The Tab Creations Collective
From Tab Wiki
The Tab Creations Collective was founded in 1992 as Tab Comics. There were a number of us. We were in grade school then. Originally focusing on superhero stories and homemade comic books, Tab Creations moved from its original "Super Humans" line to the "Swords and Arrows" comic line (fantasy setting) by 1995. The Swords and Arrows line continued to be the focus up until "The Zeotis", the successor to "Super Humans" was created in 1998. The Zeotis was short-lived, for that same year we created the "Swords and Arrows Role-Playing Game".
With the shift from comics to role-playing games Tab Comics was renamed as "Tab Creations". Finally, the "Trystell" setting was created and solidified around the old Swords and Arrows by the end of 1998. "The Aggression of Licad", the novel written in the Trystell setting was written and finished in 1999, with the first edition rulebook of the Swords and Arrows Role-Playing Game being completed as well. "The Struggle of the Forlorn", the never-finished sequel to the Aggression of Licad was began in 2000, as well as the expansion to the Trystell setting: "Fandikal". Another expansion "Blaugh'Ock" was started shortly before Fandikal.
An online empire-playing game set in Fandikal, "The Zipnocii Web Project", ran from 2000 to 2001, and was moderately successful at attracting an outside group of players. In 2000 the Arth setting was also created, presenting a weird alternate history version of Earth. In 2001 Tab Creations officially incorporated as Tab Creations, LLC and was an acting business through 2003, when the business side of Tab Creations closed and the non-company group that inherited the intellectual property of Tab Creations, LLC, "The Tab Creations Collective", was formed.
During this time, in late 2001 Tab Creations started a web-based empire playing game called "Dark Ages: Trystell", which took off as the most popular of all of Tab Creations' lines, having somewhere around 700 players a day at its peak. In 2003 the Trystell setting was updated and revamped in the "Trystell Campaign Setting", which used the popular d20 rules set. Then, in 2005 the setting up updated again in the "Trystell Campaign Setting Revised" which used a greatly-modified version of the d20 system. In 2005 the Dark Ages: Trystell game came to a close.
In 2006 a revised d20 version of the Trystell role-playing game was released, completing the last of our older legacy games.
In 2007 work began on Tab Creations new direction. We abandoned the aging d20 System and started development of our own house system--an effort that later produced our keystone game, Saga Machine. Additionally, we started a fundamental revision of the Trystell setting, reworking it from the roots up for better consistency and theme. Finally we revised our old "Swords and Arrows Role-Playing Game" system, producing Tab-System Classic, an updated take on the system, geared to a more rules-light and freeform audience.
In 2008 we opened our public lines once again, releasing Tab-System Classic and then Saga Machine. We began to release freebie bits online as part of our continuing support for Saga Machine, and continued work on our Trystell revision. In 2009 we began releasing PDF supplements for Trystell: Reborn, our newly-reenvisioned fantasy setting. Once all of these PDF supplements have been released, they will be compiled into a finalized print book for the Trystell: Reborn setting.
So there you have it. With our public product lines open once again, we stand poised, working to release a variety of new role-playing game supplements--from the upcoming Trystell: Reborn book, to our supers setting The Zeotis.
