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Richard Baker (game Designer)
Richard Baker (full name L. Richard Baker III) is an American author and game designer who has worked on many ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign settings. Early life, education, and military Rich Baker was born and raised in Florida, 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. They have two daughters, Alex and Hannah. Career Baker began looking for a new career, and found one at TSR. "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 m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six regions statewide, a research center in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and a study-abroad site in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. Through its Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, Corps of Cadets Reserve Officers' Training Corps, ROTC program, Virginia Tech is a United States Senior Military College, senior military college. Virginia Tech offers 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to some 34,400 students; as of 2015, it was the state's second-largest public university by enrollment. It manages a research portfolio of $522 million, placing it among the top 50 universities in the U.S. for total research expenditures, top 25 in computer and information sciences and top 10 in engineering, with the latter t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Birthright (campaign Setting)
''Birthright'' is a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting that was first released by TSR in 1995. It is based on the continent of ''Cerilia'' on the world of ''Aebrynis'', in which the players take on the role of the divinely-empowered rulers, with emphasis on the political rulership level of gameplay. The setting revolves around the concept of ''bloodlines'': divine power gained by heroes and passed to their descendants. Characters with a bloodline create an aura of command known as ''Regency'', which is measured in the game using ''regency points'' or RP. Using ''regency'', characters acquire a ''domain'' composed of ''provinces'' and ''holdings''. The development of these domains is as much a part of the game as development of the characters. The game uses three-month ''domain turns'' to model actions of rulers over nations in much the same way as ''Dungeons & Dragons'' uses combat rounds to simulate time to model the characters' actions in battle. In 1996, ''Birthright ''w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bordered by the state of Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, Mississippi to the east, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. A large part of its eastern boundary is demarcated by the Mississippi River. Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties, making it one of only two U.S. states not subdivided into counties (the other being Alaska and its boroughs). The state's capital is Baton Rouge, and its largest city is New Orleans, with a population of roughly 383,000 people. Some Louisiana urban environments have a multicultural, multilingual heritage, being so strongly influenced by a mixture of 18th century Louisiana French, Dominican Creole, Spanish, French Canadian, Acadi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhode Island
Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States by population, seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents 2020 United States census, as of 2020, but it is the List of U.S. states by population density, second-most densely populated after New Jersey. It takes its name from Aquidneck Island, the eponymous island, though most of its land area is on the mainland. Rhode Island borders Connecticut to the west; Massachusetts to the north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to the south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound. It also shares a small maritime border with New York (state), New York. Providence, Rhode Island, Providence is its capital and most populous city. Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay for thousands of years before English settler ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most-populous city, and Fairfax County is the most-populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's population was over 8.65million, with 36% of them living in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The area's history begins with several indigenous groups, including the Powhatan. In 1607, the London Company established the Colony of Virginia as the first permanent English colony in the New World. Virginia's state nickname, the Old Dominion, is a reference to this status. Slave labor and land acquired from displaced native tribes fueled the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War At Sea
''War at Sea'' is a strategic board wargame depicting the naval war in the Atlantic during World War II, published by Jedko Games in 1975, and subsequently republished by Avalon Hill in 1976 and more recently by L2 Design Group in 2007. It is also the basis for the design of the subsequent Avalon Hill game, '' Victory in the Pacific''. Game summary Units represented in the game are individual ships of heavy cruiser size or larger, with provisions also given for convoys, submarines (specifically 'U-boats'), and air power. Each turn represents a period of roughly six months. The board represents the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, which are divided up into six zones. Control of as many of these zones as possible, for as many turns as possible, is the goal of the game. One player assumes the role of the Allied player, and controls the British, Soviet, and American navies. His or her opponent is the Axis player, and controls the German and Italian navies. In addition t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Axis & Allies Miniatures
Axis & Allies Miniatures is a miniature wargaming system including both a rule set and a line of 1/100 scale miniature armor (15 mm figure scale) collectible miniatures. The game is set in the World War II era with units representing individual vehicles and artillery or squads of infantry. The system was first released in 2005 and was produced by Avalon Hill, a division of the game company Wizards of the Coast, which itself is a subsidiary of Hasbro. Aimed at the collectible miniatures game market, the title Axis & Allies drew on that game's historic strength and notoriety. However, the miniature game bears little resemblance to the widely sold board games and other Axis & Allies items. Instead of a game of grand strategy, the miniatures game focuses on the tactical battle, with units fielded on either side of the battle being rarely greater than a company. Each piece is assigned a point value so that balanced matches can be constructed. Tournament play is typically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dark•Matter
''Dark•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. It was later converted to ''d20 Modern'' rules and published as a stand-alone book in 2006. Development Wolfgang Baur did considerable research into the occult, UFO, and government conspiracy theories in preparation for writing the ''Dark•Matter'' game. Background In the setting, the Hoffmann Institute is an organization which investigates strange creatures and phenomena. The players take on the roles of members of this organization, and delve into the supernatural and mysterious. The premise of the game is that nearly every strange or supernatural story ever widely told is true, but a web of conspiracies and secret organizations hide this truth from the average person. This premise was not unique to ''Dark•Matter'', h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star*Drive
''Star Drive'' (stylized as ''Star*Drive'') is a science fiction campaign setting that was published in 1998 by TSR, Inc. for the ''Alternity'' role-playing game. The first published setting for ''Alternity'' was provided in the ''Star Drive Campaign Setting'' book in 1998. It was written by David Eckelberry and Richard Baker. This setting book also requires the ''Player's Handbook'' and ''Gamemaster Guide'' for the ''Alternity'' game system. Much of the material created for this campaign setting was later reused in the ''d20 Future'' supplement of the ''d20 Modern'' role-playing game. Setting ''Star Drive'' is set in the 26th century, starting in the year 2501. Mankind has gained access to faster-than-light technology called the stardrive, a merger of technology between humans and the alien Fraal. A period of stellar colonization of habitable worlds ensues, led by six wealthy power blocs. New powers emerged, forming the Terran Empire in 2250. Tensions between the colonies led to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amazing Engine
''Amazing Engine'' was a series of tabletop role-playing game books that was published by TSR, Inc. from 1993 until 1994. It was a generic role-playing game system - each publication employed the same minimalist generic rules, as described in the ''Amazing Engine System Guide'', but each world book had an entirely different setting or genre. David "Zeb" Cook was credited with the design of the game rules. History In 1993 TSR closed down all of its subsidiary roleplaying lines, from ''Gamma World'' and '' Marvel Super Heroes'' to '' Basic D&D'', and soon replaced these with a new universal game system released via the ''Amazing Engine System Guide'' (1993). ''Amazing Engine'' was a simple beginner's system, and after the initial rulebook, TSR started publishing setting books, each of which presented a different milieu to play the game in. After 1994, ''Amazing Engine'' was cancelled as well. ''Alternity'' was intended to be TSR's generic science-fiction system, a replacement for ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 Early life Bill Slavicsek was born and raised in New York City. Slavicsek was a comic book, horror, and science fiction fan as a boy: "Some of my earliest memories involve looking at issues of Marvel Comics, drawing my own comics, and watching old SF and horror movies on TV". Interested in gaming from an early age, Slavicsek was introduced to roleplaying games in 1977 when he discovered Dungeons & Dragons. Originally intending to pursue a career as a comic book artist, Slavicsek switched to journalism and communication at St. John's University. West End Games After working for a year at a community newspaper, Slavicsek was hired by West End Games as an editor in 1986. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alternity
''Alternity'' is a science fiction role-playing game (RPG) published by TSR in 1998. Following the acquisition of TSR by Wizards of the Coast, the game was discontinued in 2000 as part of a broader rationalisation of TSR's business holdings, but it retains a small and devoted fanbase. Parts of ''Alternity'' as well as TSR's classic '' Star Frontiers'' game have been incorporated into the ''d20 Modern'' game, especially the ''d20 Future'' setting. The first campaign setting for the ''Alternity'' game, the ''Star*Drive'' setting, was introduced in 1998. A new game called ''Alternity'' was crowdfunded on Kickstarter in June 2018 by Sasquatch Game Studio but it ultimately failed to get published. System Characters were created with a point-based system, and could be either humans, mutants, one of several alien species presented in the core books, or original aliens created by the GM. Classes were replaced by professions, which dictated what skills and abilities were cheaper for an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
