Chris Seeman

Professor Chris Seeman

Born 1967.

Professor Seeman holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Religions from the University of California at Berkeley. B.A., University of San Francisco. M.A., Graduate Theological Union .

He teaches undergraduate courses in Bible and Western Religions at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Professor Seeman was guest speaker for MerpCon I, and will be one of the guest speakers at MerpCon III as well.

Chris Seeman was running games set in JRR Tolkien's world long before [1] Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) began producing the Middle-earth Role-playing (MERP) series.

In 1992 he established [2] Other Hands Magazine: The International Journal of Middle-earth Gaming, which he published on a quarterly basis until 2001.

An excerpt from the RPG.net article [3] "BRIEF HISTORY OF GAME #8: ICE, PART ONE: 1980-1992" mentions the founding of Other Hands magazine and Chris Seeman's impact on the Middle-earth gaming world: "The MERP fanzine, Other Hands had much better luck. Chris Seeman's 'zine began publication in 1993, and was thus in on the ground floor of the new second edition MERP line. Working with Jessica Ney-Grimm, Chris Seeman would act as a nexus of content throughout MERP second edition and Chris Seeman would later become an Assistant Line Editor for ICE. Even after MERP's demise, Other Hands would continue on for several more years. Other Hands also had the privilege of publishing ICE's first announcement of their new edition of MERP."

He was an assistant editor and editor for (Iron Crown Enterprises) MERP (Middle-earth Role Playing 1st edition and 2nd edition modules and rules, as well as having several of his modules published by ICE, and some of the more recent Decipher Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game products [4].

He has also been co-editor and author for [5] The Guild Companion eZine and many content submissions there.

He created and manages a website called "The Tolkien Music List" at [6] www.tolkien-music.com.

He was/is also co-editor and co-author of a number of Iron Crown Enterprises modules in the 1990's. In the 2000s he edited and co-edited for Decipher's LOTR RPG as well as had published his own works.

Below is a list of the works he had published or been editor for over the years:

MERP

• [7] Kin-strife (1995)
• [8] Southern Gondor: The Land (1996)
• [9]Southern Gondor: The People (1996)
• [10] Arnor: The Land (1997)
• [11] Arnor: The People (1997)
• [12]The Northern Waste (1997)
• [13]Hands of the Healer (1997)

Decipher LotR RPG (Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game)'

• [14]Fell Beasts and Wondrous Magic (2003)
• [15]Moria (2003)

Significant articles of his own creation that were published in Other Hands Magazine:

• [16] BEYOND ANDUIN: RHOVANION AS THE NORTHERN FRONTIER OF GONDOR (1993) Other Hands Magazine Issue #1 (April 1993)
• [17] SELECTIONS FROM A PANEL DISCUSSION ON ROLE PLAYING AND TOLKIEN'S WORLD Other Hands Magazine Issue #1 (April 1993)
• [18] RELIGION IN MIDDLE-EARTH: HOW DOES IT WORK AND WHAT DOES IT DO? Other Hands Magazine Issue #2 (July 1993)
• [19] An Interview with Chris Tubb - Designer of Mithril miniatures Other Hands Magazine Issue #22 (July 1998)

Additional Middle-earth and Tolkien related essays on [20]Merp.com:

• [21]Magic in Middle-earth (2005)
• [22]Palantiri (2006)

Other non-role playing gaming, but Tolkien related published works include:' [23] The Tolkien Society publication "Tolkien's Revision of the Romantic Tradition." "This paper explores Tolkien's vision of fantasy within the broader historical context of Romanticism, clarifying the ways in which he inherits and revises Romantic views of the creative imagination via the concept of 'sub-creation'. Possible links with Coleridge's thought are considered, especially with respect to the uses of Romanticism in the context of Christianity." Section 2 Abstracts of the Proceedings of the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference.

[24] Tolkien Society Publication Proceedings of the 5th Tolkien Society Workshop, Milton Keynes, 1990. ISBN 0-905520-04-1. Published under the auspices of the Peter Roe Memorial Fund, 1992. Edited by Trevor Reynolds. "Purity and Danger in Middle-earth", by Chris Seeman

Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism | Campbell, Joseph | Chris Seeman (essay date autumn 1991). SOURCE: Seeman, Chris. “Tolkien and Campbell Compared.” Mythlore 18, no. 1 (autumn 1991): 43-8. In the essay, Seeman finds parallels between Campbell's and J. R. R. Tolkien's treatment of mythology.

[25] From the Arts Monongahela, The English Club Presents "Death and Language" by Chris Seeman - "With the evasive answers given by J.R.R. Tolkien, Chris Seeman tackled the meaning behind 'The Lord of the Rings'".

[26] Mooreeffoc: seven Ages of the world by Chris Seeman

[27] Tolkien and Campbell Compared - by Chris Seeman (1991)

In the "real world", Professor Seeman teaches religious studies at a liberal arts college in Iowa.

He is a noted Tolkien scholar in gaming circles.

References:

Merp.com version of Chris Seeman biography. used with permission of original author.

RPG.net article "A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAME #8: ICE, PART ONE: 1980-1992"

RPG.net article " A BRIEF HISTORY OF GAME #9: ICE, PART TWO: 1993-PRESENT" section of note: "The New ICE: 2001-2006"

Roliste.com Biographie : Chris Seeman (in French).

The Lost Level: MerpCon III: Return to Middle-earth.

Xenite.org, "Lord of the Rings Movie News: Tolkien Enterprises Clamps Down on Other Hands".

Suite101.com, "There Are Games Afoot!".

External links

• [28] Other Hands Magazine website. [29] Archive of Other Hands Magazine website.

• [30] Iron Crown Enterprises website.

• [31] Tolkien Music list website.

• [32] Decipher's Lord of the Rings Role Playing Game official website.