Jamie Chambers (born January 25, 1975) is an American

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 ...

who works primarily on

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 ...

s, contributing in a variety of genres. He served as Vice President of the non-profit

Game Manufacturers Association The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is a non-profit trade association based in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to the advancement of the non-electronic social games Industry (economics), industry – Board/Tabletop Games, Miniatures Games, Card G ...

, a trade association for the hobby games industry, from 2007 until 2016, when he chose not to seek re-election. He succeeded

Marcus King Marcus King (born March 11, 1996) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman, lead singer and guitarist for The Marcus King Band. His 2020 album ''El Dorado'' received a nomination for Grammy Aw ...

for the post. Chambers worked with

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 ...

Sovereign Press Sovereign Press, Incorporated is a publisher and distributor of role-playing games based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It was founded in 1998 by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin and is one of two companies that Weis owns. Games produced Sovereign P ...

in 1988, then transitioned with her to

Margaret Weis Productions Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd. is a games publisher located in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States and founded in 2004 after Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, the two founders of Sovereign Press, divorced. Games Margaret Weis Productions is pr ...

(MWP) where he served as Vice President and Lead Designer. While there, he created the

Cortex System The Cortex System is a collection of related roleplaying games. Its most recent iteration, ''Cortex Prime,'' was designed by Cam Banks and published by Fandom Tabletop. Prior versions appeared in the licensed roleplaying games published by Margare ...

, a

ruleset that has been used by MWP since that time.

Career

Jamie Chambers contributed to the mythos of the world for

Sovereign Stone The Sovereign Stone series is a trilogy of fantasy novels: ''Well of Darkness'' (2000), ''Guardians of the Lost'' (2001), and ''Journey into the Void'' (2003), set in the same universe of the '' Sovereign Stone'' Role-playing game. Both the books ...

through short stories, as well as by running the Sovereign Stone website.

and

Don Perrin Don Perrin (born 1 October 1964) is a Canadian writer and former military officer. Early life and education Born in Iserlohn, Germany, Perrin grew up in Kingston, ON, Canada, McMasterville, QC, Canada, Bromley, Kent, England, and Ottawa, ON, Can ...

, along with Chambers and

Christopher Coyle Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

, wrote the licensed ''

Dragonlance Campaign Setting ''Dragonlance Campaign Setting'' is an accessory for the Dragonlance campaign setting, for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents The ''Dragonlance Campaign Setting'' hardcover updated the Dragonlance ...

'' (2003) for publication by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...

, and afterward

was allowed to expand and supplement that book using the d20 license. After Perrin left Sovereign Press and Weis created

, the company's new direction kicked off with the

and the ''

Serenity Role Playing Game The ''Serenity Role Playing Game'' is a science fiction role-playing game released in 2005 and set in the universe of the movie '' Serenity''. It was produced by Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd, and its mechanics were the first iteration of t ...

'' (2005). Through Margaret Weis Productions, Chambers also created and published the role playing games Battlestar Gallactica and Supernatural. At the time, Serenity RPG was the most popular role playing game since the original Dungeons and Dragons, requiring four print runs in the first year of publishing.

Cortex System

Chambers created the

for the

during his time at

. He then used it for additional licensed game supplements, several of which were based on television shows and movies, including

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

and

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

. The Cortex System shifted away from gameplay determined by the rules toward a gaming experience guided by them, which was considered a necessary step to counterbalance the computerization of role playing games. The system allows the game to evolve throughout a game session, providing the players with ways to create and modify the rules to meet their needs. The system was later adapted into

Cortex Plus The Cortex Plus System is a toolkit RPG system that evolved from Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd's Cortex System. It has been used for four published games and one published preview to date, and the design principles are in the ''Cortex Plus Hack ...

and Cortex "Prime" by

Cam Banks Cam Banks is a game designer known for his work on the Cortex System line of roleplaying games as lead designer for ''Marvel Heroic Roleplaying'', and the ''Big Damn Heroes Handbook'' supplement to the ''Serenity Role Playing Game'', among other ...

when he took over for Chambers at

as lead designer. Banks later founded

Magic Vacuum Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

, a production studio that has licensed the original

and the revised

, which is considered more narrative than the original Cortex system, building on the move away from systems constrained by rules and allowing further differentiation from computerized role playing games.

Awards and nominations

* 2003 - Lucca Comics Games Awards Best Translated Game for ''Dragonlance'' * 2005 -

Origins Award The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 aw ...

Gamer's Choice Best Role Playing Game of the Year For ''Serenity'' * 2007 -

I-CON I-CON (short for "Island CONvention") was a (roughly) annual fan convention, held on various college campuses in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. First held in 1982 on the campus of Stony Brook University, I-CON became a very eclectic co ...

Shared Worlds Award for his various supplements in the

Firefly (TV series) ''Firefly'' is an American space Western drama television series, created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as an executive producer, along with Tim Minear. The series is set in the y ...

and

Serenity (2005 film) ''Serenity'' is a 2005 American space Western film written and directed by Joss Whedon in his feature directorial debut. The film is a continuation of Whedon's short-lived 2002 Fox television series ''Firefly'' and stars the same cast, taking ...

universe. * 2008 -

Finalist in the Role Playing Games Category for ''Battlestar Galactica RPG''.

Bibliography

Roleplaying Supplements * Sovereign Stone - Roleplaying books for the

fiction novel world and the concepts and artwork of artist

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'', ...

.
Sovereign Stone Campaign Sourcebook
2001. .
Bestiary of Loerem
2002. .
Escape Into Darkness
2002. . *Dragonlance - Roleplaying books for the popular

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 ...

fiction novel world and

Tabletop role-playing game A tabletop role-playing game (typically abbreviated as TRPG or TTRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a form of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech. Participa ...

setting. ** - **
Towers of High Sorcery
2004. . ** ** * Serenity/Firefly Universe - Roleplaying books tied into the

, and associated

. ** ** * Other Works **
Sundered Reaches Campaign Setting
2003. .
Battlestar Galactica Quickstart Guide
2007. . OCLC 144523355. ** - Tie-in for the

Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series) ''Battlestar Galactica'' (''BSG'') is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced by Moore and David Eick as a re-i ...

.
Cortex System Role Playing Game
2008. . OCLC 294887717. ** ** ** Short Fiction * "At The Water's Edge," published in *"Reflections," published i
''Vampyr Verse''
(collection). Popcorn Press. 2009. . *"The Ultharian," published in
Cthulhu Haiku (and Other Mythos Madness)
'. Popcorn Press. 2012. . *"Restless," published in
Cthulhu Haiku 2 (and More Mythos Madness)
'. Popcorn Press. 2013. . Short Nonfiction * "Growing Up Dragonlance," published in
Dragons in the Archives: The Best of Weis & Hickman
' (anthology). 2004. . OCL
56892788
* "Blue Collar Ghost Hunters," published in
In the Hunt : Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural
' (essay anthology). 2005. . OCL
228365200
* "Getting Out There: Tips For Creating Your Own Vocal Group," published in
Filled With Glee: The Unauthorized Glee Companion
'. 2011. . OCL
505420552

References

External links

Home page
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Jamie 1975 births Living people Role-playing game designers