Monte Cook
Encyclopedia
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game
designer
and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook
.
as an editor and writer for the Rolemaster
and Champions
lines. Cook worked for Iron Crown Enterprises for four years; two as a freelancer and two as a full-time designer. During this period, he attracted fan and critical attention with the popular multi-genre setting Dark Space.
Cook began working for TSR
in 1992 as a freelancer, "writing a whole slew of stuff for the old Marvel game
that never came out because the game got canceled". Joining the TSR team, Cook designed Dungeons & Dragons
modules
such as Labyrinth of Madness (1995) and A Paladin in Hell (1998), and dozens of supplements to the Planescape
line including The Planewalker's Handbook
(1996) and Dead Gods
(1998). Cook also designed the conspiracy game Dark•Matter
(1999). After TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast
, Cook became a Senior Designer, and was part of the team working on the D&D game's third edition. Cook, Jonathan Tweet
, and Skip Williams
all contributed to the 3rd edition Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
, and Monster Manual
, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions. Cook was proud of the work he did on the new Dungeon Master's Guide, especially after Gary Gygax
gave his comments to the team as feedback on the book: "He said that the material in the new DMG would help him become a better DM... That was really cool–and satisfying in a 'completion of the circle' sort of way." Cook said in 2000 of his involvement with Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons & Dragons, "It's a great time to be working here... because every product is big, important, and innovative."
Cook left Wizards of the Coast
in 2001 and started Malhavoc Press to write material for the d20 System
independently. Malhavoc's first product, The Book of Eldritch Might, was an immediate success and is widely credited with demonstrating the viability of PDF publishing within the role-playing industry. This and other early Malhavoc products were initially released only in electronic format, though print versions of most of them have since been released by White Wolf, Inc. His most notable work under the Malhavoc banner is probably Arcana Unearthed
, a product he describes as a "variant Player's Handbook". He also wrote or co-wrote a few more products for Wizards of the Coast as a freelancer, including the d20 version of Call of Cthulhu.
He caused controversy in mid-2004 by exclusively selling his electronic d20 material with the DriveThruRPG.com store, which then used only the privacy-protected digital rights management PDF system. He eventually succumbed to pressure from his customers to sell his products in standard-PDF form, and DriveThruRPG has more recently done the same.
On September 20, 2011, Mike Mearls
announced that Cook would be taking over his "Legends & Lore" column for the Wizards of the Coast
website.
writer's workshop, and has published the novels The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. He has also published short stories like "Born in Secrets" (in Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in Realms of the Arcane). He also writes a continuing Call of Cthulhu fiction series, "The Shandler Chronicles," in Game Trade Magazine.
, a campaign setting based on Monte Cook's home game which was used as the playtest campaign for the third edition designers, in August 2006. A huge book (roughly 700 pages, a figure which more than doubles if the accompanying CD-ROM is taken into consideration) featuring some of the highest production values ever seen in the role-playing industry, Ptolus has enjoyed considerable success despite retailing for approximately $120 US, an unheard-of price for a roleplaying product.
, which Cook has often described as the culmination of his original ambitions for Malhavoc, he announced that he would be focusing on writing fiction and other forms of creative work he has not yet specified, rather than role-playing games, for the foreseeable future. White Wolf and Goodman Games announced his final RPG books. Monte Cook's World of Darkness
, his own take on White Wolf's modern horror setting, was released at Gen Con
2007. From Goodman Games is Dungeon Crawl Classics
: #50, "Vault of the Iron Overlord", which was also targeted for the same Gen Con release.
However, due to demand by fans reading his livejournal and posting their desires on the Malhavoc message boards, Monte Cook released one more RPG product in early 2008, the Book of Experimental Might. This was quickly followed by the Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold and Resolute.
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...
designer
Game design
Game design, a subset of game development, is the process of designing the content and rules of a game in the pre-production stage and design of gameplay, environment, storyline, and characters during production stage. The term is also used to describe both the game design embodied in a game as...
and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook
Sue Weinlein Cook
Sue Weinlein Cook is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR, and for Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press.-Biography:...
.
Roleplaying
Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown EnterprisesIron Crown Enterprises
Iron Crown Enterprises was a publisher of role playing, board, miniature battle, and collectible card games.ICE was incorporated in 1980 shortly after the principal founders graduated from the University of Virginia...
as an editor and writer for the Rolemaster
Rolemaster
Rolemaster is a role-playing game published by Iron Crown Enterprises. Rolemaster has come in four separate editions. The 3rd edition, first published in 1995, is also known as the "Rolemaster Standard System" . There are two editions currently in production...
and Champions
Champions (role-playing game)
Champions is a role-playing game published by Hero Games that is designed to simulate and function in a four-color superhero comic book world. It was created by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer....
lines. Cook worked for Iron Crown Enterprises for four years; two as a freelancer and two as a full-time designer. During this period, he attracted fan and critical attention with the popular multi-genre setting Dark Space.
Cook began working for TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1992 as a freelancer, "writing a whole slew of stuff for the old Marvel game
Marvel Super Heroes (role-playing game)
Marvel Superheroes , aka "the FASERIP system," is a role playing game set in the Marvel Universe, first published by TSR under license from Marvel Comics in 1984. In 1986, TSR published an expanded edition, entitled the Marvel Superheroes Advanced Game. Jeff Grubb designed both editions and Steve...
that never came out because the game got canceled". Joining the TSR team, Cook designed Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
modules
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
such as Labyrinth of Madness (1995) and A Paladin in Hell (1998), and dozens of supplements to the Planescape
Planescape
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. The Planescape setting was published in 1994...
line including The Planewalker's Handbook
The Planewalker's Handbook
The Planewalker's Handbook is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1996....
(1996) and Dead Gods
Dead Gods
Dead Gods is an adventure module for the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book was published in 1997, and was written by Monte Cook, with cover art by rk post and interior art by rk post, Adam Rex, and Josh Timbrook.-Plot summary:Dead Gods is...
(1998). Cook also designed the conspiracy game Dark•Matter
Dark•Matter
1Dark•Matter is a science fiction/conspiracy theory campaign setting that was originally published in 1999 by Wizards of the Coast as the second campaign setting for the Alternity role-playing game. It was written by Wolfgang Baur and Monte Cook...
(1999). After TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
, Cook became a Senior Designer, and was part of the team working on the D&D game's third edition. Cook, 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...
, and Skip Williams
Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry...
all contributed to the 3rd edition Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide
Dungeon Master's Guide
The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, and Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions. Cook was proud of the work he did on the new Dungeon Master's Guide, especially after Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
gave his comments to the team as feedback on the book: "He said that the material in the new DMG would help him become a better DM... That was really cool–and satisfying in a 'completion of the circle' sort of way." Cook said in 2000 of his involvement with Wizards of the Coast and Dungeons & Dragons, "It's a great time to be working here... because every product is big, important, and innovative."
Cook left Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
in 2001 and started Malhavoc Press to write material for the d20 System
D20 System
The d20 System is a role-playing game system published in 2000 by Wizards of the Coast originally developed for the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons...
independently. Malhavoc's first product, The Book of Eldritch Might, was an immediate success and is widely credited with demonstrating the viability of PDF publishing within the role-playing industry. This and other early Malhavoc products were initially released only in electronic format, though print versions of most of them have since been released by White Wolf, Inc. His most notable work under the Malhavoc banner is probably Arcana Unearthed
Arcana Unearthed
Arcana Unearthed is a role-playing game created by Monte Cook and first published in 2003. Described as a "variant player's handbook", the 256 page hardcover core rulebook bears many similarities to the Players Handbook of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons, on which Cook worked a few years prior...
, a product he describes as a "variant Player's Handbook". He also wrote or co-wrote a few more products for Wizards of the Coast as a freelancer, including the d20 version of Call of Cthulhu.
He caused controversy in mid-2004 by exclusively selling his electronic d20 material with the DriveThruRPG.com store, which then used only the privacy-protected digital rights management PDF system. He eventually succumbed to pressure from his customers to sell his products in standard-PDF form, and DriveThruRPG has more recently done the same.
On September 20, 2011, Mike Mearls
Mike Mearls
Michael Mearls is a writer and designer of fantasy role-playing games and related fiction.He worked as a freelance writer and designer for various gaming publishers for several years before being hired in June 2005 as a designer by Wizards of the Coast. He was a Lead Developer for Dungeons &...
announced that Cook would be taking over his "Legends & Lore" column for the Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
website.
Fiction
Cook graduated from the 1999 Clarion WestClarion Workshop
Clarion is a six-week workshop for new and aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers. Originally an outgrowth of Knight and Wilhelm's Milford Writers' Conference, held at their home in Milford, Pennsylvania, USA, it was founded in 1968 by Robin Scott Wilson at Clarion State College in...
writer's workshop, and has published the novels The Glass Prison and Of Aged Angels. He has also published short stories like "Born in Secrets" (in Amazing Stories), "The Rose Window" (in Realms of Mystery), and "A Narrowed Gaze" (in Realms of the Arcane). He also writes a continuing Call of Cthulhu fiction series, "The Shandler Chronicles," in Game Trade Magazine.
Ptolus
Malhavoc released PtolusPtolus
Ptolus is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game written by Monte Cook. It was published by Malhavoc Press on August 10, 2006. Ptolus is also the name of the city featured in the campaign...
, a campaign setting based on Monte Cook's home game which was used as the playtest campaign for the third edition designers, in August 2006. A huge book (roughly 700 pages, a figure which more than doubles if the accompanying CD-ROM is taken into consideration) featuring some of the highest production values ever seen in the role-playing industry, Ptolus has enjoyed considerable success despite retailing for approximately $120 US, an unheard-of price for a roleplaying product.
Further material from Malhavoc
Shortly after the release of PtolusPtolus
Ptolus is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game written by Monte Cook. It was published by Malhavoc Press on August 10, 2006. Ptolus is also the name of the city featured in the campaign...
, which Cook has often described as the culmination of his original ambitions for Malhavoc, he announced that he would be focusing on writing fiction and other forms of creative work he has not yet specified, rather than role-playing games, for the foreseeable future. White Wolf and Goodman Games announced his final RPG books. Monte Cook's 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...
, his own take on White Wolf's modern horror setting, was released at Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
2007. From Goodman Games is Dungeon Crawl Classics
Dungeon Crawl Classics
Dungeon Crawl Classics is a series of roleplaying adventure modules published by Goodman Games under the d20 open gaming license. It includes more than 40 adventures, and features celebrated game designers such as Michael Mearls, Dave Arneson, and Monte Cook, as well as classic TSR artists like...
: #50, "Vault of the Iron Overlord", which was also targeted for the same Gen Con release.
However, due to demand by fans reading his livejournal and posting their desires on the Malhavoc message boards, Monte Cook released one more RPG product in early 2008, the Book of Experimental Might. This was quickly followed by the Book of Experimental Might II: Bloody, Bold and Resolute.