Brian R. James
Brian James at the 2012 ENnie Awards
Brian James at the 2012 ENnie Awards
Born (1974-11-26) November 26, 1974
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
OccupationGame designer, software engineer
NationalityAmerican
GenreRole-playing games, fantasy, sci-fi
Years active1996–present
Notable awardsENnie Awards: Best Monster/Adversary [Silver] (2012)[1]

Brian R. James (born 1974) is a game designer and software engineer. As a writer, Brian is best known for his online and print works for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast. In game design circles, Brian is highly regarded for his deep knowledge of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and its extensive history. In 2012 Brian won a Silver ENnie Award for Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale and he has been nominated for other ENnie Awards and Origins Awards.

Personal life

Brian grew up in Arapahoe County, Colorado and attended Arapahoe High School where he led the computer club and lettered in cross country his senior year.

Writing career

James got his first big break with the creation of his "Grand History of the Realms" timeline compilation that started in the late 90s. Utilizing his website at the time, he compiled lore from many disparate sources into easily referenced PDFs documents that allowed fans to reference each of his entries. This work eventually caught the eye of senior Wizards of the Coast developers, was purchased by the company and then published as a print sourcebook: The Grand History of the Realms.[2] Since then, James has gone on to co-author (and contribute) to many 4th Edition D&D products, including the award-winning sourcebook Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (2011).

He later led the design of Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue (2012), covering the sinister underdark metropolis famous for birthing the drow Drizzt Do'Urden. James continues to contribute to Dragon and Dungeon magazines; focusing primarily on content for the Forgotten Realms and Planescape fantasy settings.

In 2013 James teamed up with his younger brother Matt James to form Vorpal Games.[3] Their first independent venture is the RED AEGIS Roleplaying Game.[4] A number of artists and designers have been linked to the project,[5] including industry legend Ed Greenwood.[4] RED AEGIS was funded via a Kickstarter campaign in August 2013 that raised $66,254 from 823 backers.[6]

In 2017 James transitioned from tabletop game design into electronic game design, compiling lore for the EverQuest franchise,[7] and the PlanetSide franchise.[8]

Honors

  • 2013: Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue is nominated for an ENnie Award in 3 categories:
Best Setting, Best Supplement, and Product of the Year.[9]
  • 2013: Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue is nominated for Best Roleplaying Supplement by the 39th Annual Origins Awards.[10]
  • 2012: Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale wins a Silver ENnie Award for Best Monster/Adversary product.[11]
  • 2012: Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale is nominated for Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure by the 38th Annual Origins Awards.[12]
  • 2009: Brian's article Playing Dhampyr (Dragon Magazine #371) is selected to be published in the 2009 Dragon Magazine Annual
  • 2008: Grand History of the Realms is nominated for Non-Fiction Publication of the Year by the 34th Annual Origins Awards.[13]

Video games

Year Title Role(s)
2020 PlanetSide franchiseLoremaster / Narrative Designer
2017-2018 EverQuest franchiseLoremaster

Bibliography

Pathfinder sourcebooks, Paizo Publishing

  • Pathfinder 2E Gamemastery Guide [14] (2020), designer
  • Pathfinder 2E Bestiary 2 [15] (2020), designer
  • Giants Revisited [16] (2012), designer

RED AEGIS sourcebooks, Vorpal Games

  • RED AEGIS Roleplaying Game [17] (2016), lead designer/publisher

Iron Kingdoms sourcebooks, Privateer Press

  • Iron Kingdoms Unleashed: Wild Adventure [18] (2016), designer

Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks, Wizards of the Coast

Magazine articles

  • Corvis Codex: Plagues and Pestilence, No Quarter #52 (2014)
  • Ecology of the Modron, Dragon #414 (2012)
  • Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Shemeshka the Marauder, Dungeon #205 (2012), co-author
  • Chessenta, Dungeon #178 (2010)
  • Deities & Demigods: Torog, Dungeon #177 (2010)
  • Vaasa, Dungeon #177 (2010)
  • Monument of the Ancients, Dungeon #170 (2010), co-author
  • Sarifal, Dragon #376 (2009)
  • Ecology of the Sharn, Dragon #373 (2009)
  • Playing Dhampyr, Dragon #371 (2009)
  • Hall of the Frostmaiden, Dragon #367 (2008)
  • Cormyr, Dragon #365 (2008)
  • Spellplague: The Wailing Years, Dragon #362 (2008)
  • Grand History of the Realms: The Moonshaes, Dragon #362 (2008)
  • Ironfang Keep, Dragon #361 (2007)
  • Age of Sail, Part I, Candlekeep Compendium Volume IX (2007)
  • Reign of Dragons, Candlekeep Compendium Volume IV (2005)

Patents

  • Web-based visual development environment, co-inventor[25]

Podcasts

References

  1. ↑ "Congratulations to the 2012 ENnie Award winners!". 18 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  2. ↑ Baker, Richard; Grand History of the Realms p.3 (Wizards of the Coast, 2007)
  3. ↑ Vorpal Games ()
  4. 1 2 Vorpal Games (http://forum.candlekeep.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17831)
  5. ↑ RED AEGIS Design Team (http://www.loremaster.org/content.php?298-red-aegis_1 Archived 2013-10-21 at the Wayback Machine)
  6. ↑ "RED AEGIS Roleplaying Game". Retrieved 23 August 2013.
  7. ↑ Wolfshead (30 January 2020). "More Evidence that a New EverQuest Game is on the Horizon". Wolfshead Online.
  8. ↑ "Brian R. James Profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  9. ↑ 2013 ENnie Awards Nominees (http://www.ennie-awards.com/blog/2013-ennie-awards-nominees/ Archived 2013-07-18 at the Wayback Machine)
  10. ↑ Nominees for the 39th Origins Awards Announced! ("Origins Awards". Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2016-02-10.)
  11. 1 2 "Congratulations to the 2012 ENnie Award winners! | ENnie Awards". Archived from the original on 2019-01-18.
  12. 1 2 Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale ()
  13. ↑ Nominees for the 34th Origins Awards Announced! (http://www.flamesrising.com/origins-awards-nominees/, April 29, 2008)
  14. ↑ Pathfinder 2E Gamemastery Guide (https://paizo.com/products/btq01zq7?Pathfinder-Gamemastery-Guide)
  15. ↑ Pathfinder 2E Bestiary 2 (https://paizo.com/products/btq022yq?Pathfinder-Bestiary-2)
  16. ↑ Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Giants Revisited (http://paizo.com/products/btpy8rv4)
  17. ↑ RED AEGIS Roleplaying Game (http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/181184/RED-AEGIS-Roleplaying-Game)
  18. ↑ Iron Kingdoms Unleashed: Wild Adventure (http://privateerpress.com/iron-kingdoms/core-products/core-products/iron-kingdoms-unleashed-wild-adventure Archived 2016-07-21 at the Wayback Machine)
  19. ↑ Menzoberranzan: City of Intrigue ()
  20. ↑ Demonomicon ()
  21. ↑ Underdark ()
  22. ↑ Dragon Magazine Annual 2009 ()
  23. ↑ Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead ()
  24. ↑ Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide ()
  25. ↑ US patent 7496053, Aaron W. Seabaugh, Brian R. James, Joaquin Jares, Martin H. Rosalin, "Web-based visual development environment", issued 2009-02-24, assigned to Teletech Holdings, Inc. (Englewood, CO)
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