Game Designer

Mike Elliott

Mike Elliott, an active game designer since 1993 based in Seattle, known for Quarriors! and the Thunderstone series; focuses on card/pool-building and dice mechanics.

14 Games

Biography

Mike Elliott has 14 games in our database and has been designing since 1993. He is best known for Quarriors! (2011) and the Thunderstone line (beginning 2009). His background includes work on trading card games such as Battle Spirits and Duel Masters. According to unsere Datenbank notes, he was inducted into the AAGAD Hall of Fame at Origins in 2017 and has served as Academy chairman since 2018.

Career

Elliott's career spans TCGs, collectible-component games and commercial card designs, with notable releases from the mid-2000s onward. His top titles emphasize deck/bag/pool-building, hand management and dice-rolling (e.g., Quarriors!, Thunderstone). He has co-designed with Jonathan Tweet, Ethan Pasternack and Eric M. Lang on multiple projects. Between 1993 and 2018 he released main titles and expansions, including follow-ups and stand-alone sequels.

Most Famous Games

Key titles include Quarriors! (2011), Thunderstone (2009) and Star Trek: Fleet Captains (2011). Other notable releases are Thunderstone: Dragonspire (2011) and Thunderstone Quest (2018). These games are frequently categorized under Card Game, Fantasy and Collectible Components.

Design Style

Elliott combines deck/pool-building with hand management and dice mechanics, often using collectible components and combat themes. Repeated collaborations with designers like Jonathan Tweet and Eric M. Lang point to shared work in card/TCG design.