Douglas Niles (born December 1, 1954, in

Brookfield, Wisconsin Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States in the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the third-largest city in Waukesha County. The city is adjacent to the ...

) is a

fantasy author This is a list of fantasy authors, authors known for writing works of fantasy, fantasy literature, or related genres of magic realism, horror fiction, science fantasy. Many of the authors are known for work outside the fantasy genres. A ...

and

game designer Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

. Niles was one of the creators of the

Dragonlance ''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in t ...

world and the author of the first three

Forgotten Realms ''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...

novels, the ''

Star Frontiers ''Star Frontiers'' is a science fiction role-playing game produced by TSR, Inc., TSR from 1982 to 1985. The game offered a space opera action-adventure setting. Fictional setting ''Star Frontiers'' takes place near the center of a spiral galax ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soci ...

setting and the '' Top Secret S/I'' espionage

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

Early life and education

Niles was born in

, a suburb of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, and his family moved to

Nashotah Nashotah is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,395 at the 2010 census. The village took its name from the nearby Nashotah Lakes. Education Nashotah House, a seminary of The Episcopal Church, is in Nashot ...

, a small town to the north, when he was twelve years old. Niles developed an interest in

heroic fantasy Heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy in which events occur in a world where magic is prevalent and modern technology is nonexistent. The setting may be entirely fictitious in nature or based upon Earth with some additions. Unlike dark fiction, ...

, as well as

wargaming A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

, and began writing short stories and making short films in high school. Niles attended the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, where he majored in speech and minored in English. While there, he met Chris Schroeder, whom he married three years later. After graduation, Niles began teaching Speech and English at Clinton (Wis.) High School, about 30 miles away from

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Walworth County and situated on Geneva Lake, it is home to an estimated 8,105 people as of 2019, up from 7,651 at the 2010 census. It is located about 40 miles southwest of Milwa ...

. “One day, one of my students came up and said she had a note to get out of class that afternoon because she was going to be interviewed by ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' magazine. Her name was Heidi Gygax. I asked her why ''People'' wanted to interview her, and she told me that her father had invented the ''

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. Well, I had heard of ''D&D'', but didn’t know that the designer lived so close to me. The next day, Heidi brought me a copy of the original '' D&D Basic Set'', and two days later, I got some friends together and played my first game. I was the DM.”

Career

A few years later, one of the players in Niles' ''D&D'' campaign went to work for ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine. According to Niles, “One day, he told me that TSR was hiring editors, and I applied for a job. I took the editing test, which consisted of a 14 page manuscript I was supposed to mark up. I only found three things to change. . . and flunked the test. But TSR was also hiring game designers, and so, armed with a half-written novel and some notes from my campaign, I applied for a design job. I went through five interviews, and gradually convinced them that I could do the job.” Niles was hired by TSR in January 1982, as a

. “For the first few weeks I reviewed and critiqued outside submissions, and I wasn’t too good at it. I kept pestering my boss, Al Hammack, for a design assignment, and finally he gave me an old brief for a novice-level module, '' Cult of the Reptile God'', and told me to write it. I completed it in four weeks, and it was published. I don’t know whether they liked it because it was good, or because I did it in only four weeks.” Niles worked on more than just ''D&D'' for TSR, “In the summer of 1982, I designed my first game, the ''

Knight Hawks ''Knight Hawks'' is a 1983 role-playing game supplement published by TSR for '' Star Frontiers''. Contents ''Knight Hawks'' brings spaceships and stellar warfare to the ''Star Frontiers'' universe, with a military boardgame and a Campaign Book. ...

'' rules for the ''

'' game, with much help from my editor,

Steve Winter Steve Winter (born December 8, 1957) is an American game designer who worked on numerous products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, which was originally published by TSR and later Wizards of the Coast. Early life Winter ...

.” Niles produced several modules for the ''D&D'' game, including ''X3

Curse of Xanathon ''Curse of Xanathon'' is a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' adventure module designed by Douglas Niles for use with the '' D&D Expert Set''. It was published by TSR, Inc. (TSR) in 1982 and is designed for 5–8 player characters of level 5–7. Plot summa ...

'', ''B5

Horror on the Hill ''Horror on the Hill'' is an Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure module published by TSR, Inc. in 1983, for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set, Basic Rules of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Its product designation was TS ...

'', ''CM1

Test of the Warlords ''Test of the Warlords'' () is a 1984 adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. Its associated code is CM1 and is TSR's product number 9117. The adventure takes place in Norwold, which is located in the north east corner of ...

'', and ''H1

Bloodstone Pass H1 ''Bloodstone Pass'' is an adventure module for the first edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson and published by TSR, Inc., in 1985. While it co ...

'', and Dragonlance modules ''DL2 Dragons of Flame'', ''DL6 Dragons of Ice'', ''DL9 Dragons of Deceit'', and ''DL11

Dragons of Glory ''Dragons of Glory'' is a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' source book in a series of modules from the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting. It is one of the 16 ''DL'' modules published by TSR between 1984 and 1986. This module is "a complete and self-conta ...

''. Niles is the designer of 1985's '' World War II: European Theatre of Operations'', a grand strategic game. Niles worked on the ''

Battlesystem ''Battlesystem'' is a tabletop miniature wargame designed as a supplement for use with the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. The original ''Battlesystem'' was printed as a boxed set in 1985 for use with the first edition ''AD&D'' rules. ...

'' Supplement, ''Star Frontiers'' modules ''SF4 Mission to Alcazzar'' and ''SFKH1

Dramune Run ''Dramune Run'' is an adventure published by TSR (company), TSR in 1984 for the science fiction role-playing game ''Star Frontiers'', and specifically for the spaceship game supplement ''Knight Hawks''. Contents The player characters are hired ...

'', ''

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., a fictional professor of archaeology, that began in 1981 with the film '' Raiders of the Lost Ark''. In 1984, a prequel, '' Th ...

'' module '' IJ2 Raiders of the Lost Ark'', the ''World War II'' Game, the ''Sirocco'' Strategy Game (with

Zeb Cook David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer, best known for his work at TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactica ...

), and the

Endless Quest The ''Endless Quest'' books were three series of gamebooks. The first one was released in the 1980s by TSR, while the following two were released by Wizards of the Coast. Originally, these books were the result of an Educational department establi ...

books ''EQ #26 Tarzan and the Well of Slaves'' and ''Super EQ #3 Escape From Castle Quarras'' for TSR.

Tracy Hickman Tracy Raye Hickman (born November 26, 1955) is an American fantasy author. He wrote the ''Dragonlance'' novels with Margaret Weis. He also wrote role playing game material while working for TSR, Inc., TSR and has cowritten novels with his wife, ...

had gotten Harold Johnson,

Jeff Grubb Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957) is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the ''F ...

, Carl Smith, and

Larry Elmore Larry Elmore (born August 5, 1948) is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines, and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Dragonlance'', ...

in on the idea of

before

Margaret Weis Margaret Edith Weis (; born March 16, 1948) is an American fantasy and science fiction author, of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the ''Dragonlance'' role-playing game (RPG) world. She is ...

and Niles joined them. Niles authored the rulebook ''

Dungeoneer's Survival Guide ''Dungeoneer's Survival Guide'' is a supplement to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. The book was written by Douglas Niles, and published by TSR, Inc. in 1986. Contents The ''Dungeoneer's Survival Guide'' describes how to r ...

'' (1986). Niles was already working on a trilogy of novels with a Celtic theme to be published by TSR, Ltd., which he then modified to become the first novels set in the

, starting with ''

Darkwalker on Moonshae ''Darkwalker on Moonshae'' is a fantasy novel by Douglas Niles and the first novel written for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Published originally as a standalone novel, it is also t ...

'' (1987). Niles also co-authored ''

The City of Greyhawk ''The City of Greyhawk'' is a boxed set accessory for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, part of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was designed by Doug Niles, Carl Sargent, and Rik Rose, and published by TS ...

'' boxed set with

Carl Sargent Carl Lynwood Sargent (11 December 1952 – 12 September 2018) was a British parapsychologist and author of several roleplaying game-based products and novels, who used the pen name Keith Martin to write ''Fighting Fantasy'' gamebooks. Early life ...

, for which he designed the 96-page booklet ''Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess''. Niles and Paul Lidberg designed the board game '' A Line in the Sand'' (1991), which focused on the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

between the US and Iraq; it was one of the projects originating from TSR West, and was published the day the US started bombing because

Flint Dille Flint Dille (born November 3, 1955) is an American screenwriter, game designer and novelist. He is best known for his animated work on ''Transformers'', ''G.I. Joe'', ''An American Tail: Fievel Goes West'', and his game-writing, ''The Chronicles ...

convinced the company president to move quickly. Niles has written numerous novels, mainly for the Dragonlance series. Niles is one of the most prolific Dragonlance authors, and in addition to ''

Wizard's Conclave ''Wizards’ Conclave'' is a fantasy novel by Douglas Niles, set in the world of Dragonlance, and based on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. It is the fifth novel in the '' Age of Mortals'' series. It was published in paperback in July ...

'', his Dragonlance titles include The Icewall Trilogy (''The Messenger'', ''The Golden Orb'', '' Winterheim''), ''Emperor of Ansalon'', ''The Dragons'', ''The Puppet King'', ''Fistandantilus Reborn'', ''

Flint the King ''Preludes'' is a series of novels comprising two trilogies set in the Dragonlance world of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. ''Darkness and Light'' ''Darkness and Light'', written by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya R. Carter, ...

'' (with Mary Kirchoff), and ''The Last Thane''. He contributed nine novels to the Forgotten Realms line, including the Moonshae trilogy and two further trilogies in the Forgotten Realms. He has won both the H.G. Wells award and the Origins award for his work in developing adventure games. In 1990, he left TSR to write fantasy fiction. Niles has written two World War II alternate history novels, ''

Fox on the Rhine ''Fox on the Rhine'' is a 2000 alternate history novel written by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson. It details a course of events over late 1944 that resulted from Adolf Hitler's death in the July 20 plot and from Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's sur ...

'' and ''

Fox at the Front ''Fox at the Front'' is a 2003 alternate history novel written by Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson. It is a sequel to the 2000 novel '' Fox on the Rhine''. Plot summary The story picks up on December 27, 1944, just minutes after the climax to ' ...

'' (co-authored with Michael Dobson). Released in hardcover by

Forge A forge is a type of hearth used for heating metals, or the workplace (smithy) where such a hearth is located. The forge is used by the smith to heat a piece of metal to a temperature at which it becomes easier to shape by forging, or to th ...

, a division of

TOR Tor, TOR or ToR may refer to: Places * Tor, Pallars, a village in Spain * Tor, former name of Sloviansk, Ukraine, a city * Mount Tor, Tasmania, Australia, an extinct volcano * Tor Bay, Devon, England * Tor River, Western New Guinea, Indonesia Sc ...

, "Fox" has been both a main selection of the

Military Book Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members c ...

and a Featured selection of the

Science Fiction Book Club Bookspan LLC is a New York–based online Bookselling, bookseller, founded in 2000. Bookspan began as a joint endeavor by Bertelsmann and WarnerMedia, Time Warner. Bertelsmann took over control in 2007, and a year later, sold its interest to N ...

. Niles and Dobson also later wrote the World War II alternate history novel ''MacArthur's War''. Niles has created two fantasy worlds in books published by Ace Fantasy. The Watershed Trilogy (''A Breach in the Watershed'', ''Darkenheight'', ''The War of Three Waters'') was completed in the late 1990s, and it features a continent divided by mountains into three distinct basins: watersheds of pure, normal water; of magical liquid (Aura); and of vile, poisonous Darkblood. ''Circle at Center'', ''Worldfall'', and ''The Goddess Worldweaver'' form the Seven Circles Trilogy, which details a cosmos in which historical characters from Earth can be drawn into the realms of magic, through sorcery both deadly and erotic. Niles has designed dozens of games for TSR, Inc. and SPI, including award-winning boardgames based on

Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military science, military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War. Seventeen of ...

's novels ''

The Hunt for Red October ''The Hunt for Red October'' is the debut novel by American author Tom Clancy, first published on October 1, 1984, by the Naval Institute Press. It depicts Soviet submarine captain Marko Ramius as he seemingly goes rogue with his country's cutt ...

'' and ''

Red Storm Rising ''Red Storm Rising'' is a war novel, written by Tom Clancy and co-written with Larry Bond, and released on August 7, 1986. Set in the mid-1980s, it features a Third World War between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Warsaw Pact force ...

'', and has also created numerous historical military boardgames, including the massive games ''European Theatre of Operations'' and ''Pacific Theatre of Operations''.

Personal life

Niles resides in Delavan, in the Wisconsin countryside, with his wife Christine and his son David. His daughter, Allison, served overseas as part of

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

. His hobbies include hiking, bicycling, playing the guitar, and spending time with his friends and family.

Bibliography

Nonfiction

• ''A Noble Cause: American Battlefield Victories in Vietnam'' ( 2015 )

Novels

* ''Horror on the Hill'' (1983) * ''Tarzan and the Well of Slaves'' (1985) * ''Winds of Change'' (1992) * '' The Rod of Seven Parts'' (1996) * ''The Odyssey of Gilthanas'' (1999) (with Steve Miller) * '' War of the Worlds: New Millennium'' (2005) * ''MacArthur's War: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan'' (2007) (with Michael Dobson) * Top Secret/S.I. Administrators Guide TSR, Inc 1987

Series

="Fox" series

= * ''

'' (2000) (with Michael Dobson) * ''

'' (2003) (with Michael Dobson)

=Watershed

= * ''A Breach in the Watershed'' (1995) * ''Darkenheight'' (1996) * '' War of Three Waters'' (1997)

=Chaos War

= * ''Seeds of Chaos'' (1998) * ''Chaos Spawn'' (1999)

=Seven Circles

= * ''Circle at Center'' (2000) * ''World Fall'' (2001) * ''The Goddess Worldweaver'' (2003)

Series contributed

=Dragonlance

= * ''

'' (1986) with

* ''Lords of Doom'' (1986) * ''

Dragons of Triumph ''Dragons of Triumph'' is the fourth and final module in the third story arc of the 14-module Dragonlance (DL) series of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' adventure role-playing game. The series was published by TSR between 1984 and 1986. The game's co ...

'' (1986)

=Forgotten Realms : The Moonshae Trilogy

= * ''

'' (1987) * ''Black Wizards'' (1988) * ''Darkwell'' (1989)

=Forgotten Realms : Maztica Trilogy

= * ''Viperhand'' (1989) * ''Ironhelm'' (1990) * ''Feathered Dragon'' (1991)

=Dragonlance : Preludes II

= * ''Flint, the King'' (1990)

=Dragonlance : Elven Nations

= * ''The Kinslayer Wars'' (1991)

=Forgotten Realms : Druidhome

= * ''Prophet of Moonshae'' (1992) * ''The Coral Kingdom'' (1992) * ''The Druid Queen'' (1993)

=Dragonlance : Villains

= * ''Emperor of Ansalon'' (1993)

=Dragonlance : Lost Histories

= * ''The Kagonesti'' (1995) * ''The Dragons'' (1996)

=First Quest

= * ''Pawns Prevail'' (1995) * '' Suitors Duel'' (1995) * ''Immortal Game'' (1996)

=Dragonlance : Lost Legends

= * ''Fistandantilus Reborn'' (1997)

=Dragonlance : Chaos War

= * ''The Last Thane'' (1998) * ''The Puppet King'' (1999)

=Dragonlance : Icewall

= * ''The Messenger'' (2001) * ''The Golden Orb'' (2001) * ''Winterheim'' (2003)

=Dragonlance : Age of Mortals

= * ''Wizards' Conclave'' (2004)

=Dragonlance : Rise of Solamnia

= * ''Lord Of The Rose'' (2005) * ''The Crown and Sword'' (2006) * ''The Measure and the Truth'' (2007)

=Dragonlance : Dwarf Home

= * ''The Secret of Pax Tharkas'' (2007) * ''Heir of Kayolin'' (2008) * ''The Fate of Thorbardin'' (2009)

Top Secret/S.I.

* Administrators Guide Orion (1987) Game Design

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niles, Douglas 1954 births 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists American fantasy writers American male novelists Dungeons & Dragons game designers Living people People from Delavan, Wisconsin