Which D&D author/designer do you like best?

[johnsemlak]

I don't think too much significance can be drawn from a poll like this but I'm surprised Zeb Cook hasn't received a vote, considering the sheer amount of stuff with his name on it, and he was lead designer of the 2e hardbacks, IIRC.

On the other hand, that (the 2e hardbacks) may be a reason why he isn't being voted for.

Originally posted by Leopold

where's jonathan tweet???

I didn't include Tweet because, while he wrote the 3e PHB, he hasn't written much else D&D stuff, as I can see. Isn't he more famous for his stuff outside of D&D?

 

[Melan]

This should have been a multi-choice poll.
However, here are my top picks:
#1 Gary Gygax - the 1e DMG and the GDQ series, Necropolis and Tomb of Horrors. EGG is, well, he is EGG.

#2 Paul Jacquays - he wrote Dark Tower, one of the best D&D adventures I know. Very conanesque feel.

#3 Bob Bledsaw&Bill Owen - for City State of the Invincible Overlord and Wilderlands of High Fantasy. Plus Citadel of Fire, etc. They just make the stuff I like.

#4 Bill Webb&Clark Peterson - As above, they create stuff with my tastes in mind. To boot, both are cool people.

 

[John Crichton]

Well, I voted Monte but here's my rundown as of late, in no order:

• Monte Cook
• Bruce Cordell
• Skip Williams
• Jeff Grubb
• David Noonan
• James Wyatt
• Patrick Kapera
• Kevin Wilson

 

[Leopold]

On the other hand, that (the 2e hardbacks) may be a reason why he isn't being voted for.



I didn't include Tweet because, while he wrote the 3e PHB, he hasn't written much else D&D stuff, as I can see. Isn't he more famous for his stuff outside of D&D?

Jonathan Tweet is a senior designer at Wizards of the Coast. He was the lead designer on 3rd Edition D&D and is currently the lead designer on the Chainmail miniatures game. Jonathan has several role-playing games to his credit: Ars Magica (co-authored with Mark Rein-Hagen) is a game about medieval wizards. It won the Gamers Choice Award for best fantasy role-playing game of 1987. Over the Edge (with Robin D. Laws) is a surreal, modern-day RPG. Its bizarre setting and free-form rules have been both praised and condemned. Everway is a free-form high-fantasy RPG. In addition, Jonathan has developed support material for AD&D (Maztica, Dark Sun, and core material), Magic: The Gathering (Quick Start Set and Portal), Netrunner, RuneQuest, Talislanta, and Cyberpunk.



come on his name is "Jonathan" he deserves 10 votes for that alone

 

[digitaldark]

AHH!! Charles Ryan isn't on the list?

Anywayz, he would be my favorite designer/writer (he worked on d20 Modern and created the d20 Modern web enhancement).

He very dedicated to d20 Modern and has even given us a specific tag to use on WotC's forum to use for questions for him...and he has answered (or at least found an answer) all of these questions rather quickly...as he frequents the board regularly!..

Next would be Monte Cook...I don't think I need to say anything as to why..u should already know why

and a close 3rd would be Ed Greenwood. Not because he created the Forgotten Realms...but because even though he created the most widely used campaign setting in use, he never stopped being a gamer first!

 

[Pramas]

Argh

 

[Nikchick]

Sorry folks, that post by "Pramas" was really from me. Borrowing Chris's computer and forgot to make sure I was logged in as myself!

Here's the post I wrote. I would not like for my comments to be attributed to Pramas, since he shouldn't be assumed to share my feelings.

Jonathan Tweet is a senior designer at Wizards of the Coast. He was the lead designer on 3rd Edition D&D and is currently the lead designer on the Chainmail miniatures game. Jonathan has several role-playing games to his credit: Ars Magica (co-authored with Mark Rein-Hagen) is a game about medieval wizards. It won the Gamers Choice Award for best fantasy role-playing game of 1987. Over the Edge (with Robin D. Laws) is a surreal, modern-day RPG. Its bizarre setting and free-form rules have been both praised and condemned. Everway is a free-form high-fantasy RPG. In addition, Jonathan has developed support material for AD&D (Maztica, Dark Sun, and core material), Magic: The Gathering (Quick Start Set and Portal), Netrunner, RuneQuest, Talislanta, and Cyberpunk.

Tweet is right where he should be, NOT on the list. He's written very little for D&D. Calling him lead designer on Chainmail is also a bit of a misnomer, don't be fooled by WotC internal politics. People are listed as being "in charge" of a lot of things there when they aren't actually the force behind it. Jonathan is best known for interesting ideas that are commercial failures (interesting as they were, Over the Edge and Everway did not exactly set the world on fire), and for designing CCGs for beginners, to hook more kids into the "repeat purchase model" WotC needs to keep fueling its corporate fires.

I've known Jonathan since I was in high school, and he can be a nice enough guy with some interesting ideas about gaming. But after his involvement in 3E people started treating him like he was some sort of freaking gaming messiah, as if he'd single-handedly revolutionized gaming or something...as if there weren't other people on the 3E design team, or the Chainmail design team, or frankly any of the design TEAMS he was on.

I really dislike the cult of personality that's sprung up around 3E.

Nicole

 

[grodog]

Gygax, but only because Rob Kuntz wasn't on the list.

Top 3: Kuntz, Gygax, David Cook (for A1 Slave Pits of the Undercity if nothing else).

 

[grodog]

But after his involvement in 3E people started treating him like he was some sort of freaking gaming messiah, as if he'd single-handedly revolutionized gaming or something...

I've been thinking of Jon like that for years, Nicole, after his work in Ars Magica

 

[Hopping Vampire]

i have to say Zeb Cook. if youve played fallout, you'd probably understand