Frank Chadwick is an American multiple-award-winning game designer and ''New York Times'' best selling author. He has designed hundreds of games, his most notable being the

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

s ''

En Garde! ''En Garde!'' is a hybrid role-playing and tactical dueling game published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) in 1975 that simulates the swashbuckling world of the Three Musketeers and Cyrano de Bergerac in 17th century Paris. Gameplay Each pla ...

'', '' Space: 1889'' and ''

Twilight 2000 ''Twilight: 2000'' is a 1984 post-apocalyptic military tabletop role-playing game published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). Set in the aftermath of World War III (the "Twilight War"), the game operates on the premise that the United States/NATO ...

'', and the

wargame A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...

series ''

Europa Europa may refer to: Places * Europe * Europa (Roman province), a province within the Diocese of Thrace * Europa (Seville Metro), Seville, Spain; a station on the Seville Metro * Europa City, Paris, France; a planned development * Europa Cliff ...

'' and ''The Third World War'', as well as creating '' Traveller'' with Marc Miller.

Beginnings

Chadwick formed the ISU Game Club at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

with

Rich Banner Paul Richard "Rich" Banner is an American game designer and graphic artist. Beginnings Rich Banner and Frank Chadwick formed the ISU Game Club at the Illinois State University (Normal, Illinois). Banner engineered a grant which funded the printin ...

. The club focused on wargaming, but the students also began designing games as a fun activity and were able to convince the university to fund a new program called SIMRAD ("SIMulation Research And Design"), with the intent of aiding instructors to produce specifications for simulation games. They used their club funding to design war games. They also formed a small educational games organization in response to a project by the university to bring new ideas into the system. After failing to win this project, Chadwick and Banner, along with newcomers Marc Miller and Loren Wiseman, continued to work together, forming

Game Designers' Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding m ...

. When ISU stopped funding SIMRAD after 18 months, Miller, Chadwick, and Banner founded Game Designers' Workshop on June 22, 1973 as a commercial outlet for their creations, initially headquartering the company in Chadwick's and Miller's apartment.

Game Designers' Workshop

There is little doubt that, even in the rather busy pantheon of (wargame) industry heroes, Frank Chadwick is a Zeus amongst the Ajaxes. He is one of—if not THE—finest game designer working today. Since GDW's emergence in the mid-1970s, Chadwick has been GDW's main designer, producing a body of work remarkable for its breadth and width. ... ever resourceful, Frank C covered his simulated butt with the out-of-sight success of his ''Desert Shield Fact Book''. Its reported, six-figure sales will probably bank-roll the company for the next decade. And, as if that weren't enough, he has steered GDW (admittedly with the astute help of others) from a small-town, Third World company to its status as one of the major simulation and RPG publishers in the market today. Frank is also president of the industry professional association, the
Game Manufacturers Association The Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) is a non-profit trade association based in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to the advancement of the non-electronic social games Industry (economics), industry – Board/Tabletop Games, Miniatures Games, Card G ...
, so GDW's tentacles reach out to almost every cave in which hobbyists can hide in. If dice produced olive oil, there is no doubt that Frank Chadwick would be wargaming's Godfather. :—
Richard Berg Richard Harvey Berg (1943 – July 26, 2019) was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987. Early life, army, student and lawyer Richard Berg was born in New York City. ...
, 13 time
Charles S. Roberts Award The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It was named in honor of Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "C ...
winner, in ''Berg's Review of Games'', issue #3, Spring 1992

Game Designers' Workshop existed from 1973 until 1996. There, he designed several well-known and award-winning games, including ''

'' (first swashbuckling role-playing games) in 1975, ''Space: 1889'' in 1989 (which was set in a

steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery. Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or ...

milieu before the term was coined), and ''

'' in 1984. Chadwick and Miller designed '' Traveller''. Game Designers' Workshop also published the ''Gulf War Fact Book'', a book he wrote on the military capabilities of the United States and Iraq at the time of the Gulf War. The book was on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' bestselling list, and led to appearances on various news programs by Chadwick. After the closure of Game Designers' Workshop, Chadwick got the rights to ''Space: 1889''.

After Game Designers' Workshop

Chadwick has written blogs on history and military issues at Greathistory.com.

Awards and recognition

Chadwick won numerous awards, including induction into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame and Origins Hall of Fame in 1984. He won a

Charles S. Roberts Award The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It was named in honor of Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "C ...

in 1980, 1981 and 1989, was nominated for an Origins Award in 2009.

Works

Below are some of Chadwick's most notable works.

Design credits

*1973: ''

Drang Nach Osten! ''Drang Nach Osten!'' ("Drive to the East!") is a monster board wargame published in 1973 by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) that simulates Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The game was the first of what was ...

'' (

), wargame, with

*1975: ''

'', RPG, with

Darryl Hany Darryl is an English name, a variant spelling of Darell. Male variations of this name include: Darlin, Daryl, Darrell, Darryl, Daryll, Darryll, Darrell, Darrel. Female and unisex variations of this name include: Daryl, Darian, Dareen, Darell ...

*1975: '' 1815: The Waterloo Campaign'', wargame, with

John Astell John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

*1977: ''

Imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from ''auctoritas'' and ''potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic an ...

'', wargame, with

John Harshman John Harshman is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career In 1975, Game Designers' Workshop published '' Triplanetary'' by Harshman and Marc Miller. Harshman, Frank Chadwick Frank Chadwick is an American mul ...

and Marc W. Miller *1977: '' Traveller'', RPG, with Marc W. Miller,

, Loren K. Wiseman, and many others *1980: '' Tacforce'', miniatures board wargame, with Marc W. Miller- CSR Award Winner *1980: ''

Azhanti High Lightning ''Azhanti High Lightning'' is a science-fiction wargame, designed by Frank Chadwick and Marc W. Miller, illustrated by Paul R. Banner, Charmaine Geist, Richard Hentz, and Richard Flory, and published by Game Designers Workshop (GDW) in 1980. ...

'', boardgame linked to Traveller RPG, with Marc Miller *1981: '' A House Divided'', wargame, two-time CSR Award Winner *1981: '' Striker'' ( ''Traveller''), miniatures wargame *1983: ''

Assault An assault is the act of committing physical harm or unwanted physical contact upon a person or, in some specific legal definitions, a threat or attempt to commit such an action. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may result in crim ...

'', wargame *1984: '' The Third World War'', wargame *1984: ''Fire in the East'' (

), wargame, with

and

*1984: ''

Twilight: 2000 ''Twilight: 2000'' is a 1984 post-apocalyptic military tabletop role-playing game published by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW). Set in the aftermath of World War III (the "Twilight War"), the game operates on the premise that the United States/NATO ...

'', RPG, with

, Loren K. Wiseman *1988: '' Space: 1889'', RPG, with Marc W. Miller and others *1988,1992,1997: '' Command Decision'', miniatures wargame *1994: '' Volley and Bayonet'', miniatures wargame *2006: '' Command Decision: Test of Battle'', miniatures wargame, with Glenn Kidd

Fiction

''Space: 1889 & Beyond'' series

* 2012: '' A Prince of Mars'', Untreed Reads Publishing, B007CQDAPM, novella and book five of the '' Space: 1889 & Beyond'' series. * 2012: '' Dark Side of Luna'', Untreed Reads Publishing, B007WUK8MQ, novel and book six of the '' Space: 1889 & Beyond'' series, co-written with JT Wilson. * 2012: '' Conspiracy of Silence'', Untreed Reads Publishing, ASIN B008XQT0TU, novel and book seven of the '' Space: 1889 & Beyond'' series, co-written with Andy Frankham-Allen. * 2014: '' The Forever Engine'',

Baen Books Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher an ...

, , time travel novel set in a divergent '' Space: 1889'' universe (serves as something of a prequel to ''Space: 1889 & Beyond'', and shares some of the same characters as ''Conspiracy of Silence'').

''Cottohazz'' series

# (2013) ''

How Dark the World Becomes How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seid ...

'',

, , science fiction crime novel # (2015) '' Come the Revolution'',

, , science fiction sequel to ''How Dark the World Becomes'' # (2017) ''

Chain of Command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

''. Baen Books, , science fiction, set in the same universe as ''How Dark the World Becomes'' and ''Come the Revolution'', but with new characters. # (2020) '' Ship of Destiny'',

, , sequel to ''Chain of Command''

References

External links

* * (full list of works) {{DEFAULTSORT:Chadwick, Frank Board game designers Role-playing game designers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male novelists American science fiction writers Wargamers Role-playing game writers