{{Short description|Game designer}} {{Infobox person |name = Richard Snider |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1953|8|29}} | birth_place = Albuquerque, New Mexico | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2009|11|17|1953|8|29}} | death_place = Mint Hill, North Carolina |spouse = |other_names = |known_for = |education = |employer = |occupation = Game designer, author |website = }}
'''Richard Leonard Snider''' (August 29, 1953 – November 17, 2009) was a game designer who worked primarily on role-playing games.
==Early life and introduction to role-playing games== Richard Snider was born to Leonard and Elizabeth Snider, one of ten children, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.<ref name=obit>{{cite web | url =https://www.mem.com/Biography/4079340/17827448/17827451?title=Biography | title =ObituaryRichard Leonard Snider | date =19 November 2009 | website =mem.com | publisher =Dignity Memorial | access-date =2021-10-15}}</ref> After moving to Minnesota, he and his brother John joined the Midwest Military Simulation Association gaming group, where he met Dave Arneson, David Wesely, Ken Fletcher, Dave Megarry, and others.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mage-page.com/index.php?pageid=17 |title=Midwest Area Gaming Enthusiasts |access-date=2014-09-24 |archive-date=2007-06-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626210747/http://www.mage-page.com/index.php?pageid=17 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Snider was also one of the players in the original ''Blackmoor'' gaming group that Arneson ran.<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|177}} He contributed many suggestions for rule revisions and additions, and Arneson dedicated an entire section of his ''The First Fantasy Campaign'', published by Judges Guild in 1977, to Snider's contributions.
==Career== In 1974, Richard's brother John designed ''Star Probe'', a science fiction role-playing game that was published by TSR. In 1977, Richard, John, Brian Blume and Greg Svenson co-authored an expansion to ''Star Probe'' titled ''Star Empires'', also published by TSR.
In 1978, Snider coauthored the role-playing game ''Adventures in Fantasy'' with Arneson, published by Excalibre Games and then through Arneson's company Adventure Games.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|39}} In 1981, Snider also contributed to ''Thieves' World'' by Chaosium.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|85}}
Snider then designed a role-playing game for Avalon Hill titled ''Powers & Perils''. It was scheduled to be released at Origins 1983; however the convention instead featured empty rooms where demos for the game were supposed to be held, and the game was not released until early 1984.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|177}} In addition to designing two supplements for ''Powers & Perils'' and the adventure ''Tower of the Dead''<ref>{{cite web | url =https://rpggeek.com/rpg/536/powers-perils | title =Powers & Perils (1984) | website =rpggeek.com | access-date =2021-10-15}}</ref> that were all released in 1984 by Avalon Hill, Snider also authored several supplemental articles that appeared in Avalon Hill's shortlived role-playing game magazine ''Heroes'', including the adventure ''Doom Manor''.<ref>{{cite web | url =https://powersandperils.org/heroes_index.htm | title =Articles about P&P from Heroes | website =powersandperils.org | access-date =2021-10-15}}</ref> Sporting a much higher price tag than industry powerhouse ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Powers & Perils'' languished, and Avalon Hill dropped the project in 1985.<ref name=grog>{{cite web|url = http://www.legrog.org/jeux/powers-perils | date=2009-05-08|title= Powers & Perils |website=Guide du Rôliste Galactique| access-date= 2021-10-15 |language=fr}}</ref>
Snider became a self-employed landscaper,<ref name="obit"/> and also wrote several novels, although only one, ''The Leather Rose'', was published.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web|url=http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=1765|title=Richard Snider :: Pen & Paper RPG Database|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050120124635/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=1765|archivedate=January 20, 2005}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snider, Richard}} Category:1953 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Role-playing game designers