Sue Weinlein Cook
Encyclopedia
Sue Weinlein Cook is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
from TSR
, and for Monte Cook
's Malhavoc Press.
, and grew up in the Milwaukee area. Her first exposure to the Dungeons & Dragons
game was in junior high: "I'm embarrassed to admit this... I really didn't get it at first. I just couldn't make the transition from board games to roleplaying games." After living in Tennessee for a few years, she returned to Milwaukee and attended Marquette University
, earning degrees in Journalism and Spanish.
While in college, Weinlein made her first contact with someone from TSR
. "I was at a science fiction convention where I attended a panel on writing and editing books in a shared world series. James Lowder
, then an editor with the TSR book department, was on it. I talked with him afterward about his job, and he invited me to tour the TSR offices in Lake Geneva." Eighteen months after taking that tour, Weinlein applied for a position at TSR as an editorial assistant, and was hired in 1992. In addition to being the book department's editorial assistant, she also worked as a game editor and designer. While working at TSR, she met and married fellow game designer Monte Cook
.
Sue Cook became the assistant creative director for the Dragonlance
line, and brand manager for the Dragonlance: Fifth Age
and Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
lines. Cook helped design the SAGA System
game rules, laying the foundation for the Fifth Age of Krynn: "I am extremely pleased to have been part of the Dragonlance team. Margaret Weis
and Tracy Hickman
were a pleasure to work with". Cook was also involved with the production of the Dragonlance Fifteenth Anniversary Edition as one of her last projects in the Dragonlance line.
In October 1998, Cook moved to the Wizards of the Coast
Periodicals division and became the managing editor of Amazing Stories
. Of the move, she says "there are very few jobs that could have taken me away from Dragonlance, and this was one of them. It's an honor working on a publication with the history and reputation of Amazing Stories."
game products from 1993-2002. She did some design work for the Dragonlance Fifth Age set.
Since 2001, she began doing production and editing work for Malhavoc Press.
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-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...
from TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, and for Monte Cook
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
's Malhavoc Press.
Biography
Sue Weinlein was born in Green Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, and grew up in the Milwaukee area. Her first exposure to the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
game was in junior high: "I'm embarrassed to admit this... I really didn't get it at first. I just couldn't make the transition from board games to roleplaying games." After living in Tennessee for a few years, she returned to Milwaukee and attended Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, earning degrees in Journalism and Spanish.
While in college, Weinlein made her first contact with someone from TSR
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
. "I was at a science fiction convention where I attended a panel on writing and editing books in a shared world series. James Lowder
James Lowder
James Daniel Lowder is an American author and editor, working most often within the fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror genres.-Early life and education:...
, then an editor with the TSR book department, was on it. I talked with him afterward about his job, and he invited me to tour the TSR offices in Lake Geneva." Eighteen months after taking that tour, Weinlein applied for a position at TSR as an editorial assistant, and was hired in 1992. In addition to being the book department's editorial assistant, she also worked as a game editor and designer. While working at TSR, she met and married fellow game designer Monte Cook
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
.
Sue Cook became the assistant creative director for the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
line, and brand manager for the Dragonlance: Fifth Age
Dragonlance: Fifth Age
Dragonlance: Fifth Age is an accessory for the SAGA System, published in 1996. It uses the setting of Dragonlance, which originally was used in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game....
and Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game
The Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game is a role-playing game published by TSR, Inc. that uses the SAGA System. It should not be confused with the earlier Marvel Super Heroes Game or the later Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game .The game box contained a Fate Deck of 96 cards,each of which had a...
lines. Cook helped design the SAGA System
SAGA System
The SAGA System is a role-playing game system that uses "fate cards" to determine the effects of actions. The cards have numbers, suits, positive and negative states, and role-playing cues that guide the gamemaster in telling the story and administering the game...
game rules, laying the foundation for the Fifth Age of Krynn: "I am extremely pleased to have been part of the Dragonlance team. Margaret Weis
Margaret Weis
Margaret Edith Weis is a fantasy novelist who, along with Tracy Hickman, is one of the original creators of the Dragonlance game world and has written numerous novels and short stories set in fantastic worlds.-Early life:Margaret Weis was born in 1948 in Independence, Missouri, and later attended...
and Tracy Hickman
Tracy Hickman
Tracy Raye Hickman is a best-selling fantasy author, best known for his work on Dragonlance as a game designer and co-author with Margaret Weis, while he worked for TSR...
were a pleasure to work with". Cook was also involved with the production of the Dragonlance Fifteenth Anniversary Edition as one of her last projects in the Dragonlance line.
In October 1998, Cook moved to the Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
Periodicals division and became the managing editor of Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
. Of the move, she says "there are very few jobs that could have taken me away from Dragonlance, and this was one of them. It's an honor working on a publication with the history and reputation of Amazing Stories."
Works
Sue Weinlein Cook has done editing work on many Dungeons & Dragons and other TSR and Wizards of the CoastWizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
game products from 1993-2002. She did some design work for the Dragonlance Fifth Age set.
Since 2001, she began doing production and editing work for Malhavoc Press.