Ross Watson (game designer)  Ross Watson (born May 22, 1975) is a designer of computer, miniature and role-playing games and a writer in various genres. Watson worked on the Warhammer 40,000 Roleplay line as the Lead Developer for Dark Heresy, was the lead designer for Rogue Trader and Deathwatch, and was part of the design team for Black Crusade. He was the lead developer for both Aaron Allston's Strike Force and Savage Worlds Rifts. His written works include the Accursed and Weird War I settings for Savage Worlds, contributions to the Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG, and the video games Darksiders II, , and . Watson has designed rules and scenarios for miniature game lines, such as Dust Warfare, and he has written for several card games, including , Empire Engine, and the Lost Legacy series. Watson was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He has been a lifelong gamer, starting at age 11. His first year of employment was as a landscaper/lawn mower in Hot Springs, Arksansas. Watson was introduced to role-playing games by his father in Evanston, Wyoming during 1986. He started out playing Dungeons & Dragons, and by the time he was in high school, he was playing several different systems at the same time: Robotech, TMNT, Rifts, Star Wars, and Marvel Super Heroes. Watson was often asked to come up with the stories and adventures for these games during lunch, building his ability to improvise and connect narratives. Watson said, "My father brought home this red box labeled ‘Dungeons and Dragons.’ He told me that ‘it looked interesting,’ and that I should ‘really learn how to play it.’ So I did." Watson first became interested in wargaming during high school. During his enlistment in the US Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Watson became involved with a local group playing Warhammer 40,000. Since 1999, he has been a miniature war-gaming enthusiast. Watson's involvement in the Louisville, Kentucky gaming scene led to his employment as the D20 Line Editor at Citizen Games. He helped develop and write several products for Citizen Games and parlayed that success into freelance writing for other companies such as Atlas Games and Fantasy Flight Games. Watson wrote for several D20 projects, including the Penumbra Fantasy Bestiary, Sorcery & Steam, and the award-winning Dawnforge: Crucible of Legend.