Carlos J. Martijena-Carella is a
role-playing game designer and novel author.
Career
RPGs
Following an introduction to
GURPS in
Steve Jackson's Man to Man
''Steve Jackson's Man to Man'' is a sourcebook for ''GURPS''.
Contents
''Man to Man'' is a subset of just the ''GURPS'' combat system for fantasy settings, including both basic rules and advanced rules, and comes with an introductory adventure s ...
, C.J. Carella got his start in the role-playing games industry with ''
GURPS Martial Arts
GURPS Martial Arts is a source book for the GURPS role-playing game, published by Steve Jackson Games; the most recent edition, by Peter Dell'Orto and Sean Punch, was released in 2007. ''GURPS Martial Arts'' includes new perks, skills, techniques, ...
'' (1990) and freelanced for
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 ...
.
Carella designed ''
GURPS War Against the Chtorr'' (1993), which game designer
Rick Swan
Rick Swan is a game designer and author who worked for TSR.
His work for TSR, mostly for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, appeared from 1989 to 1995.
Swan also wrote ''The Complete Guide to Role-Playing Games'' (1990), published by St. Martin's Pre ...
called a "first-rate supplement for the ''GURPS'' game".
He also wrote ''
GURPS Voodoo: The Shadow War'', published in 1995.
Carella was later a
Palladium Books
Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) perhaps best known for its popular, expansive '' Rifts'' series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by current president and lead game designer Kevin ...
staffer.
He created the ''
Nightbane
''Nightbane'' is a dark fantasy role-playing game and setting created by C. J. Carella and published by Palladium Books.
Description
The game was originally published as a 240-page softcover book in 1995, designed by Carlos J. Martijena-Carel ...
'' setting and was involved in the production of ''Mercenaries'' and ''Pantheons of the Megaverse'' for Palladium's multigenre RPG
RIFTS. Carella also authored ''Rifts Manhunter'' (1996) for Myrmidon Press, a cross-over book between Myrmidon's own science-fiction game ''
Manhunter'' and ''Rifts''.
Carella designed the role-playing games ''
CJ Carella's WitchCraft
''CJ Carella's WitchCraft'', or more informally ''WitchCraft'' (), is a modern horror role-playing game published by Eden Studios, Inc. It is based on the ''Unisystem'' game system and had been previously published by Myrmidon Press. In both cases ...
'' (1996) and ''
Armageddon: The End Times'' (1997), which were first published by Myrmidon.
Carella developed the ''
Unisystem
''Unisystem'' is a generic role-playing game, generic role-playing game system produced by Eden Studios, Inc. It is used in ''All Flesh Must Be Eaten'', the Buffyverse role-playing games, ''CJ Carella's WitchCraft'', ''Conspiracy X, Conspiracy X ...
'' for the first editions of ''WitchCraft''
and ''Armageddon''.
Carella had bad experiences with the business end of Myrmidon, and since
George Vasilakos
George Vasilakos is President and art director of Eden Studios, Inc., and handles the majority of the day-to-day business of the company.
Career
George Vasilakos founded Imagination Games & Comics, a New York game store, in 1992, after he finishe ...
and
M. Alexander Jurkat of
Eden Studios, Inc. were fans of his work, they had talked about doing a ''
Conspiracy X
''Conspiracy X'' is a role-playing game (RPG) originally released by New Millennium Entertainment in 1996, and since revised and released by several publishers including Steve Jackson Games and Eden Studios, Inc. In all versions, the setting p ...
''/''Witchcraft'' crossover book.
By 1998, sales on ''Conspiracy X'' supplements were slowly dropping and they realized that they needed more lines to revitalize the business. In July 1998, Eden Studios announced that they had come to agreement for an exclusive license to Carella's ''WitchCraft'' and ''Armageddon'' RPGs.
Carella created a simplified variant of ''Unisystem'' for the ''
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game
The ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Roleplaying Game'' (''BtVSRPG'') is a role-playing game published by Eden Studios, Inc. in 2002. It is based on the popular television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' that ran from 1997-2003. The BtVPSRPG us ...
'' (2002) that he called the "cinematic" system.
Carella's ''Secret of the Ancients'' (2003) was the final volume of Eden's Odyssey adventures series.
Carella also co-designed Eden Studios' RPG ''
Terra Primate
''Terra Primate'' is an American role-playing game, designed by Patrick Sweeny, David F. Chapman, Al Bruno III and C.J. Carella, and published by Eden Studios, Inc.
''Terra Primate'' () uses the ''Unisystem'' and is based on movies such as ''P ...
''.
Novels
The New Olympus Saga:
#Armageddon Girl (2012)
#Doomsday Duet
#Apocalypse Dance
#The Ragnorak Alternative(2015)
noir-horror series where unlikely heroes battle an upcoming Lovecraftian apocalypse:
#Bad Vibes (2014)
#Shadowfall: Las Vegas (2015)
#Dante's Demons (2015)
Warp Marine Series: mil-SF with some interesting Lovecraftian elements:
#Decisively Engaged (2015)
#No Price Too High (2016)
#Advance to Contact (2016)
#In Dread Silence (2017)
#Havoc of War (2017)
References
External links
Home pageC.J. Carella :: Pen & Paper RPG Databasearchive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carella, C.J.
GURPS writers
Living people
Role-playing game designers
Year of birth missing (living people)