Jamie Chambers

Jamie Chambers (right) with Felicia Day.

Jamie Chambers (born January 25, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American game designer who works primarily on role-playing games, contributing in a variety of genres. He served as Vice President of the non-profit Game Manufacturers Association, a trade association for the hobby games industry, from 2007 until 2016, when he chose not to seek re-election. Chambers worked with Margaret Weis at Sovereign Press in 1988, then transitioned with her to Margaret Weis Productions (MWP) where he served as Vice President and Lead Designer. While there, he created the Cortex System, a role-playing game rule set that has been used by MWP since that time.

Career

Jamie Chambers contributed to the mythos of the world for Sovereign Stone through short stories, as well as by running the Sovereign Stone website. Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, along with Chambers and Christopher Coyle, wrote the licensed Dragonlance Campaign Setting (2003) for publication by Wizards of the Coast, and afterward Sovereign Press was allowed to expand and supplement that book using the D20 System license. After Perrin left Sovereign Press and Weis created Margaret Weis Productions, the company's new direction kicked off with the Cortex System and the Serenity Role Playing Game (2005).

Through Margaret Weis Productions, Chambers also created and published the role-playing games Battlestar Galactica and Supernatural. Serenity RPG required four print runs in the first year of publishing.

The Cortex System shifted away from gameplay determined by the rules toward a gaming experience guided by them, which was considered a necessary step to counterbalance the computerization of role playing games. The system allows the game to evolve throughout a game session, providing the players with ways to create and modify the rules to meet their needs. The system was later adapted into Cortex Plus by Cam Banks when he took over for Chambers at Margaret Weis Productions as lead designer, and later into the Cortex Prime system. Cortex Plus is considered more narrative than the original Cortex system, building on the move away from systems constrained by rules and allowing further differentiation from computerized role playing games.

Awards and Nominations

• 2003 - Lucca Comics Games Awards Best Translated Game for Dragonlance
• 2005 - Origins Award Gamer's Choice Best Role Playing Game of the Year For Serenity
• 2007 - I-CON Shared Worlds Award for his various supplements in the Firefly and Serenity universe.
• 2008 - Origins Award Finalist in the Role Playing Games Category for Battlestar Galactica RPG.

Bibliography

Roleplaying Supplements

• Sovereign Stone - Roleplaying books for the Sovereign Stone fiction novel world and the concepts and artwork of artist Larry Elmore.
  • Sovereign Stone Campaign Sourcebook. 2001. ISBN 9781931567015.
  • Bestiary of Loerem. 2002. ISBN 9781931567053.
  • Escape Into Darkness. 2002. ISBN 1931567042.
• Dragonlance - Roleplaying books for the popular Dragonlance fiction novel world and role-playing game setting.
  • Dragonlance Campaign Setting. 2003. ISBN 0786930861. OCLC 53121597.
  • Age of Mortals : Dragonlance Campaign Setting Companion. 2003. ISBN 1931567107. OCLC 54086997.
  • Towers of High Sorcery. 2004. ISBN 9781931567176.
  • War of the Lance. 2004. ISBN 193156714X. OCLC 58734334.
  • Races of Ansalon. 2007. ISBN 9781931567350. OCLC 478623222. With Cam Banks, Sean MacDonald, Clark Valentine, Trampas Whiteman.
• Serenity/Firefly Universe - Roleplaying books tied into the Firefly TV series, and associated 2005 film Serenity.
  • Serenity Role Playing Game. 2005. ISBN 1931567506. OCLC 62076884.
• Other Works
  • Snarfquest RPG World Book. 2002.[1]. ISBN 9780972246811.
  • Sundered Reaches Campaign Setting. 2003. ISBN 9781932201314.
  • Battlestar Galactica Quickstart Guide. 2007. ISBN 9781931567541. OCLC 144523355.
  • Battlestar Galactica Role Playing Game. 2007. ISBN 9781931567558. OCLC 148602455. With James Davenport, Sean Everette, Patrick Kapera, Nathan Rockwood, Floyd C. Wesel]]. - Tie-in for the Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series).
  • Cortex System Role Playing Game. 2008. ISBN 9781931567794. OCLC 294887717.
  • Demon Hunters Role Playing Game. 2008. ISBN 9781931567473. OCLC 179792632.
  • Supernatural Role Playing Game. 2009. ISBN 9781931567497. OCLC 612083771. With Cam Banks, Jimmy Michael, Aaron Rosenberg
  • Metamorphosis Alpha. 2016. ISBN 9780989410700.[2]

Short Fiction

• "At The Water's Edge", published in (2004). The Search for Power : Dragons of the War of Souls. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0786931930

• "Reflections", published in Vampyr Verse (collection). Popcorn Press. 2009. ISBN 9781449582968.
• "The Ultharian", published in Cthulhu Haiku (and Other Mythos Madness). Popcorn Press. 2012. ISBN 9781480136168.
• "Restless", published in Cthulhu Haiku 2 (and More Mythos Madness). Popcorn Press. 2013. ISBN 9781494342401.

Short Nonfiction

• "Growing Up Dragonlance," published in Dragons in the Archives: The Best of Weis & Hickman (anthology). 2004. ISBN 9780786936694. OCLC 56892788.
• "Blue Collar Ghost Hunters," published in In the Hunt : Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural (essay anthology). 2005. ISBN 9781933771632. OCLC 228365200.
• "Getting Out There: Tips For Creating Your Own Vocal Group," published in Filled With Glee: The Unauthorized Glee Companion. 2011. ISBN 9781935618003. OCLC 505420552.

External links

• Home page
• "Jamie Chambers :: Pen & Paper RPG Database". Archived from the original on 26 February 2005.