Peter Schweighofer is a freelance game designer, writer, and editor who lives in Virginia.

After growing up in the suburban Connecticut enclave of Ridgefield, Peter earned his bachelors degree in creative writing from Hamilton College. He returned to his hometown to work for two years as a reporter on the local newspaper, and later served as that paper's editor for one year.

He joined West End Games in 1993 to establish The Official Star Wars Adventure Journal, a quarterly publication filled with original Star Wars fiction, source material, and adventures. Over the years he's worked with many New York Times best-selling Star Wars authors, including Timothy Zahn, Kathy Tyers, and Michael A. Stackpole. Peter also freelanced many West End products, including Platt's Starport Guide, the Raiders of the Lost Ark Sourcebook, Platt's Smuggler's Guide, and the Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook. He's contributed to numerous issues of the Star Wars Adventure Journal and Topps Star Wars Galaxy Magazine, Cracken's Rebel Operatives, the DarkStryder campaign, Instant Adventures, the Men in Black Roleplaying Game, the Hercules & Xena Roleplaying Game, and the Star Wars Roleplaying Game, Revised & Expanded. His Star Wars Introductory Adventure Game helped introduce new players to roleplaying during the height of the Star Wars Special Edition film release in early 1997. He's written a solitaire adventure game book, Imperial Double-Cross, and a small promotional game flyer called Mos Eisley Shoot-Out. Peter also edited two Bantam short story anthologies, Star Wars: Tales from the Empire and Star Wars: Tales from the New Republic.

After leaving West End in 1998 he continued his freelance work, including writing material for Fantasy Flight Games' Dragonstar game line, Pinnacle Entertainment's Weird Wars, Wizards of the Coast's Star Wars Roleplaying Game and the late Star Wars Gamer, and Decipher's Star Trek Roleplaying Game. His short fiction pieces include "Forgotten" in Far Frontiers (DAW Books, September 2000) and "Hatshepsut's Revenge" in Historical Hauntings (DAW Books, March 2001). His bibliography contains a complete listing of his published work.

He launched his personal website, Griffon's Aerie, in March 2003 to promote his freelance writing and game design activities. In October, 2005, he launched Griffon Publishing Studio, a sole proprietorship to publish his game ideas online in PDF format, with the long-term goal of offering them in print.

When he finds precious free time, Peter reads mysteries, researches interesting historical periods (particularly ancient and Victorian Egypt, the Middle Ages, and World War II), dabbles with miniatures and dioramas for his games, and enjoys extra cheese pizza.
 
 
 

   "This is called a Griffin because it is a winged quadruped. This kind of wild animal is born in Hyperborean parts, or in mountains. All its bodily members are like a lion's, but its wings and mask are like an eagle's. It is vehemently hostile to horses. But it will also tear to pieces any human beings which it happens to come across."