Roger E. Moore
Encyclopedia
Roger E. Moore is a designer of role-playing game
s. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon
magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon
magazine.
for the early part of his childhood, and eventually settled down outside of Louisville
. Moore attended the University of Kentucky
, where he majored in Astronomy
before changing his major to Psychology
. He married fellow student Georgia Skowlund, and after he graduated from college he entered the U.S. Army as a mental health counsellor
. “The place I worked at in West Germany
was a combination mental-health clinic/pizza parlor/ham radio shack and library ... It was once a panzer barracks, too. I was quite bored, so I started writing articles for Dragon
Magazine. I gamed heavily and met some other gamers who now write or work for magazines.” After a number of successful submissions to Dragon, Moore became a Contributing Editor. “I had a lot of time to write at work, mostly when clients were too busy to show up for appointments. I did articles on the D&D
, AD&D, and Traveller
games — just about anything I could find.”
While in Fort Bragg
during the summer of 1977, he first learned about role-playing games. Moore became a regular contributor of articles to Dragon beginning in 1980.
Moore received the Army Commendation Medal
and other awards during his five-year tour of duty at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
and Mannheim
, West Germany. After three years of duty in Mannheim, Moore went to the University of Louisville
to work toward a Ph.D.
in Experimental Psychology
. “I wanted to work with the space program as a human-factors engineer,” says Moore. “After awhile, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted, so I called up Kim Mohan
and asked if he needed any help on his staff.”
as a magazine editor in May 1983. Moore wrote jokingly, "I lerned alot from Pat Price an KimMohan an picked up the majorty of my edditing skills from them an learnd to pay more attension to grammer and speling then I used too pay to." Moore wrote consistently for Dragon magazine, and became editor of Dungeon Adventures
magazine in 1986, and in the same year became Editor-in-Chief of Dragon when Kim Mohan resigned. Moore moved to the games division in 1993, where he became creative director of the AD&D core rules product group. He joined Wizards of the Coast
in 1997 when TSR was acquired and continued to write and edit gaming materials of all sorts, finally leaving the company in late 2000. Moore has written fiction for Dragonlance
and other game worlds. He is the author of Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
, which won the 1998 Origins Award
for Best Roleplaying Supplement.
Moore is a past member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
.
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...
s. He is best known for his long-running tenure as editor of Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine, and was the founding editor of Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine.
Early life
Moore's family moved around KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
for the early part of his childhood, and eventually settled down outside of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. Moore attended the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, where he majored in Astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
before changing his major to Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. He married fellow student Georgia Skowlund, and after he graduated from college he entered the U.S. Army as a mental health counsellor
Mental health professional
A mental health professional is a health care practitioner who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. This broad category includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, mental health...
. “The place I worked at in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
was a combination mental-health clinic/pizza parlor/ham radio shack and library ... It was once a panzer barracks, too. I was quite bored, so I started writing articles for Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
Magazine. I gamed heavily and met some other gamers who now write or work for magazines.” After a number of successful submissions to Dragon, Moore became a Contributing Editor. “I had a lot of time to write at work, mostly when clients were too busy to show up for appointments. I did articles on the D&D
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...
, AD&D, and Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
games — just about anything I could find.”
While in Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
during the summer of 1977, he first learned about role-playing games. Moore became a regular contributor of articles to Dragon beginning in 1980.
Moore received the Army Commendation Medal
Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. For valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force, but of a lesser degree than required for the award of the Bronze Star, the Valor device may...
and other awards during his five-year tour of duty at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
Fort Bragg (North Carolina)
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
and Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, West Germany. After three years of duty in Mannheim, Moore went to the University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
to work toward a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Experimental Psychology
Experimental psychology
Experimental psychology is a methodological approach, rather than a subject, and encompasses varied fields within psychology. Experimental psychologists have traditionally conducted research, published articles, and taught classes on neuroscience, developmental psychology, sensation, perception,...
. “I wanted to work with the space program as a human-factors engineer,” says Moore. “After awhile, I realized that wasn’t what I wanted, so I called up Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan is an American author and editor.-Biography:Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class...
and asked if he needed any help on his staff.”
Career
Moore joined TSR, Inc.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....
as a magazine editor in May 1983. Moore wrote jokingly, "I lerned alot from Pat Price an KimMohan an picked up the majorty of my edditing skills from them an learnd to pay more attension to grammer and speling then I used too pay to." Moore wrote consistently for Dragon magazine, and became editor of Dungeon Adventures
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine in 1986, and in the same year became Editor-in-Chief of Dragon when Kim Mohan resigned. Moore moved to the games division in 1993, where he became creative director of the AD&D core rules product group. He joined 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 1997 when TSR was acquired and continued to write and edit gaming materials of all sorts, finally leaving the company in late 2000. Moore has written fiction for Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
and other game worlds. He is the author of Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins
Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins is a 1998 sourcebook for the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E...
, which won the 1998 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 Supplement.
Moore is a past member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
.
Published books
- The Maelstrom's EyeSpelljammerSpelljammer is a campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, which features a fantastical outer space environment....
By Roger E. Moore, (TSR, Inc. May, 1992) (ISBN 1-56076-344-2)
External links
- List of Roger E. Moore credits at Pen & Paper gaming website