Nigel Findley

Nigel D. Findley (July 22, 1959 – February 19, 1995) was a Canadian game designer, editor, and an author of science fiction and fantasy novels and role-playing games (RPGs).

Biography

Nigel Findley was born in Venezuela in 1959 to Canadian parents, and lived in Spain, Nigeria, the United States, and England before moving with his family to Vancouver in 1969.

Although Findley started his career in business, in the mid-1980s he began to design games and write RPG articles and adventures for publication in his spare time. He was successful enough that in 1990, he decided to become a full-time freelance writer, and eventually authored or co-authored twelve novels as well as over one hundred other publications. He wrote material for many game companies, including fantasy role-playing adventures and supplements for TSR, Shadowrun supplements and fiction for FASA, Role Aids supplements for Mayfair, The Primal Order for Wizards of the Coast, and various works for West End Games and White Wolf Publishing. He is credited with parts of the design of Greyhawk Adventures and Fate of Istus, and was the sole author of Greyspace.

RPG historian Shannon Appelcline noted that Findley's Shadowrun adventure The Universal Brotherhood (1990) was particularly well received.

Awards

• Findley won a 1992 Origins Award for GURPS Illuminati.
• In 1994 Findley was inducted into the Origins Awards Hall of Fame.

Death

Findley died at home in Vancouver from a sudden heart attack on February 19, 1995, at the age of 35.

Legacy

• Following his death, the Origins Awards instituted the "Nigel D. Findley Memorial Award" for best role-playing product of the year. The award was given out between 1995 and 2001. Castle Falkenstein was the first recipient; The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game was the final winner.
• Lisa Smedman, editorial director of Vancouver RPG magazine Adventures Unlimited wrote, "If a novel had his name on it, readers could be guaranteed that it was fast-paced, fun, and action-packed. If an adventure bore his byline, players could be assured of Machiavellian plot twists, innovative settings, and authentically motivated characters ... Those of us who worked with him directly or knew him as a friend can testify to his easygoing nature, his willingness to work with others, his refusal to brag about his many accomplishments and his generosity of spirit."

Bibliography

References

External links

• "Nigel Findley at Pen & Paper". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2006.
• Nigel D. Findley at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database