Richard Baker (game designer)
Encyclopedia
Richard Baker is an American
author
and a game designer who has worked on many Dungeons & Dragons
campaign setting
s.
, then moved with his family to New Jersey
at age ten. Baker graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 with a degree in English. He received a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy, and served as a deck officer for three years on board the USS Tortuga
; he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer and was a lieutenant (junior grade) by the time he left the Navy. Baker married his college sweetheart, Kim Rohrbach.
. "I'd been playing the AD&D
game off and on since 1979. When I decided to leave the Navy, I sent TSR my résumé just for the pure hell of it. TSR sent me back a writing test, which I must have done pretty well on, since they brought me out for an interview in September of 1991. I'd never published a word before then or even worked the convention circuit, but they hired me anyway."
Since joining TSR in 1991, Rich has worked on most of TSR's product lines at one point or another. By 1998, he had published over thirty game products and many magazine articles. Baker started out writing game products such as Rock of Bral for the Spelljammer
line, as well as material for the Forgotten Realms
, Planescape
, and Ravenloft
settings. He co-designed the Birthright
campaign setting, which won the 1995 Origins Award
for Best New Role-Playing Supplement: "I'm very proud of it. It represents an entirely new approach to the traditional fantasy roleplaying campaign, and the world itself is filled with a strong sense of history." Baker also oversaw the development of the Player's Option series of second edition AD&D manuals, stating "I greatly enjoyed the work I did on the World Builder's Guidebook".
Baker went on to co-design the Alternity
science fiction game: "As much as I am proud of my other work, I probably learned the most from the work Bill
[Slavicsek] and I put into the Alterity game system. Designing a new roleplaying game from the ground up is an immensely complicated undertaking, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out." Aside from various Alternity products, Baker also worked on the Star*Drive and Dark•Matter
settings for the game, and worked as Creative Director on them for a time. Baker wrote several novels for various settings as well.
Rich lived in New Jersey, Virginia
, Rhode Island
, Virginia again, Louisiana
, Virginia a third time, and Wisconsin
, but now lives in Auburn, Washington
, with his wife Kim, two daughters, and cats. He's a fan of Golden Age SF and the Philadelphia Phillies
.
Rich is at the forefront of Wizards of the Coast
's current range of Forgotten Realms
and core Third Edition D&D accessory books, and author of several novels set in and below
Faerûn
. He also answers questions about the Forgotten Realms at the Wizards website's forums - see the below external links.
He is also at the forefront of designing the series "Axis and Allies: War at Sea", a game of tactical World War II naval battles.
Creative Director of:
Developer of:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and a game designer who has worked on many 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...
campaign setting
Campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A campaign is a series of individual adventures, and a campaign setting is the world in which such adventures and campaigns take place...
s.
Early life, education, and military
Rich Baker was born and raised in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, then moved with his family to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
at age ten. Baker graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 with a degree in English. He received a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy, and served as a deck officer for three years on board the USS Tortuga
USS Tortuga (LSD-26)
USS Tortuga was a in the United States Navy. She was the first Navy ship to be named for the Dry Tortugas, a group of desert coral islets 60 miles west of Key West, Florida, which were discovered in 1513 by Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon....
; he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer and was a lieutenant (junior grade) by the time he left the Navy. Baker married his college sweetheart, Kim Rohrbach.
Career
Baker began looking for a new career, and found one at TSRTSR, 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....
. "I'd been playing the AD&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...
game off and on since 1979. When I decided to leave the Navy, I sent TSR my résumé just for the pure hell of it. TSR sent me back a writing test, which I must have done pretty well on, since they brought me out for an interview in September of 1991. I'd never published a word before then or even worked the convention circuit, but they hired me anyway."
Since joining TSR in 1991, Rich has worked on most of TSR's product lines at one point or another. By 1998, he had published over thirty game products and many magazine articles. Baker started out writing game products such as Rock of Bral for the Spelljammer
Spelljammer
Spelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
line, as well as material for the 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...
, Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
, 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...
settings. He co-designed the Birthright
Birthright (campaign setting)
Birthright is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting that was first released by TSR in 1995. The setting based on the world of Aebrynis on the continent of Cerilia, in which the players take on the role of the divinely-empowered rulers, with emphasis on the political rulership level of gameplay...
campaign setting, which won the 1995 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 New Role-Playing Supplement: "I'm very proud of it. It represents an entirely new approach to the traditional fantasy roleplaying campaign, and the world itself is filled with a strong sense of history." Baker also oversaw the development of the Player's Option series of second edition AD&D manuals, stating "I greatly enjoyed the work I did on the World Builder's Guidebook".
Baker went on to co-design the Alternity
Alternity
Alternity is a science fiction role-playing game published by TSR in 1998...
science fiction game: "As much as I am proud of my other work, I probably learned the most from the work Bill
Bill Slavicsek
Bill Slavicsek is a game designer who served as the Director of Roleplaying Design and Development at Wizards of the Coast. He previously worked for West End Games and TSR, Inc., and designed products for Dungeons & Dragons, Star Wars, Alternity, Torg, Paranoia and Ghostbusters.-Biography:Bill...
[Slavicsek] and I put into the Alterity game system. Designing a new roleplaying game from the ground up is an immensely complicated undertaking, and I'm very pleased with the way it turned out." Aside from various Alternity products, Baker also worked on the Star*Drive and Dark•Matter
Dark•Matter
1Dark•Matter is a science fiction/conspiracy theory campaign setting that was originally published in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast as the second campaign setting for the Alternity role-playing game. It was written by Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook...
settings for the game, and worked as Creative Director on them for a time. Baker wrote several novels for various settings as well.
Rich lived in New Jersey, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, Virginia again, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Virginia a third time, and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, but now lives in Auburn, Washington
Auburn, Washington
-Parks:Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails comprising 29 developed parks, 5 undeveloped sites under planning, 2 skate parks, 2 water roatary parks, and over of trails , and almost of open space for passive and active recreation.-Environmental Park:The Auburn...
, with his wife Kim, two daughters, and cats. He's a fan of Golden Age SF and the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Rich is at the forefront of Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
's current range of 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...
and core Third Edition D&D accessory books, and author of several novels set in and below
Underdark
The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore...
Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
. He also answers questions about the Forgotten Realms at the Wizards website's forums - see the below external links.
He is also at the forefront of designing the series "Axis and Allies: War at Sea", a game of tactical World War II naval battles.
Forgotten Realms Accessory Books/Adventure Modules
- Unapproachable EastUnapproachable East (supplement)Unapproachable East is a hardcover accessory for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Unapproachable East describes locations such as Aglarond, Rashemen, and Thay for the Forgotten Realms setting....
(2003) - Player's Guide to Faerûn (2004)
Creative Director of:
- Magic of FaerûnMagic of FaerûnMagic of Faerûn is an accessory for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:...
(2001) - Lords of DarknessLords of DarknessLords of Darkness is the name of two accessories for the fictional Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition:...
(2001) - Races of FaerûnRaces of FaerûnRaces of Faerûn is an optional supplemental sourcebook for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.-Contents:...
(2003)
Developer of:
- Forgotten Realms Campaign SettingForgotten Realms Campaign SettingThe Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published in 1987, detailing the Forgotten Realms setting, containing information on characters, locations, and history as well as setting-specific rules for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
(2001) - Lords of Darkness (2001)
- Races of Faerûn (2003)
- Unapproachable EastUnapproachable East (supplement)Unapproachable East is a hardcover accessory for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Unapproachable East describes locations such as Aglarond, Rashemen, and Thay for the Forgotten Realms setting....
(2003) - UnderdarkUnderdark (supplement)The Underdark sourcebook for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.-Contents:...
(2003)
Dark-Sun Accessory Books/Adventure Modules
- Valley of Dust and Fire (1992)
- The Will and the Way: Psionicists of Athas (1994)
- Dragon's Crown (1993)
- Merchant House of Amketch (1993)
Other Dungeons & Dragons Accessory Books/Adventure Modules
- Spells & Magic
- Planescape Monstrous Compendium II (PlanescapePlanescapePlanescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
) (1999) - The Forge of FuryThe Forge of FuryThe Forge of Fury is an adventure module for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:The Forge of Fury is a dungeon crawl, a site-based adventure describing the stronghold of Khundrukar...
(2000) - Complete ArcaneComplete ArcaneComplete Arcane is a supplemental rulebook for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. It expands upon and replaces an earlier soft-cover rulebook entitled Tome and Blood.-Contents:...
- Tome of BattleTome of BattleTome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords is a rules supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, published by Wizards of the Coast in 2006.-Contents:...
- Red Hand of DoomRed Hand of DoomRed Hand of Doom is a 128-page adventure module for the 3.5 edition of Dungeons & Dragons . It is designed to be used as a generic D&D adventure, which can be dropped into any campaign world, including a personal one...
Novels
- The Adventures
- The Shadow Stone (1998)
- Double Diamond Triangle Saga
- Easy Betrayals (1998)
- Star*Drive
- Zero Point (1999)
- BirthrightBirthright (campaign setting)Birthright is a Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting that was first released by TSR in 1995. The setting based on the world of Aebrynis on the continent of Cerilia, in which the players take on the role of the divinely-empowered rulers, with emphasis on the political rulership level of gameplay...
- The Falcon and the Wolf (2000 online publication http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/dx20020121x5)
- The Cities
- The City of RavensThe City of RavensThe City of Ravens is a fantasy novel by Richard Baker that is set in city of Raven's Bluff in the Forgotten Realms fictional universe. It is the first novel in the "Cities" series...
(2000)
- The City of Ravens
- (R.A. Salvatore's) War of the Spider QueenWar of the Spider QueenWar of the Spider Queen is a New York Times best-selling series of novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe published by Wizards of the Coast. The series contains six books focused on the drow and their principal deity Lolth. Each of the six novels in the series is written by a different author...
- CondemnationCondemnation (novel)Condemnation is a fantasy novel by Richard Baker, set in the Forgotten Realms setting, based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It is the third book of the War of the Spider Queen hexad.-Plot summary:...
(2003)
- Condemnation
- The Last Mythal
- Forsaken HouseForsaken House (novel)Forsaken House is a 2004 fantasy novel by Richard Baker, set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms fictional universe. It is the first novel in the "Last Mythal" series.-Plot:...
(2004) - Farthest ReachFarthest ReachFarthest Reach is a 2005 fantasy novel by Richard Baker, set in the Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms fictional universe. It is the second novel in the "Last Mythal" series.-Plot:...
(2005) - Final Gate (2006)
- Forsaken House
- Blades of Moonsea
- The Swordmage (2008)
- Corsair (2009)
- Avenger (2010)
External links
- Pen & Paper listing for Richard Baker
- Wizards.com interview
- The old 'Ask Richard Baker' thread at wizards.com forums
- The old 'Ask the Core Rules and Supplement Authors' thread at wizards.com forums
- The new 'Ask the Core Rules and Supplement Authors' thread at wizards.com forums
- Rich Baker's Blog at wizards.com