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Lewis Pulsipher

{{Short description|American board game designer}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Lewis Pulsipher

| image =

| imagesize =

| caption = Lewis Pulsipher at Origins 2007

| pseudonym =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|01|22|mf=y}}{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan

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| death_place =

| occupation = Game designer, author, retired college instructor

| nationality = American

| period = 1969 to 1983, 2004 to the Present

| genre =

| movement =

| notableworks = Britannia

| influences =

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| website = {{URL|http://pulsiphergames.com}}

}}

Lewis Errol Pulsipher (born January 22, 1951{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}), often credited as Lew Pulsipher, is an American 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, in fall 2004.{{cite web | last = Pulsipher | first = Lewis | title = Pulsipher Resume | url = http://pulsiphergames.com/Resumes/LPulsipherResume.pdf | access-date = September 8, 2010 }} He has designed half a dozen published board games, written more than 150 articles about games, contributed to several books about games, and presented at game conventions and conferences.

Early work

Pulsipher graduated from Albion College (Albion, MI) in 1973, and earned a Ph.D. in military and diplomatic history from Duke University (1981).{{cite news | title = FTCC Honors Teachers of the Year in Continuing Education | work = Fayetteville Online | date = September 8, 1990 }} He discovered strategic gaming with early Avalon Hill wargames.{{Cite book | contribution=Stalingrad | title=Hobby Games: The 100 Best | last=Pulsipher | first=Lew | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=Green Ronin Publishing | year=2007 | pages=291–294 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}

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,{{cite web | title = Lewis Pulsipher | work = Pen & Paper | url = http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=697 | access-date = September 8, 2010 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050310234137/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=697 | archive-date = March 10, 2005 }} including the Elemental Princes of Evil, giant bat, denzelian, and poltergeist.

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.{{citation | title = Origins '82; The 8th Annual National Adventure Gaming Show (Convention program) | publisher = Origins '82 | year = 1982 }}

He also designed several games published mostly in the 1980s. He is the designer of Dragon Rage, Valley of the Four Winds, and Swords & Wizardry. His game Britannia, was described in an Armchair General review as "one of the great titles in the world of games",{{cite web | last = Bodden | first = bill | date = November 19, 2007 | title = Britannia – Game Review | work = Armchair General | url = http://www.armchairgeneral.com/britannia-game-review.htm | access-date = September 8, 2010 }} and is the progenitor of a series of similar games.{{cite web | date = November 2, 2009 | title = Britannia-style Games | work = Spotlight on Games | url = http://www.spotlightongames.com/list/b-style.html | access-date = September 8, 2010 }} He received the 1987 Charles S. Roberts Award Nomination, Best Pre-World War II Boardgame, Britannia for this game.{{cite web | title = Best Pre-World War II Boardgame (Charles S. Roberts Awards) | work = Board Game Geek | url = http://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/Best_Pre-World_War_II_Boardgame_(Charles_S._Roberts_Awards) | access-date = September 8, 2010 }}

He taught college-level computer networking, Web development, and game design in North Carolina. He is retired from teaching now.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Later work

Pulsipher now teaches video game related subjects online through Udemy, writes for Gamasutra and GameCareerGuide,{{cite news | title = Teacher writes on gaming | work = Fayetteville Online | date = May 18, 2009 }} and continues to design board and card games.

He lives with his wife in southeastern North Carolina.{{cn|date=October 2021}}

Selected bibliography

= Games =

= Video games =

  • Lew Pulsipher's Doomstar,{{citation needed|date=October 2016}} Large Visible Machine, 2016, [http://store.steampowered.com/app/504750/ Steam]

== Book ==

  • {{cite book | year = 2012 | title = Game Design: How to Create Video and Tabletop Games, Start to Finish | publisher = McFarland & Co., Publishers | isbn = 978-0-7864-6952-9 }}

= Articles and book contributions =

  • Dragon (various articles){{cite web | title = DragonDex: Index of Authors | url = http://www.aeolia.net/dragondex/articles-author.html#p | access-date = September 8, 2010 }}
  • White Dwarf (various articles){{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7|pages=44}}
  • The General Magazine (various articles)
  • {{cite book | last = Pulsipher | first = Lewis | chapter = Stalingrad | editor = Lowder, James | year = 2007 | title = Hobby Games: The 100 Best | publisher = Green Ronin Publishing | isbn = 978-1-932442-96-0 }}
  • {{cite book | last = Pulsipher | first = Lewis | chapter = Blokus | editor = Lowder, James | year = 2007 | title = Hobby Games: The 100 Best | publisher = Green Ronin Publishing | isbn = 978-1-932442-96-0 }}
  • {{cite book | last = Pulsipher | first = Lewis | chapter = The Three-Player Problem | year = 2010 | title = Tabletop Game Design | publisher = ETC Press }} (Forthcoming)

References

{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

External links

  • [http://www.boardgamegeek.com/designer/1000/lewis-pulsipher Lewis Pulsipher] at BoardGameGeek
  • [http://pulsiphergames.com PulsipherGames.com] website with supplementary and playtesting material for his games, and his articles and presentations
  • [http://pulsiphergamedesign.blogspot.com/ Pulsipher's game Design blog]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20090911223501/http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LewisPulsipher/774/ Gamasutra "expert's blog"]
  • [http://teachgamedesign.blogspot.com Pulsipher's teaching game design blog]
  • [http://drakesflames.blogspot.com/2013/06/bored-game-review-dragon-rage.html Board Game Review of "Dragon Rage"] at Drake's Flames

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Category:1951 births

Category:Albion College alumni

Category:American board game designers

Category:Artists from Detroit

Category:Duke University alumni

Category:Living people

Category:Writers from Detroit

Category:Writers from North Carolina