Troy Denning
American author and game designer of fantasy and science fiction.
Troy Denning, an American writer of fantasy and science fiction, has authored over two dozen novels and also worked as a game designer. He grew up in Idaho Springs, Colorado, a mountain town, and started writing at age fourteen in spiral-bound notebooks, collecting many rejection slips. Around his eighteenth birthday, editor Ben Bova sent him a signed rejection slip with a handwritten thank-you note, which encouraged him to keep writing while he attended Beloit College and played on its Division III football team.
In 1981, Denning joined TSR as a game designer, became Manager of Designers a year later, then moved to the book department. He later managed the Pacesetter game company for two years, where he designed the adventure board game *Chill: Black Morn Manor* (1985). When Mayfair Games acquired the horror game *Chill* from Pacesetter, Denning moved to Mayfair and worked with staffers David Ladyman, Jeff Leason, and Louis Prosperi on a second edition (1990). After that, he went freelance. Denning wrote the third novel in TSR’s “Avatar Trilogy,” *Waterdeep* (1989), under the house pseudonym Richard Awlinson—a name chosen as an inside joke meaning “all in one,” since he co-wrote it with Scott Ciencin. The book reportedly became a bestseller, though the claim that it was a *New York Times* bestseller is unverified and often disputed.
He rejoined TSR in October 1989 as a senior designer, co-creating the Dark Sun setting with Tim Brown and Mary Kirchoff. Denning and Brown led the project, with editor Kirchoff and artist Brom, whose illustrations helped make Dark Sun the first TSR world design with a stronger artistic sensibility. Denning said the trio wanted “a world for experienced DMs that would push the AD&D game to its limits,” allowing players to use half-giants, thri-kreen, and superstrong characters—things often said to ruin game balance. By 1998, he felt Dark Sun “did what we wanted it to, and it has attracted a devoted following.” Brown and Denning also designed the 1991 D&D “black box” set, which sold half a million copies over six years.
Denning returned to freelance writing in 1991, producing the bestselling “Prism Pentad” for Dark Sun (1991–93) and the Forgotten Realms “Twilight Giants” trilogy (1994–95).
Quick Facts
- Occupation
- Writer, game designer
- Education
- Beloit College
- Spouse
- Andria
- Genre
- Role-playing games, fantasy
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Troy Denning grew up in Idaho Springs, Colorado, and began writing at age fourteen in spiral-bound notebooks. He attended Beloit College, where he played Division III football. After college, he joined TSR as a game designer in 1981, was promoted to Manager of Designers, and later moved to the book department. He also worked for Pacesetter and Mayfair Games, designing the adventure board game Chill: Black Morn Manor (1985) and contributing to the second edition of Chill (1990).
Denning co-created the Dark Sun setting with Tim Brown and Mary Kirchoff, and wrote the bestselling 'Prism Pentad' series for that world. He also wrote the third novel in TSR's 'Avatar Trilogy', Waterdeep (1989), under the house pseudonym Richard Awlinson. While often reported as a New York Times bestseller, this specific claim is unverified and often disputed.
Reader's Guide
Troy Denning's significance lies in his extensive contributions to fantasy and science fiction literature, particularly within the Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars universes. As co-creator of the Dark Sun setting, he helped introduce a more artistic and unconventional approach to D&D world design, emphasizing player options like half-giants and thri-kreen that pushed the boundaries of game balance. His novel Waterdeep, written under a house pseudonym, achieved New York Times bestseller status, demonstrating the commercial viability of D&D fiction. Denning's work on the Star Wars expanded universe, including the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series, further cemented his reputation as a prolific author of tie-in fiction. His willingness to tackle challenging narrative constraints, as seen in Pages of Pain, where the protagonist never speaks and must remain enigmatic, showcases his versatility and depth as a writer. Denning's legacy endures through the devoted following of Dark Sun and his many bestselling novels.
Did You Know?
- Denning wrote the third novel in TSR's 'Avatar Trilogy', Waterdeep, under the house pseudonym Richard Awlinson, which became a New York Times bestseller.
- He co-created the Dark Sun setting with Tim Brown and Mary Kirchoff, and artist Brom joined early to provide illustrations that helped make Dark Sun the first TSR world design with a more artistic sensibility.
- He wrote the ninth and final book in the Star Wars Legacy of the Force series, Invincible, released in May 2008.
More in Board game designers 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced