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 | Monte Cook |
| John Carmack: |
| Sue Cook: |
| Robin D. Laws: |
| Bill Slavicsek: |
| Neal Sofge: |
| Skip Williams: |
Monte Cook started working professionally in the game industry in 1988. In the employ of Iron Crown Enterprises, he worked with the Rolemaster and Champions games as an editor, developer, and designer. In 1994 Monte came to TSR as a game designer. As a senior game designer with Wizards of the Coast, he co-designed the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons, authored the Dungeon Master's Guide, and designed Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil and the d20 version of Call of Cthulhu. He has also done work for Atlas Games and Fiery Dragon Productions.
A graduate of the Clarion West writer's workshop, Monte also has published short stories and two novels. In his spare time, he runs two games a week, holds a yearly game convention at his house, builds vast dioramas out of LEGO building bricks, and reads a lot of comics.
For more information about Monte Cook, please visit his web site at www.montecook.com
John
Carmack, Co-founder and Chief Technical Engineer of id Software, first made waves in the computer gaming world when his company, released
Wolfenstein 3D in 1992. Powered by Carmack's rendering code, Wolfenstein is
considered by many to be the grandfather of the first person shooter. The next Carmack engine powered game was to become one of the most influential
and successful computer games of all time - DOOM. In 1993 DOOM surprised fans and industry heavyweights alike with its enthralling 3D world.
John Carmack quickly establed himself as one of the premiere game coders in the world.
In 1996 id Software release Quake, John Carmack's first fully 3D game engine. In addition to providing players with exciting game play, Quake's improved network code and modification-friendly architecture garnered a huge following around the world and began a frenzy of on-line gaming competition.
Quake established the standard for just about every first person shooter to date and is itself still widely played today. With the release of Quake II in 1997, id Software established itself as not only the company to watch for quality first person shooters but also as the premiere house for 3D game engine licensing. Games like Half-Life, Soldier of Fortune, Counterstrike and countless other games were based on John Carmack's licensed engines.
Carmack's seemingly infallible ability to lead the industry with 3D game engines proved true once again in 1999 with id Software's release of Quake III Arena. Previously, 3D games included software mode, sacrificing graphics quality for mass consumption. John Carmack made a bold move by forsaking software for hardware power, pushing technologically forward once again. John Carmack and the id Software team are now hard at work on their next big game - DOOM III. Considered a milestone in 3D game rendering, this new engine will finally unify how all elements in the 3D world are lit, creating the most stunningly immersive game experience yet.
John Carmack and id Software have won many awards for their outstanding work in software technology and computer gaming over the years. In 2001, at the age of 31, John Carmack was awarded a Life Time Achievement Award by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences for the exceptional work in his field. Most recently, in 2002, an Honorary Award for Achievement was awarded to John Carmack and id Software by the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences. At the 2002 Electronics Expo, one of the largest gaming conventions in the world, id Software and DOOM III swept the awards, winning every catagory it was nomitated for.
A long-time rocketry enthusiast, John Carmack has been a regular contributor and supporter of amateur groups working toward sending civilians into space. Frustrated by the slow progress, Carmack decided to jump into the effort himself in his spare time. Leading a small team of dedicated enthusiasts with eclectic backgrounds, John Carmack founded Armadillo Aerospace in 2000. In less than two years, the Armadillo team have accomplished more than some groups have in decades; and each successful achievement leads them to one of their goals. Armadillo Aerospace have set their sites on winning the X-Prize, a prize established to encourage private groups to work towards sending civilians to space. John Carmack has already established himself one of the most distinguished careers in the world of computer games. His work in the field of Aerospace may win an equal amount of notoriety.
For the last 12 years, Sue Cook has worked as an editor of roleplaying games, magazines, short fiction, web content, newspaper articles, books, and more. Highlights of her career include editing award-winning game products such as The Book of Eldritch Might and Dragonlance: Fifth Age, as well as stints as managing editor of Amazing Stories magazine and managing producer of the Wizards of the Coast website. She now edits for Malhavoc Press and wizards.com, and produces montecook.com.
Writer and game designer Robin D. Laws is best known as creator of the Feng Shui roleplaying game and as a columnist for Dragon magazine. Other game credits include The Dying Earth, Rune, Pantheon and Other Roleplaying Games, Hero Wars/HeroQuest, as well as a long list of supplements for most of the major publishers in roleplaying. His stories have appeared in Games Workshop's Inferno! magazine; also in progress is Honour of the Grave, a novel featuring his Warhammer character, Angelika Fleischer. His previous novels, Pierced Heart and The Rough and the Smooth, were published by Atlas/Trident. His latest adventure takes him to the world of comics, writing the upcoming miniseries Hulk: Nightmerica.
As Director of Roleplaying Game Design and Development, Bill oversees all of the game designers and developers working on roleplaying game products for Wizards of the Coast, Inc., and sets the strategy for RPG R&D. Bill started his professional career when he joined West End Games as an editor in 1986. He later served as Editorial and Creative Director at West End Games before going to work TSR, Inc. in 1993.
Under Bill’s direction, Wizards of the Coast launched the new edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game in 2000, kicking off the d20 System phenomenon. He has personally designed or edited more than 80 products, including roleplaying games, boardgames, and military simulation games. His credits include the Torg, Alternity, d20 Star Wars, and d20 Modern RPG game systems, as well as Pokemon Jr. and the D&D Edition of Clue. He has also designed products for such diverse RPG lines as Ghostbusters, Paranoia, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, and Planescape.
Bill is also the author of A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, 2nd and 3rd editions, published by Del Rey Books. He has worked on a variety of Origins Award winning products such as Kings & Things, Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (d6 System), The Star Wars Sourcebook, and Council of Wyrms.
Neal Sofge is the co-founder of adventure game publisher Fat Messiah Games, now celebrating its 12th birthday. He designed (with Mike Wasson) the microgames Shapeshifters and Last Frontier, which ushered in the "micro renaissance" of the early 90's. Neal then went on to develop the SMG sleeper Insecta (designed by Philip Eklund) into an international cult favorite. He spent the last few years working on Hard Vacuum (the critically - acclaimed World War II space combat system designed by Darrell Hayhurst), two experimental game designs by Gamesmiths founder Jeff Siadek, and a 10th anniversary reissue of Shapeshifters. When not doing accounting, playtesting, production work or editing, Neal spends time with his wife Marisa and tries to stay away from computer games and television.
Founded in 1991, Fat Messiah Games is a group of professionals dedicated to producing excellent adventure games at reasonable prices. Our products combine role-playing detail, tactical richness, and innovative mechanics to create games everyone can enjoy. Meticulous research, careful design, and extensive testing ensure high playability and quality. And the eclectic subjects give FMG games a unique position in the hobby.
Game industry veteran Skip Williams started his career behind the cash register at TSR's Dungeon Hobby Shop in 1976. As a senior roleplaying game designer at Wizards of the Coast, he codesigned the newest edition of the D&D game and was the primary author of the new Monster Manual and coauthor of the new Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting, among many other titles. He left the company but continues to enrich the roleplaying industry as Dragon Magazine's Sage and through various upcoming d20 publications. Skip is fond of old movies, old airplanes, and old books, but not necessarily in that order. He lives with his wife and editor Penny in the Puget Sound area with their Siamese cat and several birds.
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