Word has come in that Bruce “Uncle Duke” Seifried has passed away from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). If you’re in the miniatures gaming hobby, you probably knew of “Uncle Duke”. He was intimately involved in the creation of the hobby, even before there was such a notion. Duke was a born salesman.. and more importantly a showman. He knew that the way to sell the hobby was to sell the sizzle, so he could be seen at all the big conventions back in the late 70s and early 80s, showing off the wares, making connections, and selling the fun. He was an early pioneer who saw the potential of miniatures with roleplaying games (which was mostly D&D in those days). Duke worked for a lot of companies over the years, TSR, Heritage Models and other outfits (often with whomever he could form an alliance with to market toy soldiers). By the 1990s, miniature wargaming and “adventure gaming”, as he coined the phrase, had developed into a thriving hobby industry. After he semi-retired from manufacturing and selling, he continued to put on giant extravaganza games- Aztec Cities, the Bocage, giant Pirate games, and the Siege of Minas Tirith– Duke knew how to put on a show.
This is a shocker, but given his age and health issues it wasn't a surprise. His vision of miniature gaming give us the Heritage Miniature lines.. The beautiful 15mm Napoleonic, American Civil War and Ancient. The gaming table he made where some of the best. Rest in peace Uncle Duke. Thank you for all the wonderful thing you made for the hobby.
More here about The Duke: A Giant in the world of miniatures
More here about The Duke: A Giant in the world of miniatures
