Dangerous Games: How to Win debuts today! As with the previous two Dangerous Games novels – How to Play and How to Cheat – How to Win is packed full of real-life people, mostly game designers I know and hang out with when I can. This time around, a big chunk part of the novel takes place in the Writer’s Symposium at Gen Con, so a large number of the names that appear in the book belong to other authors I know through the symposium.
I kept track of them all as I went along, and here’s a checklist of the folks that show up throughout How to Win. I could tell you who each of them is, but that’s part of the fun of the books: finding those folks and figuring out how they all fit not only into the story but into the show.
- Aaron Williams
- Adrian Swartout
- Alex Gygax
- Allen Varney
- Amanda Valentine
- Andrew Hackard
- Ann Forbeck
- Anthony Gallela
- Ben Dobyns
- Bob Brynildson
- Bob Carty
- Boyan Radakovich
- Brad Beaulieu
- Brandon Sanderson
- Cam Banks
- Christian Moore
- Christian Petersen
- Chuck Wendig
- Cindy Gygax
- Clark Valentine
- Cliff “CJ” Jones
- Coleman Charlton
- “Dammit” Liz Smith
- Dan Wells
- Daniel Solis
- Darrell Hardy
- Darren Orange
- Darren Watts
- Dave Arneson
- Dave Gross
- Derek Guder
- Dylan Birtolo
- Ed Greenwood
- Eddy Webb
- Elise Gygax
- Elizabeth Vaughn
- Eric Hautemont
- Eric Lang
- Erik Mona
- Erik Scott de Bie
- Ernie Gygax
- Felicia Day
- Frank Mentzer
- Gary Gygax
- George Strayton
- Heidi Gygax
- Helen Forbeck
- Howard Tayler
- Jason Sizemore
- Jean Rabe
- Jeannette LeGault
- Jeff Dohm
- Jeff Tidball
- Jennifer Steen
- Jeremy Keller
- Jerry Corrick
- Jerry Gordon
- Jess Hartley
- Joanne Gain
- John Nephew
- John Scalzi
- John Wick
- John Zinser
- Jonni Emrich
- Keith Baker
- Kelly Swails
- Ken Hite
- Kenneth Forbeck
- Kevin Wilson
- Larry Roznai
- Lillian Cohen-Moore
- Logan Bonner
- Lucien Soulban
- Luke Gygax
- Marc Tassin
- Margaret Weis
- Mark Kaufman
- Martin Stever
- Marty Forbeck
- Mary Robinette Kowal
- Matt Vancil
- Matt Wilson
- Matthew Grau
- Maurice Broaddus
- Michelle Nephew
- Mike Gray
- Mike Stackpole
- Mike Vaillancourt
- Nicholas Forbeck
- Owen Seyler
- Pat Rothfuss
- Patrick Forbeck
- Paul Kemp
- Pete Adkison
- Pete Fenlon
- Phil Lacefield
- Phillipe-Antoine Ménard
- R. A. Salvatore
- Rich Baker
- Rich Gain
- Richard Lee Byers
- Richard Thomas
- Rob Donoghue
- Rob Stone
- Robin Laws
- Ryan Macklin
- Scott Elliott
- Sean Lashgari
- Shane DeFreest
- Stefan Pokorny
- Steve Kenson
- Steve Long
- Steve Wieck
- Steven Saus
- Tobias Buckell
- Tracy Hickman
- Troy Denning
- Wil Wheaton
- Will Hindmarch
I could have thrown a lot more people into the book, but I tried to stick to friends that have been able to get to Gen Con in the past few years. Otherwise – well, this week I’ll attend my 32nd Gen Con in a row. If I put everyone one I know or met at the show into a book, I wouldn’t have room for anything other than a list of names. As it is, the book is chock full of plot and story too!
