List of role-playing game designers

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.

A

 * 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

B

 * 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 - Tékumel
 * Wolfgang Baur
 * Steve Berman
 * 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
 * Eric Burns

C

 * 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

D

 * 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

E

 * 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

F

 * Pete Fenlon
 * Nigel Findley
 * John M. Ford

G

 * 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)

H

 * 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

J

 * 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
 * Warren James - Co-author of RuneQuest
 * Paul 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

K

 * Tim Kask
 * Steve Kenson
 * Jeff Koke
 * Rick Krebs
 * Christopher Kubasik
 * Robert J. Kuntz

L

 * Mercedes Lackey
 * Lenard Lakofka
 * Robin D. Laws
 * Ken Lightner
 * Ian Livingstone
 * Steve Long
 * James Lowder

M

 * 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
 * Graeme Morris

N

 * Douglas Niles
 * Clinton R. Nixon
 * David Noonan
 * Kate Novak
 * Mike Nystul

O

 * Steffan O'Sullivan

P

 * 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)
 * Jon Pickens
 * Mike Pohjola
 * Mike Pondsmith
 * Adam Powell
 * Chris Pramas
 * Anthony Pryor
 * David L. Pulver
 * Sean Punch

R

 * 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

S

 * 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 - 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

T

 * Adam Tinworth
 * Richard Tucholka
 * Jonathan Tweet
 * John Tynes

V

 * Michael J. Varhola - Founder of Skirmisher Publishing LLC
 * Allen Varney

W

 * 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

Y

 * Mike Young