Revenge

User summary:

REVENGE! began with a pair of heavily modified Monopoly boards and a greatly expanded set of rules, adding numerous complications and special situations to the game. Rather quickly, REVENGE! evolved into a completely original game that featured an intriguing blend of complex board game and basic elements of role-playing. The game generally follows a roll-and-move paradigm around a rectangular board (looking something like a doubled Monopoly board). Various board locations may cause special circumstances, including "teleporting" to off-board locales where, generally, various types of player-vs-player activities are allowed.

The game primarily was designed by Jack Harness and other members of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Association in the early 1970s; it had assumed a stable, final form by about 1972. Games were said to last from hours to days. It was routinely played (and continuously modified) by society members until about the advent of Original Dungeons & Dragons. Many game proponents created implementations of the game, all with hand-drawn art from Jack Harness, some with minor rules variations.

In 2016, Lee Gold and Barry Gold converted their personal extant copy into electronic format. This involved a general revision for clarity and format of the not-inconsiderable rule book, as well as a production of a color electronic playing board. This version was published for free download, intended for print-and-play use. In addition to the revised and cleaned-up game, a scan of the original products also was made available.

The game is intriguing as a very early example of a basic type of role-playing game prior to the commercial advent of Dungeons & Dragons.