Kim Mohan

Kim Rudolph Mohan[1] (born May 4, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois)[2] is an American author, editor and game designer best known for works related to the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

Kim Mohan
BornKim Rudolph Mohan[1]
(1949-05-04) May 4, 1949
Chicago, Illinois, United States
OccupationGame designer, editor
NationalityUnited States
Period1979 - 2013
GenreRole-playing games
Notable worksDragon magazine, Wilderness Survival Guide

Biography

Background

Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class. He attended Beloit College, switching majors between philosophy, mathematics, and other subjects. "I decided that what I really wanted to do was write, so I sort of fell into a job working for the Lake Geneva Regional News as a reporter, and dropped out of college. That lasted for a few months, then I joined the staff of the Beloit Daily News, where I stayed for nine years." During that time, Mohan worked as everything from a sports writer, an editorial writer, the state editor, and the wire service editor. After nine years, he had grown tired of the newspaper business, and became a freelance writer for various newspapers.[2]

TSR

In the summer of 1979, Mohan went to the TSR Periodicals headquarters in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and after an interview and some freelance editing assignments as a test, TSR hired him on the spot.[2] He started as part of a three-man staff, and was promoted not too long thereafter to Assistant Editor of Dragon magazine.[2] Mohan was promoted to the Editor-in-chief position with issue #49 (May 1981).[2][3]:13 Mohan was the co-designer of the TSR board game Food Fight.[4] He also performed managerial duties for Strategy & Tactics and Amazing Stories magazine.[2] Mohan also served as the editor and "general handyman" for the original Unearthed Arcana rule book, and he edited Saga of Old City, Gary Gygax's first novel.[2] Mohan authored the rulebook Wilderness Survival Guide (1986).[3]:17

New Infinities Productions, return to TSR and Wizards of the Coast

When Gygax founded New Infinities Productions, Inc. in October 1986, he brought over Mohan and Frank Mentzer.[3]:237 Mohan was the author of the Cyborg Commando sequence of novels comprising Planet in Peril (1987), Chase into Space (1988) and The Ultimate Prize (1988), all with Pamela O'Neill and based on an outline by Gygax.[1] Following the dissolution of New Infinities in 1988, Mohan returned to TSR and became the editor of Amazing Stories magazine.[3]:239

Mohan continued in his position at Dragon magazine until 1986, and again as Editor-in-chief from 1993 to 1995. He became the editor of Amazing Stories from 1992 through 2001, for which he received Locus Poll Award nominations varying between "Best Editor" or "Best Magazine or Fanzine".

Mohan appears in the 1999 History Channel special In Search of History: The Truth About Science Fiction, which features Harlan Ellison and Larry Niven in a discussion about science fiction literature and movies.[5]

TSR was sold to Wizards of the Coast in 1997. With Wizards of the Coast, Mohan was the lead editor of the Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition design project, until he was promoted to managing editor during the second half of the design stage; Julia Martin took his position from there.[6]

Kim Mohan retired from Wizards of the Coast on May 31, 2013.[7][8]

Role-playing games

Board games
  • Food Fight (1980)

Novels
  • Planet in Peril (1987, with Pamela O'Neill) (Cyborg Commando trilogy)
  • Chase Into Space (1988, with Pamela O'Neill) (Cyborg Commando trilogy)
  • The Ultimate Prize (1988, with Pamela O'Neill) (Cyborg Commando trilogy)
  • Four from Cormyr: 4 Forgotten Realms Adventures for Characters of Levels 9-12 (Adventure) (1997, with John Terra)

Edited
  • Dragon (magazine), 1984–1994
  • Amazing Stories, 1991–1995, 1998–2000
  • More Amazing Stories, 1998[9]
  • Sword and Fist: A Guidebook to Fighters and Monks, 2001, managing editor[10]
  • Psionics Handbook, 2001, managing editor[11]

References
  1. "Kim Mohan". sf-encyclopedia.com.
  2. "TSR Profiles". Dragon. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR, Inc. (105): 62. January 1986.
  3. Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN 978-1-907702-58-7.
  4. "Dragon Magazine #44" (PDF). Dragon.
  5. Berkwits, Jeff (March 25, 2009). "Review, In Search of History: The Truth About Science Fiction". Archived from the original on 2009.)
  6. Ryan, Michael G. (December 2000). "Profiles: Julia Martin". Dragon. Renton, Washington: Wizards of the Coast (#278): 20–21, 24.
  7. "Wizards.com". 2013.
  8. "Enworld.org".
  9. Silver, Steven H., Book Review, More Amazing Stories edited by Kim Mohan, retrieved 2007-08-04
  10. Carl, Jason, et al., Jason Carl, David Noonan, and Dale Donovan, interview/discussion, retrieved 2007-08-04
  11. Cordell, Bruce R., interview by Jesse Decker, retrieved 2007-08-04
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