David Vincent Baker is a designer of tabletop

role playing games 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 ...

and the owner of

Lumpley Games Lumpley Games is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements. History Vincent Baker began using "lumpley" email addresses and URLs in '' kill puppies for satan'' (2002); he had used the name on various online sys ...

which also hosts the archives of The Forge. His most notable games are ''

Dogs in the Vineyard ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' is an independently published role-playing game loosely based on the history of the Mormons. It was written by D. Vincent Baker and published by Lumpley Games. In the 2004 Indie RPG Awards, ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' w ...

'' and '' Apocalypse World''. ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' was the 2004 Indie RPG Game of the Year and won the Innovation Award and was one of three games shortlisted for the 2004

Diana Jones Award The Diana Jones Award is an annual award for "excellence in gaming". The original award was made from a burned book encased in lucite. The award is unusual in two ways: first, it is not an award for a specific class of thing, but can be awarded t ...

and Most Innovative Game. ''Apocalypse World'' won Game of the Year, Best Support, and Most Innovative game at the 2010 Indie RPG Awards, 2011

Lucca Comics & Games Lucca Comics & Games is an annual Comic book convention, comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy, traditionally held at the end of October, in conjunction with All Saints' Day. It is the largest comics festival in Europe, and the second ...

(''Apocalypse World'' for Best Role-Playing Game) and was 2011 RPG of the Year at both the

Golden Geek Awards Game of the Year (abbreviated GotY) is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many publications award a single "Game of the Year" to a single title that they feel represents the pinnacle of gaming achievemen ...

and

.RPG Geek page
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Career

Vincent Baker is the designer of the

Indie role-playing game An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the gam ...

'' (2004), one of the first indies to be notably successful, both financially and sociologically. This game was the story of God's Watchdogs, trying to preserve the faithful on the hostile American frontier of the 19th century, and introduced the idea of "say yes or roll". Baker also designed '' kill puppies for satan'' (2001), ''Mechaton'' (2006), '' Apocalypse World'' (2010), and other indie role-playing games. ''Apocalypse World'' is a post-apocalyptic game co-designed with his wife,

Meguey Baker Meguey Baker () is a roleplaying game designer, independent publisher and quilt historian. She has been a guest of honor at Lucca Comics & Games, I-CON, and was scheduled to be one at Arisia in 2014. Career Game designer Baker is the found ...

, published through

. ''Apocalypse World'' won multiple awards such as the 2010 Indie RPG Award for "Game of the Year" and the 2011

"Best Role-Playing Game" award.

Powered by the Apocalypse Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) is a tabletop role playing game design framework developed by Meguey Baker and Vincent Baker for the 2010 game ''Apocalypse World'' and later used for '' Dungeon World'', ''Monsterhearts'' and numerous other RPGs. ...

, the game design framework created by the Bakers for ''Apocalypse World'', has made a lasting impact on role-playing game design. He also co-designed with his wife both ''Firebrands'' (2017), a romance TTRPG in a sci-fi setting focused on mobile frame pilots, and ''Under Hollow Hills'' (2021), an RPG about fairytales and a traveling circus. Jay Dragon, for ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

'', wrote that "''Under Hollow Hills'' is a game about how we treat each other when times are good and how we treat each other when times are bad — between its gorgeous prose, fascinating imaginative characters, countless treasures, and natural flowing play style, ''Under Hollow Hills'' is the future of tabletop role-playing games, a unique and impossible treasure". Baker and

Emily Care Boss Emily Care Boss is an indie roleplaying game designer, theorist and publisher. She was a foundational member of The Forge, an early leader in the indie role-playing game movement and is considered the creator of the American Freeform genre of r ...

are attributed as formulating the Lumpley Principle (a.k.a. Baker-Care Principle) which states "System (including but not limited to 'the rules') is defined as the means by which the group agrees to imagined events during play." Further development of the Lumpley Principle described player contributions as being assigned credibility by the other players in the game.

Lumpley Games

Baker's publishing imprint is called Lumpley Games. He began using "lumpley" email addresses and URLs in ''kill puppies for satan'' (2001); he had used the name on various online systems, and it would quickly become the name of Baker's indie publishing company too. Baker produced 40 or 50 copies of the game and sold them all, which would give them the money for his next project; Baker says that he hasn't put a dime into Lumpley since that initial investment. ''The Cheap and Cheesy Fantasy Game'' (2001) was the first game by Baker that called itself "a lumpley game." Lumpley Games published Baker's ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' (2004).

Personal life

Baker lives in Greenfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. He is the father of three children and is the husband of fellow

roleplaying Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing as ...

game designer

Bibliography

Role-playing games

* '' kill puppies for satan'' (2001) **''cockroach souffle'' (2002) *''The Cheap and Cheesy Fantasy Game'' (2001) *''Matchmaker'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) *''The Abductinators'' (2003) *''Mechaton'' (2006) **''Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack'' (2012) * ''Poison'd'' (2007) * ''In a Wicked Age'' (2007) * '' Apocalypse World'' (2010) **''Apocalypse World'' 2nd Edition (2016) **''Apocalypse World: the Extended Refbook'' (2019) **''Apocalypse World: Burned Over Hackbook'' (2019) * ''The Sundered Land'' (2013) *''The Seclusium of Orphone of the Three Visions'' (2013), a supplement for ''Lamentations of the Flame Princess'' *''Firebrands'' (2017) *''Murderous Ghosts'' (2017) *''Under Hollow Hills'' (2021)

References

External links

*
Lumpley Games Forum
on The Forge {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Vincent American game designers Indie role-playing game designers Living people Role-playing game designers Year of birth missing (living people)