Steven S. Crompton is a Canadian-born artist, author and designer who has worked in the role-playing and comic genres since 1981. In the gaming industry he is best known as the artist for the Grimtooth Traps books as well as other Catalyst role-playing game supplements, Tunnels & Trolls and the Nuclear War card game.
Starting in 1981, Steve Crompton worked as staff illustrator for Flying Buffalo Inc., and did the art and designed some of the traps in Grimtooth's Traps. He also did maps and Illustrations for numerous other RPG books and games published by the company from 1981-1985. during that period he did freelance work for Steve Jackson Games, Game Designers Workshop, Fantasy Games Unlimited, and others. His first widely distributed comic was Elves of Lejentia #1 - 3, in 1987. In 1991, he was hired by Todd Loren to work on Psychoman and his own creation, Demi the Demoness. The Demi comics have been in continuous publication since 1992. Demi was adapted into a live-action movie and released on dvd in 2008 and new Demi comics continue to be published. He developed the art and marketing for the novel and related books, games and comics. Since 2005 he has managed entire projects, contributing to all aspects of a publishing endeavor including marketing, working directly with other creators, design, writing, art, maps, pre-press, printing liaison and final delivery to the end users. Recent examples include Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls RPG, 50th AnniversaryNuclear War , Ace of Aces limited edition reprint, the Grimtooth's Ultimate Traps Collection and an updated edition of the Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes RPG. In August 2019, after the death of Flying Buffalo publisher "Rick Loomis", Steven was named the Managing Director of Flying Buffalo. He oversees the continuation of Flying Buffalo's intellectual properties and ongoing publishing ventures.
Art for games
Besides Grimtooth's Traps and Nuclear War, other notable games his work has appeared include Tunnels & Trolls, Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes,Traveller, DCC RPG, Immortal, GURPS, Space Opera, , Lejentia Campaigns, Grid Iron, Lost Worlds, the Powerz Card Game, and many others. Several of the games he has worked on have won the HG Wells "Origins Award", including Citybook, Stormhaven, Nuclear Escalation & Nuclear Proliferation card Games. Nuclear War won the "Hall of Fame Award" as one of the best card games of all time.
Selected game bibliography
Along with art, he also contributed to the design and writing of some of these products.
Crompton is best known for his creation Demi the Demoness and his work as editor and designer of the Carnal Comics line since 2001, with over 30 books including Frank Brunner's Carnal Delights and Carnal Comics: the Inside Story. He has worked for Rip Off Press, Hippy Comix, Kitchen Sink Press, Cry for Dawn Productions, Revolutionary Comics and many others. He also created 100 comic-style art cards for the ToppsMars Attacks Invasion trading card series.
Crompton has written a series of novels and short stories under the pen name M. Scott Verne. Currently these works are all related to the novels and other related books/games.
