Editing Dragonlance (section)

{{Short description|Dungeons & Dragons fictional campaign setting}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox game
| name = ''Dragonlance''
| italic title = yes
| date = {{Start date and age|1984|03}}
| designer = [[Margaret Weis]] and [[Laura Hickman|Laura]] and [[Tracy Hickman]]
| image = [[File:Dragonlance-Logo-Orig.png|frameless]]
| caption = The original ''Dragonlance'' logo.
| publisher = [[TSR, Inc.]]{{-}}[[Wizards of the Coast]]{{-}}[[Sovereign Press]]
| language=English 
| years = 1984–2011, 2022–present
| random_chance = [[Dice]] rolling
| playing_time =
| genre=Fantasy
| system = [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|''AD&D'' 1st/2nd Edition]]{{-}}[[SAGA System]]{{-}}[[Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition|''D&D'' 3.5 Edition]]{{-}}[[Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition|''D&D'' 5th Edition]]
| media_type = Novels, game accessories, film, audiobooks
| web =
| footnotes = 
}}

'''''Dragonlance''''' is a [[shared universe]] created by [[Laura Hickman|Laura]] and [[Tracy Hickman]], and expanded by Tracy Hickman and [[Margaret Weis]] under the direction of [[TSR, Inc.]] into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job interview. Tracy Hickman met his future writing partner Margaret Weis at TSR, and they gathered a group of associates to play the ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' [[role-playing game]]. The adventures during that game inspired a [[Dragonlance modules (DL series)|series of gaming modules]], a [[List of Dragonlance novels|series of novels]], licensed products such as board games, and lead miniature figures.

In 1984, TSR published the first ''Dragonlance'' game module, ''[[Dragons of Despair]]'', and the first novel, ''[[Dragons of Autumn Twilight]]''. The novel began the ''[[Dragonlance Chronicles|Chronicles]]'' trilogy, a core element of the ''Dragonlance'' world. While the authoring team of Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis wrote the setting's central books, numerous other authors contributed novels, short stories and game supplements to the setting. Over 190 novels have used the ''Dragonlance'' setting; the ''Dragonlance'' [[campaign setting]] has also been used for multiple editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and for the [[SAGA System]]. Following [[Wizards of the Coast]]'s acquisition of TSR in 1997, Wizards licensed ''Dragonlance'' to Margaret Weis's company [[Sovereign Press, Inc|Sovereign Press]] to produce game materials; this licensing agreement ran from 2001 to 2007. ''Dragonlance'' returned in 2022 with a new adventure module and the start of a new novel trilogy.

The fictional ''Dragonlance'' world of [[Krynn]] contains numerous [[List of major Dragonlance characters|characters]], an extensive timeline, and a detailed geography. The history of Krynn consists of five ages. The novels and related game products are primarily set in the fourth age, The Age of Despair. Since the publication of ''[[Dragonlance: Fifth Age]]'' in 1996, the fifth age, the Age of Mortals, has been used.<ref name="Cook 1996">{{cite book | first=Sue Weinlein | last=Cook | author-link=Sue Weinlein Cook | title=[[Dragonlance: Fifth Age]] - Book Two, Dusk or Dawn | publisher=[[TSR, Inc.]] | year=1996 | chapter=Foreword}}</ref> The [[List of Dragonlance characters#Heroes of the Lance|Heroes of the Lance]], created by Weis and Hickman, are the popular protagonists of the ''Chronicles'' trilogy. Along with ''D&D''{{'s}} world of the ''[[Forgotten Realms]]'', ''Dragonlance'' is one of the most popular shared worlds in fiction.