Gareth Hanrahan

Gareth Ryder-Hanrahan is an Irish game designer and novelist who has worked primarily on role-playing games.

Career

Games Hanrahan was one of the game designers included in the experimental community connected to the Gaming Outpost. Hanrahan oversaw the writing for Paranoia when Mongoose Publishing brought it in-house. He also holds the position of line developer for The Laundry Files roleplaying game published by Cubicle 7.

Fiction Hanrahan is the author of the Paranoia novel Reality Optional. He has also contributed short stories to the Stone Skin Press anthologies The Lion and the Aardvark and Schemers.

He released his debut novel in 2019, and its sequels in the Black Iron Legacy series in 2020 and 2021: The Gutter Prayer, Orbit, January 22, 2019 The Shadow Saint, Orbit, January 7, 2020 The Broken God, Orbit, May 18, 2021

The series is a gothic/steampunk adventure, set in the city of Guerdon, which has been described as being inspired by Hanrahan's native city of Cork.

His second trilogy, Lands of the Firstborn, is set years after a band a heroes defeated the Dark Lord, having to come together once more to overcome a new threat.

The Sword Defiant, Orbit, May 2023 The Sword Unbound, Orbit, May 2024 The Sword Triumphant, Orbit, May 2025

Awards and nominations

Hanrahan has received the following ENnie awards:

2011: Best New Game (Silver), The Laundry RPG by Cubicle 7 2012: Best Rules (Silver), Lorefinder: GUMSHOE Pathfinder Mashup by Pelgrane Press

Hanrahan has received the following ENnie nominations:

2012: Best Adventure, Dead Rock Seven by Pelgrane Press 2012: Best Adventure, Invasive Procedures by Pelgrane Press 2013: Best Adventure, The Zalozhniy Quartet by Pelgrane Press

Hanrahan has received the following Origins nominations:

2014: Best RPG Supplement, The Heart of the Wild by Cubicle 7

Games

Games designed / written by Hanrahan include:

The Slayer's Guide to Titans (2003) The Quintessential Halfling (2003) The Quintessential Paladin II: Advanced Tactics (2004) The Quintessential Druid II (2004) OGL Horror (2004) The Traitor's Manual (2004), Paranoia RPG EarthForce Campaign Book (2005), Babylon 5 Roleplaying Game Conan: The Roleplaying Game (2007, 2nd edition) The Laundry (2010) Primeval: The Role-Playing Game (2011) Eyes of the Stone Thief (2015), 13th Age RPG