Robert N. Charrette (born 1953) is an American graphic artist, game designer, sculptor and author. Charrette has authored more than a dozen novels. His gaming materials have received many Origins Awards. Charrette was inducted in the Origins Hall of Fame in 2003. His work is known for a clean, realistic style that invokes themes from

Feudal Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to Japanese Paleolithic, prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millenni ...

and

Chanbara , also commonly spelled "''chambara''", meaning "sword fighting" films,Hill (2002). denotes the Japanese film genre called samurai cinema in English and is roughly equivalent to Western and swashbuckler films. ''Chanbara'' is a sub-category of '' ...

films and in particular, historical and fantastic representations of

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

culture. His early work in game design and miniature sculpting set the tone for depictions of Japanese mythology in American fantasy and science fiction. His 1979 role-playing game ''

Bushido is a moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. There are multiple bushido types which evolved significantly through history. Contemporary forms of bushido are still used in the social and economic organization of Japan. ...

'' was one of the first role-playing games with a non-Western theme and remained in print for more than three decades. Charrette produced gaming products for

Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no in-house design teams and relies on submitted material from outside talent. History Founded in the summer of 1975 in Jericho, New York b ...

Grenadier Models Inc. Grenadier Models Inc. of Springfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Pennsylvania produced lead miniature figure (gaming), miniature figures for Wargaming, wargames and role-playing games with fantasy, science fiction and h ...

and

Ral Partha Enterprises Formed in 1975, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, is now known as ''Ral Partha Legacy Ltd.'' and produces miniature figures in 25 mm, 30 mm, 15 mm, and 54 mm scale. The company's products are m ...

FASA Fasa ( fa, فسا, Fasā, also Romanized as Fassa) is a city and capital of Fasa County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2016 census, its population was 110,825, in 33,379 families. Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province. The city date ...

and currently operates Parroom Enterprises, LLC, a boutique miniatures game company.

Early life

Charrette grew up in

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 ...

. He earned an interdisciplinary degree in biology and geology at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. He is a lifelong fan of dinosaurs and participates in the ''La Belle Compagnie'', a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about daily life during the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

Career

Charrette began his career in 1976 as an illustrator for Little Soldier Games. He continued on at the company's successor, Tyr Games, which became

Phoenix Games Phoenix Games was an American game company that produced role-playing games and game supplements. History Phoenix Games was a partnership between Dan Bress and Phil Edgren, and was a successor to the company Little Soldier Games, to which Bress ...

and then

in 1980. Charrette added game design and sculpting to his repertoire. With Paul R. Hume, he co-wrote and illustrated ''

'' (1979), ''

Aftermath! ''Aftermath!'' ("Sunset on humanity, or dawn of a brave new world?") is a role-playing game created by Paul Hume and Robert Charette and published in 1981 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world in which the characte ...

'' (1981) and '' Daredevils'' (1982). Charrette co-wrote ''

Spacefarers ''Spacefarers'' is a 1981 board game published by Games Workshop. Gameplay ''Spacefarers'' is a set of miniature rules designed specifically to be used with the ''Spacefarers'' figures from Citadel Miniatures. Reception William A. Barton re ...

'' with Ed Lipsett. By 1979, Charrette had created 25 mm miniatures to accompany ''

'' and

's ''

Gangster! ''Gangster!'' is a role-playing game published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1979. Gameplay ''Gangster!'' is a cops-and-mobsters role-playing game system set in the period 1900 to the present. Players can choose to be on the side of the law as p ...

'' and ''Space Opera'' game worlds.Report on Origins '79, ''Dragon Magazine'' #29, September 1979.
Mirror of FGU website, Accessed December 17, 2008Molten Magic in ''White Dwarf'' #14, August/September 1979 Those initial Japanese-themed figures began a series that he would revise many times. He produced similar Samurai-themed lines for

Reaper Miniatures Reaper Miniatures is an American manufacturer of pewter and plastic figurines in the 25–35 mm scale, which include fantasy and science fiction figures. Founded in 1992 by brothers Ed and David Pugh, the company was originally based in Fort ...

and others. Charrette became a prolific sculptor. He joined Ral Partha in 1984 and contributed to

Tom Meier Tom Meier is a sculptor, a founding partner of Ral Partha Enterprises, and the winner of numerous awards for the design and sculpture of historical, fantasy and science fiction gaming miniatures. Meier began sculpting professionally at the age of ...

's ''The Hoplites'', ''1200 A.D.'' and ''CS/02-xxx Collector Series'' lines.Ral Partha 1984 Catalog, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. In 1985, Charrette inaugurated figures for Chaosium's ''

RuneQuest ''RuneQuest'' (commonly abbreviated as RQ) is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game originally designed by Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Steve Henderson (game designer), Steve Henderson, and Warren James, and set in Greg Stafford's mythical world of ...

'' and a line of pulp era adventurers that were initially called "20th Century Plus", but were later renamed ''20-xxx The Roaring Twenties''.Ral Partha 1985 Fantasy Catalog, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. They were an update of the line of figures he sculpted in 1979 to accompany

's ''Gangster!''.Report on Origins '79, ''Dragon Magazine'' #29, September 1979. and included cinematic themes such as the intrepid archaeologist. He was part of a team of sculptors that produced a line of miniature robot war machines for Ral Partha in 1985. The miniatures were for a game that was first called "Battledroids" and renamed ''

BattleTech ''BattleTech'' is a wargaming and military science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2001, which was in turn acquired by Topps in 2003; and published since 2007 by Catalyst Game Labs. The trademark ...

'' in 1986, for

's game of the same name.Ral Partha 1986 Catalog, Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. It was the beginning of a permanent relationship between the two companies that would eventually lead to Ral Partha's sale to FASA. Charrette began a long-term relationship with FASA as a sculptor, game designer and novelist. In 1986, Charrette introduced Ral Partha's ''53-9xx Bushido'', an expansion of his earlier line.
Bob Charrette Games, Accessed November 23, 2008. ''Bushido'' coincided with

TSR, Inc. TSR, Inc. was an American game publishing company, best known as the original publisher of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). Its earliest incarnation, Tactical Studies Rules, was founded in October 1973 by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye. Gygax had been ...

's 1985 release of ''

Oriental Adventures ''Oriental Adventures'' (abbreviated OA) is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game. Each version of ''Oriental Adventures'' provides rules for ...

'' supplements, a gaming world that resembled the one crafted by Charrette and Hume in 1979. At the time integrated campaign worlds such as

Games Workshop Games Workshop Group (often abbreviated as GW) is a British manufacturer of miniature wargames, based in Nottingham, England. Its best-known products are ''Warhammer Age of Sigmar'' and ''Warhammer 40,000''. Founded in 1975 by John Peake (gam ...

's ''

Warhammer Fantasy Battle ''Warhammer'' (formerly ''Warhammer Fantasy Battle'' or just ''Warhammer Fantasy'') is a tabletop miniature wargame with a medieval fantasy theme. The game was created by Bryan Ansell, Richard Halliwell, and Rick Priestley; it was published ...

'' were showing early success, Ral Partha introduced the "Chaos Wars" theme into their 1986 and 1987 product lines.Ral Partha 1987 Catalog. Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. It was the first step toward unifying a collection of disparate product lines into an integrated game world. Charrette added a fantasy component to Ral Partha's existing ''Rules According to Ral'' for medieval battles. It was released in 1987 as part of a boxed set ''Rules According to Ral: Chaos Wars''.
Board Game Geek, Ral Partha Games, Accessed November 24, 2008.
TMP: Chaos Wars, Accessed November 23, 2008. ''Chaos Wars'' unified existing product lines and their packaging was marked with stickers. Among these sets were Charrette's popular ''Fangs of Fury'' Beastmen. Still Nascent, the Chaos Wars theme, was dropped in 1988 to promote a new contract for a line of official miniatures for TSR, Inc.'s '' Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' game. As Ral Partha became engaged with TSR, Charrette solidified his relationship with FASA. In 1988, he joined his longtime partner Paul R. Hume and others to construct FASA's 1989

Shadowrun ''Shadowrun'' is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspir ...

game world. Charrette provided design elements and artwork for ''Shadowrun'' and sculpted a line of figures produced by

While at Grenadier, Charrette also crafted a line of miniatures for '' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game'' (by

West End Games West End Games (WEG) was a company that made Board game, board, Role-playing game, role-playing, and wargaming, war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York City, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Its product line ...

), ''Lost Lands'' range of dinosaurs and 15 mm ''Warlord'' ranges.''The Grenadier Bulletin'', vol. 2.1, Summer 1993,

Kim Eastland Kimber "Kim" Lee Eastland (February 26, 1952 – January 29, 2020) was a game designer who worked for TSR. Early life Kim Eastland was born in Moline, Illinois, one of two children of Everett and Margaret Eastland. He attended Alleman High Scho ...

, editor As the creative focus of Grenadier Models Inc. moved to the United Kingdom in 1991 and 1992, FASA moved its production of Shadowrun figures to Ral Partha. Charrette had quickly become an integral member of FASA's creative team. In 1989, he expanded his design concepts for FASA games into supporting novelizations. Over the next six years, Charrette produced nine novels for FASA's Shadowrun, Battletech and Mechwarrior game worlds. As FASA's attention turned to video games, Charrette wrote ''Strange World of John Reddy Trilogy'' (1994-1995) for Warner Books, ''Chronicle of Aelwyn Trilogy'' (1996-1997) for Harper Collins and two ''Interstellar Defense League'' (1999, 2004) novels for Eos and under the pseudonym "Richard Fawkes." In 2001, Charrette returned to game design and began Parroom Enterprises, LLC. and miniature and games company which offers miniatures, games and supplements with fantasy themes inspired by the Victorian and medieval Japanese periods.

Bibliography

Roleplaying Games and Supplements

*''

Knights of the Round Table The Knights of the Round Table ( cy, Marchogion y Ford Gron, kw, Marghekyon an Moos Krenn, br, Marc'hegien an Daol Grenn) are the knights of the fellowship of King Arthur in the literary cycle of the Matter of Britain. First appearing in lit ...

'' (illustrator, with Phil Edgren, The Little Soldier, 1976) Bushido *''Bushido: Role Playing Adventure in Feudal Japan'' (with Paul R. Hume, Tyr Games 1979, Phoenix Games 1980, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981) *''Bushido Book 1: The Heroes of Nippon'' (Phoenix Games 1980, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981) *''Bushido Book 2: The Land of Nippon'' (Phoenix Games 1980, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981) *''Bushido Adventure Pack: Valley of Mists'' (Fantasy Games Unlimited 1982) *''Bushido Gamesmaster's Screen'' (Fantasy Games Unlimited, 1980) Aftermath! *''Aftermath!'' (with Paul R. Hume, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981) *''Aftermath! Book 2, Survivors of the Aftermath, a Player's Guide for a Post-holocaust World'' (with Paul R. Hume, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981). *''Aftermath! Book 3 the World of the Aftermath, a Gamemaster's Guide for a Post-holocaust World'' (with Paul R. Hume, Fantasy Games Unlimited 1981). *'' Aftermath Scenario Pack 1 Into the Ruins the City of Littleton'' (with Paul R. Hume, Fantasy Games Unlimited, January 1981). Spacefarers *''Spacefarers Guide to Alien Races'' (with Ed Lipsett, Phoenix Games 1979) *''Spacefarers Guide to Sector One'' (with Ed Lipsett, Phoenix Games 1979) *''Spacefarers Guide to Sector Two: Rourke's Diadem'' (with Ed Lipsett, Phoenix Games 1979) Daredevils *''Daredevils: Role Playing Action and Adventure in the Two-Fisted Thirties'' (with Paul R. Hume, Fantasy Games Unlimited Inc. 1982) * ''Daredevil Adventures featuring Deadly Coins and other stories'' (with

J. Andrew Keith John Andrew Keith (August 31, 1958 – August 7, 1999) was an American author and games developer. Career J. Andrew Keith, and his brother William H. Keith Jr., responded to ads in ''Journal of the Travellers Aid Society'' for authors to wri ...

and Stefan Jones, June 1983) The Mines of Keridav *''Demon Pits of Caeldo'' (with

Kerry Lloyd Kerry David Miles Lloyd (September 29, 1941 – August 27, 1988) was a game designer who worked primarily on role-playing games. Career Kerry Lloyd got his first book, a "generic fantasy" adventure called '' The Mines of Keridav'' (1979), publi ...

, Larry Shade and V.M. Wyman,

Gamelords Gamelords was an American game company that produced tabletop role-playing games and game supplements. History Kerry Lloyd founded the company, with three friends - Richard Meyer, Janet Trautvetter, and Michael Watkins in 1980. Gamelords was ...

1983) Rules According to Ral *Chaos Wars: Rules According to Ral (Ral Partha Enterprises, 1985) Runequest * Runequest: Land of Ninja (Avalon Hill, 1986). Shadowrun World *''Shadowrun - Where Man Meets Magic And Machine'' (with Paul R. Hume and

Tom Dowd Thomas John Dowd (October 20, 1925 – October 27, 2002) was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multitrack recording method. Dowd worked on a veritable "who's who" of recordings ...

, FASA, 1989) Earthdawn * Denizens of Earthdawn (FASA 1994) Parroom Station *Skyrunners: Martian Aerial Race System *Valor & Steel & Flesh

Novels

BattleTech Series—FASA, ROC *''Heir to the Dragon'' (Battletech #1, August 1989, ) *''Wolfpack'' (Battletech #4, 1989, ) *'' Wolves on the Border'' (Battletech #25, March 1989, Reprint 1992 ) MechWarrior Series—ROC *''Initiation to War'' (MechWarrior #4, December 2001, ) Shadowrun Series—ROC, Fanpro *''Never Deal with a Dragon'' (Shadowrun #1, December 1990, *''Choose Your Enemies Carefully'' (Shadowrun #2, January 1991, ) *''Find Your Own Truth'' (Shadowrun #3, June 1991, ) *''Never Trust an Elf'' (Shadowrun #6, June 1992, ) *''

Just Compensation Just compensation is a right enshrined in the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (and counterpart state constitutions), which is invoked whenever private property is taken (also in some states damaged) by the government. Usually, the gover ...

'' (Shadowrun #19, November 1995, ) Strange World of John Reddy Trilogy—Warner Books *''A Prince Among Men'' (Book #1, September 1994, )"Forecasts: Paperbacks." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' 241, no. 30 (July 25, 1994): 47. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost. Retrieved October 23, 2012. *''A King Beneath the Mountain'' (Book #2, April 1995, ) *''A Knight Among Knaves'' (Book #3, December 1995, ) Chronicle of Aelwyn Trilogy—Harper Collins *''Timespell'' (Book #1, March 1996, ) *''Eye of the Serpent'' (Book #2, September 1996, ) *''Wizard of Bones'' (Book #3, April 1997, ) Interstellar Defense League (as Richard Fawkes) -- Eos *''Face of the Enemy'' (1999) *''Nature of the Beast'' (2004) Non-Fiction *Fiore dei Liberi's Armizare, the Chivalric Martial Arts System of Il Fiore di Battaglia—Freelance Press (Sept. 2011, )

Sculpting

*Adina Corporation, ''C-Series'' (1978) *Broadsword (1979) *Fantasy Games Unlimited, ''Gangsters!'' miniature series (FGU G01-04 - 1979) *Fantasy Games Unlimited ''Bushido'' miniature series (FGU N01-08, 1979) *Fantasy Games Unlimited ''Space Opera'' Starships and Spacemen (FGU 1050, 1979) *Ral Partha Enterprises Macedonians in Tom Meier's ''The Hoplites, 1200 A.D.'' series (1984) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''Fantasy Collector CS/02-xxx Collector Series'' (with Tom Meier, 1984) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''25mm Samurai'' (1985) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''20th Century Plus'', ''20-xxx The Roaring Twenties'' (1985) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''Runequest'' (with Julie Guthrie, 1985) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''Bushido'' series (1986) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''Battletech'' series (1986-1989) *Ral Partha Enterprises ''Mechwarriors'' series (1986) *Grenadier Models Inc., ''Star Wars'' series (with Julie Guthrie, 1988) *Grenadier Models Inc., ''Lost Lands'' series *Grenadier Models Inc., ''Shadowrun'' series *Grenadier Models Inc., 15mm ''Warlords'' series *Lance and Laser, Villains and Vigilantes (V&V10-27, with Sandra Garrity, 2009 acquired by Team Frog Studios) *Parroom Station, LLC., ''Of Mars and Martians'' *Parroom Station, LLC., ''Victorian Science Fiction'' *Parroom Station, LLC., ''Victoriana'' *Parroom Station, LLC., ''Heroes of Nippon'' (includes Ral Partha ''Bushido'' line) *Parroom Station, LLC., ''Secret Science'' *Jeff Valiant Studios, ''Tyrannosaur'' *Em-4, ''Oriental Blades'' box set. *Texas Miniatures ''Bushido'' *Reaper, ''Daimyo'' Range (includes most of the Texas Miniatures range) *Dark Horse Designs, ''Robotech'' *Dark Horse Designs, ''Bill Willingham's Elementals'' *Highlander Studio, ''Sculptor's Choice'' *Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), ''Clan Wars'' series *Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), ''7th Seas'' series *Battle Honors, ''WWII Germans and Americans'' *Lance and Laser, ''Villains and Vigilantes,'' (with Sandra Garrity) renamed ''Living Legends'' in 1991. Sold by Team Frog Industries in 2009. *Gallo Pewter

Awards

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 ...

s / H.G. Wells Awards
Origins Game Fair, Accessed November 24, 2008. *1985 – Best Historical Figure Series – ''25mm Samurai'' (''53-7xx''

Bob Charrette Robert N. Charrette (born 1953) is an American graphic artist, game designer, sculptor and author. Charrette has authored more than a dozen novels. His gaming materials have received many Origins Awards. Charrette was inducted in the Origins Hall o ...

, Dennis Mize) *1986 – Best Vehicular or Accessory Series – ''

Mech.'' (''20-8xx'' Bob Charrette,

Julie Guthrie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

, Tom Meier) *1987 – Best Historical Figure Series – ''Shogun Hardguys: The New Samurai'' (''53-7xx'' Dennis Mize, Bob Charrette)And the Winner Is... ''Dragon Magazine'' #139, p. 56, November 1988 *1988 – Best Vehicular or Accessory Series – ''BattleTech Mechs'' (''20-8xx'' Bob Charrette,

, Tom Meier)''Dragon Magazine'' #149, September 1989. *1989 – Best Vehicular Miniatures Series – ''BattleTech Mechs and Vehicles'' (''20-xxx'' Dave Summers,

Sandy Garrity Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Sandy (surname), a list of people *Sandy (singer), Brazilian singer and actress Sandy Leah Lima (born 1983) *(Sandy) A ...

, Richard Kerr, Tom Meier, Bob Charrette, Julie Guthrie) *1991 – Best Vehicular Miniatures Series – ''BattleTech Mechs & Vehicles'' (''20-xxx'' Jeff Wilhelm, Dave Summers, Sandy Garrity, Richard Kerr, Tom Meier, Bob Charrette, Julie Guthrie) *1992 – Best Vehicular Miniatures Series – ''BattleTech Mechs & Vehicles'' (''20-8xx'' Jeff Wilhelm, Dave Summers, Sandy Garrity, Richard Kerr, Tom Meier, Bob Charrette, Julie Guthrie) Origins Hall of Fame *2003 – Bob Charrette

References

External links

*
Atelier de la Charrette
Robert N. Charrette's Home Page
Entry in the Pen & Paper RPG Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charrette, Robert Living people 1953 births 20th-century American novelists American fantasy writers American illustrators American male novelists Role-playing game artists Role-playing game designers 20th-century American male writers