Tom Wham

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Tom Wham (born 1944) is an American board game designer and artist. He was born in Chester, Illinois, and did many odd jobs before serving four years as a radioman in the U.S. Navy. After the Navy, he worked at Guidon Games in Maine, where his first game was published. He co-authored the Civil War naval miniature rules Ironclad and later worked in the shipping and layout department of Campaign magazine.

Wham also spent time as a prison guard in his hometown and held an office job in Denver. In 1977 he joined TSR, Inc. in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin as the company’s 13th employee. He ran the Dungeon Hobby Shop for a summer, then moved to the art department. He helped create some of the original Monster Manual artwork, including the beholder, and co-edited the first edition of Gamma World.

He did a lot for Dragon magazine, creating Snit Smashing for its centerfold, which led to other games printed in Dragon, such as The Awful Green Things from Outer Space. These games were often cardstock and showcased Wham’s artwork. Notable games from this era include Kings & Things (with Rob Kuntz), the SimCity card game, and Iron Dragon. He helped reprint Snits and The Awful Green Things from Outer Space with Steve Jackson Games and Planet Busters with Troll Lord Games.

Wham designed the board game King of the Tabletop with Rob Kuntz, published in Dragon issue 77 (September 1983). It was expanded and released as Kings & Things (1986) by West End Games and won an Origins Award.

After leaving TSR, Wham continued designing many games, including Dragon Lairds (with James M. Ward) in 2008 and Feudality (Z-Man Games) in 2011.