From [Encoded Designs] website:
Phil started gaming in the early 1980s in the same way as most of his generation, through Dungeons & Dragons. Over the years he has played hundreds of games in a wide variety of settings and systems, never being content with a single system. He spent most of his gaming career as a Game Master, creating countless settings and worlds, and sharing them with his players.
He always had a passion for writing, but wound up working in the sciences and later in Information Technology, where writing was not always a priority. After trying his hand at blogging on his own and contributing a few guest posts on other blogs, in 2008 he became one of the founding members of the award winning blog Gnome Stew. On Gnome Stew, Phil writes system neutral GM advice covering a wide range of topics, often coming from his own gaming table. In 2009, Phil along with the other writers from Gnome Stew produced their first book for Engine Publishing. Since then Phil has continued writing for both Gnome Stew and Engine Publishing. During that time he has won several ENnies, and has been nominated for two Golden Geek awards, and an Origins Award. In 2013 he entered the freelance market writing for both Evil Beagle Games and Third Eye Games.
A trained project manager, Phil has managed many of Engine Publishing’s larger publications. He is also the project manager for the Queen City Conquest gaming convention in Buffalo, NY. When he is not gaming and managing projects he is a husband, a father of two, and still a GM.