Jeff Grubb

Infobox Person
name = Jeff Grubb


image_size =
caption =
birth_date = August 27, 1957
birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
death_date =
death_place =
education =
occupation = Writer
spouse = Kate Novak
parents =
children =

Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an author and game designer. He has worked on a number of computer and role-playing games and has written a number of successful novels, short stories and comics. His credits include "The Finder's Stone Trilogy" with his wife, Kate Novak, the "Spelljammer" and the "Jakandor" campaign settings, and, more recently, the computer games "Guild Wars Nightfall".cite news
last=Miller
first=Stanley A.
title=A new tone in gaming
url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=534514
date=November 25, 2006
work=JS Online: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
accessdate=2008-02-15]

Role-Playing Games

A wargaming enthusiast since high school, Jeff Grubb first learned of roleplaying games as a freshman majoring in engineering at Purdue University, when he happened upon a game of Dungeons & Dragons being played by members of the campus wargaming club.cite journal
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = TSR Profiles
journal = Dragon
volume =
issue = #111
pages = 64
publisher = TSR, Inc.
location = Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
date = July 1986
url =
format =
issn =
accessdate = 2008-06-27 ] Within a year, he had attended his first Gen Con and was running his own campaign set in Toril, a world of his own creation. After working as a civil engineer,cite web
title = Jeff Grubb
work = The Alliterates
url = http://www.alliterates.com/index.php?/categories/11-Jeff-Grubb
accessdate = 2008-02-17 ] Jeff Grubb joined TSR, Inc. in July 1982, where he was involved as a design consultant on Gary Gygax's "Monster Manual II" for the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" role-playing game.cite book
last = Gygax
first = Gary
authorlink = Gary Gygax
title = Monster Manual II
publisher = TSR, Inc.
year = 1983 ] The manual was first published in 1983. He was then retained at TSR as the principal architect of the "Marvel Super Heroes" game system,cite journal
last = Rowland
first = Marcus L.
title = Open Box
format = review
journal = White Dwarf
issue = #62
pages = 10–11
publisher = Games Workshop
year = 1985
month = February
issn =0265-8712] first released in 1984. Jeff Grubb continued to work on role-playing games with TSR for many years, long enough to be regarded affectionately as an "old timer" by Scott Haring.cite journal
title = Pyramid Pick: Eye of the Wyvern
url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=690
journal = Pyramid (online)
last = Haring
first = Scott D.
date = 1999-03-19
accessdate= 2008-02-17] During this time he was involved in helping to formulate the "Dragonlance" campaign setting, under Tracy Hickman, and the "Forgotten Realms" setting with Ed Greenwood. He also was a major contributor to the first edition of "Unearthed Arcana", and authored the first edition of the "Manual of the Planes". He is also the designer of the "Spelljammer" and "Jakandor" campaign settings.

Jeff Grubb moved to Wizards of the Coast after they purchased TSR, and continued to work on games, settings and source books such as "Tempest Feud" for the "Star Wars Roleplaying Game", "d20 Modern"cite journal
title = d20 Modern Roleplaying Game (Review)
journal = Pyramid (originally appeared in d20 Weekly)
url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=3772
last = Kohler
first = Alan D.
date = 2002-11-13
accessdate = 2008-02-17] and "Urban Arcana".cite journal
title = Pyramid Review: Urban Arcana (for d20 Modern)
journal = Pyramid (online)
url = http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=3475
last = Vetromile
first = Andy
date = 2003-07-04
accessdate = 2008-02-17]

Outside of the strict TSR/Wizards of the Coast environment, Jeff Grubb has authored "The Memoirs of Auberon of Faerie" for R. Talsorian Games and was one of the authors of "Dungeons & Dragons Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game" [cite web| url=http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/9/9659.phtml
title=Review of Warcraft The Role-playing Game
last=deMorris | first = Alex
date=2003-08-23| publisher=RPGnet | accessdate=2008-02-17] for Sword & Sorcery Studios. He's also been involved with Sovereign Press, which was founded by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin in 2001.cite web
url = http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=407
title = Jeff Grubb
work = Pen & Paper RPG Database
accessdate= 2008-02-17]

Comics, Novels and Short Stories

Jeff Grubb's first novel, "Azure Bonds", was coauthored with his wife, Kate Novak, and first published in 1988 as part of "The Finder's Stone Trilogy". The second and third books in the trilogy, "The Wyvern's Spur" and "Song of the Saurials", were published by TSR in 1990 and 1991. Jeff Grubb and Kate Novak continued to write novels in the "Forgotten Realms" setting over the years, releasing "Masquerades", "Finder's Bane" and "Tymora's Luck".

Other settings for his novels have included "", "Warcraft" and "Starcraft".

His involvement in comic books started in 1988, when he wrote four issues of the "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" comic for DC Comics, before writing all 25 issues of the "Forgoten Realms" comic book series from 1989 until 1991. He also authored the 45th issue of "Superman Adventures", "Mateless in Metropolis", which had a cover date of July, 2000.cite web
url=http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=10174
title=Jeff Grubb
work=ComicBookDB.com
accessdate=2008-02-17]

He has written a number of short stories in different fictional worlds, including "Dragonlance", "Forgotten Realms", "Ravenloft" and "Thieves' World". In general his short fiction has been well received, with his story "Malediction" being described as amongst the best of those included in "Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune",cite journal
last = Ward
first = Cynthia
url = http://www.scifi.com/sfw/books/sfw11681.html
title = Thieves' World: Enemies of Fortune
journal = Sci Fi Weekly
date = February 11, 2008
accessdate = 2008-02-17] while "Beowulf in the City of the Dark Elves" has been regarded as the best of the original fiction in "The Further Adventures of Beowulf: Champion of Middle Earth".cite journal
last = Lott
first = Rod
url = http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/further-adventures-of-beowulf/
title = The Further Adventures of Beowulf: Champion of Middle Earth
journal = Bookgasm
accessdate = 2008-02-17]

Computer Games

The novel "Azure Bonds" was developed into a computer game, "Curse of the Azure Bonds", in 1989, and was published by Strategic Simulations, Inc.. More recently, ArenaNet hired Grubb to write the story for the third installment of their "Guild Wars" franchise, "Guild Wars Nightfall".cite news
last=Miller
first=Stanley A.
title=A new tone in gaming
url=http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=534514
date=November 25, 2006
work=JS Online: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
accessdate=2008-02-15] He has been credited as a designer under lead designer, James Phinney. [cite web
author=Ephidel
title=Guild Wars Nightfall Info
url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/data/932734.html
publisher=CNET Networks Entertainment
accessdate=2008-02-15] However, in an interview with Gamespy he describes his role as more of an 'embedded writer' than a designer. [cite web
last=Rausch
first=Allen
title=GameSpy: Guild Wars: Eye of the North — Story Time with Jeff Grubb
url=http://au.pc.gamespy.com/pc/guild-wars-eye-of-the-north/812636p1.html
publisher=IGN Entertainment Games
accessdate=2008-02-15] Jeff Grubb was also involved in designing the "" expansion pack, although, once again, he describes himself as an 'embedded writer' rather than a game designer, and was primarily responsible for writing the storyline.cite web
last=Hawkeye
title=Guild Wars: Eye of the North - Interview with Jeff Grubb
url=http://profanatik.jointelecom.ro/content/view/67/2/
publisher=Profantik
date=August 15, 2007
accessdate=2008-02-15]

Bibliography

Novels

Dragonlance (shared universe)

* "Villains"
** "Book 5: Lord Toede" (1994), ISBN 0-09-945501-3

Forgotten Realms (shared universe)

* "The Finder's Stone Trilogy" (with Kate Novak)
** "Azure Bonds" (1988), ISBN 0-88038-612-6
** "The Wyvern's Spur" (1990), ISBN 0-88038-902-8
** "Song of the Saurials" (1991), ISBN 1-56076-060-5
* "The Harpers" (with Kate Novak)
** "Book 10: Masquerades" (1995), ISBN 0-7869-0152-7
** "Book 15: Finder's Bane" (1997), ISBN 0-7869-0658-8
* "The Lost Gods" (with Kate Novak)
** "Tymora's Luck" (1997), sequel to "Finder's Bane", ISBN 0-7869-0726-6

Magic: The Gathering (shared universe)

* "Artifacts" Series
** "Book 1: The Brothers' War" (1999), ISBN 0-7869-1357-6

* "Ice Age Trilogy"
** "The Gathering Dark" (1999)
** "The Eternal Ice" (2000)
** "The Shattered Alliance" (2000)

WarCraft (shared universe)

* "The Last Guardian" (2001), ISBN 0-671-04151-7. This novel has been described as "an original tale of magic, warfare, and heroism based on the bestselling, award-winning electronic game from Blizzard Entertainment". [cite web
title=The Last Guardian (Warcraft, book 3) by Jeff Grubb
url=http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/series/warcraft/last-guardian.htm
publisher=Fantastic Fiction
accessdate=2008-02-15]

Comics

Forgotten Realms DC Comics

*DC Comics published 25 "Forgotten Realms" comics from 1 Sept 1989 to 25 Sept 1991 where Jeff Grubb was the author.

Role Playing Books

*"Manual of the Planes" (1987) Published by TSR Inc. ISBN 0-88038-399-2
*"d20 Modern Role-playing Game" (with Bill Slavicsek, Rich Redman, and Charles Ryan)
*"Urban Arcana" (with Eric Cagle, David Noonan, & Stan!, published by Wizards of the Coast)
*"Eye of the Wyvern" (TSR, Inc.) Part of TSR's "Fast-play Game" series for "Dungeons & Dragons". Scott Haring summarized his review stating "Eye of the Wyvern" doesn't have very high aspirations; the adventure is simple and the ultimate in linear-ness. But designing a get-started-quick, anybody-can-play roleplaying module is a very high aspiration for the future of this hobby, and in that this book gets high marks."
*" Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure" (with Aaron Allston and Thomas M. Reid, part of the "TSR Audio Games" series, TSR, Inc.) [cite journal
title=Pyramid Pick: TSR Audio Games| journal=Pyramid|volume=#11
last=Haring| first=Scott D.| url= http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=4398
date=1995-01-11| accessdate=2008-02-17]
*"D&D: Diablo II Adventure Game" (with Bill Slavicsek, published by Wizards of the Coast) [cite journal
title=Pyramid Review: D&D: Diablo II Adventure Game
journal= Pyramid (online)
url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=1653
last=Thompson | first= Jon | date=2000-05-06
accessdate=2008-02-17]
*"Tempest Feud" (with Owen K.C. Stephens, published by Wizards of the Coast for the "Star Wars Roleplaying Game") "Tempest Feud" fails to rise to the exacting standards set by its predecessors."cite journal
title=Pyramid Review: Tempest Feud (for the Star Wars Roleplaying Game)
journal=Pyramid (online)
url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=2874| last=Kessler| first=Greg
date=2002-07-05| accessdate=2008-02-17]

pelljammer

*"Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space" Boxed Set (November 1989), ISBN 0-88038-762-9.
*"Legend of Spelljammer" Box Set (September 1991), ISBN 1-56076-083-4.

Miniatures Games

*"Star Wars Miniatures: Rebel Storm" (with Bill Slavicsek, Jonathon Tweet, & Rob Watkins) [cite journal
title=Pyramid Review: Star Wars Miniatures: Rebel Storm
journal= Pyramid (online)
url=http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/login/article.html?id=5412
last=Pook | first= Matthew | date=2005-05-27
accessdate=2008-02-17]

References

External links

* [http://www.alliterates.com/index.php?/categories/11-Jeff-Grubb "The Alliterates" Biography of Jeff Grubb]
* [http://grubbstreet.blogspot.com/ Grubb Street] : Jeff Grubb's Blog
* [http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=407 Pen & Paper listing for Jeff Grubb]
*