Lewis Pulsipher
Encyclopedia
Lewis Errol Pulsipher (born January 22, 1951) is a teacher, game designer, and author, whose subject is role playing games, board games, card games, and video games. He was the first person in the North Carolina community college system to teach game design classes (fall 2004). He has designed half a dozen published boardgames, written more than 150 articles about games, contributed to several books about games, and presented at game conventions and conferences.
(Albion, MI) in 1973, and earned a Ph.D. in military and diplomatic history from Duke University
(1981).
In college, he designed many Diplomacy
variants; while living in England in the late 1970s he wrote magazine articles about Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D), and other role-playing games, and at one time or another was Contributing Editor to Dragon
magazine, White Dwarf
, and The Space Gamer
as well as a columnist for Imagine
magazine. He also contributed monsters to TSR's original Fiend Folio
, among others the Elemental Princes of Evil
.
He published what may have been the first science fiction and fantasy game magazine, Supernova (later sold to Flying Buffalo Inc.), as well as other non-commercial magazines. He made presentations at game conventions as early as Origins 82.
He also designed several games published mostly in the 1980s. His game Britannia
, was described in an Armchair General review as "one of the great titles in the world of games", and is the progenitor of a series of similar games. He received the 1987 Charles S. Roberts Award Nomination, Best Pre-World War II Boardgame, Britannia for this game.
and GameCareerGuide, and continues to design board and card games.
Pulsipher lives with his wife in southeastern North Carolina.
Early work
Pulsipher graduated from Albion CollegeAlbion College
Albion College is a private liberal arts college located in Albion, Michigan. Related to the United Methodist Church, it was founded in 1835 and was the first private college in Michigan to have a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. It has a student population of about 1500.The school's sports teams are...
(Albion, MI) in 1973, and earned a Ph.D. in military and diplomatic history from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
(1981).
In college, he designed many Diplomacy
Diplomacy (game)
Diplomacy is a strategic board game created by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released commercially in 1959. Its main distinctions from most board wargames are its negotiation phases and the absence of dice or other game elements that produce random effects...
variants; while living in England in the late 1970s he wrote magazine articles about Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D), and other role-playing games, and at one time or another was Contributing Editor to Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
magazine, White Dwarf
White Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
, and The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer
The Space Gamer was a magazine dedicated to the subject of science fiction and fantasy board games and role-playing games. It quickly grew in importance and was an important and influential magazine in its subject matter from the late 70s through the mid-80s...
as well as a columnist for Imagine
Imagine (AD&D magazine)
Imagine Magazine was a monthly magazine dedicated to the first edition Advanced Dungeons and Dragons and Dungeons and Dragons role playing game systems published by TSR UK Limited.-History:Imagine was published between April 1983 and October 1985...
magazine. He also contributed monsters to TSR's original Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
, among others the Elemental Princes of Evil
Archomental
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, archomentals are powerful exemplary beings of the Elemental Planes and rulers over the elementals. Although they are not truly rulers of their planes, archomentals like to consider themselves as such and often grant themselves regal titles like...
.
He published what may have been the first science fiction and fantasy game magazine, Supernova (later sold to Flying Buffalo Inc.), as well as other non-commercial magazines. He made presentations at game conventions as early as Origins 82.
He also designed several games published mostly in the 1980s. His game Britannia
Britannia (board game)
right|thumb|200px|Box Art for Britannia Second EditionBritannia is a strategy board game, first released and published in 1986 by Gibsons Games in the United Kingdom and most recently updated in late 2008 as a re-release of the 2005 edition, produced by Fantasy Flight Games...
, was described in an Armchair General review as "one of the great titles in the world of games", and is the progenitor of a series of similar games. He received the 1987 Charles S. Roberts Award Nomination, Best Pre-World War II Boardgame, Britannia for this game.
Later work
He now teaches video game related subjects, writes regularly for GamasutraGamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
and GameCareerGuide, and continues to design board and card games.
Pulsipher lives with his wife in southeastern North Carolina.
Games
- Pulsipher, Lewis (1978), Diplomacy Games and Variants, Strategy Games LTD
- Swords & Wizardry, Gibsons Games, 1980
- Valley of the Four Winds, Games WorkshopGames WorkshopGames Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
, 1980 - Dragon Rage, Dwarfstar GamesDwarfstar GamesDwarfstar Games was a division of Heritage Models that published microgame-sized fantasy and science fiction board wargames in the early 1980s. They typically came with 12"x14" fold-out cardstock mapboards and 154 thin die-cut counters. The demise of its parent company also meant the end for...
, 1980 (not to be confused with the PlayStation 2 game Dragon RageDragon RageDragon Rage, is a PlayStation 2 game by 3DO. The player controls an escaped dragon named Cael Cyndar in a mission to save the dragon race from extinction by the orcs. Cael's guide is Adara the Sprite. The dragon's attacks include ramming, biting, grabbing & dropping, and breathing fire...
). The title is back in print by Flatlined Games since 2011. - BritanniaBritannia (board game)right|thumb|200px|Box Art for Britannia Second EditionBritannia is a strategy board game, first released and published in 1986 by Gibsons Games in the United Kingdom and most recently updated in late 2008 as a re-release of the 2005 edition, produced by Fantasy Flight Games...
, Gibsons Games, 1986. Later editions in the USA (1987), Germany (1991); revised version USA (2006), France, Germany, Spain, and Hungary (2008)
Articles and book contributions
- DragonDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
(various articles) - White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
(various articles) - The General MagazineThe General MagazineThe General Magazine was first published in 1964, as a bi-monthly periodical devoted to supporting Avalon Hill's line of wargames, with articles on game tactics, history, and industry news...
(various articles) (Forthcoming)
External links
- Lewis Pulsipher at BoardGameGeek
- PulsipherGames.com website with supplementary and playtesting material for his games, and his articles and presentations
- Pulsipher's game Design blog
- Gamasutra "expert's blog"
- Pulsipher's teaching game design blog