Richard H. "Rick" Britton is a historian and former game publishing executive in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

Career

In 1980, after graduating from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

, Britton and nine fellow alums founded

Iron Crown Enterprises Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE) is a publishing company that has produced role playing, board, miniature, and collectible card games since 1980. Many of ICE's better-known products were related to J. R. R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth, but the ''Ro ...

(ICE), a publisher of roleplaying games. Britton ran the company for two years while

Pete Fenlon Pete Fenlon (born 1955) is an American role-playing game cartographer, game designer, game developer, graphics designer and publisher. His works include stories, art and games (electronic and non) in the genres of science fiction, mystery, fantasy ...

commuted from law school. Britton's wargame ''Manassas'' was set in the company's home state of Virginia during the American Civil War. Britton served as vice-president in charge of operations. While most of the games produced by the company were set in fantasy worlds, the company also published Britton's creation ''Manassas'' in 1981. The game reenacts the eponymous Civil War battle. By 1992, Britton had left ICE, and has since written books about local history. He is a former board director of the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society and former editor of ''The Magazine of Albemarle County History''. He guides tours of Virginia historical sites, including Civil War battlefields and Jefferson's architectural masterpieces, Monticello and the

. He also frequently speaks about local history on WINA, a

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

radio station. Britton's collection of essays, ''Jefferson, A Monticello Sampler,'' published by Mariner Publishing, won the 2009 "IPPY" Award in National and Regional Book Competition.2009 Mid-Atlantic – Best Regional Non-Fiction Awards, http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1298; and ''Roanoke Times'', 27 May 2009. He is also a

cartographer Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...

, photographer, and book illustrator.

Works

* ''Jefferson: A Monticello Sampler.'' Buena Vista, Virginia: Mariner Publishing, 2009. * ''Albemarle & Charlottesville: An Illustrated History of the First 150 Years.'' Charlottesville, Virginia: Historical Publishing Network, 2006. * ''The Sea of Trolls'' with Nancy Farmer, maps by Rick Britton. New York: Atheneum Books, 2004. * ''On the Downtown Mall'' with Gary D. Kessler, Stacey Evans (photographer), and Rick Britton (photographer). Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2002.

Awards

* The Thirteenth Annual (2009) IPPY Independent Publisher Book Awards (the Jenkins Group).

References

External links

Rick Britton's personal website
Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American illustrators 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers American photographers Writers from Charlottesville, Virginia Role-playing game artists Role-playing game designers Historians from Virginia American male non-fiction writers {{US-historian-stub