This is a list of individuals that design role-playing games, including live-action role-playing games but excluding role-playing video games. Artists are listed separately on the annotated List of role-playing game artists. See List of video game industry people and its children for writers of material for video games.
Peter Adkison
Aaron Allston - Co-author of the second edition of Ghostbusters (Ghostbusters International)
Sandy Antunes
Dave Arneson - Creator of Dungeons & Dragons (with Gary Gygax)
Chris Avellone
Ken St. Andre - Creator of Tunnels & Trolls
Wilf K. Backhaus - Co-author of Chivalry & Sorcery
D. Vincent Baker - Dogs in the Vineyard, Apocalypse World, In A Wicked Age, Poison'd, Kill Puppies for Satan, Murderous Ghosts
Keith Baker - Eberron
Meguey Baker - Writer/Publisher - Creator of 1001 Night, a game of enticing stories, Psi-Run, Valiant Girls
Richard Baker
Cam Banks - Dragonlance, Marvel Heroic Roleplaying, Leverage: The Roleplaying Game
M. A. R. Barker - TĂ©kumel
Wolfgang Baur
Anders Blixt - has written for Traveller, MERP, Cyberspace, and a multitude of Swedish games
Brian Blume
R. Sean Borgstrom - Nobilis
Brenda Brathwaite - Wizardry series, Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes
Mike Breault
Bill Bridges - Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Mage: The Awakening, Mage: The Ascension, Fading Suns, Passion Play
Terry Brooks
Anne Brown
Timothy Brown
Jennifer Brozek - Fiction author, award winning game design writer, award winning editor
Phil Brucato - Mage: The Ascension, Mage: The Sorcerers Crusade, Deliria: Faerie Tales for a New Millennium, Werewolf: The Apocalypse
Jason Bulmahn - Pathfinder Roleplaying Game
Rich Burlew
Casey Hudson
Brian Campbell
Mike Carr
Marcelo Cassaro
Frank Chadwick - Designer of Twilight: 2000, Dark Conspiracy, and Space: 1889.
Coleman Charlton
Bob Charrette
Bill Coffin - Systems Failure (1999) for Palladium Books, Septimus (2008) for West End Games.
Andy Collins - Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition
David Cook
Monte Cook
Bruce Cordell - Return to the Tomb of Horrors, Expanded Psionics Handbook
Greg Costikyan - Toon, Paranoia, Star Wars
Croc
N. Robin Crossby - Harn
Richard Dansky
Graeme Davis
Julie Ann Dawson
Jesse Decker
Tim Dedopulos
Jeff Dee
Marcelo Del Debbio - Arkanun, Trevas, RPGQuest (Brazilian author)
Troy Denning
Dennis Detwiller
Joe Dever - Lone Wolf, Greystar, Freeway Warrior
Michael Dobson
Darrin Drader
Clay Dreslough
Ron Edwards - Creator of Sorcerer RPG, ELFS, Trollbabe, It Was a Mutual Decision, Spione - Story Now in Cold War Berlin, S/Lay w/me, Shahida: Story Now in Civil War Beirut
Pete Fenlon
Nigel Findley
John M. Ford
Mark Galeotti - Mythic Russia, The Unspoken Word, Issaries, Inc. and Moon Designs
Richard Garfinkle - Spellcrafter
Marc Gascoigne
Lee Gold - Author of Lands of Adventure and GURPS Japan
Joseph Goodman
Andrew Greenberg
Daniel Greenberg
Ed Greenwood - Forgotten Realms
Jeff Grubb - Forgotten Realms
Gary Gygax - "The Father of the RPG", creator of Dungeons & Dragons (with Dave Arneson)
Neal Hallford
Bruce Barrymore Halpenny creator of The Great Train Robbery Board Game
David A. Hargrave - Arduin, Star Rovers
Jess Hartley - RPG media tie-in novelist, author/co-author of numerous games/supplements for White Wolf Publishing.
Andria Hayday, designer and contributing designer of several games related to Dragonlance and AD&D
Bruce Heard
Rob Heinsoo
Steve Henderson - Co-author of RuneQuest
Shane Lacy Hensley
Keith Herber - author of numerous supplements for Call of Cthulhu
Tracy Hickman - Dragonlance
Kenneth Hite
Gary Holian
John Eric Holmes
Miranda Horner
Conrad Hubbard
Paul Hume - Co-Author of Bushido, Aftermath!, Daredevils, Shadowrun
Matt James - Freelance Game Designer for Wizards of the Coast, Open Design/Kobold Quarterly, and owner of Loremaster.org.
Steve Jackson (US) - Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson (UK) - Games Workshop
James Jacobs - Former editor-in-chief of Dungeon magazine; current editor-in-chief of Pathfinder for Paizo Publishing R&D
Jennell Jaquays - Pioneer of role-playing fanzines and pre-designed role-playing game adventures, with notable later work for Judges Guild, TSR, Inc. and various freelance contributions
Harold Johnson
Tim Kask
Steve Kenson
Adam Koebel
Jeff Koke
Rick Krebs
Christopher Kubasik
Robert J. Kuntz
Mercedes Lackey
Lenard Lakofka
Sage LaTorra
Robin D. Laws
Ken Lightner
Ian Livingstone
Steve Long
James Lowder
Ari Marmell
Julia Martin
Colin McComb
Anne Gray McCready
Mike Mearls
Frank Mentzer
Marc W. Miller - Various incarnations of Traveller
Steve Miller
Kim Mohan
Tom Moldvay
Erik Mona - Former editor-in-chief of Dragon and Dungeon magazines; currently publisher of Paizo Publishing
James A. Moore
Roger E. Moore - Dragon Magazine Editor as well as writer
Jenna K. Moran
Jason Morningstar - Durance, Grey Ranks and Fiasco
Graeme Morris
Douglas Niles
Clinton R. Nixon
David Noonan
Kate Novak
Mike Nystul
Steffan O'Sullivan
Blaine Pardoe
Steve Perrin - Main author of RuneQuest, Basic Role-Playing and Steve Perrin's Quest Rules'
Sandy Petersen - main author of Call of Cthulhu and co-author of RuneQuest and Ghostbusters)
John R. Phythyon, Jr.
Jon Pickens
Mike Pohjola
Mike Pondsmith
Greg Porter
Adam Powell
Chris Pramas
Anthony Pryor
David L. Pulver
Sean Punch
Jean Rabe
John D. Rateliff
Mark Rein·Hagen - Vampire: The Masquerade and World of Darkness
Sean K. Reynolds
Ken Rolston - Co-authored Paranoia, Star Wars and many others
Aaron S. Rosenberg
S. John Ross
Marcus Rowland - Creator of Forgotten Futures, Diana: Warrior Princess and The Original Flatland Role Playing Game
R.A. Salvatore - Menzoberranzan
Carl Sargent
Steven Schend
Mike Selinker
Dean Shomshak
Kevin Siembieda - Co-founder and lead designer at Palladium Books; notable credits include The Mechanoid Invasion (1981), Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game (1983), Heroes Unlimited (1984), and Rifts (1990).
Scott Sigler
Edward E. Simbalist - Co-author of Space Opera and Chivalry & Sorcery
Bill Slavicsek
John Snead
Michael Stackpole - Author of Star Wars and Battletech books
Greg Stafford - Creator of Glorantha, founder of Chaosium, co-author of RuneQuest and HeroQuest, author of the novel King of Sartar and the arthurian RPGs Pendragon and Prince Valiant: The Story-Telling Game
Stan!
Owen K.C. Stephens - Star Wars: Starships of the Galaxy, Advanced GameMaster's Guide, d20 Cyberscape
Greg Stolze - Author of Usagi Yojimbo RPG, Unknown Armies and Godlike
Adam Tinworth
Richard Tucholka
Jonathan Tweet
John Scott Tynes
Michael J. Varhola - Founder of Skirmisher Publishing LLC
Allen Varney
James Wallis - Author of the story-telling game The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1998)
James M. Ward
Darren Watts
Frederick Weining
Margaret Weis - TSR's Dragonlance and MWP's Serenity
David Wesely
John Wick- Game Designer of Legend of the Five Rings, 7th Sea, and Orkworld.
Chris Wiese
Skip Williams
Walter Jon Williams - Privateers & Gentlemen and Hardwired for Cyberpunk
Lynn Willis - Co-author of RuneQuest, Basic Role-Playing, Stormbringer, Call of Cthulhu and Ghostbusters
Steve Winter
Loren Wiseman
Erick Wujcik - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness (1985), After the Bomb (1986), Revised RECON (1986), and Ninjas & Superspies (1987) for Palladium Books; Amber Diceless Role-Playing (1991) for Phage Press.
James Wyatt
Mike Young
List of role-playing game designers Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA