Robert N. Charrette

Background

Robert N. Charrette was born in 1953, in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He is a son of Norman L. and Mary C. Charrette.

Education

Robert N. Charrette studied geology and biology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Career

Robert N. Charrette started his career as an illustrator and graphic artist. In 1976, he joined the staff of Little Soldier Games and later continued his work for the company in its successor, Tyr Games, which then transformed to Phoenix Games and finally to Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1980. While there, he worked as a sculptor, game designer and co-writer in such projects of the publishing house as Bushido, Aftermath!, Daredevils, Gangster! and Space Opera.

Charrette has returned to the Japanese-themed figures many times, including for Grenadier Models Inc., Ral Partha Enterprises, Reaper Miniatures and others.

Throughout the new decade, Charrette concentrated on sculpting. He modelled figures for Tom Meier's The Hoplites, 1200 A.D., CS/02-xxx Collector Series lines and Chaosium's RuneQuest. He updated his 1979 line of figures made for Gangster! and dubbed it ‘20-xxx The Roaring Twenties’. In 1985, Charrette began his collaboration with Ral Partha Enterprises working in their team of sculptors on line of miniature robot war machines for BattleTech game. The title was borrowed from the FASA Corporation game. After Ral Partha was purchased by FASA, Charrette has worked for the latter for a long time as a sculptor and game designer.

At the end of the 1980s, Robert N. Charrette enlarged his design projects for FASA into novels. The first of such novels, based on Battletech game, ‘Wolves on the Border’, was issued in 1989. The first installment of the ‘Battletech’ series was closely followed by the release of another ‘Battletech’ tale dubbed ‘Heir to the Dragon’. ‘Wolfpack’, published in 1992, wrapped up the series. Charrette’s next project was another series of novels, the ‘Secrets of Power’ trilogy, which were based on the universe in the game ‘Shadowrun’. The titles included ‘Never Deal with a Dragon’, ‘Choose Your Enemies Carefully’, and ‘Find Your Own Truth’.

The video games became a priority for FASA, and the third trilogy of books by Charrette, ‘Strange World of John Reddy Trilogy’, beginning with ‘A Prince Among Men’ in 1994, was published by Warner Books. It received a number of favorable reviews from critics. The second novel in the series was ‘A King Beneath the Mountain’, and winding it up was ‘A Knight Among Knaves’.

Robert N. Charrette contributed his subsequent trilogies to Harper Collins and Eos Press.

At the beginning of the 21th century, Charrette recommenced his game design activity. In 2001, he established Parroom Enterprises, specializing in the production of miniature figures, games and supplements based on the Victorian and medieval Japanese periods.

Achievements

• Beginning as a graphic artist and game designer, Robert N. Charrette managed to develop his artistic talent and to apply his projects to a series of novels recognized by critics and popular among readers. During his career, Charrette has written more than a dozen novels.
  
  Charrette’s accomplishments in the game field were many times marked by Origins Awards. In 2003, he was inducted in its Hall of Fame.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A Prince Among Men

    (When a mysterious woman forces museum guard John Reddy to...)

    1994
  • Wizard of Bones: Third Chronicle of Aelwyn

    (Seeking solitude and the magic power of a mysterious orb,...)

    1997
  • Shadowrun 19: Just Compensation

    (Becoming accidentally involved with the Shadowrunners, An...)

    1996
  • Timespell: First Chronicle of Aelwyn

    (Certified in the light magics after a long apprenticeship...)

    1996
  • Eye of the Serpent: Second Chronicle of Aelwyn

    (In the sequel to Timespell, Yan Tanafres and Teletha must...)

    1996
  • Shadowrun: Secrets of Power Trilogy

    (Three complete novels from ‘Secrets of Power’ Trilogy bas...)

    2018
  • BattleTech Legends: Heir to the Dragon

    (The second novel of the Battletech Series)

    2016
  • BattleTech Legends: Wolves on the Border

    (The first novel of the Battletech Series)

    2010
  • BattleTech Legends: Wolf Pack

    (The third novel of the Battletech Series)

    2012
  • A King Beneath the Mountain

    (A fiction novel featuring King Arthur)

    1995

Membership

• 

  Society of Creative Anachronisms , United States

• A Living History group covering the period of the Hundred Years War between England and France (1337 to 1453)

  La Belle Compagnie , United States

Interests

• medievalism, paleontology

Connections

Robert N. Charrette married Elizabeth R. Johnson in 1978.

Father:

Norman L. Charrette

Mother:

Mary C. Charrette

Spouse:

Elizabeth R. Johnson

colleague:

Paul Hume

colleague:

Tom Meier