Tom Wham
Encyclopedia
Tom Wham is a designer of board game
s who has also produced artwork, including that for his own games.
Wham worked a variety of odd jobs during his early adult life. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy
, he worked for the Guidon Games
hobby shop in Maine
where he got his first game, a variant on a Civil War
naval miniatures campaign, published. Afterwards he became a prison guard in his hometown, then held an office job in Denver. In May 1977 he began working for TSR, Inc.
at their Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
headquarters as a general office worker. In a separate capacity as an independent contractor, Wham began doing some creative work for the company, contributing a handful of illustrations for the original AD&D Monster Manual
, including the creature called the beholder
. he also began writing games for Dragon
magazine. These games, printed on cardstock and included in the centerfold of the magazine, usually featured artwork supplied by Wham.
Notable games published this way include:
Since leaving TSR Wham has designed many more games, most recently collaborating with James M. Ward
on the board game Dragon Lairds, published in April 2008. The game received a 3 for style and a 4 for substance (out of 5) at RPG.net.
The Whamite Isles from the Forgotten Realms were named for him, as they were the setting for one of his games.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s who has also produced artwork, including that for his own games.
Wham worked a variety of odd jobs during his early adult life. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, he worked for the Guidon Games
Guidon Games
Guidon Games produced board games and rulebooks for wargaming with miniatures, and in doing so influenced Tactical Studies Rules , the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons. The Guidon Games publishing imprint was the property of Lowry's Hobbies , a mail-order business owned by Don and Julie Lowry...
hobby shop in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
where he got his first game, a variant on a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
naval miniatures campaign, published. Afterwards he became a prison guard in his hometown, then held an office job in Denver. In May 1977 he began working for TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
at their Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
headquarters as a general office worker. In a separate capacity as an independent contractor, Wham began doing some creative work for the company, contributing a handful of illustrations for the original AD&D Monster Manual
Monster Manual
The Monster Manual is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It includes monsters derived from mythology, and folklore, as well as creatures created for D&D specifically...
, including the creature called the beholder
Beholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
. he also began writing games for 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. These games, printed on cardstock and included in the centerfold of the magazine, usually featured artwork supplied by Wham.
Notable games published this way include:
- Snit Smashing: Originally published in Dragon #10 (October 1977). In Wham's first game for Dragon, tiny creatures known as Snits run out from the sea and try to procreate while avoiding the giant blob-like Bolotomi, who smash the Snits out of boredom. Players alternate control between the Snits and the Bolotomus, attempting to make their own Snits reproduce faster than those of their opponent.
- Snit's RevengeSnit's RevengeSnit's Revenge is a two-player board game developed and illustrated by Tom Wham. It originally appeared as an insert in Dragon Magazine in 1977, and subsequently as a boxed game first published by TSR, Inc. and currently by Steve Jackson Games...
: Originally published in Dragon #11 (December 1977). In the more famous follow-up to Snit Smashing, the Snits set out to finally kill the elephantine Bolotomi who are smashing them, by invading their bodies and shutting down all their internal organs. This was published as a separate boardgame by TSR in 1978, and is now published by Steve Jackson GamesSteve Jackson GamesSteve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
. - The Awful Green Things From Outer SpaceThe Awful Green Things From Outer SpaceThe Awful Green Things from Outer Space is a two-player board game developed and illustrated by Tom Wham inspired by the Kinji Fukasaku motion picture, The Green Slime. It originally appeared as an insert in Dragon Magazine #28 , and subsequently as a boxed game published by TSR in 1980...
: Originally published in Dragon #28 (August 1979). A game of green aliens invading a spaceship. This too was eventually published as a separate game by TSR and later published by Steve Jackson Games as well. - Search for the Emperor's Treasure: Originally published in Dragon #51 (July 1981). Players take the roles of adventurers searching a fantasy empire for the emperor's scattered magical treasures. A revised edition was included in a box set called "The Best of Dragon Games", 1990.
- File 13File 13 (board game)File 13, "The Game Inventor's Game", is a board game created by Tom Wham. File 13 first appeared in Dragon Magazine #72 and was later re-released by TSR, Inc. in the boxed set Best of the Dragon Magazine Games....
: Originally published in Dragon #72 (April 1983). A game about designing board games. A second edition was reissued in "The Best of Dragon Games". - King of the Tabletop: Originally published in Dragon #77 (September 1983), this is a game in which people create their own kingdom from little cardboard chitsChit (board wargames)Chits are a type of wargame counter that are generally not directly representational but used for the following purposes:* Tracking, being placed on a numeric runner to indicate turn status, as in some rule variants for Squad Leader...
representing land, characters, and events. Also expanded and published commercially as Kings and Things by West End GamesWest End GamesWest End Games was a company that made board, role-playing, and war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania...
, 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...
, and later, in a German edition, Pegasus Spiele. - Elefant Hunt: Originally published in Dragon #88 (August 1984). Great White Hunters travel through deepest, darkest "Aferca" with the help of natives to capture as much live animals and ivory as they can to sell for profit.
Since leaving TSR Wham has designed many more games, most recently collaborating with James M. Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
on the board game Dragon Lairds, published in April 2008. The game received a 3 for style and a 4 for substance (out of 5) at RPG.net.
The Whamite Isles from the Forgotten Realms were named for him, as they were the setting for one of his games.
External links
- Tom Wham's official Web site
- http://pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=3089