adventure Out in the Black (2006) for the Serenity Role Playing Game for Margaret Weis Productions.^[6]^: 353 The Whitney Awards gave an Outstanding Achievement award to the Hickmans for having "paved the way in out-of-the-box publishing methods".^[11] Hickman has been involved at writing conferences such as Writing and Illustrating for Young Readers.^[11]

In 2010, the Hickmans launched a direct-to-internet serialized fantasy series, "Dragon's Bard".^[12]

Works

[edit]

Game supplements

[edit]

Co-written with Tracy Hickman.
For Dungeons & Dragons:

Rahasia (1979)
Pharaoh (1980)

For Advanced Dungeons & Dragons:

Ravenloft (1983)
Dragons of War (1984)^[13]
Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill (1986) - outline and plot^[14]

For the Serenity Role Playing Game:

Out in the Black (2006)^[15]

Fiction

[edit]

Dragonlance series
- "Heart of Goldmoon" published in Love and War (Dragonlance) (1987) (co-written with Kate Novak)^[16]

Co-written with Tracy Hickman

[edit]

Bronze Canticles series^[17]
- Mystic Warrior (2004)
- Mystic Quest (2005)
- Mystic Empire (2006)
Tales of the Dragon's Bard series^[17]
- Eventide (2010)
- Blackshore (2013)
- Moredale (unpublished)^[18]
- St. Nicholas and the Dragon (2012)
Swept Up By the Sea: A Romantic Fairy Tale (2013)^[19]
Sojourner Tales (2014)
The Nightbirds series^[17]
- Unwept (2014)
- Unhonored (2016)

Non-fiction

[edit]

Baking Outside the Box: Volume 1 The Goody Mix

References

[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Laura Curtis Hickman". Mormon Literature and Creative Arts Database. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
^ ^a ^b Varney, Allen (August 1998). "ProFiles: Tracy Hickman" (PDF). Dragon (#250). Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast: 120.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Nahrung, Jason (2008-06-28). "Dragonlance duo step in". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane.
^ Hickman, Tracy. "Tracy Hickman's Works with Laura Curtis". TRHickman.com. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Weis, Margaret (April 1987). "TSR Profiles" (PDF). Dragon (#120). Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc.: 91.
^ ^a ^b ^c Appelcline, Shannon (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
^ Hall, Charlie (18 January 2016). "D&D's Ravenloft returns with the help of its original creators". Polygon.
^ Slavicsek, Bill; Baker, Rich; Grubb, Jeff (2006). Dungeon Master For Dummies. For Dummies. pp. 10, 320. ISBN 978-0-471-78330-5. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
^ Hickman, Tracy (2007). "Battle Cry". In Lowder, James (ed.). Hobby Games: The 100 Best. Green Ronin Publishing. pp. 21–23. ISBN 978-1-932442-96-0.
^ "DragonHearth Podcast Feed". Listen Notes. 23 December 2010. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
^ ^a ^b "Outstanding Achievement Winners: Tracy and Laura Hickman". Whitney Awards. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
^ "Dragons Bard". Dragon's Bard Website. 2010. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014.
^ "Dragons of War catalog record". BYU Library.
^ Rateliff, John D. (2004). "Introduction to Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
^ "Out in the Black - Serenity from Margaret Weis Productions". Noble Knight Games.
^ "Title: Heart of Goldmoon". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Summary Bibliography: Laura Hickman". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2021-07-30.
^ "Title: Moredale". www.isfdb.org.
^ "Title: Swept Up By the Sea: A Romantic Fairy Tale". Internet Speculative Fiction Database. Retrieved 2021-07-30.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Laura Hickman.

Dungeons & Dragons

Basics

General	Adventurers League Controversies Editions Gen Con Popular culture Film series Related products Retro-clones Sources and influences
Gameplay	Adventures Alignment Attribute Dungeon Master Game mechanics Magic Magic item Miniatures Psionics
Creators	Gary Gygax Dave Arneson Keith Baker Richard Baker David Cook Monte Cook Ed Greenwood Jeff Grubb Rob Heinsoo Tracy Hickman Harold Johnson Robert J. Kuntz Mike Mearls Frank Mentzer Tom Moldvay Chris Perkins Jon Pickens Jonathan Tweet Jim Ward Margaret Weis Skip Williams Steve Winter
Companies	TSR Wizards of the Coast Grenadier Models Judges Guild Paizo Ral Partha Strategic Simulations WizKids
Licenses	Open Game License Game System License System Reference Document

Geography and cosmology

Campaign settings

Birthright
Council of Wyrms
Dark Sun
Dragonlance
Dragon Fist
Eberron
Exandria
Forgotten Realms
- Faerûn
- Al-Qadim
- Kara-Tur
Ghostwalk
Greyhawk
Jakandor
Kingdoms of Kalamar
Magic: The Gathering planes
- Ravnica
- Strixhaven
- Theros
Mahasarpa
Mystara
- Blackmoor
- Savage Coast
- Hollow World
Nentir Vale
Pelinore
Planescape
Ravenloft
- Masque of the Red Death
Rokugan
Spelljammer

Planes of existence

Material Plane
- Aebrynis
- Abeir-Toril
- Athas
- Krynn
- Eberron
- Mystara
- Oerth
- Underdark
Inner Planes
Outer Planes
- Sigil

Characters and beings

Races and lineages	Dragonborn Dwarf Elf Drow Gnome Half-elf Half-orcs Halfling Human Kender Tiefling Triton Warforged
Classes	Artificer Barbarian Bard Cleric Druid Fighter Monk Paladin Ranger Rogue Sorcerer Warlock Wizard List of alternative classes
Character lists	Dragonlance Greyhawk Ravenloft
Notable characters	Alias Catti-brie Drizzt Do'Urden Elminster Volothamp Geddarm Gord the Rogue Iggwilv Lord Soth Raistlin Majere Minsc Mordenkainen Tenser Strahd von Zarovich Wulfgar
Creatures and monsters	Beholders Centaur Devils Dragons Gelatinous cube Giants Goblins Illithid (mind flayer) Lich Mimic Owlbear Orcs Reptilian humanoids Kobolds Slaadi Trolls Vampires List of 2nd edition monsters List of 3rd edition monsters
Deities and powers	Bahamut Corellon Larethian Eilistraee Greyhawk deities Tharizdun Vecna Moradin Mystra Tiamat

Publications

Core rulebooks

Classic boxed sets

Supplements

Arms and Equipment Guide Battlesystem Book of Exalted Deeds Book of Vile Darkness Deities & Demigods Draconomicon Fiend Folio Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting Libris Mortis Manual of the Planes Player's Option: Combat & Tactics Player's Option: Skills & Powers Player's Option: Spells & Magic Unearthed Arcana
High-level rules	Wrath of the Immortals Dungeon Master Option: High-Level Campaigns Epic Level Handbook
Psionics Handbook	AD&D 2nd edition D&D 3rd edition D&D v3.5 Expanded and Complete

Notable
modules

Online tools