Ken St. Andre
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Eugene St. Andre (born on April 28, 1947) is a retired public librarian, fantasy author, and game designer, best known for his work with Tunnels & Trolls. He has been an active member of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
since 1989.
, Utah
. He lives in Phoenix
, Arizona
, U.S.
. On August 27, 2010, he retired after thirty-six years of service to the city of Phoenix as a public librarian.
Tunnels & Trolls which was first released by Flying Buffalo, Inc.
in 1975. In addition to writing the game rules, Ken was one of the creators of solitaire adventures which allowed players to experience the game without a game master or judge.
St. Andre has written many modules and stand alone adventures for Tunnels and Trolls. Some of his titles include:
He also worked as a designer on the role-playing games Stormbringer
and Monsters! Monsters!, and the computer game Wasteland
. In 2008 he modified the 7th edition Tunnels and Trolls to bring the game world into modern times and turned it into a superhero rpg called Power Trip.
In 1986 Ken was also the first editor for a fan club
newsletter based around the Adventure Construction Set
computer game, one of the rare cases of a professional designer leading gamer activities for another designer's game.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, or SFWA is a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. It was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc. and it retains the acronym SFWA after a very brief use of the SFFWA...
since 1989.
General information
St. Andre was born in OgdenOgden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. He lives in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On August 27, 2010, he retired after thirty-six years of service to the city of Phoenix as a public librarian.
Game Design
St. Andre is the original designer of the 'pen-and-paper' role-playing gameRole-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
Tunnels & Trolls which was first released by Flying Buffalo, Inc.
Flying Buffalo
Flying Buffalo Incorporated is a Scottsdale, Arizona game company that publishes role playing games, card games, gaming materials, and runs Play-by-mail games....
in 1975. In addition to writing the game rules, Ken was one of the creators of solitaire adventures which allowed players to experience the game without a game master or judge.
St. Andre has written many modules and stand alone adventures for Tunnels and Trolls. Some of his titles include:
- The Deathtrap Equalizer Dungeon
- Naked Doom
- Arena of Khazan
- Goblin Lake
- The Lair of the Silver Serpent
- The Toughest Dungeon in the World
- Agent of Death
- Strange Destinies
- Hot Pursuit
- Khara Khang's Random Rainbow Maze
He also worked as a designer on the role-playing games Stormbringer
Stormbringer (role-playing game)
The Stormbringer fantasy role-playing game published by Chaosium puts the players in the world of the Young Kingdoms, based on the Elric of Melniboné books by Michael Moorcock. The game takes its name from Elric’s sword, Stormbringer...
and Monsters! Monsters!, and the computer game Wasteland
Wasteland (computer game)
Wasteland is a post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game first released in 1988. The game was designed by Alan Pavlish, Brian Fargo, Michael A. Stackpole and Ken St...
. In 2008 he modified the 7th edition Tunnels and Trolls to bring the game world into modern times and turned it into a superhero rpg called Power Trip.
In 1986 Ken was also the first editor for a fan club
Fan club
A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well-known person, group, idea or sometimes even an inanimate object . Most fan clubs are run by fans who devote considerable time and resources to supporting them. There are also "official" fan clubs that are run by someone associated with the person...
newsletter based around the Adventure Construction Set
Adventure Construction Set
Adventure Construction Set is a program written by Stuart Smith that is used to construct tile-based graphical adventure games. ACS was originally published by Electronic Arts in 1984 on the Commodore 64, and was later ported to the Apple II, Amiga and MS-DOS platforms...
computer game, one of the rare cases of a professional designer leading gamer activities for another designer's game.
Fiction
He has written various short stories and novels.- "Old Soldiers Never" (1989), in Shrapnel: Fragments from the Inner Sphere, a BattletechBattleTechBattleTech is a wargaming and science fiction franchise launched by FASA Corporation in 1984, acquired by WizKids in 2000, and owned since 2003 by Topps. The series began with FASA's debut of the board game BattleTech by Jordan Weisman and L...
anthology. - "Turtle in the Tower" (1990), in Shadowrun: Into the Shadows edited by Jordan K. WeismanJordan WeismanJordan Weisman is an American game designer, author, and serial entrepreneur who has founded four major game design companies, each in a different game genre and segment of the industry.-Biography:...
. An anthology of stories based on the ShadowrunShadowrunShadowrun is a role-playing game set in a near-future fictional universe in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy fiction, horror, and detective fiction.The original game has spawned...
role-playing game. (ISBN 1-55560-118-9). - "The Two Worst Thieves in Khazan" (1992) in "Mages Blood and Old Bones".
- "The Triple Death" (1995), in Enchanted Forests edited by Katharine Kerr and Martin H. Greenberg. An anthology of stories about magical woods. (ISBN 0-88677-672-4).
- "Moral Invaders" (2005) in Flash Fantastic. A very short story in issue 16 of the online magazine.
- "A Thief's Day in Khazan" (2005) in Golden Heroes.
- Dragon Child (2006), by Ken St. Andre and James L. Shipman. A fantasy novel based on the Tunnels & Trolls role-playing game.
- Griffin Feathers (2008), by Ken St. Andre. A collection of linked short stories based on the Tunnels & Trolls role-playing game.
- "Introduction: Trollgod's Treasure Hunt" (2008) in Troll Tunnels, edited by Christina Lea. A collection of short sword and sorcery tales.
- "The Awakening" (2008) in Troll Tunnels, by Ken St. Andre and James L. Shipman.
Personal life
Ken St. Andre has a wife, Cathy, and two grown children, a daughter named Jillian and son named James.External links
- Ken St. Andre's SFWA web page
- Trollhalla - online fanclub for Tunnels & Trolls, run by St. Andre.
- Delver's Tales - Ken's gaming blog
- Atroll's Entertainment - Ken's all purpose blog