David Vincent Baker is a designer and theorist of

tabletop role-playing games A tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG or TRPG), also known as a pen-and-paper role-playing game, is a kind of role-playing game (RPG) in which the participants describe their characters' actions through speech and sometimes movements. Participants d ...

and the owner of

indie role-playing games An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published by individuals or small press publishers, in contrast to games published by large corporations. Indie tabletop role-playing game designers participate in various game distribution netwo ...

publisher

Lumpley Games Lumpley Games is an American game company that produces role-playing games and game supplements. History Vincent Baker began using "lumpley" email addresses and URLs in '' kill puppies for satan'' (2002); Baker had been using the name on online s ...

, which also hosts the archives of The Forge. He and his wife

Meguey Baker Meguey Baker () is a tabletop role-playing game designer, independent publisher and quilt historian. She and her husband Vincent Baker designed Apocalypse World, the first game in the Powered by the Apocalypse system. Career Game design Bake ...

designed ''

Apocalypse World ''Apocalypse World'' is a post-apocalyptic indie role-playing game by D. Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker, published in 2010 with only an implied setting that is fleshed out by the players in the course of character creation. It was the game for ...

'', the first game in the

Powered by the Apocalypse Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) is a tabletop role-playing game design framework developed by Meguey Baker, Meguey and Vincent Baker for the 2010 game ''Apocalypse World'' and later adapted for hundreds of other Indie role-playing game, indie ro ...

system. ''Apocalypse World'' won Game of the Year, Best Support, and Most Innovative game at the 2010 Indie RPG Awards, and was 2011 RPG of the Year at both the

Golden Geek Awards Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

and

Lucca Comics & Games Lucca Comics & Games is an annual Comic book convention, comic book and gaming convention in Lucca, Italy, traditionally held at the end of October, in conjunction with All Saints' Day. It is the largest comics festival in Europe, and the secon ...

. Baker also designed ''

Dogs in the Vineyard ''Dogs in the Vineyard'' is an independently published role-playing game published by Lumpley Games in 2004 that is loosely based on the history of the Mormons. Setting The game is set in "a West that never quite was"—loosely based on the ...

'', which won the 2004 Indie RPG Game of the Year and Innovation Award and was one of three games shortlisted for the 2004

Diana Jones Award The Diana Jones Award is an annual award for "excellence in gaming". The original award was made from a burned book encased in lucite. The award is unusual in two ways: first, it is not an award for a specific class of thing, but can be awarded ...

Games

Vincent Baker is the designer of the indie role-playing game ''

'' (2004), one of the first indie RPGs to be both financially and sociologically successful. This game is about God's Watchdogs who protect the faithful from the dangers of the 19th century American frontier, and the game established the concept of "say yes or roll" as a game mechanic. ''Apocalypse World'' is a post-apocalyptic game co-designed with his wife,

, published through

. ''Apocalypse World'' won multiple awards such as the 2010

Indie RPG Award The Indie RPG Awards were annual, creator-based awards for Indie role-playing games and supplements. They were established in 2002 by Andy Kitkowski. The final round of awards was given in 2017. For the purposes of the Awards, there exists a follow ...

for "Game of the Year" and the 2011

"Best Role-Playing Game" award.

, the game design framework created by the Bakers for ''Apocalypse World'', has made a lasting impact on role-playing game design. He also co-designed with his wife both ''Firebrands'' (2017), a romance TTRPG in a sci-fi setting focused on mobile frame pilots, and ''Under Hollow Hills'' (2021), an RPG about fairytales and a traveling circus.

Theory of Games

Baker and

Emily Care Boss Emily Care Boss is an indie roleplaying game designer, theorist and publisher. She was a foundational member of The Forge, an early leader in the indie role-playing game movement and is considered the creator of the American Freeform genre of r ...

formulated the Lumpley Principle (a.k.a. Baker-Care Principle) which states "System (including but not limited to 'the rules') is defined as the means by which the group agrees to imagined events during play." Further development of the Lumpley Principle described player contributions as being assigned credibility by the other players in the game. Emily Care Boss discussed Baker's mechanical contributions to role-playing games in her chapter "Key Concepts in Forge Theory" in ''Playground Worlds: Creating and Evaluating Experiences of Role-Playing Games''. C. Thi Nguyen further discussed Baker's contributions to improvisational systems in the chapter "Creativity and Improvisation in Games" in The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Improvisation in the Arts.

Bibliography

Role-playing games

* '' kill puppies for satan'' (2001) **''cockroach souffle'' (2002) *''The Cheap and Cheesy Fantasy Game'' (2001) *''Matchmaker'' (2001) * ''

'' (2004) *''The Abductinators'' (2003) *''Mechaton'' (2006) **''Mobile Frame Zero: Rapid Attack'' (2012) * ''Poison'd'' (2007) * ''In a Wicked Age'' (2007) * ''

'' (2010) **''Apocalypse World'' 2nd Edition (2016) **''Apocalypse World: the Extended Refbook'' (2019) **''Apocalypse World: Burned Over Hackbook'' (2019) * ''The Sundered Land'' (2013) *''The Seclusium of Orphone of the Three Visions'' (2013), a supplement for ''Lamentations of the Flame Princess'' *''Firebrands'' (2017) *''Murderous Ghosts'' (2017) *''The King Is Dead'' (2018) *''In Dreaming Avalon'' (2019) *''Murderous Ghosts'' (2019) *''The Journey of Half-a-Fool'' (2019) *''The Sundered Land'' (2019) *''At the Stroke of Midnight'' (2019) *''Run For Your Life'' (2019) *''How the Story Ends'' (2021) *''Under Hollow Hills'' (2021) *''The Wizard's Grimoire'' (serialized: 2021-present)

References

External links

*
Lumpley Games Forum
on The Forge {{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Vincent American game designers Indie role-playing game designers Living people Role-playing game designers Year of birth missing (living people)