#steve winter

PHOTOGRAPH BY STEVE WINTER

Massed armies confront a horde of monsters. From the 1985 first edition box set of TSR's AD&D Battlesystem, "The Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming" by Steve Winter was a brief 16-page introduction to painting and storing miniatures, scratch-building tabletop terrain, and assembling the cardstock buildings in the set. The game assumed the use of 25mm miniatures, and included 2 TSR-branded figures for opposing generals.

Steve Winter, Hollywood Cougar, P22, 2013

los angeles' famed mountain lion p-22, photographed by steve winter

Jaguars rescued from Mexican cartels Photograph: Steve Winter

TSR and Wizards of the Coast veteran Steve Winter (who achieved one of the longest tenures across both companies). Steve plays guitar. Steve likes Shadowdark RPG, and is also interested in Knave, Savage Worlds, and Cthulhu / horror games. Steve has a definite favorite version of D&D (he finds it elegant and intuitive). Deep character backstory doesn’t equal plot armor. Sometimes we get too used to magic in games and think of it as technology… magic should be a bit fearsome and untame. Noteworthy moments of going insane in a Cthulhu game. Skyrim and Baldur’s Gate 3 discussion. Steve co-wrote the scenario for the Gold Box Pool of Radiance game. Some words about Jim Ward. Early versus later days at TSR. The job that was Steve’s best year at TSR. How was the work divided at TSR? Steve offers some perspective on Lorraine Williams’s leadership, given that he was right there. What was it like to be at TSR and watch Magic: The Gathering explode onto the scene? Steve worked on Spellfire, TSR’s response to MtG. What was it like transitioning from TSR to WotC? Star Frontiers: how it went from hard sci-fi to “D&D in space” and how employees’ desire for royalties led to its creation (and ultimately to the departure of Lawrence Schick from TSR). Marvel Super Heroes RPG discussion (MSH is HUGE for Shane personally).

Final decision: gut instinct.

Published in National Geographic