Richard H. Berg

Richard Harvey Berg (born c. 1943) is a prolific wargame designer from Charleston, South Carolina.

Education:

• B.A. (History), Union College, Schenectady NY

• J.D. (Law), Brooklyn Law School, New York

Military Service: US Army, 1967-69. With my degree in Asian History and 2 years of Chinese language the geniuses in Army Personnel assigned me as Music Director for the Army Theater in Frankfurt, Germany. Did lots of shows; met my first wife. I did not complain; better than Vietnam.

Rock Singer. Late 50's, early 60's. Sang with The Escorts, recorded with Tiny Tim. Made six records, received no money. Learned not to trust anyone in the Music industry. Group is currently listed in Billboard's Encyclopedia of Rock Groups.

Attorney. From 1971 to 1988, Criminal Defense trial attorney for both the Legal Aid Society and in private practice. Interesting clientele, some of whom may be getting out now.

Composer. Wrote music and lyrics for two Off-Broadway shows: "The Adventures of Peter Pan", 1972, performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and "Alice", 1973, performed at City Center in NYC. Career ceased when I realized that the NY Times' review of the music in "Alice" - "boring and derivative" - was true.

Communications Consultant. (1990-2000). For CommCore Inc., a firm that trains upper-level execs, physicians, celebs, sports figures, you name it, in such as areas as Presentation Skills, Media Communication skills, Crisis Management, IPO/Road shows, anything that has to do with helping someone sound more interesting/memorable. Clients include Pfizer, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, AT&T, et al. Run by my ex-wife, Karen Berg, an amazing, brilliant woman who is also a cabaret singer.

Writer. Co-author of "The London Times History of War" (Harper Collins, UK, 2000) and Author, "The Dutchman's Gold", Fiction. (X-Libris Publishers, 2001). Editor and Publisher, "Berg's Review of Games (BROG)" Newsletter, New York (1984-5 and 1991-1999) and Staff Editor, "Strategy & Tactics" Magazine, Simulations Publications, Inc., New York, NY, 1975-1985). Winner, Charles Roberts Award, Writer of the Year, 1989, 1991; Winner, Publisher/Editor, Best Industry Newsletter, 1992. Newsletter, "BROG", awarded Hall of Fame status in 1998; Screenplay for "Miniatures", a documentary film feature on the hobby of miniature figures, 1978; Speech writer for a wide variety of clients, such as the CEO of Coopers-Lybrandt, various top-level Pfizer executives, and Bonnie Blair, Olympic Speed Skating champion.

Theater. Roles include such historical figures as FDR (in "Annie") and Ben Franklin (in "1776"). Militarily there's Major General Stanley (in "Pirates of Penzance"), Sir Joseph Porter KCB (in "HMS Pinafore"), Corporal Schultz (in "Stalag 17"), and The Duke of Plaza Toro (in "The Gondoliers). In terms of playing myself, throw in Sheridan Whiteside (in "The Man Who Came to Dinner"), Mr Applegate (The Devil, in "Damn Yankees"), Sganarelle (in Moliere's "The Doctor in Spite of Himself"). The Judge (in "Trial by Jury"), Lord Mountarrarat (in "Iolanthe") and both The Mikado and Pooh-Bah (but not at the same time, in "The Mikado"). Then there are the 'classic' Broadway roles, such as Nathan Detroit (in "Guys and Dolls"), Tevye (in "Fiddler on the Roof"), Lycus and Pseudolus (in "Funny Thing . . .Forum") and my sole opera role, Don Alonso (in Gomes's "Il Guarany"). Among others.

Game Designer. 1975 to present. Known as The Pope of Wargaming. Over 140 published games. Winner, Industry Award for Best Game Design, 11 times; Awarded GAMA "Hall of Fame" for oeuvre, 1993; Awarded Charles Roberts Award for Lifetime Achievement in Simulation Design, 1990, and The Bloomgren/Hamilton Memorial Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003.

• Tom Vasel's The Dice Tower Interview

Microbadge: http://www.boardgamegeek.com/browse/microbadge/2712

Note: This is a different person than the Richard Berg (1922-2009) who produced Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles miniseries and James Michener's Space miniseries.