Robert N. Charrette

Robert Charrette.jpg
Robert N. Charrette
Born 1953
Occupation Author
Game designer
Artist (Sculptor)
Homepage www.charrette.parroom.net (defunct)

Robert N. Charrette had a large influence on BattleTech during the game's formative years, both as a fiction author and as a sculptor of BattleMech miniatures.

Personal History[edit]

Born in Rhode Island in 1953, Robert Charrette has been working in the gaming industry, initially as illustrator, since 1976. He co-wrote and illustrated the Bushido RPG, which was published in 1979. By that time was also already a prolific miniatures sculptor.

Medieval (feudal) Japan and samurai are a recurring theme in his works.

In 1984 Charrette joined Ral Partha as a sculptor. In this function he was tasked with creating the first "proof of concept" miniatures for FASA's new game, Battledroids. He created many iconic early BattleMech miniature sculpts, including many of those that later became Unseen. Privately, he even created an unofficial series of Clan OmniMech miniatures for himself, to play with the Clans even before official miniatures existed.

His work on Battledroids/BattleTech miniatures marked the beginning of a long-standing cooperation between FASA and Ral Partha that culminated in the latter being bought up by the former.

Charrette's first two BattleTech novels, Wolves on the Border and Heir to the Dragon, were published in 1989. Both had a massive impact on BattleTech and are held in high esteem by the fanbase, with the former frequently cited as being probably the best BattleTech novel written to date. Focusing on the Japan-themed House Kurita, these two novels arguably transformed House Kurita from a somewhat faceless evil antagonist into a more well-rounded and even fan-favorite faction within the setting.

Charrette was also among the group that created Shadowrun for FASA in 1989, quickly becoming an integral member of FASA's creative team. He would also write the inaugural novel trilogy for Shadowrun.

Robert Charrette was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in 2003.

Robert N. Charrette Collection[edit]

As an artist who had a key role in defining the early aesthetics of the fledgling BattleTech universe, Robert Charrette owns a large collection of memorabilia that includes many unique items. As of 2019, he has begun selling parts of his collection in collaboration with Michael Todd who serves as his curator.

Sculpts by Robert Charrette[edit]

Even after 35 years, new castings of original Charrette sculpts can still be bought from Iron Wind Metals (formerly Ral Partha). Ral Partha era Battledroid/BattleMech sculpts created by Charrette around 1985 – 1994 include:

Note that a number of the Unseen sculpts underwent significant revision with the introduction of the BattleTech box sets circa 1988 although their model number remained unchanged.

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

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