Michael Breault
Encyclopedia
Michael Breault is a game designer and editor, and an author of several products for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
from TSR
.
on May 28, 1958. As a young child, Breault lived in the Boston and Cape Cod
areas, but his family moved to Warwick, Rhode Island
when he began grade school. Breault developed an interest in science fiction and fantasy early in his childhood, and read The Hobbit
at age eight. Breault commented: "I didn’t read the trilogy
for three more years. I was afraid I wouldn't like it as much. I was right, but I still enjoyed it." Breault developed an interest in astronomy in high school, later earning a degree in physics and an astronomy minor from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) in 1980. Breault was introduced to fantasy gaming at the end of his freshman year at RPI: "I joined a game club that had about 40 people in it. We played lots of D&D
games, miniatures games, and Diplomacy
. However, disaster struck the club in my sophomore year — about half the club flunked out of school because they played games so much. The real hard-core players played all weekend and several hours each night. They were bound to flunk out."
Breault attended Indiana University
's graduate Astronomy program from 1980 through 1984. As an associate instructor, Breault also taught astronomy courses on television that were broadcast to the regional campuses of Indiana University. Breault met Mary Elsbury at the university in 1982, and a couple of years later, they were married. During grad school, Breault spent a year as an editorial intern for The American Spectator
.
, "Mary and I were at Marriott's Great America
[an amusement park north of Chicago] and picked up a copy of the newspaper. The classifieds had the TSR ad, so I immediately put my resume together, and I was hired in September of that year." In late July 1986, the Breaults' first child, Christopher Michael Breault was born. On January 3, 1989, their second child, Amelia Katherine Breault, was born.
Breault edited first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books including Oriental Adventures
, Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
, and the original Manual of the Planes
, as well as most of the early Dragonlance
adventure modules. He also edited the second edition Player's Handbook
. Breault and Jim Ward
designed The Book of Lairs
.
Mike left TSR in 1989 to start a freelance career. Initially continuing work with TSR, Mike gradually shifted over into computer and video games. His video game work started with writing for the 1989 Sega Genesis game Sword of Vermilion and included four other Genesis games, plus Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for the NES, among other games and platforms. His freelance career spanned 10 years, from 1989 to 1998, living with his family (plus hypoallergenic dog Rags) in Warsaw, Indiana.
In 1998, he was hired by Volition, Inc. in Champaign, IL as a writer for their computer games. From 1998 to 2008, Mike wrote and designed for several Volition games, including Freespace 2, Red Faction, Red Faction 2, The Punisher, and Red Faction: Guerrilla. In 2008, Mike left Volition to work at Raven Software in Madison, WI. While there he worked on Wolfenstein and a canceled James Bond-related product. In 2011, Mike began work as Narrative Director on an as-yet-unannounced video game project for Ubisoft Montreal.
. While working for TSR from 1985-1989 (and freelance from 1989–1995), he edited and developed over 100 books, modules, and boxed games, including items for the Dragonlance
, Forgotten Realms
, Greyhawk
, Ravenloft
, and Dark Sun
settings, among others.
Breault, with Jim Ward
, David Cook
, and Steve Winter
, co-designed the first Gold Box PC game Pool of Radiance
.
Thus far during his career in computer and video games, Mike has been crediting with writing and/or designing 25 games.
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
Mike Breault was born in Central Falls, Rhode IslandCentral Falls, Rhode Island
Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 19,376 at the 2010 census. With an area of only , it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the thirty-second most densely populated incorporated place in the United...
on May 28, 1958. As a young child, Breault lived in the Boston and Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
areas, but his family moved to Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. It is the second largest city in the state, with a population of 82,672 at the 2010 census. Its mayor has been Scott Avedisian since 2000...
when he began grade school. Breault developed an interest in science fiction and fantasy early in his childhood, and read The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
at age eight. Breault commented: "I didn’t read the trilogy
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
for three more years. I was afraid I wouldn't like it as much. I was right, but I still enjoyed it." Breault developed an interest in astronomy in high school, later earning a degree in physics and an astronomy minor from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(RPI) in 1980. Breault was introduced to fantasy gaming at the end of his freshman year at RPI: "I joined a game club that had about 40 people in it. We played lots of D&D
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...
games, miniatures games, and Diplomacy
Diplomacy (game)
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959. Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases and the absence of dice or other game elements that produce random effects...
. However, disaster struck the club in my sophomore year — about half the club flunked out of school because they played games so much. The real hard-core players played all weekend and several hours each night. They were bound to flunk out."
Breault attended Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
's graduate Astronomy program from 1980 through 1984. As an associate instructor, Breault also taught astronomy courses on television that were broadcast to the regional campuses of Indiana University. Breault met Mary Elsbury at the university in 1982, and a couple of years later, they were married. During grad school, Breault spent a year as an editorial intern for The American Spectator
The American Spectator
The American Spectator is a conservative U.S. monthly magazine covering news and politics, edited by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr. and published by the non-profit American Spectator Foundation. From its founding in 1967 until the late 1980s, the small-circulation magazine featured the writings of authors...
.
Career
In 1984, Breault noticed an ad in the Chicago Tribune for a position on the editorial staff at TSR, Inc.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....
, "Mary and I were at Marriott's Great America
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a Six Flags theme park in the Chicago metropolitan area, located in Gurnee, Illinois. It first opened in 1976 as Marriott's Great America. Six Flags purchased the park from the Marriott Corporation in 1984, making it the seventh park in the chain...
[an amusement park north of Chicago] and picked up a copy of the newspaper. The classifieds had the TSR ad, so I immediately put my resume together, and I was hired in September of that year." In late July 1986, the Breaults' first child, Christopher Michael Breault was born. On January 3, 1989, their second child, Amelia Katherine Breault, was born.
Breault edited first edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons books including Oriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures
Oriental Adventures is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide is a supplement to the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book was written by Douglas Niles, and published by TSR, Inc...
, and the original Manual of the Planes
Manual of the Planes
The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe....
, as well as most of the 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...
adventure modules. He also edited the second edition Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook
The Player's Handbook is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons . It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those for use by players of the game...
. Breault and Jim Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
designed The Book of Lairs
The Book of Lairs
The Book of Lairs is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, first published by TSR in 1986. It contains an assortment of monster-themed mini-adventures.-Publication history:...
.
Mike left TSR in 1989 to start a freelance career. Initially continuing work with TSR, Mike gradually shifted over into computer and video games. His video game work started with writing for the 1989 Sega Genesis game Sword of Vermilion and included four other Genesis games, plus Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for the NES, among other games and platforms. His freelance career spanned 10 years, from 1989 to 1998, living with his family (plus hypoallergenic dog Rags) in Warsaw, Indiana.
In 1998, he was hired by Volition, Inc. in Champaign, IL as a writer for their computer games. From 1998 to 2008, Mike wrote and designed for several Volition games, including Freespace 2, Red Faction, Red Faction 2, The Punisher, and Red Faction: Guerrilla. In 2008, Mike left Volition to work at Raven Software in Madison, WI. While there he worked on Wolfenstein and a canceled James Bond-related product. In 2011, Mike began work as Narrative Director on an as-yet-unannounced video game project for Ubisoft Montreal.
Works
Michael Breault designed the module Ruins of AdventureRuins of Adventure
Ruins of Adventure is a Dungeons & Dragons module that served as the basis for the popular "Gold Box" computer role-playing game Pool of Radiance, published in 1988 by Strategic Simulations, Inc. . According to the editors of Dragon magazine, Pool of Radiance was based on Ruins of Adventure, and...
. While working for TSR from 1985-1989 (and freelance from 1989–1995), he edited and developed over 100 books, modules, and boxed games, including items 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...
, 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...
, Greyhawk
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...
, 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 Dark Sun
Dark Sun
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting featuring the fictional desert world of Athas. The original Dark Sun Boxed Set campaign setting was released in 1991....
settings, among others.
Breault, with Jim Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
, David Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
, and Steve Winter
Steve Winter
Steve Winter is a game designer who has worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.-Early life:Steve Winter was born in Dubuque, Iowa on December 8, 1957...
, co-designed the first Gold Box PC game Pool of Radiance
Pool of Radiance
Pool of Radiance is a computer role-playing game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game for home computers. It is the first in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games...
.
Thus far during his career in computer and video games, Mike has been crediting with writing and/or designing 25 games.