Brian R. James


Brian R. James is a game designer and software engineer. As a writer, Brian is best known for his online and print works for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast. In game design circles, Brian is highly regarded for his deep knowledge of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and its extensive history. In 2012 Brian won a Silver ENnie Award for and he has been nominated for other ENnie Awards and Origins Awards.

Personal life

Brian grew up in Arapahoe County, Colorado and attended Arapahoe High School where he led the computer club and lettered in cross country his senior year. Today, Brian lives in Orange County, California with his high school sweetheart Toni and their children.

Writing career

Brian got his first big break with the creation of his "Grand History of the Realms" timeline compilation that started in the late 90s. Utilizing his website at the time, he compiled lore from many disparate sources into easily referenced PDFs documents that allowed fans to reference each of his entries. This work eventually caught the eye of senior Wizards of the Coast developers, was purchased by the company and then published as a print sourcebook: The Grand History of the Realms. Since then, Brian has gone on to co-author to many 4th Edition D&D products, including the award-winning sourcebook Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale.
He later led the design of ', covering the sinister underdark metropolis famous for birthing the drow Drizzt Do'Urden. Brian continues to contribute to Dragon and Dungeon magazines; focusing primarily on content for the Forgotten Realms and Planescape fantasy settings.
In 2013 Brian teamed up with his younger brother Matt James to form Vorpal Games'. Their first independent venture is the RED AEGIS Roleplaying Game''. A number of artists and designers have been linked to the project, including industry legend Ed Greenwood. RED AEGIS was funded via a Kickstarter campaign in August 2013 that raised $66,254 from 823 backers.
In 2017 Brian transitioned from tabletop game design into electronic game design, compiling lore for the EverQuest franchise, and the PlanetSide franchise.

Honors

Pathfinder sourcebooks, Paizo Publishing