Mark Rein·Hagen
Encyclopedia
Mark Rein·Hagen is a role-playing
, card
, video and board game
designer, best known as the creator of Vampire: The Masquerade
and its associated World of Darkness
games. Rein·Hagen is also one of the original two designers of Ars Magica
along with Jonathan Tweet
.
A founder and owner of White Wolf he sold his half of the company in 2007 and left the gaming field. Rein·Hagen served as a writer and producer for Kindred: The Embraced
, a TV show based on Vampire, produced by Aaron Spelling
and shown on Fox TV. Kindred was cancelled, however, following the death of its star Mark Frankel
.
As a side project independent of White Wolf Game Studio, Rein·Hagen founded Atomoton Games and created Z-G
, the first collectible action figure game
. Despite the high production value and plans for numerous tie-ins, the game failed to find a market and sank the company.
Following the demise of Atomoton Games, Mark briefly pursued a farming career in central California, raising poultry for export to Asian markets.
As of mid 2008 he was purportedly living in Tbilisi
, Georgia
with his wife and child during the
2008 South Ossetia War
, Rein-Hagen was evacuated with other US Citizens living in Georgia and started the now defunct site sosgeorgia.org to help track what was happening. The site can still be viewed using the waybackmachine.org website as of 2011.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
, card
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
, video and board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
designer, best known as the creator of Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade
Vampire: The Masquerade is a role-playing game. Created by Mark Rein·Hagen, it was the first of White Wolf Game Studio's World of Darkness role-playing games, based on the Storyteller System and centered around vampires in a modern gothic-punk world....
and its associated World of Darkness
World of Darkness
"World of Darkness" is the name given to three related but distinct fictional universes created as settings for supernatural horror themed role-playing games. It is also the name of roleplaying games in the second and third settings...
games. Rein·Hagen is also one of the original two designers of Ars Magica
Ars Magica
Ars Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, a quasi-historical version of Europe around AD 1200 with added fantastical elements. The game revolves around wizards and their allies...
along with Jonathan Tweet
Jonathan Tweet
Jonathan Tweet is a game designer who has been involved in the development of the role-playing games Ars Magica, Everway, Over the Edge, Talislanta and the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as the Collectible Miniatures Game Dreamblade.-Early life:Jonathan Tweet started playing D&D in...
.
A founder and owner of White Wolf he sold his half of the company in 2007 and left the gaming field. Rein·Hagen served as a writer and producer for Kindred: The Embraced
Kindred: The Embraced
Kindred: The Embraced is an American television series produced by John Leekley Productions and Spelling Television. Loosely based on the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, the series premiered on Fox on April 2, 1996, and ran for eight episodes before it was canceled on May 9, 1996. The...
, a TV show based on Vampire, produced by Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling was an American film and television producer. As of 2009, Spelling's eponymous production company Spelling Television holds the record as the most prolific television writer, with 218 producer and executive producer credits...
and shown on Fox TV. Kindred was cancelled, however, following the death of its star Mark Frankel
Mark Frankel
Mark Frankel was an English actor.- Life and career :Frankel was born to David Lionel Frankel and Grace Frankel on the 13th of June 1962 and was raised in London. Beginning his acting career at 10, Frankel performed on stage until age 16, when he broke from the theater...
.
As a side project independent of White Wolf Game Studio, Rein·Hagen founded Atomoton Games and created Z-G
Z-G
Z-G is the first collectible action figure game, created by Mark Rein·Hagen and released in 2001 as the first product of his solo company, Atomoton...
, the first collectible action figure game
Collectible action figure game
A collectible action figure game is a collectible tabletop game in which the primary component is some sort of action figure. The first collectible action figure game was Mark Rein-Hagen's Z-G. Subsequent collectible action figure games have included WizKids' Shadowrun, Toy Biz's Marvel Legends...
. Despite the high production value and plans for numerous tie-ins, the game failed to find a market and sank the company.
Following the demise of Atomoton Games, Mark briefly pursued a farming career in central California, raising poultry for export to Asian markets.
As of mid 2008 he was purportedly living in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
with his wife and child during the
2008 South Ossetia War
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, Rein-Hagen was evacuated with other US Citizens living in Georgia and started the now defunct site sosgeorgia.org to help track what was happening. The site can still be viewed using the waybackmachine.org website as of 2011.