Audalis was initially created in 1990 by Olan Suddeth, a budding teenage DM that didn’t care for the various “out of the box” settings available for purchase at the time.  He wanted a more “believable” fantasy setting for the games he ran for his buddies.  He started making notes and sketching maps in pencil on notebook paper, storing the materials in a three ring binder that he took to every gaming session for years.

In the late 90s, Olan started a website that eventually grew into the Red Dragon Inn community.  When he started running forum-based adventures there, he decided to start digitizing the contents of his three ring binder to post online so that his players would have some decent reference material.  The setting captured the imagination of players and website visitors, and people started wanting to contribute to the world.

The idea was a little scary.  Audalis had been his baby alone; letting other people contribute was exciting, but also meant that he would be ceding some influence over a very personal thing to other people.  But the more Olan considered it, the more appeal this idea held. 

After all, no matter how creative one person may be, they will always be limited by their own experiences, perspectives, beliefs, imagination.  Olan came to understand that for a campaign world to be truly vibrant, believable, and varied – it would require the input of others.  Without other views, he would always be limited by himself… but by channeling the create effort of others, the world could begin to feel truly alive.

So Olan discarded the model of the solo author in exchange for that of being one contributor of many - while still retaining editorial control over what became canon and what did not.  The result is the lush, vibrant campaign setting that exists today.  We know of dozens of “official” games that have been hosted in Audalis, but given the public availability of the setting materials, the number is likely far higher.

We hope that you enjoy gaming in Audalis.  And if you happen to have a great idea – it can be a monster, a legend, a city, a people, an artifact, or almost anything else that you can conceive of – then by all means, contact us and share it!  We are always looking to grow the setting, to make it more alive.  As we have learned, the more perspectives we include, the better the world becomes.

Audalis Credits

Creator
Olan Suddeth

Foundational Authors

Contributing Authors

Playtesters and other Contributors

Art