Group Expansion

In Which the Group Finds New Homes and New Members

Though the Alliterates paid dearly ($60 per person) for the fireplace, the grand woodland views, and the fine food and spirits, Jake Sweeney’s had trouble staying solvent. In fact, the second meeting of the group moved to Alexander’s Steak House, as Sweeney’s was unexpectedly closed that night. Intermittent disruptions led eventually to its total shutdown. The group wondered if, perhaps, their monthly tobacco fumigation had anything to do with the closing.

Later in 1996, the Alliterates began meeting at Celebration on Wells in Lake Geneva. The original seven authors also began to search for an eighth member. They found him.

Don Perrin was a multiply published co-author of best-selling Dragonlance books. A former member of the Royal Canadian Army, Don proved to be a storehouse of information about military history, intelligence, organization, and tactics. Here are Don’s reflections on becoming an Alliterate:

[Don will add a few lines of reflection here.]

The group remained at Celebration for a number of months, though the manager preferred closing by 10 p.m.—three hours earlier than the Alliterates wished to leave. As a result, during the summer of 1997, the group met at members’ houses.

One such meeting was held at the house of Dave Gross. The meeting was an Irish wake, celebrating Dave’s passage to a better world—Seattle and work for Wizards of the Coast. Dave would be missed, and the group began to look for another new member.

Later that summer, Rob hosted the Alliterates at his house. Four years earlier, this same setting had hosted the “Weird Philosophers Party”—an all-night event with Jeff, Lester, Doug, and many others. This night, though, rain was in the forecast. In order to give the cigars their due, Rob set up a rain fly in his backyard beside an outdoor fireplace. What followed was a spirited discussion, a ferocious thunderstorm, and a new inductee.

Steve Winter added his name to the charter that night. He was another game designer and editor and had co-authored a number of novels. Steve completed the Alliterates’ military triumvirate. Doug and Don’s tremendous expertise with modern warfare was matched by Steve’s tremendous expertise with ancient warfare. The group had become a military think tank. Here are Steve’s reflections about joining the Alliterates:

[Steve W. will add a few lines of reflection here.]

The Alliterates’ housing crisis continued until Doug Niles suggested one of his favorite watering holes—the Jury Room. It offered everything that Sweeney’s had, at one third the cost. Also, the owner and the bartender quickly became favorites of the group. Since late in 1997, the Jury Room has been the Alliterates’ official home, even sporting a shelf that displays selected works of the members.

However, in the spring on 1998, the Jury Room stopped answering its phone. For a few months, the Alliterates were sure they had killed yet another fine establishment. Luckily, the business malaise was short-lived, and the group was home again at the Jury Room that fall.

Then, the group had to bid farewell to another founding member: Jeff Grubb. He, too, had decided to leave for Washington State and a job with Wizards of the Coast. The rest of the group began the careful process of seeking another writer. In time, they found Stephen D. Sullivan.

Steve Sullivan had the distinction of having the longest history with TSR of any Alliterate. He began there in 1980 as an editor, and then became an artist and mapmaker before launching a freelance art, writing, and comic book career. Steve joined the Alliterates after penning the first published novel with his byline, The Scorpion. He recently reflected on his arrival in this august company:

“Joining the Allits was a lot like being part of a really cool gaming/publishing company, without any of the dopey executives that always ruin the party for us creative types. It was, and remains, a lot like TSR’s ‘golden era’—where everyone had fun and still got amazing work done. I’m sure that at any moment Rob will sell the rights to Hollywood, and then it’ll all go in the crapper. But, as the Buddha says, ‘Wherever you go, there you are.’”

In 2001, Steve Winter also migrated west. The group selected Matthew Forbeck to sign the charter. Despite Matt’s youth (he was two years younger than the nubile Mr. King), Matt came to the group with 20 years worth of gaming experience. He also soon became the only Alliterate to father quadruplets. (Now Matt is twenty-eight years older than Mr. King.) Matt provides his perspective on becoming an Alliterate:

“Tim Brown had mentioned the Alliterates to me a couple times, but only while I was under heavy sedation. Eventually, the words ‘come join us’ escaped his lips while I was in my right mind, and I jacked that chance in the temple and beat it senseless. I’d known a number of the Alliterates for years, including Troy, who I often blame for waving the magic beans of the adventure gaming industry under my youthful nose. At the first meeting, I knew I was home.

“I’d grown up playing the games many of the Alliterates had designed, and reading the books they’d written. When I was 16, I used to playtest games with Steve and Troy at Pacesetter, Ltd. I have Doug’s autograph in my Player’s Handbook from when I was 14. Joining the group in my 30s, half a lifetime later, has been a real treat. There’s no other gang with which I’d rather hang.”

In 2002, the charter gained the signature of one more writer, Thomas M. Reid. Thomas was a writer and editor at Wizards of the Coast in Seattle. Though Thomas did not live in Wisconsin, he had attended a number of meetings, and his standing invitation evolved into membership.

Also, the hope of the group was that with Jeff, Dave, Steve Winter, and Thomas in Seattle, a West Coast Alliterates group could be formed. That hope soon became a reality.