Steve Winter (game designer)
Steve Winter was born in Dubuque, Iowa on the 8th of December 1957. He attended Catholic school for both grade school and high school before transferring to Iowa State University at Ames after two years of Catholic college. A nun introduced him to the works of J. R. R. Tolkien during his high school years. Before that moment he had been mostly into historical novels and military history. For the next several years he read all the fantasy he could get his hands on but did not enjoy very much of it. He could not find anything with the same sense of humor and style as Tolkien. He also read a lot of science fiction.
In 1978 while attending college Winter worked part-time at a department store which carried a few wargames in its small games department. He began playing with the wargame The Russian Campaign by Avalon Hill. The Russian Campaign intrigued him so he bought Tobuk which was the game that changed his life. He played it to death. At Iowa State University Winter was majoring in journalism. He worked on the campus newsletter which was incidentally the seventh largest daily newspaper in Iowa. One day he was proofreading the classified ad column and came across an ad for the Iowa State Gamers. He went to their next meeting and was introduced to the D&D game. From then on he played all day every Saturday but never was one of those five-hour-a-day seven-day-a-week gamers. The newspaper took up most of his time and he had his heart set on becoming a journalist.
After graduating Winter got a job on the Peoria Illinois Journal-Star as a city desk reporter. The first night he was there he covered the first murder in Peoria for over a year. He also covered Reagan's last campaign appearance in 1980. Then there were less exciting jobs like covering the Mass Transit Board. His position with the Peoria Journal Star was a temporary position and he was laid off after the woman he was substituting for came back from maternity leave. One day he was in a hobby shop in Peoria and saw an issue of DRAGON Magazine that mentioned that TSR was looking for editors. He sent his resume and got an interview. He ended up coming to Lake Geneva three times. The first time his car broke down and he had to call and postpone the interview. The second time everything worked out. But on the third trip his car broke down again but he was within five miles of Lake Geneva so he was able to get it towed in.
Winter began with TSR in May 1981 as a Games Editor. In this position he is credited as the editor of both Star Frontiers boxed games. He edited the Gangbusters games and the 1983 World of Greyhawk revision. Winter edited the Top Secret Companion as well. He was promoted to Manager of Game Editors in 1984. He continued working on many different projects in addition to his management duties including editing half of the book Oriental Adventures. Jeff Grubb and Winter designed the Marvel Super Heroes RPG. He has worked on many game products for the Dungeons & Dragons game since 1981 as a designer editor coordinator and creative director.
Winter ran annual miniatures events at the Gen Con game convention. These included the Car Wars Lake Geneva Death Rally series. Winter wrote The Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming booklet for the Battlesystem Fantasy Combat Supplement. He designed and developed an SPI game called Sniper Patrol combining and expanding the older Sniper and Patrol games. Winter with Jim Ward David Cook and Mike Breault also co-wrote the adventure scenario that was adapted into the game Pool of Radiance. His work spanned from organizing community gatherings to designing complex tactical systems for wargaming enthusiasts.
Winter later worked as a producer for Wizards of the Coast's D&D and D&D Miniatures websites. He left Wizards of the Coast on the 14th of December 2011. This marked the end of a long tenure spanning decades within the industry. His career trajectory moved from early journalism roots to becoming a central figure in tabletop gaming history. The transition from TSR to Wizards of the Coast represented a major shift in how the company operated during his final years there.
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Common questions
When and where was Steve Winter born?
Steve Winter was born in Dubuque, Iowa on the 8th of December 1957. He attended Catholic school for both grade school and high school before transferring to Iowa State University at Ames after two years of Catholic college.
How did Steve Winter get his start working with wargames and Dungeons & Dragons?
In 1978 while attending college Winter worked part-time at a department store which carried a few wargames in its small games department. He began playing with the wargame The Russian Campaign by Avalon Hill and later played all day every Saturday after being introduced to the D&D game at an Iowa State Gamers meeting.
What editorial roles did Steve Winter hold at TSR starting in May 1981?
Winter began with TSR in May 1981 as a Games Editor and edited both Star Frontiers boxed games along with the Gangbusters games and the 1983 World of Greyhawk revision. He edited the Top Secret Companion and was promoted to Manager of Game Editors in 1984.
Which specific game products did Steve Winter design or co-write during his career?
Jeff Grubb and Winter designed the Marvel Super Heroes RPG and they also co-wrote the adventure scenario that was adapted into the game Pool of Radiance. Winter wrote The Art of Three-Dimensional Gaming booklet for the Battlesystem Fantasy Combat Supplement and designed an SPI game called Sniper Patrol combining and expanding the older Sniper and Patrol games.
When did Steve Winter leave Wizards of the Coast and what marked this event?
Steve Winter left Wizards of the Coast on the 14th of December 2011. This marked the end of a long tenure spanning decades within the industry after he worked as a producer for D&D and D&D Miniatures websites.