# Steven S. Long > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Steven_S._Long > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Steven_S._Long.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_S._Long > Source revision: 1353068312 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Role-playing game designer Steven S. Long Alma mater Duke University School of Law Occupation Role-playing game designer Known for Owner of Hero Games **Steven S. Long** is a [role-playing game](/source/Role-playing_game) author and one of the owners of [Hero Games](/source/Hero_Games). ## Career Long started playing [Champions](/source/Champions_(role-playing_game)) in 1982. He began writing for the game ten years later, starting with articles in the Hero Games house magazine, *[Adventurers Club](/source/Adventurers_Club_(magazine))*.[1] He began working in the RPG industry in 1992 as a freelancer for [Hero Games](/source/Hero_Games).[2] Long authored the *Champions* subgenre sourcebook *[Dark Champions](/source/Dark_Champions)* in 1993, along with several more *Champions* supplements to support it.[3]: 150 Long wrote *[The Ultimate Martial Artist](/source/The_Ultimate_Martial_Artist)* (1994) and *The Ultimate Mentalist* (1996) as the first two supplements in a line devised by [Steve Peterson](/source/Steve_Peterson_(game_designer)) as sourcebooks compatible with all of the *[Hero System](/source/Hero_System)* genres.[3]: 150 Other works included *[Justice Not Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Justice_Not_Law&action=edit&redlink=1)*, *[An Eye for an Eye](/source/An_Eye_for_an_Eye_(Champions))*, *[Watchers of the Dragon](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Watchers_of_the_Dragon&action=edit&redlink=1)*, and articles for *Adventurers Club*, *The HERO System Almanacs*, and similar publications. He soon branched out into working for other game companies, such as [White Wolf Publishing](/source/White_Wolf_Publishing). In 1997, Long quit his job as a practicing trial lawyer to write and design games as a freelancer.[2] Gold Rush Games hired Long in 1997 to write a fifth edition of the *Hero System*, which he finished in July 1999, submitting it to Hero Games instead due to the changing relationship between the two companies at the time.[3]: 151 During this time, he wrote for numerous companies, including [White Wolf Publishing](/source/White_Wolf_Publishing), [Pinnacle Entertainment Group](/source/Pinnacle_Entertainment_Group), [Steve Jackson Games](/source/Steve_Jackson_Games), [Last Unicorn Games](/source/Last_Unicorn_Games), and [Chameleon Eclectic](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chameleon_Eclectic&action=edit&redlink=1).[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Long joined the developers working for [Last Unicorn Games](/source/Last_Unicorn_Games) on the "Icon system" for their line of licensed *Star Trek* role-playing games; to get the *[Star Trek: The Next Generation](/source/Star_Trek%3A_The_Next_Generation_Role-playing_Game)* RPG ready to debut at [GenCon](/source/GenCon) 31, the company few Long out to [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) for two weeks. After the design of *Icon* was done, Long became the line developer for the *[Star Trek: Deep Space 9](/source/Star_Trek%3A_Deep_Space_Nine_Role-playing_Game)* role-playing game, and by 1999 he was a full-time employee of Last Unicorn Games.[3]: 315 In June 2000, Long was one of several employees remaining at Last Unicorn Games when [Wizards of the Coast](/source/Wizards_of_the_Coast) (WOTC) bought the company.[3]: 316–317 He had worked as a designer for WOTC, working on role-playing games including *[The Wheel of Time](/source/The_Wheel_of_Time_Roleplaying_Game)*. After leaving WOTC in December 2000, Long was hired by [Decipher, Inc.](/source/Decipher%2C_Inc.) to work on its new *[Star Trek](/source/Star_Trek_Roleplaying_Game_(Decipher))* and *[Lord of the Rings](/source/Lord_of_the_Rings_Roleplaying_Game)* role-playing games, the latter winning the 2002 [Origins Award](/source/Origins_Award) for Best Role-playing Game.[4] All told, as of late 2001, Long had written, co-authored, edited, or developed over 70 RPG products. In December 2001, he founded DOJ, Inc. along with [Darren Watts](/source/Darren_Watts_(Hero_Games)) and other investors, and purchased the rights and assets of Hero Games from Cybergames, Inc.[3]: 151–152 From 2001 until 2011, Long served as the [HERO System](/source/HERO_System) Line Developer, during which he wrote and edited over 100 supplements for the [Hero System](/source/Hero_System) RPG, including the *Hero System Fifth Edition* in April 2002[3]: 152 and the *Hero System Sixth Edition* in June 2011. In addition to being an owner of DOJ/Hero, Long's duties as Line Developer[3]: 152 include planning, writing, editing, and developing manuscripts for publication. He also runs a section on the HERO Games Forums, where people can post questions in a section where only Steve Long can reply, thus ensuring accurate responses. Currently, Long is publishing more HERO System material as a licensee under his Elvensong Street Press imprint.[5] ## Personal life Long is a graduate of [Duke University](/source/Duke_University) and [Duke University School of Law](/source/Duke_University_School_of_Law). He lives in [Greensboro, North Carolina](/source/Greensboro%2C_North_Carolina). ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["He Is The Champion"](http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_154/4969-He-Is-The-Champion), interview by [Will Hindmarch](/source/Will_Hindmarch), 17 June 2008, *The Escapist* magazine. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-HG_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-HG_2-1) Long, Steve (2007). "[Shadowrun](/source/Shadowrun)". In [Lowder, James](/source/James_Lowder) (ed.). *[Hobby Games: The 100 Best](/source/Hobby_Games%3A_The_100_Best)*. [Green Ronin Publishing](/source/Green_Ronin_Publishing). pp. 273–275. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-932442-96-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-932442-96-0). 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-designers_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-designers_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-designers_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-designers_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-designers_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-designers_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-designers_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-designers_3-7) Shannon Appelcline (2011). *Designers & Dragons*. Mongoose Publishing. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-907702-58-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-907702-58-7). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["List of Winners; Presented at Origins 2003"](http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/2002/list-of-winners) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080514043220/http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/2002/list-of-winners) 2008-05-14 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine), Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Long, Steven. ["Writer, Game Designer, Young Curmudgeon"](http://www.stevenslong.com). Retrieved 2 December 2013. ## External links - [HERO Games Employees and Freelancers](https://web.archive.org/web/20090226194647/http://www.herogames.com/about.htm) - [RPGGeek Design Credits for Steven Long](http://rpggeek.com/rpgdesigner/13459/steven-s-long) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Steven S. Long](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_S._Long) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_S._Long?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.