Steve Wilson

Greyhawk Creator

Steven B. Wilson
Wilson taking a selfie for new faculty picture Feb. 2023
Nationality:	American
Born:	November 3, 1961, Texas, USA
First Greyhawk work:	History of Oerth in Oerth Journal #1 (May 1995)
Alias:	Tamerlain

Steven B. Wilson (born 3 November 1961) is a gamer, university instructor, and dabbler in poetry, music, tons of outdoor stuff, and more.

Wilson is known online as Tamerlain.

Early life

He grew up in northeastern Oklahoma on the edge of the Ozark Mountains on the shores of Ft. Gibson Lake.

Wilson attended Northeastern State University, and then Oklanhoma State University where he earned a BA in English. He also later earned a degree in English at the University of Oklahoma (1994), as well as a Masters in Human Relations (2000). While there, he also studied Medieval and Rennaisance Literature. He went on to be a professor of English, and later Business Communication, and Leadership at OU from 1993 forward.

He co-founded and is the COO at Bards Consulting (2019), an organizational communications and leadership comsulting firm.

Gaming career

Wilson began playing Dungeons & Dragons and other RPGs in 1975-76, and began playing in Greyhawk when it was first available as a setting. Wilson was initially a part of AOL's Greyhawk Message Board community, where he became very involved in discussing TSR's nascent on-line policies, not just for Greyhawk, but D&D in general.

Council of Greyhawk

As a result of his interaction with the Greyhawk community on AOL, Wilson, Tom Harrison (Bluesponge), and BluOgre (real name never revealed), founded the Council of Greyhawk, in 1995. The Council's stated mission was to keep "the World of Greyhawk™ a viable campaign world." This organization was made up of many note-worthies both from TSR, and others, many of whom continue to be recognizable and involved in both Greyhawk and the gaming industry. Some of the regular contributors and members included Gary Holian (PSmedger), Len Lakofka (Leomund), Frank Mentzer (ExTSR), Erik Mona (Iquander), Roger Moore (TSRRoger), Samantha Quest (QSamantha), Fred Weining (Psychlops), Dennis Couch (Renegade54), and Daniel Craig (Aeolius), and the infamous NightScreed, among others. [2][3]

Outside of the many excellent conversations which occurred, the Council's biggest long term impact on Greyhawk was the development of the Oerth Journal, of which Wilson was the first editor. He is constantly amazed that it has continued to this day in far more capable hands than his.

Team Greyhawk

Because of these interactions with the setting, Wilson was asked to serve on Wizard of the Coast's "Team Greyhawk" during the late 90's into the 2000's to bring the setting back to publication. This group consisted of Lisa Stevens (Team Lead), Sean K. Reynolds, Roger E. Moore, Steve Miller, Harold Johnson, Anne Brown, Kij Johnson, and Erik Mona This was especially significant for Mona and Wilson, who were basically fans brought to the table as an actual voice for the setting.Team Greyhawk worked on hammering out the essential Greyhawk spirit, working hard to develop the setting conceptually through all of its previous permutations. Other fans, such as Gary Holian and Frank Weining would later participate with Greyhawk material at WotC.

Two of Wilson's favorite events, from a player's perspective, happened during this time. The first is Roger Moore's use of Wilson's primary character, Fionbhar Aodhin, making him the proprietor of the Star of Celene Inn (in the character of Finnobhar Aodhin). The second was Roger's using Maret Nial (an anagram of Wilson's AOL screen name, Tamerlain) as the first self-styled Lord of Greyhawk, who moved Greyhawk from a village to a military outpost and trading center beginning in 4 CY.

Personal life

Wilson lives in Norman, Oklahoma, where he has taught for thirty-three years. He lives with his wife, Shelley, his son, Graeme, three dogs, Inake, Fletch, and Finn, and lone cat, Bitu.

Greyhawk works

Officially published works

Research Assistance and "Greyhawk Sage"

• Cordell, Bruce R. Return to White Plume Mountain. Renton, WA: TSR, 1999.
• Miller, Steve The Doomgrinder. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.
• Moore, Roger E.. The Adventure Begins. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998. Item code TSR9577.

———. Return of the Eight. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998. Item code TSR9576.

• Reynolds, Sean K.. The Star Cairns. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

———. Crypt of Lyzandred the Mad. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1998.

Non-canonical works

Editor or Developer

• Wilson, Steven B., ed., Erik Mona, Managing Editor, Oerth Journal #1. Council of Greyhawk, May 1995. Available Online
• Mona, Erik and Steven B. Wilson, eds., Oerth Journal #2. Council of Greyhawk, November 1995. Available Online

Author or Co-Author, Game Designer or Co-Game-Designer,

• Harrison, Tom and Steven B. Wilson. "Masters of the Azure Sea: Safeton". A Council of Greyhawk adventure created for Gen Con 1999.

———. "Masters of the Azure Sea, Part 2:. A Council of Greyhawk adventure created for Gen Con 1999.

———. "Masters of the Azure Sea, Part 3: The Sacrificial Coast." A Council of Greyhawk adventure created for Gen Con 1999.

• Wilson, Steven B. "The History of Oerth", Oerth Journal #1. Council of Greyhawk, May 1995. Available Online
  • "Suloise Dominion" (with Lenard Lakofka)
  • "Olven Calendar"
  • "Baklunish Hierarchy" (with Lenard Lakofka)
  • "Flanae Tally of Years"
  • "Oerid Reckoning"
  • "The Common Years"
  • "John's Rule" (Aquarian Notation) (with Frank Mentzer)

———. "The GreyChrondex 1.0" for Team Greyhawk, Wizards of the Coast, October 1998

———. "The GreyChrondex 4.2" on Canonfire!. May 2001 Available

———. "Places of Interest on Oerth, Part One" on Canonfire!. May 2002

———. "Places of Interest on Oerth, Part Two" on Canonfire!. May 2002

———. "Places of Interest on Oerth, Part Three" on Canonfire!. June 2002

———. "More on White Plume Backstory Development I" on Canonfire!. July 2004

———. "More on White Plume Backstory Development II" on Canonfire!. July 2004

Semi-Greyhawk and Non-Greyhawk Works

• Wilson, Steven B. "Bardic Colleges and Other Bardic Treasures" (monograph) on Canonfire! March, 2004.

———. “M(y)Illion Thoughts of Odysseus.” Windmill. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991, p1.

———. “The Warp: Threads of the Supernatural in Egil’s Saga.” Paper presentation at the University of Oklahoma’s Association of English, Graduate Student’s national conference. Norman, OK, 1992.

———. “Tales of the Road.” Paper presentation of a comparison of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and Lady Sarashina Niki’s As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams at the University of Miami’s Medieval, Baroque, and Renaissance Symposium. Coral Gables, FL, 1992. Revised presentation for University of Oklahoma’s 2nd Oklahoma Buddhist Conference, Norman, OK, 2001.

External links

Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.

• Tamerlain's Greyhawk articles on the Canonfire! web site.
• Steve Wilson's Greyhawk articles on the Canonfire! web site.

References

Bibliography

• Tamerlain, ed. The Oerth Journal #1. Council of Greyhawk, 1995. Available online
• Tamerlain, ed. The Oerth Journal #2. Council of Greyhawk, 1995. Available online
• Mona, Erik, ed. The Oerth Journal #3. Council of Greyhawk, 1996. Available online