This is going to be a datapoint project.

If you find a source (almost certainly the credits list of a product) then state the Year, product, list of staffers, and if possible, staff position. "Staff" includes those designated to be staff or "the committee" or the "joint chiefs of fleets" and does not include playtesters.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 02:24 pm: Edit

I can remember a ton of names from way back when, but cannot place any given name in any given year. That's where I need help, documenting what name was in what year.

I can remember at one point there was CHOST which consisted of Crull, Hack, Olsen, Smith, and Thompson. Later, Cree replaced Crull and Spencer replaced Smith.

I know that there was a secondary level that being the Joint Chiefs of fleets.
Ray Olsen was head of the Feds.
I was head of Klingons, with Petrick as XO.
Jeff Smith was head of Romulans.
Alan Gopin was head of Kzintis
Graeme Cree was head of Gorns.
Stacy Bartley (?) was head of Tholians
Steve Kay was head of Orions
Josh Spender created and headed ISC
Marc Cocherl was head of WYN
I don't remember the rest right off.

By Mike Curtis (Fear) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 02:30 pm: Edit

I know Jeff Smith taught me SFB at OSU in 1982-83 and he said he was Romulan Staff then.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 03:25 pm: Edit

From CL2 1983.

The Committee (7 members)
SVC

TFG as a whole

C. Michael Thompson
Major design work on Supplement 1 and designing Supplement 2

Ray Olesen

Charles Hugh Graeme Cree

Josh W Spencer

Felix Hack

Joint Chiefs of Fleets:
SVC Grand Admiral of the Klingon DSF

Graeme Cree, Resux-Admiral of the Gorn Navy

Jim Curtis, Lord Commander of the Lyran Fleet. Creator of the Lyrans.

Felix Hack, Inspector Generel. Special rules investigations.

Garner Johnson, Chief of Training Command. Runs w/TFG the Origins SFB Tourney.

Ken Kaufman, Procounsul of the Romulan Star Empire

Richerd Kerr, Chief, Bureau of Starships. Sculptor for Starline 2200.

Ray Olesen, High Commissioner of the Federation Star Fleet

Andrew Robinson, Lord Regent of the Hydran Monarchy. Creator of the Hydrans.

Josh Spencer, President of the Inter-Stellar Concordium. Creator of the ISC.

Mike Thompson, Patriarch of the Kzinti Hegemony and protector of the WYN CLuster. Created the WYN.

Michael Woodcock, Chairman of the Tholian Assembly

Stephen G Wilcox, Godfather of the Orion Merchants Association.


The Staff. The JCF and the leads for the 6 A level playtest groups.
Kenneth Annett, Frank Crull, Patrick Dignam, R.O. Griggs, John C. Pini, and Jeff Smith.

Al Abbot, 1983 Fleet Captain.

By David Zimdars (Zimdarsdavid) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 09:58 pm: Edit

Here is my record (David Zimdars).

1984-85 Staff (Correspondent for Battle Group Montana, run by Matt Leuthold)
1986-87 Candidate Committee Member, Kzinti Deputy Joint Chief of Fleet)
1988-89 Full Committee Member, Kzinti Joint Chief of Fleet)

Circa Volume 2 - started play with Battle Group Montana
Circa Volume 3 - participation on Golden Billboard and regular correspondence with Staff
Origins '86 Los Angeles, launch of F&E
Origins '87 Baltimore, Tactics Manual
Origins-GenCon '88 Milwaukee, Purchase by New World Computing

The most fun project I worked on was the Tactic's Manual (which was a critical success but not sufficiently profitable). Work on the doomsday edition (now Captain's edition) was to start in earnest the summer of 1987. However, the period of '87-'88 turned into a mini-Interregnum, as ADB dealt with the bankruptcy of TFG and licensing issues with Paramount. Section J was distributed and reviewed at length as the proposed format for the Captain's Edition. In part because SFB was hamstrung by the addenda mess and was waiting for the Captain's Edition, I focused on F&E in the later period, playing 2 full General Wars - discovering the fighter mess, along with Owen Riley. A lot of the material I developed was published after I retired, as publishing new material was slowed down until the bankruptcy (and later the Captain's Edition) was resolved. For SFB, I did develop the Roman Civil War for X1, which was a lot of fun. TFG was purchased by New World Computing in 1988, and SPP was brought onboard ADB and real progress on the Captain's Edition started in 1989. I was promoted to the Full Committee membership in 1988, when Alan Gopin retired. Regrettably, I was only able to spend about a year as a full comittee member. I was admitted to the graduate school of Chemistry at Stanford in 1989. I resigned when it (quickly) became apparent that I was going to have to spend 100% of my time with this commitment. Furthermore, I was moving away from my play test group, and I didn't want to "retire in place" and keep someone else who was more able to particpate from having the honor of being promoted.

My participation on the staff provided me with skills and experience I've found useful in my life and career. Among these are: 1) Confidence I could participate in a national scope "stage" (albeit a niche) despite my roots in small city Montana; 2) Experience in working in a creative team with strong opinions and great vision; 3)Practice in analytical review of documents and detailed logical analyses of processes and arguments 4)A great deal of practice in writing and editing, in particular describing ideas in essays and communicating in (electronic) memos; 5)Developing a better understanding of the creative process; 6)Developing a perspective on publishing and small businesses; 7)Experience in completing projects from start to finish. I thank SVC for the opportunity - in effect, it was a great internship!

By David Zimdars (Zimdarsdavid) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 11:00 pm: Edit

Reviewed Nexus 1-18 (except 16, will look for it)

From Nexus #19 Origins report, 1984:
Committee: SVC, Graeme Cree, Felix Hack, Ray Olesen, Mike Thompson.

Ken Kaufman - absent.

Josh Spencer - resigned, cornea transplant.

Other "Gold Hats" Garner Johnson, Richard Kerr, Andrew Robinson, Frank Crull. William Chitwood won 1984 FC.


Nexus #10, 1984, "The Next Frontier" Mike Thompson resigned to design naval combat game.

Nexus #11, 1985 "The Next Frontier" Ken Kaufman (Romulan JCF) resigned (transfer to Germany) replaced byJeff Smith.

Nexus 13, 1985, first Nexus to credit committee in full. SVC (Klingons), Ray Olesen (Fed), Felix Hack (IG), Jeff Smith (Rom), Frank Crull (AG), Frank Crull replaced Mike Thompson. Graeme Cree (retired). Candidate members: Darwin Boyle, Alan Gopin, Tom Hammond, John Pini).

Nexus 14, 1986,p 39. David Porter becomes 5th candidate member.

Nexus 15, 1986 p33. Alan Gopin promoted to Committee and Kzinti JCF, Anthony Medici acting Andro, Steve O'Kay Orion acting Orion.

Nexus 18, 1988 Origins 87 report Anothony Medicie ANdro JCF; Mike West deputy fed JCF Graeme Bayless deptuty Klingon; Ron Spitzer, rom DC; Alan Gopin, Kzinti JCF; Frank Crull, Gorn JCF; Stacey Bartley, Tholian; Steve Kay, Orioin JCF; Mark Shutlz, Hydran JCF; Alex Matthews, Lyran DC, Marc Cocherl, WYN.

Tactics Manual, 1987, Committee: Ray Olesen Felix Hack, Frank Crull, Alan Gopin, Jeff Smith (retired); Candidates: Graeme Bayless, David Zimdars, Mike West; Mark Shultz Hydran JCF; Antony Medici, Andro JCF; Leonard Byrd, acting Lyran JCF (prev. Jim Curtis); Steven Kay Orion JCF; Stacey Bartley, Tholian JCF; Steve Koehler, LDR JCF; Marc Cocherl, Wyn JCF; Ron Spitzer, Rom JCF; Eric Nussberger, tactical officer; Matt Leuthold, Tactical officer; Bill Heim, tactical officer.

CL4, 1986 Committee: Ray Olesen, Felix Hack, Jeff Smith, Frank Crull, Alan Gopin

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - 11:02 pm: Edit

Actually, TFG2 never went into bankruptcy. They might have without the NWC buyout.

By Gregg Dieckhaus (Gdieck) on Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - 09:23 am: Edit

Keith Velluix (SP?) and John Berg were on staff prior to Doomsday.
Gregg