Edward E. Simbalist (5 September 1943 – 12 March 2005) was a

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

designer.

Career

Edward E. Simbalist and

Wilf K. Backhaus Wilfried Karl Backhaus (7 November 1946 – 14 October 2009) was a role-playing game designer, business professor, and lawyer. Career Wilf K. Backhaus and Edward E. Simbalist designed a role-playing game called ''Chevalier'', which they brought ...

designed a role-playing game called ''Chevalier'', which they brought to

Gen Con Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing ...

IX in 1976 with hopes to sell it to TSR; after witnessing

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

berate a staff member, Simbalist decided not to approach Gygax about the game. At the convention, they met

Scott Bizar Scott B. Bizar is the founder of Fantasy Games Unlimited, a game publisher which contracts writers and artists that work primarily on role-playing games. Career Scott Bizar, dissatisfied with TSR (company), TSR's ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974) an ...

Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no in-house design teams and relies on submitted material from outside talent. History Founded in the summer of 1975 in Jericho, New York b ...

, who was interested in the game and helped to get it published over the next year as ''

Chivalry & Sorcery ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' is a fantasy role-playing game first published in 1977 by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Created by Edward E. Simbalist and Wilf K. Backhaus in 1977, ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' (''C&S'') was an early competitor to ''Dungeons & Drag ...

'', the first role-playing game from Fantasy Games Unlimited. In the late 1970s, Bizar contacted Simbalist and

Phil McGregor Phil may refer to: * Phil (given name), a shortened version of masculine and feminine names * Phill, a given name also spelled "Phil" * Phil, Kentucky, United States * ''Phil'' (film), a 2019 film * -phil-, a lexical fragment, used as a root te ...

to produce a science-fiction role-playing game, which was published in 1980 as ''

Space Opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...

''. Simbalist supervised both of his role-playing game lines until FGU reached a point where it was no longer able to release new products. He was Canadian and lived in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

. He also was a teacher a
Edith Rodgers junior high school

Books written or co-authored by Edward E. Simbalist

* ''Chevalier'' (1976), self-publisher * ''

'' (1977), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Bireme & Galley (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1978), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook ''Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook'' is a 1978 role-playing game supplement for ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' by Edward E. Simbalist and Wilf K. Backhaus, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for table ...

'' (1978), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Destrier (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1978), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Swords & Sorcerers ''Swords & Sorcerers'' is a 1978 role-playing game supplement published by Fantasy Games Unlimited for ''Chivalry & Sorcery''. Contents ''Swords & Sorcerers'' is a supplement containing historical and religious information with and game mechanic ...

(Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1978), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Arden (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1979), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Saurians (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1979), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

'' (1980), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 2 ''Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 2'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement for ''Chivalry & Sorcery'' published by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Contents ''Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 2'' is a supplement which contains texts and charts for handling ...

'' (1981), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Ground & Air Equipment ''Ground & Air Equipment'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement for ''Space Opera (role-playing game), Space Opera'' published by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Contents ''Ground & Air Equipment'' is a supplement which focuses on military hardware and ...

(Space Opera)'' (1981), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 1 ''Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 1'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement for ''Space Opera'' published by Fantasy Games Unlimited Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) is a publishing house for tabletop and role-playing games. The company has no i ...

(Space Opera)'' (1981), Fantasy Games Unlimited * '' Star Sector, Atlas 1 (Space Opera)'' (1981), Fantasy Games Unlimited * '' Star Sector, Atlas 2'' (Space Opera) (1982), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Chivalry & Sorcery 2nd edition'' (1983), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Chivalry & Sorcery Sourcebook 1 & 2'', 2nd Ed. (1983), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Swords & Sorcerers, 2nd Ed. (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1983), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''

Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 2 ''Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 2'', subtitled "Starships of War", is a supplement published by Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) in 1984 for the science fiction role-playing game ''Space Opera''. Contents ''Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 2'' i ...

(Space Opera)'' (1984), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Star Sector, Atlas 3 (Space Opera)'' (1984), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Star Sector, Atlas 5 (Space Opera)'' (1985), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Seldon's Compendium of Starcraft 3 (Space Opera)'' (1988), Fantasy Games Unlimited * ''Chivalry & Sorcery 3rd edition'' (1996), Highlander Designs * ''Creatures Bestiary (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1997), Highlander Designs * ''Game Master's Handbook (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1997), Highlander Designs * ''Armourers' Companion (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1999), Britannia Game Designs Ltd * ''Chivalry & Sorcery Light'' (1999), Britannia Game Designs Ltd * ''Knights' Companion (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (1999), Britannia Game Designs Ltd * ''Chivalry & Sorcery: The Rebirth'' (4th edition - 2000), Britannia Game Designs Ltd * '' Chivalry & Sorcery Red Book'' (2000), GameStuff Inc., free download pdf * ''Game Master's Toolkit Volume 1 (Chivalry & Sorcery)'' (2002), Mystic Station Designs ''The Great Cats Book Volume One'' (SkillSkape) (2003), Mystic Station Designs
''The Creatures Book Volume One'' (SkillSkape) (2004), Mystic Station Designs

References

External links

An interview of Edward Simbalist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simbalist, Edward E. 1943 births 2005 deaths Role-playing game designers Canadian game designers