Jason Bulmahn | |
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| Born | |
| Occupation | Game designer |
| Subject | Role-playing games |
| Notable works | Pathfinder Roleplaying Game |
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| jasonbulmahn | |
Jason Bulmahn is an American game designer especially known for his work on the fantasy role-playing gamePathfinder.
Jason Bulmahn was born inMilwaukee,Wisconsin. He attendedMilwaukee High School of the Arts, and became an avid player oftabletop games. He attended his firstGen Con convention in Milwaukee while in high school, and developed an interest in role-playing games such asDungeons & Dragons (D&D).
Bulmahn graduated from high school in 1994, and enrolled atUniversity of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. While attending classes, Bulmahn also became a competitiveMagic: The Gathering player, and played in the 1995 World Championship in Seattle, as well as Pro Tour New York in 1996.[1] Bulmahn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture in 1998.[1]
After graduating, Bulmahn was employed as an Associate Designer at American Design Incorporated, an architecture firm in Milwaukee.[1] He also began to volunteer at theRole Playing Game Association Network (RPGA). He worked on theLiving Greyhawk campaign, at first coordinating play in Wisconsin, then later becoming part of the central advisory group overseeing the campaign's global structure.[2] In later interviews, Bulmahn would credit this experience with teaching him "more about pacing, stakes, and improvisation than any book ever could."
In 2004, Bulmahn decided to make a career in the game industry, and applied toWizards of the Coast (WotC), publishers ofD&D. When he failed to get a position there, Bulmahn took a job atPaizo Publishing as managing editor ofDragon, which Paizo produced under license from WotC. Bulmahn's time as editor marked the final years ofDragon as a print publication.[3] In 2007, WotC announced that it would not be renewing Paizo's license forDragon, instead opting for online publishing. Paizo published the last print edition ofDragon in September 2007.[4]
Following this, Bulmahn was made lead designer at Paizo. Later the same year, when WotC announced the discontinuation ofD&D 3.5 to make way for the fourth edition ofD&D, Paizo decided not to apply for a license for the new system, but instead to continue to supportD&D 3.5. Bulmahn had been developing his own version of the d20 system as a side project, which would eventually result in thePathfinder Roleplaying Game.[5]
In early 2008, Paizo announced that Bulmahn would be the lead designer of the fantasy role-playing gamePathfinder being developed as a continuation ofD&D 3.5.
The Beta version ofPathfinder was made available as a free download in August 2008 and won the 2008 goldENnie Award for "Best Free Product or Web Enhancement". Bulmahn also led the design of theCore Rulebook and numerous supplements, includingAdvanced Player’s Guide,Ultimate Magic,Ultimate Combat, andMythic Adventures.[2]
In 2013, Bulmahn formed Minotaur Games, a game publishing company dedicated to creating high-quality supplemental material forPathfinder and other role-playing games. He also used Minotaur to self-publish original works such as a pirate-themed card game,Pirate Loot.[1]
In 2017, Bulmahn was named as Director of Game Design at Paizo, and helped develop the science fiction/fantasy role-playing gameStarfinder. He also oversaw the development of updates and design work for the 2nd edition ofStarfinder.[6]
Aside from system designing, Bulmahn has also authored and co-authored many adventures and sourcebooks, including
Bulmahn also worked onD&D products for WotC such asDungeonscape,Secrets of Xen’drik,Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk,[9] andElder Evils[1]
In 2018 and 2019, Bulmahn was the lead designer ofPathfinder Second Edition).[10]
In 2023, Bulmahn expanded beyond fantasy role-playing, contributing to the development ofHopefinder, a horror-themed role-playing game that uses the Pathfinder Second Edition game rules.[11]
In 2024, Bulmahn was the Director of Games atPaizo Inc. and was responsible for the design teams that created all of the company's RPG product lines. He also continued to write material for Minotaur Games and freelanced game design, event organization, and narrative design.[1]
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