Rob Heinsoo
Encyclopedia
Rob Heinsoo is an American tabletop game designer. He has been designing and contributing to professional roleplaying games, card games, and board games since 1994. He has also designed and contributed to miniatures games and a computer game.
With Wizards of the Coast
, Heinsoo was involved in a number of Dungeons & Dragons
game products. He helped is the designer of Three-Dragon Ante
, a unique card game. Other Forgotten Realms works include the sourcebook Monsters of Faerûn
. He served as lead designer for the Fourth Edition of the core rules. The Player's Handbook
for this edition was nominated for an Origins Award
for Best Roleplaying Game in 2009. His teammates referred to his role on the 4th Edition team as the "mad genius." He also helped write the third edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
, which reached the top 50 of the non-fiction bestsellers in Canada in 2002 and won an Origins Award for best roleplaying supplement of 2001. His book Monster Manual 2, co-written with Chris Sims, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller in 2009.
While at Wizards of the Coast, he also led and contributed to various miniatures gaming projects. Subsequent to the release of the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
, he took over as lead designer on that project. He was also one of three designers of Dreamblade
, for which he was nominated for an Origins Award in 2007.
Rob Heinsoo also contributes to Alarums and Excursions
.
Career
Heinsoo began playing Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 at age 10, using the original edition. His interest in games informed his interest in science fiction and fantasy, and vice versa.With 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...
, Heinsoo was involved in a number of 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...
game products. He helped is the designer of Three-Dragon Ante
Three-Dragon Ante
Three-Dragon Ante is a card game developed by Rob Heinsoo, and published by Wizards of the Coast in November 2005. The game is a combination of luck and skill, and blends concepts from traditional card games such as poker, hearts, and rummy.Based on Dungeons & Dragons, it is intended as a game in...
, a unique card game. Other Forgotten Realms works include the sourcebook Monsters of Faerûn
Monsters of Faerûn
Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn is a supplement for the 3rd edition of Dungeons & Dragons.-Contents:It features about 150 pages of monsters unique to the Forgotten Realms campaign setting...
. He served as lead designer for the Fourth Edition of the core rules. The Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook
The Player's Handbook is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons . It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those for use by players of the game...
for this edition was nominated for an Origins Award
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 the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins.The Origins Award is commonly...
for Best Roleplaying Game in 2009. His teammates referred to his role on the 4th Edition team as the "mad genius." He also helped write the third edition Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
The Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting is a role-playing game sourcebook first published in 1987, detailing the Forgotten Realms setting, containing information on characters, locations, and history as well as setting-specific rules for use with the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game...
, which reached the top 50 of the non-fiction bestsellers in Canada in 2002 and won an Origins Award for best roleplaying supplement of 2001. His book Monster Manual 2, co-written with Chris Sims, was a Wall Street Journal bestseller in 2009.
While at Wizards of the Coast, he also led and contributed to various miniatures gaming projects. Subsequent to the release of the Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game
The Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures Game is a collectible miniatures game played with pre-painted, plastic miniature figures based on characters and monsters from the Dungeons & Dragons game. The figures are 30mm in scale...
, he took over as lead designer on that project. He was also one of three designers of Dreamblade
Dreamblade
Dreamblade is a collectible miniatures game created by Wizards of the Coast that debuted on August 9, 2006, the day before Gen Con Indy. The game is a strategy contest that includes an element of chance which comes into play through various die rolls....
, for which he was nominated for an Origins Award in 2007.
Rob Heinsoo also contributes to Alarums and Excursions
Alarums and Excursions
Alarums and Excursions , is an amateur press association started in June 1975 by Lee Gold...
.
Tabletop roleplaying games
- Nexus: the Infinite City (1994) (Lead Editor, Writer)
- Back for Seconds (1996) (Co-Editor)
- Marked for Death (1996) (Co-Editor)
- Feng Shui: Hong Kong Action Movie Roleplay (1996) (Co-Editor)
3rd Edition D&D
- Creatures of Faerun (2000) (Co-Designer)
- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001) (Co- Author)
4th Edition D&D
- Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition (2008) (Lead Designer)
- Player’s Handbook (2008) (Lead Designer)
- D&D Essentials: Rules Compendium (2010) (Lead Designer)
- The Plane Above (August 2010) (Lead Designer)
- Underdark (2010) (Lead Designer)
- Primal Power (September 2009) (Designer)
- Adventurer’s Vault 2 (2009) (Lead Designer)
- Monster Manual 2 (2009) (Lead Designer)
- Divine Power (2009) (Lead Designer)
- Forgotten Realm’s Player’s Guide (2008) (Lead Designer)
- Martial Power (2008) Lead Designer)
Card games and board games
- Surviving On the Edge (1995) (Co-Author)
- Shadowfist (1995) (Lead Playtester, Editor)
- Netherworld (1996) (Developer, Additional Design)
- Shadowfist Player’s Guide (1996) (Author)
- Flashpoint (1997) (Co-designer, Art Direction)
- Legend of the Five Rings Gold Edition (2000) (Story Lead)
- Football Champions (2001-2004) (Designer, seven sets)
- Three-Dragon Ante (2005) (Designer)
- Inn-Fighting (2007) (Designer)
- Castle Ravenloft (2010) (Additional Design)
- Three-Dragon Ante: Emperor’s Gambit (2010) (Designer)
Miniatures games
- Chainmail (2002) (Co-Designer)
- Sets 1-4 (2002-2003) (Co-Designer, Developer)
- D&D Miniatures Sets 1-9, Harbinger, Dragoneye, Archfiends, Giants of Legend, Aberrations, Deathknell, Angelfire, Underdark, Wardrums (2003 – 2006) (Designer)
- Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures (2003) (Lead Designer)
- Dreamblade (2006) (Co-designer)