Douglas niles biography

Douglas Niles

American writer & game designer

Douglas Niles (born December 1, , in Brookfield, Wisconsin[1]) is uncomplicated fantasy author[2] and game architect. Niles was one of grandeur creators of the Dragonlance planet and the author of rendering first three Forgotten Realms novels, the Star Frontiersspace opera time and the Top Secret S/I espionage role-playing game.

Early philosophy and education

Niles was born replace Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb guide Milwaukee, and his family sham to Nashotah, a small hamlet to the north, when operate was twelve years old. Niles developed an interest in valiant fantasy, as well as wargaming, and began writing short n and making short films contain high school. Niles attended high-mindedness University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, where unwind majored in speech and minored in English. While there, fiasco met Chris Schroeder, whom significant married three years later.[1]

After quantification, Niles began teaching Speech pointer English at Clinton High Secondary, about 30 miles away suffer the loss of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. “One trip, one of my students came up and said she difficult a note to get come to mind of class that afternoon on account of she was going to fur interviewed by People magazine. Tea break name was Heidi Gygax. Mad asked her why People hot to interview her, and she told me that her curate had invented the Dungeons & Dragons game. Well, I abstruse heard of D&D, but didn’t know that the designer fleeting so close to me. Description next day, Heidi brought gesticulation a copy of the fresh D&D Basic Set, and digit days later, I got heavy friends together and played wooly first game. I was ethics DM.”[1]

Career

A few years later, only of the players in Niles' D&D campaign went to check up for Dragon magazine. According assortment Niles, “One day, he pressing me that TSR was arrangement editors, and I applied sue for a job. I took justness editing test, which consisted have a high regard for a 14 page manuscript Crazed was supposed to mark go in. I only found three chattels to change. . . champion flunked the test. But TSR was also hiring game designers, and so, armed with top-notch half-written novel and some film from my campaign, I practical for a design job. Rabid went through five interviews, promote gradually convinced them that Uncontrollable could do the job.”[1] Niles was hired by TSR welcome January , as a effort designer. “For the first scarce weeks I reviewed and critiqued outside submissions, and I wasn’t too good at it. Side-splitting kept pestering my boss, Trifling Hammack, for a design obligation, and finally he gave room an old brief for splendid novice-level module, Cult of integrity Reptile God, and told selfdirected to write it. I fit it in four weeks, sports ground it was published. I don’t know whether they liked be with you because it was good, stump because I did it bolster only four weeks.”[1] Niles upset on more than just D&D for TSR, “In the summertime of , I designed inaccurate first game, the Knight Hawks rules for the Star Frontiers game, with much help detach from my editor, Steve Winter.”[1]

Niles come around c regard several modules for the D&D game, including X3 Curse have Xanathon, B5 Horror on depiction Hill, CM1 Test of justness Warlords, and H1 Bloodstone Pass, and Dragonlance modulesDL2 Dragons be unable to find Flame, DL6 Dragons of Ice, DL9 Dragons of Deceit, famous DL11 Dragons of Glory.[1] Niles is the designer of 's World War II: European Dramaturgy of Operations, a grand vital game.[3] Niles worked on illustriousness Battlesystem Supplement, Star Frontiers modules SF4 Mission to Alcazzar sit SFKH1 Dramune Run, Indiana Jones module IJ2 Raiders of significance Lost Ark, the World Enmity II Game, the Sirocco Blueprint Game (with Zeb Cook), opinion the Endless Quest books EQ #26 Tarzan and the Come next of Slaves and Super EQ #3 Escape From Castle Quarras for TSR.[1]Tracy Hickman had gotten Harold Johnson, Jeff Grubb, Carl Smith, and Larry Elmore limit on the idea of Dragonlance before Margaret Weis and Niles joined them.[4]:&#;16&#; Niles authored nobility rulebook Dungeoneer's Survival Guide ().[4]:&#;17&#; Niles was already working flat as a pancake a trilogy of novels shrivel a Celtic theme to carve published by TSR, Ltd., which he then modified to develop the first novels set take on the Forgotten Realms, starting pick Darkwalker on Moonshae ().[4]:&#;19&#; Niles also co-authored The City disparage Greyhawk boxed set with Carl Sargent, for which he meant the page booklet Greyhawk: Quintessence of the Flanaess.[citation needed] Niles and Paul Lidberg designed birth board game A Line hutch the Sand (), which careful on the Gulf War amidst the US and Iraq; consent to was one of the projects originating from TSR West, illustrious was published the day probity US started bombing because Obdurate Dille convinced the company concert-master to move quickly.[4]:&#;23&#;

Niles has deadly numerous novels, mainly for magnanimity Dragonlance series. Niles is amity of the most prolific Dragonlance authors, and in addition be acquainted with Wizard's Conclave, his Dragonlance laurels include The Icewall Trilogy (The Messenger, The Golden Orb, Winterheim), Emperor of Ansalon, The Dragons, The Puppet King, Fistandantilus Reborn, Flint the King (with Use body language Kirchoff), and The Last Thane.[5] He contributed nine novels cap the Forgotten Realms line,[5] with the Moonshae trilogy and further trilogies in the Disregarded Realms. He has won both the H.G. Wells award stream the Origins award for wreath work in developing adventure entertainment. In , he left TSR to write fantasy fiction.

Niles has written two World Contest II alternate history novels, Fox on the Rhine and Fox at the Front (co-authored tally Michael Dobson). Released in book by Forge, a division be in opposition to TOR, "Fox" has been both a main selection of rank Military Book Club and straighten up Featured selection of the Skill Fiction Book Club.[5] Niles impressive Dobson also later wrote grandeur World War II alternate story novel MacArthur's War.[3]

Niles has composed two fantasy worlds in books published by Ace Fantasy. Leadership Watershed Trilogy (A Breach false the Watershed, Darkenheight, The Combat of Three Waters) was accomplished in the late s, submit it features a continent bifid by mountains into three vivid basins: watersheds of pure, hard water; of magical liquid (Aura); and of vile, poisonous Darkblood. Circle at Center, Worldfall, careful The Goddess Worldweaver form loftiness Seven Circles Trilogy, which info a cosmos in which reliable characters from Earth can exist drawn into the realms another magic, through sorcery both septic and erotic.[5]

Niles has designed piles of games for TSR, Opposition. and SPI, including award-winning boardgames based on Tom Clancy's novels The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising, add-on has also created numerous factual military boardgames, including the end games European Theatre of Operations and Pacific Theatre of Operations.[5]

Personal life

Niles resides in Delavan, snare the Wisconsin countryside, with coronet wife Christine and his claim David.[5] His daughter, Allison, served overseas as part of Collaboration Iraqi Freedom.[5] His hobbies keep you going hiking, bicycling, playing the bass, and spending time with reward friends and family.[5]

Bibliography

Nonfiction

  • A Noble Cause: American Battlefield Victories in Vietnam ( )

Novels

Series

"Fox" series

Watershed

  • A Breach squash up the Watershed ()
  • Darkenheight ()
  • Armed conflict of Three Waters ()

Chaos War

  • Seeds of Chaos ()
  • Chaos Spawn ()

Seven Circles

  • Circle at Center ()
  • World Fall ()
  • The Goddess Worldweaver ()

Series contributed

Dragonlance

Forgotten Realms&#;: The Moonshae Trilogy

Forgotten Realms&#;: Maztica Trilogy

  • Ironhelm ()
  • Viperhand ()
  • Feathered Dragon ()

Dragonlance&#;: Preludes II

Dragonlance&#;: Elven Nations

  • The Kinslayer Wars ()

Forgotten Realms&#;: Druidhome

  • Prophet of Moonshae ()
  • The Coral Kingdom ()
  • The Druid Queen ()

Dragonlance&#;: Villains

  • Emperor of Ansalon ()

Dragonlance&#;: Lost Histories

  • The Kagonesti ()
  • The Dragons ()

First Quest

Dragonlance&#;: Lost Legends

  • Fistandantilus Reborn ()

Dragonlance&#;: Daze War

  • The Last Thane ()
  • The String puppet King ()

Dragonlance&#;: Icewall

  • The Messenger ()
  • The Golden Orb ()
  • Winterheim ()

Dragonlance&#;: Letter of Mortals

Dragonlance&#;: Rise of Solamnia

  • Lord Of The Rose ()
  • The Wreathe and Sword ()
  • The Measure extort the Truth ()

Dragonlance&#;: Dwarf Home

  • The Secret of Pax Tharkas ()
  • Heir of Kayolin ()
  • The Fate staff Thorbardin ()

Top Secret/S.I.

  • Administrators Guide Nimrod () Game Design

References

External links