Greg Stafford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Greg Stafford
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Stafford, July 2013 in Orick, California
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Francis Gregory Stafford
February 9, 1948 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Died | October 10, 2018 (aged 70) Arcata, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Game designer |
Francis Gregory Stafford (born February 9, 1948 – died October 10, 2018), known as Greg Stafford, was an American game designer and publisher. He was also a follower of shamanism, a spiritual practice. Greg Stafford is most famous for creating the fantasy world of Glorantha.
He designed many popular games. These include Pendragon, RuneQuest, Ghostbusters, and HeroQuest. He also started two game companies, Chaosium and Issaries. Greg Stafford also created board games like White Bear and Red Moon and Nomad Gods. He even helped design the computer game King of Dragon Pass.
Contents
Gaming Industry Career
Starting Chaosium in the 1970s
Greg Stafford began playing wargames after finding a game called U-Boat. In 1966, while at Beloit College, he started writing about his own fantasy world, Glorantha. When a publisher turned down his ideas, Stafford decided to create his own game called White Bear and Red Moon.
After three different companies couldn't publish his game, he started his own company, Chaosium. He named it by combining "coliseum" (because his home was near the Oakland Coliseum) with "chaos."
White Bear and Red Moon (1975) was the first game Chaosium published. It was also Stafford's first professional game. He also designed other board games like Nomad Gods and Elric (1977).
Creating Role-Playing Games
Stafford wanted Glorantha to be part of a new kind of game called a role-playing game. This led to RuneQuest (1978), which was set in Glorantha. He also helped simplify the RuneQuest rules into a shorter game called Basic Role-Playing (1980).
Greg Stafford considered his game King Arthur Pendragon (1985) his best work. It was a role-playing game about King Arthur and knights. He also helped design the Ghostbusters role-playing game (1986).
In 1989, Stafford designed the Prince Valiant role-playing game. This game focused a lot on telling stories. He also helped create the computer game King of Dragon Pass in 1999.
Issaries and Later Years
In 1998, Stafford left Chaosium and took all the rights to his Glorantha world with him. He then started a new game company called Issaries.
He asked Robin Laws to create a new game based on Glorantha. This game was first called Hero Wars (2000). In 2003, Stafford published a second edition under the name he always wanted, HeroQuest.
In 2004, Stafford moved to Mexico, which meant Issaries stopped producing games. Later, in 2015, Greg Stafford returned to Chaosium Inc. and became its President and CEO.
Greg Stafford passed away at his home in Arcata, California, on October 10, 2018. He was 70 years old.
The World of Glorantha
Greg Stafford's interest in games and role-playing came from his love for mythology. When he was a teenager, he read every book he could find about myths. In 1966, when he was in college, he started writing his own stories. This was the beginning of his fantasy world, Glorantha.
His 1974 board game, White Bear and Red Moon, showed a big fight between different groups in a part of Glorantha called Dragon Pass. The main story was about the barbarian Kingdom of Sartar fighting against the invading Lunar Empire. This conflict has been a key part of Glorantha ever since.
When Stafford started Chaosium, the game Dungeons & Dragons was becoming very popular. Players wanted to use the White Bear and Red Moon world in their own role-playing games. So, Chaosium published RuneQuest, which was set in Glorantha.
Stafford also worked on several novels set in Glorantha, like Harmast's Saga. He was also one of the designers for the video game King of Dragon Pass, which is based on Glorantha.
Shamanism and Other Interests
Greg Stafford was a practicing shaman, which means he followed a spiritual path that connects with nature and spirits. He was also on the board of directors for Shaman's Drum, a magazine about shamanism.
He lived in Mexico for about 18 months. While there, he taught English and explored ancient sites and places important to shamanism.
Images for kids
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Greg Stafford in Helsinki, Finland on July 21, 2005
See also
In Spanish: Greg Stafford para niños
