John D. Rateliff is an author of

roleplaying 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 and an

independent scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher ...

. He specializes in the study of the works of

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philology, philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was ...

, particularly his

Middle-earth Middle-earth is the fictional setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the ''Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf''. Middle-earth is t ...

fantasy writings.

Early life and education

John D. Rateliff was raised in

Magnolia, Arkansas Magnolia is a city in Columbia County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census the population was 11,577. The city is the county seat of Columbia County. Magnolia is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill and the World Championship S ...

. He moved to Wisconsin in 1981 to study Tolkien's manuscripts at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

. Rateliff is an expert in Tolkien studies, and he earned a Ph.D in 20th-century British literature from Marquette.

Career

Rateliff has helped organize several major conferences on Tolkien. He contributed essays to '' Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth'' (2000) and to a volume marking the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

'', and edited '' The History of The Hobbit'' (HarperCollins, 2007), an edition of the drafting of Tolkien's ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the '' ...

'' with extensive commentary. Having written his dissertation on

Lord Dunsany Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (; 24 July 1878 – 25 October 1957, usually Lord Dunsany) was an Anglo-Irish writer and dramatist. Over 90 volumes of fiction, essays, poems and plays appeared in his lifetime.Lanham, M ...

, Rateliff likes to describe his degree as "a Ph.D in fantasy." He worked for the game companies TSR,

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

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...

for a number of years, contributing to a large number of products in the

Dungeons and 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 Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TSR). ...

line. In addition he worked as a freelancer for several other companies. Rateliff was the co-editor of the third edition ''D&D'' ''

Player's Handbook The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...

'' and ''

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

'' (the original d20 System game rules), and worked on such titles as '' Mark of Amber'', ''

Night Below ''Night Below: An Underdark Campaign'', often known as Night Below, is a boxed set for the second edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. The set, with the product code TSR 1125, was published in 1995, and was w ...

'', ''

Return to the Tomb of Horrors ''Return to the Tomb of Horrors'' is a boxed set Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game released in 1998 by TSR, Inc. Plot summary This module expanded signif ...

'', the

Eberron Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements a ...

core rulebook, and

Decipher DECIPHER is a web-based resource and database of genomic variation data from analysis of patient DNA. It documents submicroscopic Chromosome abnormality, chromosome abnormalities (Deletion (genetics), microdeletions and Gene duplication, duplic ...

's ''

Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game ''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', released by Decipher Inc. in 2002, is a role-playing game set in the Middle-earth of J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction. The game is set in the years between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', ...

''. He is the author of the adventures ''

Standing Stone A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright rock (geology), stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. T ...

'' and ''

Return to the Keep on the Borderlands Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is a 1999 adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It is a sequel to the original ''The Keep on the Borderlands'' module (B2) from 1979. Both modules were published by TS ...

'', as well as co-editor of and contributor to ''d20 Cthulhu''.

Publications

Children's books

* ''Egypt (Children of the World)'' (with Valerie Weber and Julie Brown; Gareth Stevens Publishing) (1992)

Roleplaying

*''Player's Survival Kit/Book, Adventurer's Log, and Cards'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition) ( - March 1995) *''

'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/AD&D)(1999) *''

Reverse Dungeon ''Reverse Dungeon'' is an adventure module for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Plot summary ''Reverse Dungeon'' is an adventure in which the players control the monsters in a dungeon instead of ...

'' (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons/AD&D) (May 1, 2000) *''

Hero Builder's Guidebook ''Hero Builder's Guidebook'' is an accessory for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Contents ''Hero Builder's Guidebook'' provides assistance to help develop player characters for 3rd edition ''Dungeons & Dr ...

'' - Dungeons & Dragons (co-author) (2000) *''

The Standing Stone ''The Standing Stone'' is an Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons), adventure module for the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition, 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Plot summary In ''The St ...

: An Adventure for 7th-Level Characters'' (Dungeons & Dragons Adventure) (April 1, 2001) *Co-author Decipher ''

The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game ''The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game'', released by Decipher Inc. in 2002, is a role-playing game set in the Middle-earth of J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction. The game is set in the years between ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', b ...

'' (2002) *''

EverQuest ''EverQuest'' is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) originally developed by Verant Interactive and 989 Studios for Windows PCs. It was released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999 in North Americ ...

Player's Handbook'' (2002) *''

Fushigi Yûgi , also known as ''Fushigi Yûgi: The Mysterious Play'' or ''Curious Play'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase. It tells the story of two teenaged girls, Miaka and Yui, who are pulled into ''The Universe of th ...

: Ultimate Fan Guide #1'' (September 30, 2002)

Studies of works by the Inklings

* "Early Versions of Farmer Giles of Ham" in ''Leaves from the Tree: J. R. R. Tolkien's Shorter Fiction'',

The Tolkien Society The Tolkien Society is an educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the life and works of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. It began informally in 1969, and held its inaugural meeting in 1970. It ho ...

(1991) * "Rhetorical Strategies in Charles William's Prose Play" in ''The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams'' edited by

Charles A. Huttar Charles A. Huttar is an emeritus professor of English at Hope College, known for his work on the Inklings including J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, and Charles Williams (British writer), Charles Williams. He has twice won the Mythopoei ...

and Peter J. Schakel (1996) * "'The Lost Road', 'The Dark Tower', and 'The Notion Club Papers': Tolkien and Lewis's Time Travel Triad" in '' Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth'' edited by

Verlyn Flieger Verlyn Flieger (born 1933) is an author, editing, editor, and Professor Emerita in the Department of English at the University of Maryland, College Park, University of Maryland at College Park, where she taught courses in comparative mythology, medi ...

and Carl F. Hostetter (2000) * '' The History of The Hobbit'' (2007)

References

External links

Sacnoth's Scriptorium - John D. Rateliff's Official Website
* *
Tolkien Gateway Interview of John D. RateliffAudio interview with John D. Rateliff.

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rateliff, John D. Dungeons & Dragons game designers Independent scholars Living people Marquette University alumni Tolkien Society members Tolkien studies Year of birth missing (living people)