On 3/22/2024 10:34 AM, kyonshi wrote:

On 3/22/2024 4:17 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

On Fri, 22 Mar 2024 10:29:03 +0100, kyonshi <gmkeros@gmail.com> wrote:
His "Greyhawk Adventures" hardbound was interesting, but sadly lacked
the charm and accessibility of other D&D product lines. It was a
product I really wanted to get behind, but never could. But I think
that has more to do with the generally unappealing nature of Greyhawk
than any fault of Ward's writing.

I do actually have Greyhawk Adventures. It's... kind of pointless. Sorry
to say.
Greyhawk in my opinion is not a bad setting, but it only makes sense in
the original folio/boxed set form. Once all kinds of people got their
hands on it and tried to fill it with stuff it just didn't work anymore.
This is a setting that delights in minimalism, both in the setting, and
the material produced for it.

I have The World of Greyhawk setting boxed set, and frankly it's
probably the worst thing I ever bought when it was new. There just
wasn't anything particularly useful to someone not already familiar with
the setting (me at the time.) I couldn't figure out how to use it as a
setting as it was like reading a very dry text of what the people of a particular region were.

The original FR was sooo much better.

--
-Justisaur

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On 3/22/2024 2:29 AM, kyonshi wrote:

Source: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/obituary-jim-ward-dungeons-dragons-designer-died-at-age-72

Obituary: Jim Ward, Dungeons & Dragons designer, died at age 72

Ward joined TSR during Dungeons & Dragons' first boom, and worked on
several add-ons for the TTRPG, plus his own science-fantasy game, Metamorphosis Alpha.

Justin Carter, Contributing Editor

March 19, 2024

Jim Ward, a longtime game designer for the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop
game, passed away on March 18 at 72 years old.

Born May 23, 1951, Ward began his game career in 1976 with his and Rob Kuntz's Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes rulebook for TSR. That same year, he
created Metamorphosis Alpha, TSR's fourth role-playing game ever and its first science-fantasy RPG.

At TSR, Ward worked on various modules and supplements. This was at the
same time D&D was in its first popularity boom, and the Ruins of
Adventure supplement he co-made with David Cook, Steve Winter, and Mike Breault was adapted into the 1988 Pool of Radiance video game.

He'd also work his way up the executive ranks, becoming its creative
services VP before exiting in 1996 from disagreements with fellow
higher-ups.

For his work at the time, Ward was inducted into the Academy of
Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame in 1989.

After leaving TSR, Ward designed a collectible card game for Dragon Ball
Z by the late Akira Toriyama. He'd later help make similar games for
Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time, Core Design's Tomb Raider, and the TV series Babylon 5.

Eventually, he'd go to co-found his own company, Fast Forward
Entertainment, with the likes of fellow role-playing designers like
Timothy Brown and Lester W. Smith. He'd later join Troll Games as a
writer for game supplements like Castles & Crusades.

"I appreciate everything Jim did to help me out when I was working for
Gary Gygax many years ago," wrote Hyperborea writer Jeffrey Talanian.
"He was so kind, generous, and patient with me. [...] A pleasure to be around. A sad day, indeed."

"James leaves behind a legacy that transcends the bounds of time and
space, continuing to inspire future generations of writers, gamers, and dreamers," reads his Facebook eulogy. "His spirit will forever dwell in
the worlds he brought to life and the hearts of those who knew him.

Damn, another one too early. I had hoped I might in some distant future perhaps meet him or even play in a game of his at some Con (Texas I hear
he went to.) But not attending Cons, that's hard to do.

-Justisaur

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On 22 Mar 2024, kyonshi wrote:

Source: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/obituary-jim-ward-dungeons-dragons-designer-died-at-age-72

Obituary: Jim Ward, Dungeons & Dragons designer, died at age 72

Damn, losing all the names that have been around the industry forever.

--
gbbgu

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On 3/28/2024 1:38 AM, kyonshi wrote:

On 3/26/2024 12:52 AM, gbbgu wrote:

On 22 Mar 2024, kyonshi wrote:

Source:
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/obituary-jim-ward-dungeons-dragons-designer-died-at-age-72

Obituary: Jim Ward, Dungeons & Dragons designer, died at age 72

Damn, losing all the names that have been around the industry forever.

It's the unrelenting march of time. The hobby has been around for over
50 years now (when did the first fantasy campaign start? '71? '72?), and
the people who were involved in the beginning were not kids back then
either.
We'll have a constant stream of deaths coming up from now on. Well, we
had one already. That also is part of hobbies growing unfortunately.

I always worry the fairly sedentary aspect of the hobby them all. We
lost a number of the greats long ago at relatively young ages as
compared to average lifespan of 80. Yes it's an average but it seems
very low.

Don Kaye, 36
Tom Moldvey, 58
Dave Arneson, 61
Jannell Jaquays, 67
Gary Gygax, 69
Jim Ward, 72
John Eric Holmes, 80

Dave "Zeb" Cook, couldn't find age - must be a vampire :)
Tim Kask, 75
Frank Mentzer, 74
Lawrence Schick, 69
Ed Greenwood, 64
Jeff Grubb, 64

So unless they're making it to around 100, the average appears rather
low (unless Zeb is raising it by being a vampire with a couple centuries
under his belt.)

- Justisaur

--
-Justisaur

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