Ted Alspach
Encyclopedia
Ted Alspach is a board-game designer and the author of more than 30 books on graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
, publishing and the web. He is best known for his Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. Illustrator is similar in scope, intended market, and functionality to its competitors, CorelDraw, Xara Designer Pro and Macromedia FreeHand....
-related books, including Illustrator for Dummies and the best-selling Illustrator Bible series. Other books he has written include Photoshop Complete, Microsoft Bob, Internet E-mail Quick Tour, Acrobat Visual Quickstart Guide, and PageMaker Visual Quickstart Guide. Ted was employed by Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems
Adobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
as Group Product Manager for Adobe Illustrator and the Creative Suite from 1999-2006.
He is the creator of the online and print comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Board 2 Pieces, which is a humorous slant on boardgaming told by the game pieces themselves. The comic appears twice a week at www.opinionatedgamers.com. From 2006-through 2010, it appeared on Boardgamenews.com and previously appeared in a larger format each issue of Knucklebones
Knucklebones (magazine)
Knucklebones was a bi-monthly United States-based magazine, focused on providing news and reviews of board games and card games. The magazine included some puzzles and contests, typically with a game-oriented theme, and also included puzzles such as Sudoku and crosswords.Knucklebones won praise on...
magazine (before it closed).
Ted Alspach is the designer of the strategy game
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
Seismic, published by Atlas Games
Atlas Games
Atlas Games is a company which publishes role-playing games, board games and card games. Its current president is John Nephew.Games published include:...
, 2006, in which players lay tiles and claim highways in an attempt to create as many completed highway segments before the end of the game, avoiding periodic earthquake activity; the game Rapscallion which allows players to form the best possible poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
hand by bidding for playing cards with bidding cards; Start Player published by Bezier Games
Bézier Games
Bézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
, Z-Man Games
Z-Man Games
thumbZ-Man Games is a company incorporated in 1999 in the USA to produce games. The headquarters is in Mahopac, New York, near New York City. It is named after its proprietor, Zev Shlasinger...
, BeWitched Spiele and daVinci games, which is a set of cards for selecting who goes first in the next game, and Ted Alspach's Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition (from Bezier Games) which is a comprehensive werewolf-themed party game for up to 65 players. Beer & Pretzels from Bezier Games
Bézier Games
Bézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
was released in October 2009, a beer & pretzels-style game where players toss coasters onto a table for money. Ultimate Werewolf: Compact Edition was published in early 2010, which is a single-deck version of Ultimate Werewolf that supports up to 34 players. Ultimate Werewolf: Classic Movie Monsters was also published in early 2010 as an expansion for Ultimate Werewolf. Announced for October 2010: Perpetual-Motion Machine, a card game where players construct an efficiency engine. He has also designed expansions for the popular Age of Steam
Age of Steam
Age of Steam is a strategy board game by Martin Wallace published in 2002 by Warfrog Games on license from Winsome Games. The game depicts the development of railroads in the United States, as well as several other countries using the expansion maps. It can be played by three to six players,...
and Steam board games, including 1830s Pennsylvania and Northern California, Mississippi Steamboats & Golden Spike, Soul Train & Disco Inferno, America & Europe, Barbados & St. Lucia, Jamaica & Puerto Rico, Vermont, New Hampshire & Central New England, Secret Blueprints of Steam plans 1&2, Essen Spiel 2008 Limited Edition & Secret Blueprints of Steam plan #3, Alabama Railways, Antebellum Louisiana & Four Corners, 1867 Georgia Reconstruction, South Carolina & Oklahoma Land Rush, and Beer & Pretzels: The Train Game Expansion.
Book List
The following are the books written by Ted Alspach, including original publication date (English versions only):- Macworld Illustrator 5.0/5.5 Bible 1994
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to QuarkXPress 1994
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Photoshop 1994
- Microsoft Bob 1995
- Internet E-Mail Quick Tour 1995
- The Mac Internet Tour Guide 1995
- Macworld Illustrator 6 Bible 1996
- Official Kai's Power Tools Studio Secrets 1996
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Word on the Macintosh 1996
- Photoshop 4 Complete 1997
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to PageMaker 1997
- Acrobat 3 Visual QuickStart Guide 1997
- Illustrator Filter Finesse 1997
- Illustrator 7 Bible 1997
- PageMaker 6.5 for Windows Visual QuickStart Guide 1997
- PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh Visual QuickStart Guide 1997
- ImageReady Visual QuickStart Guide 1998
- Illustrator Effects Magic 1998
- PhotoDeluxe 2 Visual QuickStart Guide 1998
- Illustrator 7 Studio Secrets 1998
- Illustrator 8 Bible 1998
- PageMaker 6.5 Plus for Windows Visual QuickStart Guide 1999
- PDF with Acrobat 4 Visual QuickStart Guide 1999
- PhotoDeluxe Home Edition 4 for Windows Visual QuickStart Guide 2000
- Illustrator 9 for Dummies 2000
- Illustrator 9 Bible 2000
- PageMaker 7 for Windows and Macintosh Visual QuickStart Guide 2001
- Illustrator 10 Bible 2002
- Illustrator CS for Dummies 2003
- Illustrator CS Bible 2003
- Illustrator CS2 Bible 2005
- Illustrator CS3 Bible 2007
- Illustrator CS4 for Dummies 2008
- Illustrator CS4 Bible 2008
- Illustrator CS5 Bible 2010
Game List
The following are the games and game expansions designed by Ted Alspach, including original publication date:- Age of Steam Expansion: Bay Area (self-published)2005
- Seismic (Atlas Games) 2006
- Age of Steam Expansion: 1830's Pennsylvania / Northern California (self-published) 2006
- Age of Steam Expansion: Disco Inferno / Soul Train (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2006 - Start Player: A Kinda Collectible Card Game (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2006 - Age of Steam Expansion: Mississippi Steamboats / Golden Spike (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2007 - Age of Steam Expansion: America/Europe (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2007 - Age of Steam Expansion: Barbados / St. Lucia (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2007 - Age of Steam Expansion: Jamaica / Puerto Rico (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2007 - Ultimate Werewolf: Whitebox Edition (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2007 - Rapscallion (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Smarty Party - Gamers' Expansion (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Age of Steam Expansion: Secret Blueprints of Steam (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Ubongo Extrem Crazy Expansion (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Age of Steam Expansion: Vermont, New Hampshire & Central New England (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Age of Steam Expansion: Special 2008 Spiel Limited Edition: Essen Spiel & Secret Blueprints of Steam Plan #3 2008
- Ultimate Werewolf: Ultimate Edition (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2008 - Start Player (Z-Man GamesZ-Man GamesthumbZ-Man Games is a company incorporated in 1999 in the USA to produce games. The headquarters is in Mahopac, New York, near New York City. It is named after its proprietor, Zev Shlasinger...
, daVinci Games) 2008 - FITS Expansion #1: MOTS: More of the Same (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - FITS Expansion #2: LOTS: Letters on the Spaces (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - FITS Expansion #3: BOTS: Big Obnoxious Terrible Spaces (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Start Spieler (BeWitched Spiele) 2009
- Age of Steam Expansion: 1867 Georgia Reconstruction, South Carolina & Oklahoma Land Rush (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Age of Steam Expansion: Alabama Railways, Antebellum Louisiana & Four Corners (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Age of Steam Expansion: Beer & Pretzels (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Beer & Pretzels (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Beer & Pretzels: Purple Coaster Expansion (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2009 - Ultimate Werewolf: Classic Movie Monsters (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Ultimate Werewolf: Compact Edition (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Perpetual Motion Machine (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Age of Steam Expansion: California Gold Rush & Underground Railroad (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Age of Steam Expansion: Amazon Rainforest & Sahara Desert (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Age of Steam Expansion: Atlantis & Triland (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Age of Steam Expansion: Sharing & Really Friendly Sharing (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2010 - Ticked Off (R&R Games) 2011
- TieBreaker (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Ultimate Werewolf: Night Terrors (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Ultimate Werewolf Artifacts (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Age of Steam Expansion: Australia & Tasmania (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Age of Steam Expansion: African Diamond Mines & Taiwan Cube Factories (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Age of Steam Expansion: Outer Space & Reversteam (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011 - Age of Steam Expansion: Orient Express & Disoriented Express (Bezier GamesBézier GamesBézier Games is an American manufacturer and publisher of board games and card games located in California. It was started in 2006 by Ted Alspach upon publication of Start Player...
) 2011