Sean Patrick Fannon

American role-playing game designer and writer

Sean Patrick Fannon

Born|  (1966-01-04) January 4, 1966 (age 58)

Tennessee, United States

Occupation(s)| Game Designer, Writer

Sean Patrick Fannon is an American role-playing game designer and writer. He has been working in the gaming industry since 1988, and is best known for his work with the Savage Worlds game system, including his epic fantasy setting, Shaintar, and his conversion of the classic game Rifts. He has also worked as a designer in the video game industry and a consultant in the film industry.[citation needed]

## Personal life

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Fannon was born on January 4, 1966, in Tennessee. He began playing role-playing games in 1977.[1][2][3] Before becoming a successful game designer, he worked as a deputy sheriff, airline agent, and armored car driver[citation needed]. He attended West Point from 1984 to 1986[citation needed]. He currently lives in Littleton, Colorado.

## Career in role-playing games

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### Early works

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Fannon's career in the gaming industry began in 1988,[4] writing freelance articles and reviews for small-press magazines.[5] He then wrote multiple books for Hero Games' Champions RPG, which led to a job as the Continuity Director of the Champions Universe line.[6] He also wrote books for the Shatterzone RPG and the original Star Wars RPG from West End Games and articles for Shadis Magazine, Adventurer's Club Magazine,[7] and TSR's Dragon Magazine.[8]

In 1995, Fannon wrote The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible, an introduction to the role-playing hobby, for Prima Entertainment. A second edition of the book was published by Obsidian Studios in 1999.[9] This book has been cited as a good introductory guide to roleplaying games for people that are not roleplayers.[10][11]

Multimedia company IEI's games division 8th Wonder Games hired Fannon in 1996 to target the role-playing games niche.[12]

Fannon was one of the staff to join new company FASA as it was being put together in 2012, with his role in marketing and promotion.[13]: 379

### DriveThruRPG

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From October 2008 until 2012 Fannon worked as a Marketing and Communications Manager for DriveThruRPG where he managed communications, promotions, marketing, and business development for RPG sites. This included helping to advertise projects like their "Gamers Help Haiti" program,[14] which raised money to donate to Doctors Without Borders during their effort to provide medical support to the people of Haiti following the 2010 Haiti earthquake. This effort raised over $175,000.[15] He also helped DriveThruRPG begin more active support of other charities, leading to them establishing permanent accounts with Hero Initiative, Feeding America, Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders.[16]

### Shaintar

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In 2005, Shaintar: Immortal Legends the first book set in Fannon's epic fantasy setting for Pinnacle Entertainment Group's Savage Worlds RPG,[17] was published by Talisman Studios. In 2013, Savage Mojo began publishing the Shaintar line, starting with a successful Kickstarter campaign for Shaintar: Legends Unleashed. Two Shaintar books, Shaintar: Legends Arise and Shaintar: Legends Unleashed, were nominated for Ennie awards in 2014.[18]

### Evil Beagle Games

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In 2012, Fannon started his own game company, Evil Beagle Games, with Carinn Seabolt, in Huntsville, Alabama.[3] From 2014 to 2017, Ross Watson joined the company as Managing Director.[19] In 2017, Evil Beagle Games became an LLC, with Sean, Bill Keyes, Leonard Pimental, and Michael Surbrook forming the company. In 2020 Evil Beagle LLC was restructured and expanded,[20] and Jennifer Shinefeld was appointed CEO.[21]

### Savage Rifts

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In 2016, Fannon's Evil Beagle Games partnered with Pinnacle Entertainment to produce Savage Rifts, which translated Palladium Books' classic Rifts setting to the Savage Worlds rules.[22][23][24]

His involvement in Savage Rifts was featured in WIRED Magazine[25] and in a WIRED interview.[26]

### Video games

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Fannon worked as a designer for Interplay Productions (on a Star Trek adventure game), Vortex Media Arts (multiple titles, including a Tonka activity game), Infogrames Multimedia, 8th Wonder Games (Drachen Zor),[27] and Telepathy Entertainment (Out There).[citation needed]

### Honors

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Fannon was the Game Designer Guest of Honor at MomoCon 2013,[28] Gaming Guest of Honor for ConGlomeration in 2014,[29] a featured guest at Cleveland ConCoction,[30] the Gaming Guest of Honor for Con on the Cob in 2016,[31] and 2017,[32] a Celebrity Guest for Tacticon in 2017, a guest at Magic City Con,[33] and a special guest at GenghisCon 2018,[34] and at ChupacabraCon 2017.[35]

Fannon was also part of an academic panel discussion at the 2018 Denver Comic Con with Professor James Fielder, Ph.D. of United States Air Force Academy about Social Sciences in Worlds that Never Were: Using Fantasy and Science Fiction Literature in the Classroom.[36]

## Bibliography

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### Savage Worlds role-playing books

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* Savage Worlds
* Freedom Squadron
* Freedom Squadron Commando's Manual
* Freedom Squadron Plans & Operations Manual
* Accursed
* Accursed: The Guns of Dagerov
* Accursed: Ill Omens
* Savage Rifts
* Savage Rifts: The Tomorrow Legion Player's Guide
* Savage Rifts: Game Master's Handbook (Nominated for a 2017 ENnie award for Best Rules.[37][38])
* Savage Rifts: Savage Foes of North America
* Savage Rifts: Coalition Field Manual
* Savage Rifts: Archetypes Set 1
* Savage Rifts: Archetypes Set 2
* A Fine Solution 1: Welcome to the World
* A Fine Solution 2: The Circle of Death
* A Fine Solution 3: Triangle Triad
* A Fine Solution 4: Unwanted Heroes
* A Fine Solution 5: Power Play
* Shaintar
* Shaintar: Legends Arise (Nominated for a 2014 ENnie award.[18])
* Shaintar: Legends Unleashed (Nominated for a 2014 ENnie award.[18])
* Shaintar Immortal Legends
* Shaintar Atlas
* Shaintar Black Lantern Report: Camden
* Shaintar Black Lantern Report: Mercenary Companies
* Shaintar Black Lantern Report: Origins of the Society
* Shaintar: Dwarven Clanhomes
* Shaintar Adventure: The Burning Heart
* Shaintar Guidebook: Desert Princes
* Shaintar Guidebook: Dregordia
* Shaintar Guidebook: Eastport
* Shaintar Guidebook: Elvish Nation
* Shaintar Guidebook: The Freelands
* Shaintar Guidebook: Galea
* Shaintar Guidebook: Goblinesh
* Shaintar Guidebook: Korindia
* Shaintar Guidebook: Magic & Cosmology (Vol I)
* Shaintar Guidebook: Malakar Dominion
* Shaintar Guidebook: Mindoth's Tower
* Shaintar Guidebook: Nazatir
* Shaintar Guidebook: Olara
* Shaintar Guidebook: Prelacy of Camon
* Shaintar Guidebook: Serenity
* Shaintar Guidebook: Shaya'Nor
* Shaintar Guidebook: The Wildlands
* Shaintar Anthology: Southern Kingdoms
* Bloody Awful
* Godstrike Tempest: Shaintar/Suzerain Crossover
* Flame Down Below
* Other Savage Worlds works
* Crossbows, Crafting, and Ka-ZOT!
* Day in the Life: Gaming the Downtime
* Dungeonlands: Heroes And Servitors
* Enascentia: Touch of Flame
* Nova Praxis: Savage Worlds edition
* Fire in the Darkness
* Savagely Useful: Random Magic Items

### Other role-playing games

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* Aaron Allston's Strike Force (revised) (Winner of a 2016 BAMFsie award.[39])
* Shatterzone: Arsenal
* Shatterzone: GearTech
* Champions: Champions Universe, 4th edition
* Dark Heresy: Creatures Anathema (Winner of a 2009 ENnie award.[40])
* Edge of the Empire: Suns of Fortune
* Shards of the Stone: Core
* Hero 4th edition: High Tech Enemies
* Hero 4th edition: The Mutant File
* Series Pitch of the Month: No Crowns
* Cracken's Rebel Operatives (West End's Star Wars RPG)
* Star Wars: Age of Rebellion
* Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

### Other works

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* A Better Game With Dice and Chips 2010
* Bring Dice & Chips: The Holiday Collection 2011
* The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible
* The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible, 2nd edition
* So Yer Wantin' t' Talk Like a Pirate!

## References

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1. ^ "Q&A with Sean Patrick Fannon". Geek-pride.co.uk. Mar 18, 2013. Retrieved Feb 27, 2019.
2. ^ "Interrogation Droid: Sean Patrick Fannon". d20 Radio. Nov 12, 2015. Retrieved Feb 27, 2019.
3. ^ a b "After 40 years, popularity of tabletop gaming rises despite high-tech competition". Times Free Press. Jul 29, 2013. Retrieved Feb 27, 2019.
4. ^ Julie and Marx (April 26, 2016). G114 – Writer and Game Designer Sean Patrick Fannon (POD cast). GenreTainment.
5. ^ Uri Lifshitz and Eran Aviram (March 19, 2018). Savage Worlds: Freedom Squadron, with Sean Patrick Fannon (episode 20) (POD cast). On the Shoulders of Dwarves.
6. ^ "Announcing the ConGlomeration 2012 Gaming Guests of Honor Sean Patrick Fannon and Carinn Seabolt".
7. ^ "The Spark Before the Flame - RPGnet RPG Game Index". index.rpg.net. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
8. ^ Fannon, Sean Patrick (December 1993). "Minion Matters". Dragon 200. Lake Geneva WI: TSR, Inc.
9. ^ Fannon, Sean Patrick (December 1999). The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible 2nd Edition. Obsidian Studios Inc. ISBN 978-0967442907.
10. ^ Lancaster, Kurt (October 1999). Warlocks and Warpdrive: Contemporary Fantasy Entertainments With Interactive and Virtual Environments. McFarland Publishing. pp. 35, 48. ISBN 978-0786406340.
11. ^ van Vuuren, Gerhardus (2005). Planning a Let's Pretend Game, Games of make-believe: role playing games as devising theatre. Pietermaritzburg.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
12. ^ Tillett, L Scott. "Firm toying with new video games division", Triangle Business Journal; Raleigh Vol. 12, Iss. 5, (Oct 04, 1996): 4.
13. ^ Shannon Appelcline (2014). Designers & Dragons: The '00s. Evil Hat Productions. p. 379\. ISBN 978-1-61317-087-8.
14. ^ "Gamers Helping Haiti Offers $1400 Worth Of Stuff for $20 Donation | The Escapist". www.escapistmagazine.com. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
15. ^ "DriveThruRPG.com". www.drivethrurpg.com. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
16. ^ "Origins 2012 Coverage: Interview with Sean Patrick Fannon and Matt McElroy of DriveThruRPG.com". DieHard GameFan. Jun 13, 2012. Retrieved Feb 27, 2019.
17. ^ "AICN Tabletop Shaintar".
18. ^ a b c "ENnie Awards: 2014 ENnie Awards Winners".
19. ^ "Major Evil Beagle News". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
20. ^ "Home". evilbeaglegames.com.
21. ^ "About the Beagle -". www.evilbeaglegames.com. Archived from the original on 2014-06-06.
22. ^ "Pinnacle Entertainment Group, About". Archived from the original on 2016-11-16.
23. ^ Bryant, Peter Blix (Producer, Host) (April 25, 2016). Mythwits [Savage Rifts] (Television/Web series). Studio187, Nerd Rage News.
24. ^ "Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Savage Rifts". 17 March 2021.
25. ^ AUTHOR: GEEK'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (6 May 2017). "The Bonkers Role-Playing World of Rifts Just Got Even Bigger". Wired.
26. ^ Bryant, Peter Blix (Producer, Host) (May 5, 2017). Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - A Science Fiction Podcast [254\. Sean Patrick Fannon on the Rifts Role-Playing Game] (WIRED Podcast series). WIRED Magazine.
27. ^ Hedstrom, Kate (July 22, 1997). "8th Wonder's RPG Toolkit". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 9, 1999. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
28. ^ "MomoCon 2013".
29. ^ "Conglomeration 2014 guest announcement".
30. ^ Sangiacomo, Michael (12 May 2014). "Cleveland Concoction brings sci-fi, tv and gamers to Cleveland convention". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
31. ^ "Gaming Guest of Honor – Sean Patrick Fannon". Archived from the original on 2017-01-01.
32. ^ "Special Gaming Guest of Honor – Sean Patrick Fannon". Archived from the original on 2017-10-10.
33. ^ CROMWELL, SYDNEY (23 May 2017). "Magic City Con to fill 2 levels of Wynfrey Hotel". HooverSun.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
34. ^ "2018 Honorary Guests".
35. ^ "Sean Patrick Fannon, ChupacabraCon 2017".
36. ^ "DENVER COMIC CON 2018 SCHEDULE".
37. ^ "ENnie Awards: 2017 ENnie Nominations". Archived from the original on 2017-11-04. Retrieved 2017-07-06.
38. ^ Hall, Charlie (5 July 2017). "The best tabletop RPGs of 2017". Polygon. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
39. ^ "The Bamfsies".
40. ^ "ENnie Awards: 2009 Noms and Winners".

## External links

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### Personal sites

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* Sean's Pick of the Day (blog)

### Commercial and professional sites

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* Evil Beagle Games (official site)
* Pinnacle Entertainment (official site)
* BoardGame Geek biography site

### Interviews

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* Geek Pride interview
* Rogue Warden interview
* Ain't It Cool News interview
* d20 Radio interview
* The Hardboiled GMshoe interview
* Iced Jamb interview
* Mythwits interview (YouTube)
* The Wild Die interview (podcast)
* BAMF interview (podcast)
* Geek's Guide to the Galaxy - Sean Patrick Fannon
* Genretainment - Sean Patrick Fannon
* On the Shoulders of Dwarves - Savage Worlds: Freedom Squadron, with Sean Patrick Fannon (episode 20)
* Interrogation Droid: Sean Patrick Fannon