Aaron Dale Allston (December 8, 1960 – February 27, 2014) was an American game designer and author of many

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

books, notably ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' novels. His works as a game designer include game supplements for

role-playing games A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...

, several of which served to establish the basis for products and subsequent development of TSR's ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

'' game setting

Mystara Mystara is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of ''D&D'' ...

. His later works as a novelist include those of the ''

X-Wing The X-wing starfighter is a name applied to a family of fictional spacecraft manufactured by the Incom Corporation from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Named for the distinctive shape made when its s-foils (wings) are in attack position, the X-win ...

'' series: ''

Wraith Squadron ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of ''Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron formed ...

'', '' Iron Fist'', ''

Solo Command ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of ''Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron formed ...

'', ''

Starfighters of Adumar ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of ''Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron formed ...

'', and ''

Mercy Kill ''Star Wars: X-wing'' is a ten-book series of '' Star Wars'' novels by Michael A. Stackpole (who also co-wrote the similarly named comic book series) and Aaron Allston. Stackpole's contributions cover the adventures of a new Rogue Squadron forme ...

''. He wrote two entries in the ''

New Jedi Order ''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...

'' series: '' Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream'' and '' Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand''. Allston wrote three of the nine

Legacy of the Force In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

novels: ''

Betrayal Betrayal is the breaking or violation of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship amongst individuals, between organizations or between individuals and organizations. Ofte ...

'', ''

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

'', and '' Fury'', and three of the nine Fate of the Jedi novels: '' Outcast'', ''

Backlash Backlash may refer to: Literature * '' Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women'', a 1991 book by Susan Faludi * ''Backlash'' (Star Wars novel), a 2010 novel by Aaron Allston * Backlash (Marc Slayton), comic book character * ''Backla ...

'', and ''

Conviction In law, a conviction is the verdict reached by a court of law finding a defendant guilty of a crime. The opposite of a conviction is an acquittal (that is, "not guilty"). In Scotland, there can also be a verdict of " not proven", which is cons ...

''.

Early life and education

Allston was born December 8, 1960, in

Corsicana, Texas Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45, 56 miles northeast of Waco, Texas. The population was 23,770 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Navarro County, and an important Agri-busines ...

, to Tom Dale Allston and Rose Binford Boehm.Roqoo Depot: "Happy Birthday, Aaron Allston"
/ref> Allston moved all over Texas in his youth and graduated from high school in Denton. An avid fan of science fiction from an early age, by high school he was the secretary and reporter for his high school science fiction club. Allston moved to

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

in 1979 and attended the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Career

Allston was a circulation manager, assistant editor, and editor of ''

Space Gamer Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

'' magazine, and by 1983 was a full-time

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

game designer. He served as editor of ''Space Gamer'' from issues 52 (June 1982) to 65 (September/October 1983), and as editor of ''Fantasy Gamer'' for the first issue (August/September 1983) and co-editor of the second issue (December/January 1984). During Allston's tenure as editor, ''Space Gamer'' won the H.G. Wells Award for Best Professional Role-Playing Magazine in 1982. Allston authored the book ''

Autoduel Champions ''Autoduel Champions'' is a 1983 game supplement published by Hero Games for '' Car Wars'' and ''Champions''. Contents ''Autoduel Champions'' adapts '' Car Wars'' to ''Champions''/''Espionage'', introduces the concept of superheroes to ''Car War ...

'' in 1983, which crossed over ''

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

'' by

Hero Games Hero Games (''DOJ, Inc dba Hero Games'') is the publisher of the Hero System, a generic roleplaying rules set that can be used to simulate many different genres, and was the co-developer of the ''Fuzion'' system. History In 1981, George MacDon ...

and ''

Car Wars ''Car Wars'' is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in 1980 in games, 1980. Players control armed vehicles in a post-apocalyptic future. Game play In ''Car Wars'', players assume control of o ...

'' by

Steve Jackson Games Steve Jackson Games (SJGames) is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and (until 2019) the gaming magazine ''Pyramid''. History Founded in 1980, six years after the cr ...

. Allston helped launch the ''Fantasy Gamer'' spinoff magazine. He co-wrote the computer game '' Savage Empire'', which ''Game Player'' magazine named the Best PC Fantasy RPG in 1990. He authored the '' Rules Cyclopedia'' (1991), a revision and compilation for the ''

'' game. He branched into fiction, and in the mid-1990s wrote five novels. He began writing for the ''Star Wars X-Wing'' series in 1997, when the primary sequence writer

Michael Stackpole Michael Austin Stackpole (born November 27, 1957) is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his ''Star Wars'' and ''BattleTech'' books. He was born in Wausau, Wisconsin, but raised in Vermont. He has a BA in history from ...

could not handle the entire workload. Allston produced a new edition of ''Champions'' for Hero Games in 2002. In 2006, he launched ''The Legacy of the Force'' series with a hardcover entitled ''

''. In 2005, Allston made his directorial debut on the independent film ''Deadbacks'', which he also wrote and produced. The film went into

post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

but was never released. Allston lived in

Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census. The city straddles the Bal ...

. For a short time, he worked for the ''

Austin American-Statesman The ''Austin American-Statesman'' is the major daily newspaper for Austin, the capital city of Texas. It is owned by Gannett. The paper prints Associated Press, ''New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''Los Angeles Times'' internation ...

'' newspaper.

Health issues and death

In early April 2009 Allston had a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and underwent an emergency quadruple

bypass surgery Bypass surgery refers to a class of surgery involving rerouting a tubular body part. Types include: * Vascular bypass surgery such as coronary artery bypass surgery, a heart operation * Cardiopulmonary bypass, a technique used in coronary artery ...

, while on the book signing tour for ''Outcast'', the first book in the ''Fate of the Jedi'' series. On February 27, 2014, Allston collapsed during an appearance at VisionCon in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postma ...

, apparently from heart failure. He died later that day in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

, at the age of 53.TheForce.Net story on Allston's death
/ref>

Selected bibliography

Stand-alone titles

*''Web of Danger'' (1988) *'' Galatea In 2-D'' (1993) *''Double Jeopardy'' (1994) *''Thunder of the Captains'' (with H. Lisle) (1996) *''Wrath of the Princes'' (with H. Lisle) (1997)

''Doc Sidhe''

*'' Doc Sidhe'' (1995) *'' Sidhe-Devil'' (2001)

''Star Wars''

''X-Wing''

*''

'' (1998) *'' Iron Fist'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) *''

'' (2012)

''The New Jedi Order''

*'' Enemy Lines I: Rebel Dream'' (2002) *'' Enemy Lines II: Rebel Stand'' (2002)

''Legacy of the Force''

*''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2007) *'' Fury'' (2007)

''Fate of the Jedi''

*'' Outcast'' (2009) *''

'' (2010) *''

'' (2011)

''Terminator''

*'' Terminator 3 Terminator Dreams'' (2003) *'' Terminator Hunt'' (2004)

Role-playing games

*'' The Circle and M.E.T.E.'' (1983) *''

'' (1983) *'' Lands of Mystery'' (1985) *'' Treasure Hunt'' (1986) *''GAZ1:

The Grand Duchy of Karameikos ''The Grand Duchy of Karameikos'' (product code GAZ1) is an accessory for the '' Basic Set'' edition for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. The book was written by Aaron Allston, and was published in 1987. Cover art is by Clyde ...

'' (1987) *''Mythic Greece (

Rolemaster ''Rolemaster'' (originally ''Role Master'') is a tabletop role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises since 1980. Editions ''Rolemaster'' has a total of four editions. First edition (RM1): 1980–1982 This edition includes the or ...

)'' (1988) *''Strike Force'' (1988) *''

GURPS Supers ''GURPS Supers'' is a superhero roleplaying game written by Loyd Blankenship and published by Steve Jackson Games. The first edition was published in 1989. Contents ''GURPS Supers'' is a supplement of rules for comic-book superhero characters an ...

School of Hard Knocks'' (1989) *'' Dungeon Master's Design Kit'' (1988) *'' The Complete Fighter's Handbook'' (1989) *'' Dawn of the Emperors: Thyatis and Alphatia'' (1989) *'' Ninja Hero'' (1990) *''

Hollow World Campaign Set The ''Hollow World Campaign Set'' is an accessory for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''Hollow World'' is a campaign setting boxed set detailing the enormous hollow inside of the planet of Mystara, and the peopl ...

'' (1990) *''

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia The ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' is a 1991 book published by TSR, Inc., as a continuation of the basic edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, which ran concurrently with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. Its ...

'' (1991) *''

Poor Wizard's Almanac & Book of Facts Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

'' (1992) *''

Wrath of the Immortals ''Wrath of the Immortals'', written by Aaron Allston, is a boxed set for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game first published by TSR in 1992, revising the rules of the '' Immortals Rules'' box set that was originally r ...

'' (1992) *'' The Complete Ninja's Handbook'' (1995) *''

I, Tyrant ''I, Tyrant'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''I, Tyrant'' expands on the information given about beholders primarily in the '' Monstrous Manual'' through details o ...

'' (1996) *''

'', Fifth Edition (2002)

Short story anthologies

*2013 ''A Hero by Any Other Name'' (Short story anthology edited by

Jean Rabe Jean Rabe is an American journalist, editor, gamer and writer of fantasy and mystery. After a career as a newspaper reporter, she was employed by TSR, Inc. for several years as head of the Role Playing Game Association and editor of the ''Polyhe ...

)

Sources

References

External links

*
Aaron Allston @ FantasticFiction.co.uk
*

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allston, Aaron 1960 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American male novelists American science fiction writers Dungeons & Dragons game designers Film directors from Texas GURPS writers Novelists from Texas People from Corsicana, Texas Role-playing game writers University of Texas at Austin alumni