Lester W. Smith is a
game designer who has worked primarily on
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.
Career
Early work and GDW
Lester Smith began his game-design career in 1984 with ''Mind Duel'', a science-fiction board game submission to ''
Space Gamer'' magazine.
In 1985, he joined the staff at
Game Designers' Workshop.
,
Frank Chadwick, Lester Smith, and
Timothy Brown of GDW designed the new game ''
Traveller: 2300'' (1986) as an expansion of the original ''
Traveller
Traveler(s), traveller(s), The Traveler(s), or The Traveller(s) may refer to:
People Generic terms
*One engaged in travel
*Explorer, one who searches for the purpose of discovery of information or resources
*Nomad, a member of a community withou ...
'' role-playing game.
He designed the ''
Temple of the Beastmen'' board game.
Smith designed the role-playing game ''
Dark Conspiracy'' (1991) which used the new GDW "house system" of rules originally created for the second edition of ''
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 ...
''.
Smith designed the ''
Minion Hunter'' board game.
TSR and Dragon Dice
Smith later left GDW to work for
TSR.
He was hired by TSR in 1991, and contributed to the ''AD&D'' and ''
Amazing Engine'' role-playing game lines.
Smith and
Wolfgang Baur co-designed the ''
Planes of Chaos
''Planes of Chaos'' was a boxed set for the Planescape campaign setting of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
Contents
''Planes of Chaos'' is an expansion set for the Planescape campaign setting which details the five chaot ...
'' boxed set.
He designed the
Origins Award-winning ''
Dragon Dice''.
Smith designed ''
Chaos Progenitus
Demon Dice, originally published as Chaos Progenitus, is a collectible dice game for two or more players created by Lester Smith (game designer), Lester Smith (designer of the better-known Dragon Dice) and Tim Brown.
Publication history
The origi ...
'' (1996), also marketed as ''
Demon Dice
Demon Dice, originally published as Chaos Progenitus, is a collectible dice game for two or more players created by Lester Smith (designer of the better-known Dragon Dice) and Tim Brown.
Publication history
The original ''Chaos Progenitus'' game ...
''.
Smith then worked for Imperium Games.
Smith later worked for Archangel Entertainment, and then helped Don Perrin design the ''Sovereign Stone (role-playing game), Sovereign Stone'' role-playing game.
He has also done work for FASA, Flying Buffalo, West End Games, and others, acquiring two other Origins Awards in the process.
Along with Timothy Brown, Jim Ward (game designer), James Ward, John Danovich, and Sean Everette, Smith co-founded the D20 System, d20 company Fast Forward Entertainment.
Later work
Smith worked as an educational writer and technologist for a Houghton Mifflin design house and for a time served as the president of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets.
As of 2018, Smith is officially retired.
Since 2011, Smith has launched 13 successful funded campaigns on the crowdfunding platform kickstarter.
These projects include books, role-playing games and card games that Smith has designed himself.
Personal life
Lester Smith is an alumnus of Illinois State University.
He married his wife Jennifer and they had four daughters together.
In 2015, Smith and his wife moved to Loma, Nebraska to live closer to family.
References
External links
*
Home page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Lester
Dungeons & Dragons game designers
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Year of birth missing (living people)