Answer: H.G. Wells

Although he is more frequently known, alongside Hugo Gernsback and Jules Verne, as one of the Fathers of Science Fiction, H.G. Wells’ legacy reaches beyond the literary world. In addition to prolific work as a Sci-Fi writer, he also was the first person to publish detailed rule sets for miniature table top warfare and as such is often referred to as the Father of War Gaming.

H.G. Wells was a lifelong pacifist and hoped that the creation of miniaturized war games would allow people to channel their war-like nature into a simulation and decrease actual military activity and violence. While his vision of such redirected behavior never came to pass, modern table top war gamers can thank him for introducing the concept of rule and miniature-based table top gaming.