Tullio Proni

[2] Proni undertook thesis work on the response of human subjects to varying rewards of money,[3] receiving a master's degree in psychology in 1973.

He serves as vice president and Information Technology Director[4] at the Foundation for Behavioral Resources, a nonprofit organization based in Augusta, Michigan that operates charter schools and daycare centers, among other activities.

[6] In 1976 Proni, a skilled machinist, began fabricating "ray guns" resembling the futuristic handguns in illustrations of science fiction stories.

A typical "weapon"—decorative but not functional—was fashioned from polished, transparent acrylic plastic, which acted as a light pipe for a pulsating colored bulb.

Proni began attending science fiction conventions, selling these weapons in their dealers' rooms alongside booksellers and jewelry vendors.

In Chicago, Proni was introduced to Star Wars actors Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, then on a promotional tour.

[9] Isher continued to manufacture science-fictional weapons and props for several years, selling them at conventions and by mail order.

[10] Proni also co-founded General Technics, an organization of science fiction fans interested in do-it-yourself technology.

Players would then move to try and control solar systems whose desirability was determined by "credits" it generated and how many ships it could build.

Proni strove to publish a newsletter "The War Report" with "News of concluded games, player lists by side, rules comments, sci-fi book reviews, and similar material.

"Science-fiction fans will surely recognize here some trappings of A. E. van Vogt's Isher setting," wrote game historian Jon Peterson in 2018.

War of the Empires provides a key example of the sorts of paper-and-pencil campaigns Gygax and others were playing in the years leading up to Dungeons & Dragons."

...Similarly, the newsletter depended upon players to contribute materials of all sorts - not only about their games and game-related considerations but also about science fiction subjects in general.

"[12] Proni has been involved in encouraging grade school students to explore science, founding an after-school model rocketry program.