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#redirect[[Wikipedia:Mike Mearls]]
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'''Michael Mearls''' is a writer and designer of RPGs and related fiction. He was the senior manager for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' research and design team. He co-led the design for the 5th edition of the game. He also worked on the ''Castle Ravenloft'' board game, and various compendium books for D&D 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions.
 
==Education==
Mearls is an alumnus of Dartmouth College.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thedartmouth.com/1997/06/08/news/graduation/|title=TheDartmouth.com &#124; Graduation List as of June 5, 1997|access-date=April 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709002027/http://thedartmouth.com/1997/06/08/news/graduation|archive-date=July 9, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> While at Dartmouth he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, and became known for a satiric letter to the campus paper.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/1997/05/college-should-look-into-robot-workers-cloning-and-zombies|title=College Should Look Into Robot Workers, Cloning and Zombies}}</ref>
 
==Career==
Mearls wrote the adventure ''To Stand on Hallowed Ground/Swords Against Deception'' (2001) for Fiery Dragon Productions<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|226}} and the last product from Hogshead Publishing, a ''Warhammer'' adventure titled ''Fear the Worst'' (2002) that Hogshead released for free on the internet.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|307}} He also designed the game ''Iron Heroes'' (2005) for Malhavoc Press.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|226}}
 
In June 2005, Mearls was hired as a designer by [[Wizards of the Coast]]; he came to Wizards through the community of third-party d20 designers.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|301}} At Wizards, he served as a lead developer for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' R&D working on the new 4th Edition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://company.wizards.com/|title=Homepage|website=Wizards Corporate}}</ref> Between the "Orcus I" and "Orcus II" design phases for fourth edition, Mearls spliced the encounter-power mechanics of fourth edition into ''Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords'' (2006), which was in process during development of the new edition.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|298}}
 
Along with [[Andy Collins]], [[David Noonan]], and [[Jesse Decker]], Mearls was part of [[Rob Heinsoo]]'s "Flywheel" design team for the fourth edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', and did the final concept work from May 2006 to September 2006, before the first books for the edition were written and playtested.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|297}} After Heinsoo was laid off in 2009, Mearls stepped up to become the new ''D&D'' Lead Designer.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|301}} He co-designed the ''Castle Ravenloft Board Game'' (2010) with Bill Slavicsek.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|302}}
 
In 2014, Mearls was a senior manager for ''Dungeons & Dragons'' research and development.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Digital-age 'Dungeons & Dragons' more than rolling dice|url=https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/19/tech/gaming-gadgets/dungeons-dragons-digital/index.html|last=Frum|first=Larry|website=CNN|date=19 August 2014|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://dnd.wizards.com/taxonomy/term/396|title=Mike Mearls &#124; Dungeons & Dragons|website=dnd.wizards.com}}</ref> Mearls was, together with [[Jeremy Crawford]], Co-Lead Designer for the 5e.<ref>{{Cite book|author=Wizards RPG Team|title=Players Handbook|publisher=Wizard of the Coast|year=2014|isbn=978-0786965601}}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|title=Inside the Launch of the New Dungeons & Dragons With Designer Mike Mearls|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/11554-Inside-the-Launch-of-the-New-Dungeons-Dragons-With-Designer-Mike|last=Bolding|first=Jonathan|date=June 2, 2014|website=[[The Escapist (magazine)| The Escapist]]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=An Interview With Jeremy Crawford, Co-Designer and Editor of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/13729-An-Interview-With-Jeremy-Crawford-Co-Designer-and-Editor-of-Dung|last=Bolding|first=Jonathan|date=April 2, 2015|website=[[The Escapist (magazine)| The Escapist]]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> By 2018, Mearls had become the franchise's Creative Director.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Behind the scenes of the making of Dungeons & Dragons|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/behind-the-scenes-of-the-making-of-dungeons-dragons/|last=Brodeur|first=Nicole|date=2018-05-04|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Exclusive: 'Dungeons & Dragons' to Announce New Settings for Fifth Edition Later This Year|url=https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-fifth-edition-campaign-settings/|last=Hoffer|first=Christian|date=June 7, 2018|website=ComicBook.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref> He left the Wizards of the Coast tabletop RPG team in 2019 and was replaced by [[Ray Winninger]] as the Executive Producer in charge of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' studio in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dungeons & Dragons' Design Team Has a New Head, Mike Mearls Exited Last Year|url=http://411mania.com/games/dungeons-dragons-design-team-has-a-new-head-mike-mearls-exited-last-year/|last=Thomas|first=Jeremy|date=April 29, 2020|website=411MANIA|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502030608/https://411mania.com/games/dungeons-dragons-design-team-has-a-new-head-mike-mearls-exited-last-year/|archive-date=2020-05-02|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=He no longer works on the tabletop RPG team and hasn't since sometime last year.|url=https://twitter.com/JeremyECrawford/status/1255304531329548290|last=Crawford|first=Jeremy|date=2020-04-28|website=Twitter|publisher=[[Jeremy Crawford]]|language=en|access-date=2020-05-06}}</ref>
 
==Writing credits==
* ''Iron Heroes'' role playing game.
* "The Siege of Durgham's Folly," from Necromancer Games
* Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition ''Player's Handbook 2''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=products/dndacc/9780786950164|title=Contents|work=Player's Handbook 2|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|access-date=2011-10-05|last1=Crawford|first1=Jeremy|author-link1=Jeremy Crawford|last2=Mearls|first2=Mike|last3=Wyatt|first3=James|author-link3=James Wyatt}}</ref>
* Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition ''Monster Manual 3''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dnd.wizards.com/taxonomy/term/396|title=Mike Mearls {{!}} Dungeons & Dragons|website=dnd.wizards.com|language=en|access-date=2017-10-08}}</ref>
* Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition ''Keep on the Shadowfell'', Adventure Book
* Playtest: New Hybrid and Multiclass Options, ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine #400<ref name=Dragon400>{{cite web|last=Mearls|first=Mike|title=Playtest: New Hybrid and Multiclass Options|url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/toc.aspx?x=dnd/4new/drtoc/400|work=Dragon magazine #400|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|access-date=5 October 2011}}</ref>
* Dragon magazine #360<ref>{{cite web|last=Mearls |first=Mike |url=http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drdd/20070921 |title=Encounter Design in 4th Edition |work=Dragon magazine #360|publisher=Wizards of the Coast |date=2007-09-21 |access-date=2012-08-23}}</ref>
 
==External links==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=378 |archive-date=January 1, 2009 |title=Mike Mearls in the Pen & Paper RPG Database |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090101080435/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=378 |access-date=August 18, 2007 }}
 
== References ==
=== Notes ===
<references group="note" />
=== Citations ===
<references />
=== Bibliography ===
{{wikipedia}}
 
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mearls, Mike}}
[[Category:Authors]]

Revision as of 01:09, 13 April 2022

Greyhawk Creator
Mike Mearls
Mike Mearls, attending the ENnies, 2012.
Nationality:United States

Michael Mearls is a writer and designer of RPGs and related fiction. He was the senior manager for the Dungeons & Dragons research and design team. He co-led the design for the 5th edition of the game. He also worked on the Castle Ravenloft board game, and various compendium books for D&D 3rd, 4th, and 5th editions.

Education

Mearls is an alumnus of Dartmouth College.[1] While at Dartmouth he was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, and became known for a satiric letter to the campus paper.[2]

Career

Mearls wrote the adventure To Stand on Hallowed Ground/Swords Against Deception (2001) for Fiery Dragon Productions[3]:226 and the last product from Hogshead Publishing, a Warhammer adventure titled Fear the Worst (2002) that Hogshead released for free on the internet.[3]:307 He also designed the game Iron Heroes (2005) for Malhavoc Press.[3]:226

In June 2005, Mearls was hired as a designer by Wizards of the Coast; he came to Wizards through the community of third-party d20 designers.[3]:301 At Wizards, he served as a lead developer for Dungeons & Dragons R&D working on the new 4th Edition.[4] Between the "Orcus I" and "Orcus II" design phases for fourth edition, Mearls spliced the encounter-power mechanics of fourth edition into Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords (2006), which was in process during development of the new edition.[3]:298

Along with Andy Collins, David Noonan, and Jesse Decker, Mearls was part of Rob Heinsoo's "Flywheel" design team for the fourth edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and did the final concept work from May 2006 to September 2006, before the first books for the edition were written and playtested.[3]:297 After Heinsoo was laid off in 2009, Mearls stepped up to become the new D&D Lead Designer.[3]:301 He co-designed the Castle Ravenloft Board Game (2010) with Bill Slavicsek.[3]:302

In 2014, Mearls was a senior manager for Dungeons & Dragons research and development.[5][6] Mearls was, together with Jeremy Crawford, Co-Lead Designer for the 5e.[7] [8][9] By 2018, Mearls had become the franchise's Creative Director.[10][11] He left the Wizards of the Coast tabletop RPG team in 2019 and was replaced by Ray Winninger as the Executive Producer in charge of the Dungeons & Dragons studio in 2020.[12][13]

Writing credits

  • Iron Heroes role playing game.
  • "The Siege of Durgham's Folly," from Necromancer Games
  • Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Player's Handbook 2[14]
  • Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Monster Manual 3[15]
  • Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Keep on the Shadowfell, Adventure Book
  • Playtest: New Hybrid and Multiclass Options, Dragon magazine #400[16]
  • Dragon magazine #360[17]

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ TheDartmouth.com | Graduation List as of June 5, 1997.
  2. ↑ College Should Look Into Robot Workers, Cloning and Zombies.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Shannon Appelcline (2011) Designers & Dragons, Mongoose Publishing ISBN: 978-1-907702-58-7.
  4. ↑ Homepage. Wizards Corporate.
  5. ↑ Frum, Larry. Digital-age 'Dungeons & Dragons' more than rolling dice. CNN.
  6. ↑ Mike Mearls | Dungeons & Dragons. dnd.wizards.com.
  7. ↑ Wizards RPG Team (2014) Players Handbook, Wizard of the Coast ISBN: 978-0786965601.
  8. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan. Inside the Launch of the New Dungeons & Dragons With Designer Mike Mearls (in en). The Escapist.
  9. ↑ Bolding, Jonathan. An Interview With Jeremy Crawford, Co-Designer and Editor of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (in en). The Escapist.
  10. ↑ Brodeur, Nicole. Behind the scenes of the making of Dungeons & Dragons (in en-US). The Seattle Times.
  11. ↑ Hoffer, Christian. Exclusive: 'Dungeons & Dragons' to Announce New Settings for Fifth Edition Later This Year (in en). ComicBook.com.
  12. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy. Dungeons & Dragons' Design Team Has a New Head, Mike Mearls Exited Last Year (in en-US). 411MANIA.
  13. ↑ Crawford, Jeremy. He no longer works on the tabletop RPG team and hasn't since sometime last year. (in en). Twitter. Jeremy Crawford, 2020-04-28.
  14. ↑ Contents. Player's Handbook 2. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Mike Mearls | Dungeons & Dragons (in en). dnd.wizards.com.
  16. ↑ Mearls, Mike. Playtest: New Hybrid and Multiclass Options. Dragon magazine #400. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Mearls, Mike. Encounter Design in 4th Edition. Dragon magazine #360. Wizards of the Coast, 2007-09-21.

Bibliography

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