John Wick
Encyclopedia
John Wick is a 20th and 21st century role-playing
game designer best known for his creative contributions to the Alderac Entertainment Group
(AEG) properties Legend of the Five Rings
and 7th Sea. He self-published Orkworld
under the Wicked Press banner, and later co-founded the Wicked Dead Brewing Company
with Jared Sorensen. His games under that company include Cat, Schauermärchen, Enemy Gods, and Thirty. He has won the Origins Award
for Best Role-Playing Game and Best Collectible Card Game twice (for both the Legend of the Five Rings
and 7th Sea role-playing games and collectible card games).
He has also written for White Wolf, Inc.
, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and worked for various video game companies, providing storyline and dialogue. He has written two regular on-line columns: The Game Designer's Journal http://gamingoutpost.com/author/john-wick/ (for The Gaming Outpost) and Play Dirty (for Pyramid Magazine).
's independent game magazine, attracting the attention of the magazine's assistant editor, D.J. Trindle. He was brought on as a staff writer at D.J.'s request. Soon thereafter, he got involved with the production and design of the Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game. He worked with Matthew D. Wilson, the game's art director and David Williams
, the game's lead designer. He served as "Continuity Editor", which meant that he was responsible for the game's characters and plot details.
Wick served as L5R's Continuity Editor for the Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, and Jade Edition sets, including the Shadowlands, Forbidden Knowledge, Anvil of Despair, Crimson & Jade, and Time of the Void expansions. He was also the primary source for storyline, flavor text and character for The Scorpion Coup set.
Wick left the L5R design team shortly thereafter to work on AEG's forthcoming 7th Sea project.
's swashbuckling setting. Initially proposed by Wick and his wife Jennifer, the game was intended to be self-contained, but quickly evolved into a much larger project. Telling the story of the world of Théah
, a fantasy amalgam of Restoration Age
Europe, 7th Sea included pirates, musketeers, explorers and magic.
Wick wrote and developed much of the project, including the 7th Sea Players Guide, Game Masters Guide, Avalon
Sourcebook, GM Screen, and Knights of the Rose and Cross sourcebook. He left AEG after his work on the Avalon Sourcebook was finished.
, helping develop an Xbox
launch title. He also wrote, designed and developed Orkworld
, a reverse-fantasy game where orks are the heroes and the "monsters" are humans, dwarves, and elves. The game was released the same year as Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition and garnered an Origins Award nomination for Best Game Fiction.
The game was illustrated by Thomas Denmark.
, writing stories for the Neopedia. He also helped develop the Neopets CCG.
(based on Wick's previous publishing venture Wicked Press and Sorenson's Memento Mori Theatricks), they have published over a dozen roleplaying games, board games, and books. He self-published a novel titled No Loyal Knight through the Wicked Dead Brewing Company
.
, Curse of the Yellow Sign and Blood & Honor through this company.
, was released at the 2008 Origins Game Fair. The game focuses on "the ven" (a race of magically created humanoids) and the world of Shanri (both of which have showed up in a previous game, Enemy Gods).
The pre-order for the limited edition version of Houses of the Blooded
sold out in exactly one week. There were 100 copies available on the Indie Press Revolution
website on May 5, 2008 and they were all gone by May 12. Wick was apparently surprised by this turn of events. http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/tag/houses+of+the+blooded
Wick released a soundtrack with the new game, focusing on "ven blood opera," an in-game element. Songs from the opera can be heard on the Houses of the Blooded website.
Wick is keeping an open log of his design of this game in his LiveJournal. http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/tag/houses+of+the+blooded He has stated his intention to release several stand alone supplements that will detail various aspects of the world of Shanri. Each book would allow players to play a different role in Shanri and, as he stated in his livejournal, "almost feel as if they're playing a different game." The books mentioned so far are a 'Slumming' book where players play ven nobles from cities (as opposed to 'country' ven detailed in the main book), a Wilderness book where vassals of the ven nobles fight off ork, explore dungeons, and possibly kill dragons, as well as a Suaven book where details regarding the Ancestor worship religion of the ven will be revealed.
Wick teamed up with British games publisher Cubicle 7
Entertainment for a mass market release of the game in September 2009.
1997 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game
1997 RPGA Gamer's Choice Award Best Roleplaying Game
Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game (Design Team and Story Editor)
1996 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game (Battle at Beiden Pass)
1997 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game Expansion (Time of the Void)
7th Sea Roleplaying Game (Creator, Co-Author, Lead Designer)
1999 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game
7th Sea Collectible Card Game (Co-Creator, Design Team, Story Editor)
1999 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game
Orkworld (Author and Designer)
2000 Best Game Fiction (How Bashthraka Lost His Spear) (nominated)
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
game designer best known for his creative contributions to the Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
(AEG) properties Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings is a fictional setting created by the John Wick and published by Alderac Entertainment Group in 1995. The setting primarily involves the fictional country of Rokugan, though some additional areas and cultures have been discussed. Rokugan is based roughly on feudal Japan...
and 7th Sea. He self-published Orkworld
Orkworld
Orkworld is a fantasy role-playing game featuring orks. It was designed by John Wick, illustrated by Thomas Denmark and released by Wicked Press.Orkworld breaks from the mold of treating orks as evil monster...
under the Wicked Press banner, and later co-founded the Wicked Dead Brewing Company
Wicked Dead Brewing Company
The Wicked Dead Brewing Company is a "micro brew" publishing house specializing in roleplaying games.Founded in 2004 by John Wick and Jared Sorensen, by 2005, it has more than a dozen roleplaying games available on its website...
with Jared Sorensen. His games under that company include Cat, Schauermärchen, Enemy Gods, and Thirty. He has won the Origins Award
Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Role-Playing Game and Best Collectible Card Game twice (for both the Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings is a fictional setting created by the John Wick and published by Alderac Entertainment Group in 1995. The setting primarily involves the fictional country of Rokugan, though some additional areas and cultures have been discussed. Rokugan is based roughly on feudal Japan...
and 7th Sea role-playing games and collectible card games).
He has also written for White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf, Inc.
White Wolf Publishing is an American gaming and book publisher. The company was founded in 1991 as a merger between Lion Rampant and White Wolf Magazine, and was initially led by Mark Rein·Hagen of the former and Steve and Stewart Wieck of the latter. Since White Wolf Publishing, Inc. merged with...
, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, and worked for various video game companies, providing storyline and dialogue. He has written two regular on-line columns: The Game Designer's Journal http://gamingoutpost.com/author/john-wick/ (for The Gaming Outpost) and Play Dirty (for Pyramid Magazine).
Legend of the Five Rings
In 1995, Wick was a freelance writer living in Southern California. He had submitted articles to Shadis Magazine, Alderac Entertainment GroupAlderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
's independent game magazine, attracting the attention of the magazine's assistant editor, D.J. Trindle. He was brought on as a staff writer at D.J.'s request. Soon thereafter, he got involved with the production and design of the Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game. He worked with Matthew D. Wilson, the game's art director and David Williams
David Williams
-Musicians:* David Williams , Aboriginal musician and artist* David Williams , Welsh bassist* David Williams , Welsh guitarist and bassist in Son of Dork...
, the game's lead designer. He served as "Continuity Editor", which meant that he was responsible for the game's characters and plot details.
Wick served as L5R's Continuity Editor for the Emerald Edition, Obsidian Edition, and Jade Edition sets, including the Shadowlands, Forbidden Knowledge, Anvil of Despair, Crimson & Jade, and Time of the Void expansions. He was also the primary source for storyline, flavor text and character for The Scorpion Coup set.
Wick left the L5R design team shortly thereafter to work on AEG's forthcoming 7th Sea project.
7th Sea
7th Sea is the name of Alderac Entertainment GroupAlderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
's swashbuckling setting. Initially proposed by Wick and his wife Jennifer, the game was intended to be self-contained, but quickly evolved into a much larger project. Telling the story of the world of Théah
Théah
Théah is the fictional world created in the 7th Sea Roleplaying Game and 7th Sea Collectible Card Game, created by John Wick and Jennifer Wick, released by Alderac Entertainment Group . It is based on an alternate version of early modern Europe with nations matching different periods and legends...
, a fantasy amalgam of Restoration Age
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
Europe, 7th Sea included pirates, musketeers, explorers and magic.
Wick wrote and developed much of the project, including the 7th Sea Players Guide, Game Masters Guide, Avalon
Avalon
Avalon is a legendary island featured in the Arthurian legend. It first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's 1136 pseudohistorical account Historia Regum Britanniae as the place where King Arthur's sword Excalibur was forged and later where Arthur was...
Sourcebook, GM Screen, and Knights of the Rose and Cross sourcebook. He left AEG after his work on the Avalon Sourcebook was finished.
Orkworld
After leaving AEG, he acquired a position at Totally GamesTotally Games
Totally Games is an electronic game developer located in Marin County, California. Their titles included X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X Wing vs. TIE Fighter and X-Wing Alliance , a series of World War II Flight Simulator series, the most recent being Secret Weapons Over Normandy, and Bridge Commander based...
, helping develop an Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
launch title. He also wrote, designed and developed Orkworld
Orkworld
Orkworld is a fantasy role-playing game featuring orks. It was designed by John Wick, illustrated by Thomas Denmark and released by Wicked Press.Orkworld breaks from the mold of treating orks as evil monster...
, a reverse-fantasy game where orks are the heroes and the "monsters" are humans, dwarves, and elves. The game was released the same year as Dungeons and Dragons 3rd Edition and garnered an Origins Award nomination for Best Game Fiction.
The game was illustrated by Thomas Denmark.
Neopets
After spending time in San Francisco, he returned to Los Angeles and began working at NeopetsNeopets
Neopets is a virtual pet website that was launched by Adam Powell and Donna Williams on November 15, 1999. Two years after the web site was launched, Adam Powell and Donna Williams sold a majority share to a consortium of investors led by Doug Dohring. On June 20, 2005, Viacom bought Neopets, Inc...
, writing stories for the Neopedia. He also helped develop the Neopets CCG.
Upper Deck
Wick was also a major contributor to the award winning Vs. System CCG (Marvel TCG and DC Comics TCG) published by The Upper Deck Company.The Wicked Dead Brewing Company
In 2004, Wick began a new publishing venture with his long-time (and long-distance) friend Jared Sorensen. Calling their joint venture the Wicked Dead Brewing CompanyWicked Dead Brewing Company
The Wicked Dead Brewing Company is a "micro brew" publishing house specializing in roleplaying games.Founded in 2004 by John Wick and Jared Sorensen, by 2005, it has more than a dozen roleplaying games available on its website...
(based on Wick's previous publishing venture Wicked Press and Sorenson's Memento Mori Theatricks), they have published over a dozen roleplaying games, board games, and books. He self-published a novel titled No Loyal Knight through the Wicked Dead Brewing Company
Wicked Dead Brewing Company
The Wicked Dead Brewing Company is a "micro brew" publishing house specializing in roleplaying games.Founded in 2004 by John Wick and Jared Sorensen, by 2005, it has more than a dozen roleplaying games available on its website...
.
John Wick Presents
Wick started a new company—John Wick Presents—in 2009. He has published Houses of the BloodedHouses of the Blooded
Houses of the Blooded is a roleplaying game designed by John Wick scheduled for release July 2008. Its author has described it as the "anti-Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game," emphasising elements of the fantasy genre that D&D overlooks...
, Curse of the Yellow Sign and Blood & Honor through this company.
Houses of the Blooded
In 2007, Wick announced a return to "big game design" in his LiveJournal. The game, called Houses of the BloodedHouses of the Blooded
Houses of the Blooded is a roleplaying game designed by John Wick scheduled for release July 2008. Its author has described it as the "anti-Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game," emphasising elements of the fantasy genre that D&D overlooks...
, was released at the 2008 Origins Game Fair. The game focuses on "the ven" (a race of magically created humanoids) and the world of Shanri (both of which have showed up in a previous game, Enemy Gods).
The pre-order for the limited edition version of Houses of the Blooded
Houses of the Blooded
Houses of the Blooded is a roleplaying game designed by John Wick scheduled for release July 2008. Its author has described it as the "anti-Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game," emphasising elements of the fantasy genre that D&D overlooks...
sold out in exactly one week. There were 100 copies available on the Indie Press Revolution
Indie Press Revolution
Indie Press Revolution is a sales network that acts as a fulfillment house for publishers of indie role-playing games. It was founded in 2004 by Ed Cha of Open World Press and Brennan Taylor of Galileo Games. IPR represents over 100 author/publishers involved in role-playing games...
website on May 5, 2008 and they were all gone by May 12. Wick was apparently surprised by this turn of events. http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/tag/houses+of+the+blooded
Wick released a soundtrack with the new game, focusing on "ven blood opera," an in-game element. Songs from the opera can be heard on the Houses of the Blooded website.
Wick is keeping an open log of his design of this game in his LiveJournal. http://wickedthought.livejournal.com/tag/houses+of+the+blooded He has stated his intention to release several stand alone supplements that will detail various aspects of the world of Shanri. Each book would allow players to play a different role in Shanri and, as he stated in his livejournal, "almost feel as if they're playing a different game." The books mentioned so far are a 'Slumming' book where players play ven nobles from cities (as opposed to 'country' ven detailed in the main book), a Wilderness book where vassals of the ven nobles fight off ork, explore dungeons, and possibly kill dragons, as well as a Suaven book where details regarding the Ancestor worship religion of the ven will be revealed.
Wick teamed up with British games publisher Cubicle 7
Cubicle 7
Cubicle 7 Entertainment is a UK based company primarily concerned with the gaming and media markets.They publish a variety of games based on both original and licensed backgrounds...
Entertainment for a mass market release of the game in September 2009.
Freemasonry
In November 2005, Wick became a Freemason, joining Liberal Arts Lodge of Los Angeles, California.Awards
Legend of the Five Rings Roleplaying Game (Author and Lead Designer)1997 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game
1997 RPGA Gamer's Choice Award Best Roleplaying Game
Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game (Design Team and Story Editor)
1996 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game (Battle at Beiden Pass)
1997 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game Expansion (Time of the Void)
7th Sea Roleplaying Game (Creator, Co-Author, Lead Designer)
1999 Origins Award Best Roleplaying Game
7th Sea Collectible Card Game (Co-Creator, Design Team, Story Editor)
1999 Origins Award Best Collectible Card Game
Orkworld (Author and Designer)
2000 Best Game Fiction (How Bashthraka Lost His Spear) (nominated)
"John Wick Dead at 33" Hoax
In 2002, a person claiming to be John Wick's (then) wife claimed that he was killed in a car accident. This news was posted on RPG.NET and quickly spread through internet gaming circles. A few hours later, John Wick himself announced he was not dead. Upon the announcement of the hoax, his website was cracked and sabotaged.Personal sites
- The Tao of Zen Nihilism (LiveJournal blog)
- John Wick's YouTube Channel (vlog)
Commercial and professional sites
- John Wick Presents (Official Website and Webstore)
- Houses of the Blooded website and forums
- The Awful Lot (MySpace)
- The Wicked Dead Brewing Company
- Pen & Paper listing for John Wick
Interviews
- Interview with James Maliszewski
- Interview with Sons of Kryos and Game Design Seminar
- Interview with Paul Tevis
- Interview on Endgameradio
- Interview with Mark Kinney for GenCon (Almost) Live
- Interview on Pulp Gamer
- Interview at Theory from the Closet
- The Game's the Thing RandomCon 2009
- The Game's the Thing RinCon 2008 Wrap Up