Tom Wham

Tom Wham (born 1944 in Chester, Illinois) is a designer of board games who has also produced artwork, including that for his own games.
Career.
Early life and Guidon Games.
Wham worked a variety of odd jobs during his early adult life. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy, he worked for the Guidon Games hobby shop in Maine where he got his first game, a variant on a Civil War naval miniatures campaign, published. One of Wham's books was published in the same series of books from Guidon Games that began in 1971 with "Chainmail". In 1972, Wham got a job with Don Lowry at Guidon Games, in the shipping/layout department of "Campaign" magazine; there, he co-authored a set of Civil War naval miniature rules, "Ironclad". Afterwards he became a prison guard in his hometown, then held an office job in Denver.
TSR.
In May 1977 he began working for TSR, Inc. at their Lake Geneva, Wisconsin headquarters as a general office worker, the company's 13th employee. After running the Dungeon Hobby Shop for a summer, he was moved upstairs to the company's art department. Wham worked with Dave Sutherland and Dave Trampier on the original "Monster Manual". Wham began doing some creative work for the company, contributing a handful of illustrations for the original AD&D "Monster Manual", including the creature called the beholder. He also made a deal with Tim Kask, editor of "The Dragon", to do a game in the centerfold, called "Snit Smashing"; this led to other games in "Dragon", including "The Awful Green Things from Outer Space". These games, printed on cardstock and included in the centerfold of the magazine, usually featured artwork supplied by Wham.
Notable games published this way include:
After TSR.
After TSR, Wham collaborated on books with Rose Estes, and did his own novelette in Christopher Stasheff's "The Exotic Enchanter". More games followed, including "Kings & Things" (with Rob Kuntz), the "" card game, and "Iron Dragon". Later efforts include a reprint of "Snits" and "Awful Green Things from Outer Space" from Steve Jackson Games, and "Planet Busters" by Troll Lord Games.
Wham designed the board game "King of the Tabletop" with Robert J. Kuntz, which was published in "Dragon" #77 (September 1983); the game was later expanded and rereleased as "Kings & Things" (1986) by West End Games, and was an Origins award-winner.
Since leaving TSR, Wham has designed many more games, including collaborating with James M. Ward on the board game "Dragon Lairds", published in April 2008, and "Feudality" published by Z-man Games Inc. in 2011.