Rick Loomis
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Rick Loomis
Rick Loomis (August 24, 1946 – August 23, 2019) was an American game designer, most notable as the founder of game publisher Flying Buffalo, which he managed until his death. Career Early years Richard F. Loomis was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona and attended Coronado High School.Helser, Linda"War on the Homefront: Scottsdale inventor makes conflict and mayhem a game" ''The Arizona Republic'', Phoenix, Arizona, 96th year, number 349, April 30, 1986, page C4. He served in the United States Army for three years starting in 1969, and was stationed at Fort Shafter in Oahu, Hawaii. He had discovered the wargame '' Gettysburg'' by Avalon Hill in a toystore, and in 1970 had invented a game called ''Nuclear Destruction'' which—unlike most tabletop games—included hidden movement; in January 1970, Loomis started sending mail to readers of '' The General'' who had advertised for play-by-mail (PBM) opponents, offering to moderate multiplayer ''Nuclear Destruction'' games. He ...
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Flying Buffalo
Flying Buffalo Inc. (FBI) is a game company with a line of role playing games, card games, and other gaming materials. The company's founder, Rick Loomis, began game publishing with ''Nuclear Destruction'', a play-by-mail game which started the professional PBM industry in the United States. Loomis added games and players while introducing Play-by-mail game#Computer versus human moderated, computer moderation and soon incorporated into the company Flying Buffalo Inc. The company published games in other genres, including card games such as Nuclear War (card game), ''Nuclear War'' and a role playing game called ''Tunnels & Trolls'', a game similar to ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Flying Buffalo acquired its 10,000th customer account number in 1980 and reached its largest size of 21 employees in 1983. In July 2021, Webbed Sphere bought Flying Buffalo with plans to incorporate Flying Buffalo's products. The PBM games were not included in the sale and were continued by a separate company cal ...
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Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nickname = "The West's Most Western Town" (official) , image_map = File:Maricopa County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Scottsdale Highlighted 0465000.svg , mapsize = 200x200px , map_caption = Location in Maricopa County, Arizona , mapsize1 = , map_caption1 = , pushpin_map = USA Arizona Maricopa County#USA Arizona#USA , pushpin_label = Scottsdale , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = Arizona , subdivision_type2 = County , subdivision ...
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Phoenix Gazette
The ''Phoenix Gazette'' was a newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1881, and was known in its early years as the ''Phoenix Evening Gazette''. In 1889, it was purchased by Samuel F. Webb, who at the time was a member of the 15th Arizona Territorial Legislature, as the Councilor from Maricopa County, the upper house of the legislature. In 1930 it was purchased by Charles Stauffer and W. Wesley Knorpp, the owner of its one-time rival ''The Arizona Republic''. Both papers were subsequently acquired by Eugene C. Pulliam Eugene Collins Pulliam (May 3, 1889 – June 23, 1975) was an American newspaper publisher and businessman who was the founder and president of Central Newspapers Inc., a media holding company. During his sixty-three years as a newspaper publish ..., in 1946. Under Pulliam's management, it continued to operate as the main evening paper for the Phoenix area for several decades. During the 1970s and 1980s it was published wee ...
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Origins Award
The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry. They are presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for the previous year, so (for example) the 1979 awards were given at the 1980 Origins. The Origins Award is commonly referred to as a Calliope, as the statuette is in the likeness of the muse of the same name. Academy members frequently shorten this name to "Callie". History Originally, the ''Charles S. Roberts Awards'' and the Origins Awards were one and the same. Starting with the 1987 awards, the Charles S. Roberts were given separately, and they moved away from Origins entirely in 2000, leaving the Origins Awards as a completely separate system. In 1978, the awards also hosted the 1977 ''H. G. Wells awards'' for role-playing games and miniature wargaming. Categories The Origins Awards were originally presented at the Origins Game Fair in five categories: ''Best Professional Gam ...
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Grimtooth's Traps
''Grimtooth's Traps'' is a 1981 role-playing game supplement edited by Paul Ryan O'Connor, illustrated by Steve Crompton and published by Flying Buffalo. Contents ''Grimtooth's Traps'' is a collection of traps selected from contributors. Reception Aaron Allston reviewed ''Grimtooth's Traps'' in ''The Space Gamer'' No. 43. Allston commented that "I'd recommend this as one of the best supplements released this year - but use it sparingly, unless you have several Indiana Joneses in the party." Anders Swenson reviewed ''Grimtooth's Traps'' for ''Different Worlds'' magazine and stated that "I liked the traps in this book, and I think that most GMs would do well to consider purchasing it if they feel the need for a source of trap ideas or simply to read an amusing book related to the FRP hobby." Nicholas Dougan reviewed ''Grimtooth's Traps'' for ''White Dwarf'' #33, giving it an overall rating of 7 out of 10, and stated that "Although perhaps a little expensive, ''Grimtooth's Traps'' ...
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Buffalo Castle
''Buffalo Castle'' is a gamebook first published by Flying Buffalo in 1976 (). Using the ''Tunnels & Trolls'' role-playing system, ''Buffalo Castle'' consists of 150 paragraphs in A4 paper size, A4 format. Description After a friend suggested that someone should make a dungeon adventure book that allows the player to choose an answer and turn to another page, Rick Loomis wrote ''Buffalo Castle'' (1976). ''Buffalo Castle'' was an introduction to ''Tunnels & Trolls'', a basic dungeon for a warrior of level 1–2. Although it is widely believed that the ''Fighting Fantasy'' series of books were the first gamebooks to use dice and allow the character to possess statistics and equipment, ''Buffalo Castle'' pre-dates the ''Fighting Fantasy'' series by six years and used the same types of mechanics. ''Buffalo Castle'' may have been the first published adventure gamebook. Reception Steve Jackson (American game designer), Steve Jackson reviewed ''Buffalo Castle'' in ''The Space Gamer'' N ...
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Origins Game Fair
Origins Game Fair is an annual gaming convention that was first held in 1975. Since 1996, it has been held in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Origins is run by The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA). Origins was chartered to serve gaming in general, including wargaming and miniatures gaming. Origins is the site of the annual Origins Awards ceremony. For many years, the Charles S. Roberts Awards for historical boardgames were presented at Origins, but these are now presented at the World Boardgaming Championships. Board games, trading card games, LARPs and role-playing games are also popular at Origins. Origins Game Fair was formerly known as the Origins International Game Expo. The name was changed in the summer of 2007. Origins typically has a theme each year, which affects some of the events and decorations like banners or art, and the Origins mascot will be depicted wearing an outfit related to the theme as well. The theme in 2012 was Time Tra ...
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Tunnels & Trolls
''Tunnels & Trolls'' (abbreviated ''T&T'') is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. The second modern role-playing game published, it was written by Ken St. Andre to be a more accessible alternative to ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and is suitable for solitaire, group, and play-by-mail gameplay. History Ken St. Andre, a public librarian in Phoenix, Arizona, liked the idea of fantasy role-playing after reading a friend's ''D&D'' rule books but found the actual rules confusing, so he wrote his own. "I just wanted something I could play with my friends at a reasonable price, with reasonable equipment,” he said. The first edition of ''Tunnels & Trolls'' was self-published in April 1975. In June 1975, publisher Flying Buffalo Inc. released a second edition of the game, and ''Tunnels & Trolls'' quickly became ''D&Ds biggest competitor. ''Tunnels & Trolls'' had similar statistics, classes, and adventures to ''Dungeons & Dragons'' b ...
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Ken St
Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in the ''Street Fighter'' franchise. People * Ken (given name), a list of people named Ken * Ken (musician) (born 1968), guitarist of the Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel * Ken (SB19 musician) (born 1997), stage name of Felip Jhon Suson of the Filipino boy group, SB19 * Ken (VIXX singer) (born 1992), stage name of Lee Jae-hwan of the South Korean boy group, VIXX * Naoko Ken (born 1953), Japanese singer and actress (Ken as surname) * Thomas Ken (1637–1711), English cleric and composer * Tjungkara Ken (born 1969), Aboriginal Australian artist * Ken Zheng (born April 5, 1995) is an Indonesian actor, screenwriter and martial artist Other * Kèn, a musical instrument from Vietnam. * Ken (doll), a product by Mattel. * ''Ken'' (unit) (間) ...
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Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States. The publication has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes. It is owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by the Times Mirror Company. The newspaper’s coverage emphasizes California and especially Southern California stories. In the 19th century, the paper developed a reputation for civic boosterism and opposition to labor unions, the latter of which led to the bombing of its headquarters in 1910. The paper's profile grew substantially in the 1960s under publisher Otis Chandler, who adopted a more national focus. In recent decades the paper's readership has declined, and it has been beset by a series of ownership changes, staff reductions, and other controversies. In January 2018, the paper's staff voted to unionize and final ...
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Nuclear War (card Game)
''Nuclear War'' is a List of collectible card games#Collectible common-deck card games, collectible common-deck card game designed by Douglas Malewicki and originally published in 1965 that is a satirical simulation of an end-of-the-world scenario fought mostly with nuclear weapons. It is currently (as of 2012) published by Flying Buffalo, and has inspired several expansions. Development Doug Malewicki designed the game in 1964. Gameplay The game is a multiplayer game, with each player having a small cardboard playmat upon which cards are placed and revealed. It is intended to be played by 3 or more players, but can also be played with only 2. At the start of a game, each player is dealt a number of "population cards," ranging in denomination from 1 million to 25 million people. Players must protect their population, as the total loss of population leads to player elimination. They are then dealt a number of cards, which may be of the following types: *Secrets which usually ...
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Green Ronin Publishing
Green Ronin Publishing is an American company based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Chris Pramas and Nicole Lindroos, they have published several role-playing game–related products. They won several awards for their games including multiple Origins, ENnie, Pen & Paper, and Inquest Fan Awards. History In early 1996, Chris Pramas acquired '' The Whispering Vault'' rights from Mike Nystul and formed Ronin Publishing with his brother, Jason Pramas, and their mutual friend, Neal Darcy. The company published two role playing game supplements, ''The Book of Hunts'' (1997) for ''The Whispering Vault'' and '' Blood of the Valiant'' for '' Feng Shui''. Ronin Publishing came to an end when Chris Pramas went to work for Wizards of the Coast in 1998. Pramas founded Green Ronin Publishing with his wife Nicole Lindroos in 2000. Green Ronin published its first book in July 2000: ''Ork!'' (2000), a beer and pretzels RPG about playing orks. Working at Wizards of the Coast, Prama ...
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