West End Games
An American publisher of role-playing, board, war, and licensed tabletop games, best known for its Star Wars role-playing game and D6 game system.
Last updated November 4, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
West End Games (WEG) was an American tabletop-game publisher founded in New York City in 1974 by Daniel Scott Palter. The company began by producing board wargames, but became better known for role-playing games, licensed properties, and original science-fiction and fantasy settings. Its most influential releases included Paranoia, Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game, the Star Wars role-playing game, Torg, Masterbook, DC Universe, and various adaptations of film, television, comic-book, and literary properties. The company’s name came from the West End Bar near Columbia University, where the meeting that finalized its creation took place. Palter initially used connections from his family’s importing business to finance the venture. During the early 1980s, WEG recruited designers including Ken Rolston, Eric Goldberg, and Greg Costikyan. This shifted the company away from conventional historical wargames toward more imaginative and licensed formats. Costikyan’s Bug-Eyed Monsters introduced a science-fiction and fantasy direction, while Paranoia, released in 1984, became the company’s first role-playing game and won an Origins Award for its rules. WEG’s Ghostbusters game, released under license from Columbia Pictures, helped establish the rules approach that later developed into the D6 System. The company reached a much wider audience with its 1987 Star Wars role-playing game. The game and its sourcebooks supplied extensive background material for the Star Wars universe and were treated by Lucasfilm as an important reference when Timothy Zahn developed the later Thrawn novels. WEG subsequently published sourcebooks connected with those novels, reinforcing the commercial and cultural importance of the line. The company continued developing original systems and licensed games. Torg appeared in 1990, and Masterbook followed in 1994 as a broader rules framework used for properties such as Indiana Jones, Necroscope, Species, Tales from the Crypt, Tank Girl, and The World of Aden. However, financial and managerial problems affected the business during the 1990s. West End Games entered bankruptcy in July 1998 amid difficulties involving its relationship with the Bucci Retail Group, a shoe-importing parent company. An attempted Chapter 11 reorganization did not preserve the original business intact. A court ruling in 2000 returned Paranoia rights to its creators, Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan. A successor company, D6 Legends, was formed in 1999 with the French design and publishing house Yeti, a subsidiary of Humanoids Publishing. Assets and intellectual property were divided between the successor operation and the bankrupt WEG/Creative Design Group. Several important licenses, including Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Xena, remained with the latter, while the Star Wars license soon moved to Wizards of the Coast. Humanoids later exited the role-playing market and sold the company in 2002. West End made several systems available for licensing that year. Eric J. Gibson’s Purgatory Publishing acquired West End Games in November 2003 and moved it to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in 2004. The company produced a revised Torg, generic D6 material, board games, and other supplements. A new edition of Junta was among the comparatively successful releases, but the wider role-playing program struggled commercially. The proposed Septimus science-fiction game was delayed, cancelled in 2008, and later made available in PDF and print-on-demand forms. Public comments from Gibson described substantial losses, unsold inventory, and difficulties fulfilling some preorder refunds. In 2009, the D6 System was advanced toward an open license, resulting in OpenD6. Purgatory sold major properties during the following years. Torg went to Ulisses Spiele in 2010, while Masterbook, Shatterzone, and Bloodshadows went to Precis Intermedia. Nocturnal Media acquired West End Games and its remaining properties in April 2016. A planned revival project for Web and Starship was successfully funded on Kickstarter but was later cancelled after the death of Nocturnal owner Stewart Wieck. Nocturnal also reached an agreement with Gallant Knight Games to publish a second edition of the D6 System. The historical West End Games business is generally regarded as inactive or substantially transformed, although its name, systems, and intellectual property have continued through later owners and licensees.
History
West End Games was established in New York City in 1974 by Daniel Scott Palter. Its early catalog concentrated on board wargames, but the company’s identity changed significantly after Palter recruited Ken Rolston, Eric Goldberg, and Greg Costikyan in 1983. Bug-Eyed Monsters moved the publisher toward science-fiction and fantasy, and Paranoia became WEG’s first role-playing game when it debuted at Gen Con in 1984. Its satirical tone and distinctive rules earned an Origins Award for the 1984 rules. WEG expanded into licensed games with Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game. The game’s mechanics became the foundation for the D6 System, which was later used in multiple original and licensed products. The 1987 Star Wars role-playing game became the company’s defining release. Its sourcebooks organized large amounts of setting information and influenced later Star Wars publishing, including the background material supplied to Timothy Zahn for his Thrawn novels. WEG also published sourcebooks tied to those novels between 1992 and 1994. The company developed additional systems and settings during the 1990s. Torg launched in 1990, while Masterbook arrived in 1994 and supported adaptations of Indiana Jones, Necroscope, Species, Tales from the Crypt, Tank Girl, and other properties. The original company’s final title was the Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game. Financial problems and mismanagement connected to Bucci Retail Group led to bankruptcy in July 1998. An attempted Chapter 11 reorganization failed to preserve the original structure, and legal disputes subsequently resulted in Paranoia rights reverting to Goldberg and Costikyan in 2000. A new West End Games operation, also called D6 Legends, was established in 1999 in partnership with Yeti and Humanoids Publishing. Assets, trademarks, and contracts were divided between the new company and the bankrupt WEG/Creative Design Group. The Star Wars license moved to Wizards of the Coast in 2000. Humanoids later abandoned the role-playing market and sold the business in 2002. West End then made several systems available to other publishers under license. Purgatory Publishing, owned by Eric J. Gibson, acquired the company in November 2003 and moved it to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, the following year. Under this ownership WEG published a revised Torg, generic D6 products, supplements, and board games including a new edition of Junta. Gibson later acknowledged that the D6 line and other releases had not generated profits and that the business had accumulated substantial losses. The Septimus project was cancelled in 2008 after delays and preorder problems, although it was eventually released in digital and print-on-demand formats. The D6 System was subsequently developed as OpenD6 under an open licensing approach. Purgatory sold Torg to Ulisses Spiele and several other properties to Precis Intermedia in 2010. Nocturnal Media acquired the remaining West End Games business in 2016. Its planned Web and Starship revival was cancelled after Stewart Wieck’s death, but the company reached a licensing arrangement with Gallant Knight Games for a second edition of D6. Founder Daniel Scott Palter died in 2020. The brand’s original publishing operations are no longer clearly active, while its systems and properties survive through later owners and licensees.
- 2016
Nocturnal Media acquires the brand
[1]Nocturnal Media purchases West End Games and its remaining properties.
- 2010
Major properties are sold
[1]Torg goes to Ulisses Spiele, while several other systems and settings go to Precis Intermedia.
- 2009
OpenD6 is advanced
[1]WEG moves toward releasing the D6 System under an open licensing model.
- 2003
Purgatory Publishing acquires WEG
[1]Eric J. Gibson’s Purgatory Publishing purchases West End Games.
- 2002
Systems become available for licensing
[1]D6 Classic, D6 Legend, Masterbook, and Torg are offered for licensing to other publishers.
- 1999
D6 Legends is formed
[1]A successor operation is created with Yeti and Humanoids Publishing, while assets and licenses are divided among related entities.
- 1998
Original company enters bankruptcy
[1]Financial problems associated with Bucci Retail Group lead West End Games into bankruptcy.
- 1994
Masterbook is introduced
[1]Masterbook expands the company’s multi-property role-playing system portfolio.
- 1990
Torg launches
[1]West End Games releases the Torg role-playing game.
- 1987
Star Wars role-playing game is released
[1]WEG publishes its influential Star Wars role-playing game and begins an extensive sourcebook program.
Products and positioning
A designer-led tabletop publisher combining original role-playing systems, high-profile entertainment licenses, board games, and war games, with particular influence in science-fiction and licensed role-playing.
Licensed role-playing game · 1987
Star Wars role-playing game
Released in 1987, WEG’s Star Wars role-playing game became the company’s signature product. Its sourcebooks provided detailed descriptions of characters, worlds, organizations, technology, and historical events. Lucasfilm regarded the material as sufficiently authoritative that it was supplied to Timothy Zahn during the development of the Thrawn novels. The line helped structure the early Star Wars expanded universe and remained one of the most influential licensed RPG programs of its era.
Science-fiction role-playing game · 1984
Paranoia
Paranoia was West End Games’ first role-playing game, released in 1984. Designed around dystopian bureaucracy, authoritarian control, misinformation, and dark comedy, it established WEG’s reputation for unusual science-fiction games. The title won an Origins Award for its rules and later became the subject of ownership litigation, after which the relevant rights reverted to creators Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan.
Licensed role-playing game
Ghostbusters: A Frightfully Cheerful Roleplaying Game
This licensed game based on the Ghostbusters film franchise helped establish the mechanics that evolved into the D6 System. Its accessible, cinematic approach supported later WEG games based on major entertainment properties and made the publisher a notable competitor in licensed role-playing.
Science-fiction and fantasy role-playing game · 1990
Torg
Torg, released in 1990, was an original role-playing setting combining multiple genres and realities. It became one of WEG’s principal original properties and later received a revised edition under Purgatory Publishing before being sold to Ulisses Spiele in 2010.
Multi-setting role-playing system · 1994
Masterbook
Introduced in 1994, Masterbook developed from the system used in Torg and was intended to support multiple licensed and original settings. WEG used it for adaptations including Indiana Jones, Necroscope, Species, Tales from the Crypt, Tank Girl, and The World of Aden. The system was later sold to Precis Intermedia.
Generic role-playing system
D6 System
The D6 System grew from the mechanics used in Ghostbusters and was subsequently applied to Star Wars, Men in Black, D6 Adventure, D6 Space, and D6 Fantasy. During the Purgatory period, WEG pursued an open-licensing strategy intended to broaden adoption and preserve public access to the rules. Later licensing work included a planned second edition with Gallant Knight Games.
Political board game
Junta
Junta is a satirical board game about political power, corruption, alliances, and survival in a fictional dictatorship. West End Games returned to the title during the Purgatory Publishing period with a new edition, which Eric Gibson identified as one of the company’s few comparatively profitable products.
Licensed superhero role-playing game · 1999
DC Universe
West End Games acquired the DC Universe license and published a role-playing game based on DC Comics characters and settings in 1999. It represented the successor company’s effort to remain active in licensed role-playing after the loss of other major licenses.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Web and Starship revival Kickstarter
International tabletop-game market
Nocturnal Media launched a Kickstarter to revive Greg Costikyan’s 1984 West End Games board game Web and Starship under the WEG brand. The campaign reached its funding objective, but the project was later cancelled after the death of Nocturnal owner Stewart Wieck.
Outcome. Funded but ultimately cancelled.
Brand decisions
2010
Sale of major game propertiesM&ABackground
Purgatory Publishing reduced its portfolio after continued commercial pressure.
Action taken
Torg was sold to Ulisses Spiele, and Masterbook, Shatterzone, and Bloodshadows were sold to Precis Intermedia.
Aftermath
West End Games retained fewer major properties and increasingly centered on the D6 legacy.
2009
D6 System open-license strategyStrategyBackground
Purgatory Publishing faced weak sales and sought to broaden use of the D6 rules while protecting the system from being lost if the company failed.
Action taken
WEG moved forward with an open license known as OpenD6.
Aftermath
The licensing model made the system more broadly available, although it did not restore the former company’s commercial scale.
2002
Open licensing of game systemsStrategyBackground
Following ownership changes and the restructuring of the business, WEG sought ways to keep its systems in circulation through external publishers.
Action taken
D6 Classic, D6 Legend, Masterbook, and Torg were made available for licensing.
Aftermath
The approach separated the continued use of the systems from the company’s own publication capacity.
1998
Attempted Chapter 11 reorganizationStrategyBackground
Financial and management problems involving West End Games and Bucci Retail Group led to bankruptcy.
Action taken
Daniel Scott Palter attempted to reorganize the company under Chapter 11.
Aftermath
The reorganization did not preserve the original company as a stable standalone publisher, and its assets and licenses were subsequently divided.
Recent events
- 2016
Nocturnal Media acquires West End Games[1]
M&A
Nocturnal Media purchased the West End Games brand and its remaining properties, intending to maintain the label.
- 2010
West End properties are sold to specialist publishers[1]
M&A
Torg was sold to Ulisses Spiele, while Masterbook, Shatterzone, and Bloodshadows were sold to Precis Intermedia.
- 2008
West End announces Septimus cancellation[1]
Product launch · Other
The delayed Septimus science-fiction RPG was publicly cancelled, generating customer backlash over preorder refunds and fulfillment.
- 2000
Court returns Paranoia rights to its creators[1]
Lawsuit
A court ruling transferred the Paranoia license back to designers Eric Goldberg and Greg Costikyan after disputes over ownership.
- 1998
West End Games enters bankruptcy[1]
Bankruptcy
The original company entered bankruptcy amid management and financial problems involving its then-parent Bucci Retail Group.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/west-end-games · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled