Compositions and methods for forming condensates and resin compositions are provided. In one embodiment, a condensate is formed from a reaction mixture including a triazine monomer, an arylhydroxy monomer, an aldehyde monomer and an acid catalyst having a pKa value of greater than 3.8. The condensates contain up to 28 wt. % of nitrogen and have a melt viscosity of 3,000 cps or less at 175° C. The condensates may have a solubility of at least 80 wt. % solids dissolved in an organic solvent for 120 hours or greater. Also disclosed are methods for the manufacture of the condensate as well as the condensate's use in fire-retardant epoxy resin compositions suitable for the manufacture of laminates for electronic applications. There is also disclosed a glycidylated triazine-arylhydroxy-aldehyde condensate of this invention.