Marc William Miller

Career Beginnings

After serving the U.S. Army, Miller continued his studies at Illinois State University in 1972 under the G.I. Bill. There he joined the ISU Game Club, created by Rich Banner and Frank Chadwick. Banner obtained a grant that funded the printing of blank hex sheets (suitable for making war-game maps). Adding new members Loren K. Wiseman and John Harshman, the ISU club drafted a variety of designs. Some of these designs were derivatives of existing games, and had generic names like Guerre and Swamp, while others were original concepts, such as Triplanetary.

In 1973, after being convinced by Chadwick and Banner Illinois State University created SimRAD (Simulation Research, Analysis, and Design), a college program where students and teachers designed games. Revenue from these games supported the funding of innovations in education. At the same time, Miller, Chadwick, Banner, and Wiseman decided to publish a massive World War II simulation game and created Game Designers' Workshop as their publishing company.

Game Designers' Workshop

Game Designers' Workshop was formed on June 22, 1973, and was initially headquartered in Miller and Chadwick's apartment. In that year, GDW published Drang Nach Osten, the first of its Europa Series on World War II.

In 1974 the company published five new titles, including Coral Sea, based on the World War II naval battle.

In 1975, GDW published Triplanetary by Miller and Harshman. Miller designed the wargame Chaco based on the 1930s war between Bolivia and Paraguay.

Miller designed the wargame The Russo-Japanese War. Miller, Chadwick, Harshman, and Wiseman designed Traveller, which was published in 1977. Miller also designed the science-fiction board game Double Star for GDW.

While at GDW, Miller designed a total of 74 games and products, with an average of one every four months, including Imperium, MegaTraveller, and 2300 AD.

Miller wrote a letter to the company, Digest Group Publications, in 1987 asking them to help him make Traveller material more accessible. While the material DGP produced went unused, Miller had expressly forbidden his licensors from referencing the material because of his concerns over copyright issues.

Miller left GDW in 1991.

After leaving GDW

Miller designed the computer game Challenge of the Five Realms and the card game SuperDeck!. Miller received the rights to Traveller, Twilight: 2000, and 2300AD, and formed a new company called Far Future Enterprises. He served as the head of this company, which held the rights to the games. Miller partnered with Sweetpea Entertainment to license his science-fiction property in exchange for funding to get Imperium Games running in February 1996, as a new publisher solely dedicated to Traveller material. While Far Future Enterprises licensed Traveller and other games to several companies, Miller worked on his own fifth edition of Traveller for Far Future.

Miller also consults for gaming companies. Miller publishes game designs through Far Future Enterprises (FFE) at farfuture.net, consulting on various aspects of the game industry through his Heartland Publishing Services, primarily design and production issues. His role-playing games are currently in print through Steve Jackson Games, Mongoose Publishing and Far Future Enterprises.

Awards and recognition

Miller has received the Origins Award, the prestigious Games 100 Award, and the Game Designers' Guild Award. He was inducted into the Charles S. Roberts (Origins) Hall of Fame in 1981 as a designer. He was featured as the king of spades in Flying Buffalo's 2010 Famous Game Designers Playing Card Deck.