I probably owned 50 Dragonlance books by the time I graduated high school in 1999. Didn't get my first PC until 1994, but my search for Champions of Krynn led me down the classic CRPG rabbit hole so I had a chance to enjoy the classics before the "new" generation appeared with Diablo, Fallout, and Baldur's Gate.

The deal between TSR and Random House was interesting. Williams literally got to print money and get paid for whatever she delivered, but at the cost of building up a loan balance that would eventually come due. I know we make fun of MBA culture and bean counters but it takes a lot of discipline to run a company, and I wonder how the "blank check" influenced planning and production. Was it hubris that drove up an $12M loan? Was it poor communication from Random House to TSR about sales and forecasts?

It's also wild that if the TSR had lasted one more year it could have repaid its loan with the Baldur's Gate royalties and padded its war chest from the sequel and Neverwinter Nights. Business is a fickle beast.