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Harold Johnson (game designer)
Encyclopedia
Harold Johnson is a game designer and editor, and an author of several products and articles for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
from TSR
.
. Johnson attended Northwestern University
and got his B.S. in Biology in 1977. Johnson played his first game of Dungeons & Dragons
in 1976; he soon became an avid player, and attended his first Gen Con
convention in Lake Geneva
in 1977. "I was very surprised to find that TSR was located so close to Chicago." After graduating from college, Johnson continued to work odd jobs, and play games.
magazine for a job as a games editor at the magazine's publisher, TSR
. He was not selected for the job after the interview, but applied for another job with TSR as a game designer, but instead TSR hired him as an editor. His first assignment was as a copy editor on the original Dungeon Masters Guide, to which he also contributed some rules. He also began working on a tournament module which would later become C1, Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
. "That was to prove to the company I could write."
Johnson was promoted to Manager of Production less than seven months after being hired by TSR. He had responsibility for editing, layout, and dealing with the printers — from design turnover to manufacturing turnover. In the following years, Johnson worked as Assistant to the Vice President for Research & Development, Manager of Game Design, and Manager of Editing. In 1982, Johnson was promoted to Director of Games Research & Development. The same year, Johnson married his wife V.J., and in 1984 they had their first child, Allison.
Johnson supervised all of the staff game designers for TSR, and also managed the company's Acquisition Department. Johnson was responsible for hiring many new game designers during his tenure with TSR, including Frank Mentzer
, Jon Pickens
, and Tracy Hickman
. His co-creation of the concept for the Dragonlance
line is among his credited roles in many projects.
Harold Johnson designed the modules The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (1980), and Secret of the Slavers Stockade (1981), and also wrote the IJAC1 Judge's Survival Pack, and IJ4 The Golden Goddess for the Indiana Jones role-playing game. He was part of the design team for several early Dragonlance
modules and products. He also worked on other product lines, such as Forgotten Realms
, Spelljammer
, and Ravenloft
, and worked as an editor and project coordinator on numerous D&D products throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and provided some design contributions early in the game's third edition.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
from TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
.
Early life and education
Harold Johnson was born in Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
. Johnson attended Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and got his B.S. in Biology in 1977. Johnson played his first game of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
in 1976; he soon became an avid player, and attended his first Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
convention in Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
in 1977. "I was very surprised to find that TSR was located so close to Chicago." After graduating from college, Johnson continued to work odd jobs, and play games.
Career
In the fall of 1978, Johnson responded to an ad in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine for a job as a games editor at the magazine's publisher, TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. He was not selected for the job after the interview, but applied for another job with TSR as a game designer, but instead TSR hired him as an editor. His first assignment was as a copy editor on the original Dungeon Masters Guide, to which he also contributed some rules. He also began working on a tournament module which would later become C1, Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, set in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for use with the 1st edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules...
. "That was to prove to the company I could write."
Johnson was promoted to Manager of Production less than seven months after being hired by TSR. He had responsibility for editing, layout, and dealing with the printers — from design turnover to manufacturing turnover. In the following years, Johnson worked as Assistant to the Vice President for Research & Development, Manager of Game Design, and Manager of Editing. In 1982, Johnson was promoted to Director of Games Research & Development. The same year, Johnson married his wife V.J., and in 1984 they had their first child, Allison.
Johnson supervised all of the staff game designers for TSR, and also managed the company's Acquisition Department. Johnson was responsible for hiring many new game designers during his tenure with TSR, including Frank Mentzer
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
, Jon Pickens
Jon Pickens
Jon Pickens is a game designer and editor who has worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.-Early life and education:...
, and Tracy Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
. His co-creation of the concept for the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
line is among his credited roles in many projects.
Harold Johnson designed the modules The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan (1980), and Secret of the Slavers Stockade (1981), and also wrote the IJAC1 Judge's Survival Pack, and IJ4 The Golden Goddess for the Indiana Jones role-playing game. He was part of the design team for several early Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
modules and products. He also worked on other product lines, such as Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
, Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
, and Ravenloft
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
, and worked as an editor and project coordinator on numerous D&D products throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and provided some design contributions early in the game's third edition.