James Wallis

James Hugh Wallis (born October 1966) is a British designer and publisher of tabletop and role-playing games.

Career James Wallis began roleplaying in 1981 through Dungeons & Dragons and Traveller, which were both licensed in the UK by Games Workshop at the time. Wallis began self-publishing fanzines, starting with WEREMAN and then Sound & Fury, and got to know game designer Erick Wujcik thanks to the latter; Wallis met Kevin Siembieda through Wujcik at Gen Con 22 in 1989, resulting in Wallis writing Mutants in Avalon (1990) and Mutants in Orbit (1992) for Palladium Books. Wallis based the company in the UK, and got a license from Phil Gallagher at Games Workshop to publish books for Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay. He lives in London with his wife and children. A PDF download was released to backers in December 2016, and the physical book was published in November 2017.

Games James Wallis's published games include:

Once Upon A Time, co-authored with Richard Lambert and Andrew Rilstone (first released in 1994; named as winner of Games magazine's Best Family Card Game section in the 1997 Games 100 list and one of "The Millennium's Best Card Games" by Pyramid magazine ) The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen (first released in 1998, revised and expanded in 2008; named as one of "The Millennium's Best Games" by Pyramid magazine, nominated for the 2009 Origins Award for "Best Children's, Family or Party Game")

Games he has edited and/or published include:

Nobilis (second edition, 2002; winner of the Origins Award for "Best Graphic Presentation Book Format Product", 2002)

Writing and periodicals In 1994 he founded and published Interactive Fantasy (IF), an early journal of 'games design and criticism'. The editor was Andrew Rilstone. The second issue included the first printing of the essay 'I Have No Words And I Must Design' by Greg Costikyan. He wrote for the British Sunday Times newspaper from 2000 to 2001. He also co-wrote scripts for the television show 404 Not Found.

On October 17, 2023, Wallis released an enhanced audio edition of Everybody Wins in collaboration with Recorded Books, further establishing his prominence in board game culture and design. The book examines the transformative impact of tabletop gaming over the past 45 years, providing insights for enthusiasts, newcomers, and those seeking game recommendations.