Matt James (game designer)

Matt James (born 1981) is an award winning game designer and a highly decorated veteran of the United States Army. As a game designer, James is best known for his online and print works for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game published by Wizards of the Coast, as well as Pathfinder role-playing game by Paizo, and Privateer Press. He has also designed game content for Wolfgang Baur's Kobold Press (formerly Open Design LLC). In 2012 James won an ENnie Award for Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale and has been nominated for several Origins Awards.

Game design career
James began designing games at a young age while writing content for a live action roleplaying game called Avalon LARP. After his service in the military, he began designing professionally. He received his first break when he was asked to fill in for another designer for a Dungeons & Dragons adventure that would be published in Dungeon Magazine. From there, he would regularly contribute to Dragon Magazine and Dungeon Magazine. Since then, James has co-authored many Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder products, including the award-winning sourcebook Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (2011).

James and his older brother Brian R. James have teamed up to produce additional content for the Forgotten Realms as well as D&D as a whole. They have announced that they are moving forward with their long-established game company Vorpal Games.

Honors

 * 2012: Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale wins a Silver ENnie Award for Best Monster/Adversary product.
 * 2012: Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale is nominated for Best Roleplaying Supplement or Adventure by the 38th Annual Origins Awards.

Pathfinder® sourcebooks, Paizo Publishing

 * Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment Guide (2012), designer

Dungeons & Dragons® sourcebooks, Wizards of the Coast

 * Fortune Cards: Drow Trechery (2012), lead designer
 * Into the Unknown: The Dungeon Survival Handbook (2012), designer
 * Lair Assault: Attack of the Tyrantclaw (2012), designer
 * Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale (2011), designer - ENnie Award winner

Military
James was awarded the Bronze Star Medal in 2005 for saving the life of a US Marine who was critically injured after being shot with a M2 .50 caliber automatic machine gun. President George W. Bush would later award the Purple Heart to Matt after he was severely wounded on a separate mission.