John M. Ford - Game Designer, Career and Facts
John M. Ford's Personal Details
John M
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | April 10, 1957 |
| Died on | September 25, 2006 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Indiana University, Writers, Poets, Novelists, Science Fiction Writers, Game Designer |
| Known as | John Milo |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Birth Place | East Chicago |
| Gender | Male |
| Sun Sign | Aries |
| Born in | East Chicago |
| Famous as | Novelist, Writer, Game Designer |
| Died at Age | 49 |
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John M. Ford's photo
Who is John M. Ford?
John M. Ford is remembered as the drollest and the most scholarly author in America. He was a regular contributor to several online discussions and composed countless poems, particularly in blank verse. During his life, he also wrote a number of lampoons and parodies of the works of many known writers. He was also a regular at science fiction conventions and is remembered today for his good-humor, sprightly spirit and his striking aura, that attracted a number of fans. His works were mostly written in the ‘science-fiction’ and ‘fantasy’ category and two of his best-known works include ‘The Last Hot Time’ and ‘Growing up Weightless’. Apart from these two works, he has also penned a number of reviews and has authored short-fiction works such as ‘Scrabble with God’, ‘Street of Dreams’, ‘This, Too, We Reconcile’ and ‘Walkaway Clause’. Most of his novels were speckled in setting and style, but he used the ‘Bildungsroman’ setting for a great number of his works. Apart from writing, he helped design a number of games including ‘The Yellow Clearance Black Box Blues’, ‘Star Trek III’ and also wrote Klingon manuals and several RPG articles.
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Childhood & Early Life
John Milo ‘Mike’ Ford was born in East Chicago, Indiana, and was raised in Whiting.
He studied at the Indiana University Bloomington in the 70s and was an active member of the Society for Creative Anachronism and the science fiction guild.
While he was still a student, he published his first short story, ‘This, Too, We Reconcile’ in 1976.
Career
He left the university and moved to New York where he was employed with the ‘Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction’ magazine. His job was to write fiction, poetry, game reviews and articles.
His last entry for the magazine was in 1981. Around this time, he also authored ‘The Princess of the Air’. Along with George H. Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer, he penned ‘On Writing Science Fiction’, which released the same year.
He authored a Star-Trek tie-up novel, ‘The Final Reflection’ in 1984 and the next year, he wrote the short-story, ‘Scrabble with God’, which was once again reprinted at a later date. He also helped design the game ‘Double Paranoia’ along with Curtis Smith, which released the following year.
He penned another Star-Trek tie-in novel, ‘How Much for Just the Planet?’ in 1987. The following year, he wrote ‘The Scholars of Night’, which was written in the thriller category, containing a Christopher Marlowe play.
In 1989, he authored one of his lesser-known works, ‘Casting Fortune’, which is in fact, a collection of stories set in the ‘Liavek shared world’. The same year, he penned one of his most famous poems, ‘Winter Solstice, Camelot Station’, which earned him an important award.
In the late 80s, he contrived three issues of ‘Captain Confederacy’, history comics and wrote, issue number 10 of these comics.
In 1990, he moved to Minneapolis; where he was employed in a number of jobs including, slush pie reader, copy editor and computer consultant. The same year, he wrote ‘Fugue State’.
In the 90s, he became a member of the ‘Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library’ and wrote some of his best-known works including, ‘Growing up Weightless’, ‘Timesteps’ and ‘From the End of the Twentieth Century’.
The year 2000 brought with it a new surprise for Ford’s fans. He deviated from his original writing style and authored ‘The Last Hot Time’, which is an urban-fantasy novel, set in Illinois. The subsequent year, he contributed to ‘The World of Robert Jordan’s, The Wheel of Time’.
In 2004, he authored, ‘Heat of Fusion and Other Stories’, which was nominated for a World Fantasy Award the next year. This work is mainly a collection of his famous short stories and poetry.
In 2005, he wrote the Fourth Edition of the popular role-playing game, ‘GURPS’, which earned him an important award right before his demise.
Major Works
In 1983, he authored, ‘The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History’. It is considered one of his first major works because it won the coveted ‘World Fantasy Award’. In 1995, the book sold nearly 40,000 copies in print and 10,000 more for international, foreign editions.
The first of his Star Trek novels, ‘The Final Reflection’ was published in 1984. It was in this book, he underlined the progresses of the Klingon language and ethos. The novel became so popular that it became the basis for the FASA Star Trek role-playing game.
In 1994, he published one of his lengthiest and his most admired poems, ‘Troy: The Movie’. This poem was reprinted in several versions and is to date considered one of his best poetic works.
Awards & Achievements
In 1984, he won the World Fantasy Award for the category of ‘Best Novel’ for ‘The Dragon Waiting’.
In 1989, he won the Rhysling Award for ‘Long Poem’ for ‘Winter Solstice, Camelot Station’.
In 1991, he won the Origins Award for ‘Best Roleplaying Supplement’ for ‘GURPS Time Travel’.
He was presented with the Minnesota Book Award for ‘Fantasy and Science Fiction’, in 1998.
He was honored yet again with the Origins Award for ‘Role-Playing Game Supplement of the Year’ for ‘GURPS Infinite Worlds 4th Edition’, in 2005.
Personal Life & Legacy
From a very young age, he suffered from diabetes and renal dysfunction which required him to go through a kidney transplant and frequent dialysis.
He passed away in Minneapolis and was discovered by his long-time partner, Elise Matthesen.
Following his death, a number of texts and obituaries about Ford were written, some of which can even be found online including, ‘The Society of the Preservation of Mike’ by the LiveJournal committee and Will Shetterley’s ‘An Introduction to John M. Ford’.
Trivia
This famous American author, poet and game designer of the ‘The Final Reflection’ fame was a regular at science conventions and used to wear a white lab coat, while giving sharp answers to scientific and non-scientific questions as ‘Dr. Mike’.
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John M. Ford's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 1991 | Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement | |
| 1989 | World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction | |
| 1989 | Rhysling Award for Long Poem | |
| 1985 | Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Supplement | |
| 1984 | World Fantasy Award for Best Novel | |
| 0 | 2005 - Origins Award for Role-Playing Game Supplement of the Year | |
| 0 | 1998 - Minnesota Book Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction | |
| 0 | 1993 - Philip K. Dick Award | |
John M. Ford biography timelines
- // 10th Apr 1957John Milo ‘Mike’ Ford was born in East Chicago, Indiana, and was raised in Whiting.
- // 1976While he was still a student, he published his first short story, ‘This, Too, We Reconcile’ in 1976.
- // 1980In the late 80s, he contrived three issues of ‘Captain Confederacy’, history comics and wrote, issue number 10 of these comics.
- // 1981His last entry for the magazine was in 1981. Around this time, he also authored ‘The Princess of the Air’. Along with George H. Scithers and Darrell Schweitzer, he penned ‘On Writing Science Fiction’, which released the same year.
- // 1983In 1983, he authored, ‘The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History’. It is considered one of his first major works because it won the coveted ‘World Fantasy Award’. In 1995, the book sold nearly 40,000 copies in print and 10,000 more for international, foreign editions.
- // 1984He authored a Star-Trek tie-up novel, ‘The Final Reflection’ in 1984 and the next year, he wrote the short-story, ‘Scrabble with God’, which was once again reprinted at a later date. He also helped design the game ‘Double Paranoia’ along with Curtis Smith, which released the following year.
- // 1984In 1984, he won the World Fantasy Award for the category of ‘Best Novel’ for ‘The Dragon Waiting’.
- // 1989In 1989, he authored one of his lesser-known works, ‘Casting Fortune’, which is in fact, a collection of stories set in the ‘Liavek shared world’. The same year, he penned one of his most famous poems, ‘Winter Solstice, Camelot Station’, which earned him an important award.
- // 1989In 1989, he won the Rhysling Award for ‘Long Poem’ for ‘Winter Solstice, Camelot Station’.
- // 1990In 1990, he moved to Minneapolis; where he was employed in a number of jobs including, slush pie reader, copy editor and computer consultant. The same year, he wrote ‘Fugue State’.
- // 1990In the 90s, he became a member of the ‘Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library’ and wrote some of his best-known works including, ‘Growing up Weightless’, ‘Timesteps’ and ‘From the End of the Twentieth Century’.
- // 1991In 1991, he won the Origins Award for ‘Best Roleplaying Supplement’ for ‘GURPS Time Travel’.
- // 1994In 1994, he published one of his lengthiest and his most admired poems, ‘Troy: The Movie’. This poem was reprinted in several versions and is to date considered one of his best poetic works.
- // 1998He was presented with the Minnesota Book Award for ‘Fantasy and Science Fiction’, in 1998.
- // 2000 To 2001The year 2000 brought with it a new surprise for Ford’s fans. He deviated from his original writing style and authored ‘The Last Hot Time’, which is an urban-fantasy novel, set in Illinois. The subsequent year, he contributed to ‘The World of Robert Jordan’s, The Wheel of Time’.
- // 2004In 2004, he authored, ‘Heat of Fusion and Other Stories’, which was nominated for a World Fantasy Award the next year. This work is mainly a collection of his famous short stories and poetry.
- // 2005In 2005, he wrote the Fourth Edition of the popular role-playing game, ‘GURPS’, which earned him an important award right before his demise.
- // 2005He was honored yet again with the Origins Award for ‘Role-Playing Game Supplement of the Year’ for ‘GURPS Infinite Worlds 4th Edition’, in 2005.
- // 25th Sep 2006He passed away in Minneapolis and was discovered by his long-time partner, Elise Matthesen.
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John M. Ford's FAQ
What is John M. Ford birthday?
John M. Ford was born at 1957-04-10
When was John M. Ford died?
John M. Ford was died at 2006-09-25
Where was John M. Ford died?
John M. Ford was died in Minneapolis
Which age was John M. Ford died?
John M. Ford was died at age 49
Where is John M. Ford's birth place?
John M. Ford was born in East Chicago
What is John M. Ford nationalities?
John M. Ford's nationalities is American
What was John M. Ford universities?
John M. Ford studied at Indiana University, Indiana University
What was John M. Ford notable alumnis?
John M. Ford's notable alumnis is Indiana University
What is John M. Ford's sun sign?
John M. Ford is Aries
How famous is John M. Ford?
John M. Ford is famouse as Novelist, Writer, Game Designer