Skip Williams
{{Short description|American role-playing game designer}}
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry. He was the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition and the longtime author of the "Sage Advice" column for Dragon Magazine.
Career
Born in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, Williams was informally acquainted with many of the people who developed and influenced the original Dungeons & Dragons game, going to school with Gary Gygax's son Ernie and participating in a gaming group that Gary used to playtest some of the AD&D rules.{{cite web |url=http://www.malhavocpress.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?int_dnd30_Skip |title=A Talk With Skip Williams |access-date=2009-01-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714024136/http://www.malhavocpress.com/cgi-bin/page.cgi?int_dnd30_Skip |archive-date=2011-07-14 }} Williams started out working as a part-time clerk in TSR's Dungeon Hobby Shop in 1976.{{cite journal| last = Ryan| first = Michael G.| title = ProFiles: Skip Williams| journal = Dragon| issue = #276| pages = 12, 14, 16| publisher = Wizards of the Coast| location = Renton, Washington|date=October 2000}}{{Cite book | contribution=Dawn Patrol | title=Hobby Games: The 100 Best | last=Williams | first=Skip | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=Green Ronin Publishing | year=2007 | pages=73–76 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}} Williams first worked for TSR in an administrative capacity, working as a cashier, in shipping, and doing various office tasks.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Williams directed the Gen Con game fair from 1980-1983. Williams was laid off after a time but continued to work for TSR in a freelance role, performing odd jobs; it was in this circumstance in 1987 that he came to write "Sage Advice" in the pages of Dragon - Williams recalls that Dragon editor Roger E. Moore simply couldn't find anyone else willing to regularly write the column. Williams held the position until 2004.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} In 1989, Williams joined the RPGA staff for a few years before becoming a roleplaying game designer for TSR. From 1990 to 1992 he was also Associate Editor of Polyhedron magazine.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}
When TSR was purchased by Wizards of the Coast, he moved from Wisconsin to Washington.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} Williams was promoted to Senior Designer,{{citation needed|date=May 2014}} and worked on the 3rd Edition design team with Monte Cook and Jonathan Tweet.{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7|page=287}} Cook, Tweet, and Williams all contributed to the 3rd edition Players Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual, and then each designer wrote one of the books based on those contributions.{{cite journal| title = Profiles: Monte Cook| journal = Dragon| issue = #275| pages = 10, 12, 14| publisher = Wizards of the Coast| location = Renton, Washington|date=September 2000}} Williams also worked on the new edition of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. Although he was released from Wizards of the Coast in 2002 and has since moved back to Wisconsin, he continued to produce D&D and d20 material on a freelance basis up until 2005. His publications from this time include "Cry Havoc!" published by Monte Cook's Malhavoc Press and Races of the Wild from Wizards of the Coast. He has appeared as the author of the "Ask The Kobold" column for Kobold Quarterly.
In 2015, he agreed to write scenarios for the Kickstarter "Dungeon of the Day",{{Cite web|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1059822030/dungeon-of-the-day|title=Dungeon of the Day|date=20 October 2017 }} a Megaton Games production.
Williams and his wife Penny live in rural Wisconsin in a century-old farmhouse surrounded by several acres of abandoned farmland.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web |url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=385 |title=Pen & Paper listing for Skip Williams |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509131144/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=385 |archive-date=2008-05-09 }}
{{D&D topics}}
{{d20}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Skip}}
Category:American game designers