Rick Swan

Rick Swan was a game designer and critic for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons content in its first and second editions. Much better as a critic.

As 1e content goes, Swan did Kali's bit for OP1: Tales of the Outer Planes (interestingly, alongside Deborah Christian).

Swan's DLE series, starting with In Search of Dragons, has the dubious distinction of being the first module/s sold under 2e rules - before that edition's Player's Handbook no less. At this point Swan didn't know all the rules, so had to develop based on 1e; and You Know Who wasn't letting her minions test them. So the first module is sketchy and Dragon Magic outright mediocre.

Swan then kicked off the DLA1-2-3: Taladas series with Dragon Dawn, leaving Christian to finish the rest - not to say, holding the bag, as with his introduction of the Sesk Draconian and the hurdu which simply couldn't happen with the available space in this part of the tiny continent.

As a critic, Swan was on point with his critiques in Dragon of Carl Sargent's Night Below, which every prospective DM should read before venturing into that classic-but-flawed epic.

So: the Roger Ebert of his hobby.