Ernest "Ernie" Gary Gygax Jr. passed away earlier this morning, February 28th, 2025. At the time of his death, Ernie was suffering from heart failure and kidney failure. The official cause of his death is not currently known.
Ernie was the eldest child of Gary Gygax Sr., one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons.
Ernie is survived by his wife, Donna, his mother, Mary Jo, and his siblings, Elise, Heidi, Cindy, Luke and Alex. Ernie's father, Gary Gygax Sr. passed in 2008.
Rest well, James.
I will post an update when more info is available.
James "Jim" Ward passed on March 18th, 2024 from heart complications and long-term diabetes complications. He was 72 years old.
You can read Jim's Wikipedia entry to see a list of his accomplishments in the gaming field and beyond. There are many.
Below is what Michael "Bad Mike" Badolato shared about Jim via Facebook:
Word has come down tonight that one of the greats in our hobby and a past guest of the con, James Ward, passed away tonight. Jim was to attend our 2nd con and had to cancel due to having the first of what would be several heart attacks brought on my complications of diabetes. He attended our 3rd year and we had him every year until his health began to make travel impossible. James was a great guy, and excellent guest, and very down to earth. At NTRPG con #4 he sat at my booth for a few hours with me helping me take money, signing parts of my collection, and telling stories about gaming. His Metamorphosis Alpha games were always full and of course the boast was he never killed you, you killed yourselves by your actions, but dammit I think we all thought Jim had it out for us.
There are so many things I could say about Jim, not only the author of Metamorphosis Alpha but many other classicc TSR products. I'll tell you my favorite James Ward interaction. Doug Rhea had gotten word that Jim was going to be a special guest at Rose City Con in Tyler many years ago, Jim had called him and asked if we could meet him there. So Doug decided we were going to go to hang out with Jim, that weekend I jumped in the car with him, my brother, and Zach Glazar and we drove to Tyler. Jim was delighted to see us and invited us to play in his Metamorphosis Alpha game. First, the con was woefully overbooked and we took one look at the table Jim was supposed to run the game at and Doug said no way, packed in a small room and surrounded on all sides, hot and stuffy and jammed full of humanity. Doug went to the front desk and rented a board room overlooking the lobby, a huge room with a mini fridge and bathroom, that was our headquarters the entire weekend and Jim was our personal DM! He ran his games in the luxury of the room and all of us played with the lucky attendees.
Now Jim had made known at the beginning of the game (we were space marines exploring an abandoned spaceship) that if you survived three hours in his adventure you got a signed photo card of his, so we all had motivation not to die early. We were extra careful exploring an abandoned spaceship, and I will swear to you Jim was picking on me and trying to kill me, he kept making suggestions to my character (a medic) to enter combat when I only had a pistol and I kept rebuffing him despite Jim (with a twinkle in his eye) suggesting I was a coward and letting my fellow space marines down. I was taking no bullshit from the old man and dodged all his feeble attempts to lure me to my doom and deprive me of the signed card! Soon the entire party was dead except for Zach, Doug, and my characters. I looked at my watch and had 15 minutes to go. I whispered to Zach to follow my lead and asked Jim to tell us some stories about the old days running MA for Gary and friends. So Jim told tales to all three of us until I marked the 15 minutes as up, then said something like "Thanks for the stories, Jim, the three hours are up and we want our signed cards!!!" He started laughing and knew I had conned him but he was magnanimous and gave us all a card. Then, of course, he killed us all 5 min later with an unescapable trap and we took him to dinner.
That Rose City Con is to this day one of the best con weekends of my life thanks to Mr. Ward. If you never had the chance to meet him you really missed a nice guy and a great game master. Another piece of our hobby's history is gone and we are all poorer for it. Bad Mike
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
There are few times when I am at a loss for words, and this is one of them. Jennell Jaquays, an icon in the RPG industry, nearly since its creation, passed away this morning.
I could list Jennell's numerous accomplishments, in the tabletop RPG field, tabletop games, computer games, and more as an artist, writer, designer, and... more. Simple more. Jennell touched lives wherever she was, and the few times I was blessed enough to meet her were at NTRPG Con and she was always gracious and always kind.
Rest well.
I was just informed of the suicide of Ben Shields, son of artist James Shields. I have no words. I have seen suicide impact the families of friends and coworkers far too often. If you find yourself in a desperate state, the Suicide Hotline Number is 988 in the United States. You can also text the number if that is a more comfortable form of communication for you.
The Tavern will match the first $250 raised for Ben's funeral expenses by the members of this community, with a minimum donation of $100. We'll be making the donation no later than 6 PM Thursday Night, January 4, 2024. Simply comment below with the amount of your donation. When we hit $250, The Tavern will make a matching donation - Tenkar
Here's Gary Oliver's post from Facebook:
It is with great sadness that I am reporting one of our NTX family members and contributors, James Shields lost his son Ben to suicide on 12/31/23. The family is in mourning and very overwhelmed by all of this. James told me I could inform the community and let everyone know that they appreciate everyone’s condolences and support but may not respond directly to people for a while.
James has helped the convention with our logo the last couple of years. He is also a good friend to me personally as well. To help the family with expenses related to the final arrangements and other costs I am setting up a GoFundMe for Ben’s memorial. I know that this group will be supportive with not only post of condolences but will also help financially in this time of great despair and sadness for the Shield’s family.
Thank you, as always, for your support of NTX and all of the friends and family that make this such a great community - Gary Oliver
 |
| Aaron, Tenkar, and David Baity |
I've been doing death notification posts here at The Tavern for the better part of a decade. There's usually a bit of a disconnect when I do them because it is rare that I know the person in more than passing. I call it "falling into cop mode", with just enough distance to make the responsibility seem slightly less onerous. It's always worked in the past.
I've had to wipe my eyes a number of times simply typing the words above. I was blessed to have been given the opportunity to assist in the fundraising to support Aaron's son for just this moment in time.
I met Aaron this past June for the first, and only time, at NTRPG Con. I beleive it was Sunday, around noon on the last day of the convention. There was this tall, thin guy, looking slightly lost and distracted, standing in front of the entrance to the dealer hall, across from the registration desk. Something prodded me to see if there was anything I could do to help...
Me: You look a bit awestruck :)
Aaron: I am. I'm actually here at North Texas. It's amazing!
Me: Yeah, I love this place. I never miss it.
Aaron: Noticing my con badge - You're Tenkar? I'm speaking with you!
Me: Confused - You are...
Aaron: Aaron Koelman. You helped with the fundraiser for my son...
At this point, it all gets muddled. We hugged, cried, laughed. Spoke of his upcoming wedding. Shared cancer stories. Cried some more, to the point a con volunteer approached us with a box of tissues.
I'm a cancer survivor. I understood where Aaron was, and we both knew each day for him was going to be a fight.
The fight is over now, Aaron.
Rest well.
Aaron peacefully passed away this morning at home, surrounded by family.
As I was winding down Day 3 of Total Con at the Best Western hotel bar with Rach and a few other friends, I received a PM from James Shields. Yes, James Shields the artist and prominent member of the OSR Community.
I've known James Shields for a number of years. It is his art that graces the cover of SWCL 1e and will grace the cover of CL 2e. James is an amazing artist and simply a very good person.
In any case, James asked me if the $250 matching goal had been met for the Jonathan Thompson Funeral Fund. I told him, it had not yet been met, with $50 of matching funds raised thus far.
Well, James decided to correct that deficiency, and immediately donated $200 to meet the matching goal.
Now, if James can be generous, so can The Tavern. I'll leave the matching offer open until February 28th, and will now match the first $500 raised by members of the community. Here's the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jonathan-thompson-funeral-fund. Let me know in the comments below if you donate or email me at tenkarsDOTtavernAT if you wish to remain anonymous.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Johnathan M Thompson, brother of Adam Thompson, publisher at Battlefield Press, passed earlier this week.
Adam shared the following about his brother on Facebook:
Today my heart has shattered into a million pieces. My big brother Jonathan M. Thompson passed away today at the age of 51. My life will never be the same. Jonathan was a historian with a Bachelors and Masters from ULM, a prolific game writer, the owner of Battlefield Press and an avid gamer. He taught me D&D four decades ago on our families farmland in Arkansas so he would have someone to play the game with. His love and subsequently my love of the hobby grew from there.
My greatest critic, my biggest supporter. My first friend and my lifelong battle buddy against the world. He was a son, a father but most importantly my big brother and I really have no idea what I will do without him.
Joe Bloch is donating 30 days of profits from the 5e conversion of Castle of the Mad Archmage to help with expenses related to Johnathan's passing.
As you may have heard, Jonathan M. Thompson passed away recently. He was the gentleman who did the conversion of Castle of the Mad Archmage to 5th Edition D&D, and was well-known in many gaming circles.
To honor his memory, 100% of the profits from the sales of the Castle of the Mad Archmage 5th Edition adventure book (and bundles that contain it) for the next 30 days will be donated to his family, through his younger brother Adam R Thompson.
https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/342738/Castle-of-the-Mad-Archmage-5E-Edition-Print-Bundle-BUNDLE
His brother, Adam, has set up a GoFundMe to assist in funeral expenses:
Hi, my name is Adam Thompson.
I'm fundraising for the funeral expenses of my brother, Jonathan Thompson, who passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, February 20, 2023.
Jonathan owned Battlefield Press International, a tabletop roleplaying game company, and had many friends in the industry.
I'm starting this fundraiser because Jonathan had no life insurance, and the family is facing financial hardship. Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/jonathan-thompson-funeral-fund
The Tavern will match the first $250, dollar for dollar, raised by The Tavern's Community Members by March 3, 2023. Please indicate in the comments to this post how much you donated. If you wish to remain completely anonymous, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Please put GoFundMe in the subject line.
I remember Kim Mohan fondly as editor of Dragon Magazine in the 80s and 90s, likely the best run that amazing magazine ever had. Kim writing the Wilderness Survival Guide was simply a bonus.
Rest in peace, good sir.
I'll be donating to a local no-kill shelter in Ed's name.
Rest well, Terry.
Terry H. Pavlet, age 65, passed away at his home in Dousman, Wisconsin on Sunday, June 12, 2022. He was born on August 24, 1956 to Howard and Ruth (Meier) and grew up in Muskego.
Terry attended MIAD (Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design) and went on to be a freelance illustrator. He was known in the Milwaukee market for his rock band posters back in the 80’s but mostly worked in the RPG gaming and comic book industries, which he loved. He produced two graphic novels, Dakota and Strange Detective Mysteries, and contributed to many other publications and projects. He regularly showcased his work at Gary Con, Gamehole Con, as well as many other conventions. He felt privileged and grateful for the support of his many friends and colleagues, and always enjoyed connecting with his strong supportive fan base.
Terry is survived by his wife, Kathryn; his daughters, Maya and Lauren Pavlet; his father, Howard Pavlet; his sister, Sue (Bob) Fink; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Frederick and Mary Ellen Schnell; his brothers-in-law, Fred (Jan) Schnell and Jay (Ann) Schnell; and his nieces and nephews, Jacob (Shelly) Fink, Jared (Abbey) Fink, Anna (Andrew) Hill, Jocelynn (Ryan) Stewart, Erich (Shelby) Schnell, Karlee Schnell, Conrad Schnell; his great-nephews and niece, Jayson Apple, Axis Stewart, and Effie Fink; and many other family and friends. He was preceded in death by his mother, Ruth Pavlet.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 800 Lake Drive in Oconomowoc, with a visitation an hour prior to the service.
Terry Pavlet passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, June 12th. His family needs financial assistance to cover his funeral and final expenses.
Terry was a devoted husband to Kathy, his wife of 34 years, and the proud, loving father of daughters Maya and Lauren. True artistic talent and a creative soul led to a career as a freelance illustrator working mostly in the RPG gaming and comic book industries. Showcasing his work at Gary Con, Gamehole Con, and many other conventions gave Terry great joy, but he was especially thrilled to meet the people who really connected with the characters he created. Please show your love and support to Terry’s family by donating today. Any and all gifts are greatly appreciated.
Note: The Tavern will match the first $250 donated by members of this community by the end of the day, June 20th, 2022. Just let me know via a comment below how much you donated so I can keep a tally. Or, if you would rather, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing to keep it more private. I thank everyone in advance. Terry was a good man - Tenkar
Marcus was a fairly well-known - and often vocal - retailer of comic books and RPGs as well as often a larger-than-life presence on Facebook. My few interactions with Marcus were in relation to Ken Whitman, and the less said about that topic, the better. Still, Marcus saw something in Ken that few others did, and would often mention that Ken saved his life.
According to Marcus's Facebook feed, he had a heart attack on the night of March 16th and was posting from the hospital on March 17th. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and Covid at the hospital. On March 18th, he shared that he was going to undergo triple or quadruple bypass surgery in the coming days.
Earlier today I received multiple PMs informing me that Marcus had died during surgery.
My sympathies to Marcus's family and friends. There is a fundraiser on Marcus's FB feed for medical expenses that he shared before his passing.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Doug Rhea passed last night at approximately 9:50 PM CDT. He was best known as the founder and main force behind the NTRPG Con, he was an avid collector of games, and a huge supporter of the founding generation of RPG creators. His passing leaves a huge hole in our community.
Doug was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon Cancer over 5 years ago and had already survived past expectations and beaten the odds until now.
Being a stubborn SOB, Doug did not go quietly into the night. He fought to the end. God, take his soul into your care and bless his family and friends in these tough and stressful times.
I'll update this post when more details are available - Tenkar
Originally published at the Chaosium Blog:
https://www.chaosium.com/blogvale-and-farewell-steve-perrin-1946-2021/
By Rick Meints, Chaosium President
When the world of roleplaying games was still waiting to be born, you and your closest friends conjured up the Society for Creation Anachronism (SCA) from the realms of your collective imagination. Bump, bump, bump down the stairs, indeed. Shortly thereafter Steve and his wife Luise joined the fledging Chaosium as it spread its draconic wings in the mid-1970s with White Bear & Red Moon, and a little-known RPG called RuneQuest, born on the 4th of July in 1976.
Steve’s canny understanding of gaming mechanics and Luise’s artistic vision helped forge an iconic game still played around the world today.
But a few hours ago we learned that Steve was taken from us, even as he worried that his beloved Luise’s health situation was more dire than his. He was a loving and devoted partner to the end.
To sum up all that Steve was to the Chaosium family cannot be typed up in a few sentences.
He is one of our Great Old Ones. An innovative genius who helped pave the way for us to exist today, delighting gamers while they sit around a table, in person or online, exploring stories and adventures together, weaving new tales of derring-do. RuneQuest and Superworld were his children, and his imprint on so many of our other games is indelibly present.
Many of us grew up playing his games. He was the uncle we admired, envied, and listened to for his wise counsel. In the last few years, as a new edition of RuneQuest was born he was there, his wisdom and experience reminding us of the simple, pure, and wondrous origins of the magic of roleplaying. How can you say thank you for that?
We grieve with all of those who knew him, especially his family. We thought we might have been able to entice him to be with us at one more gaming convention in the near future, but now we know that gathering will have to wait.
Saying farewell is never easy. Dear friends depart, and we remember them for all the richness they brought to our lives. We at the Chaosium cherish all the decades you sat with us at the gaming table and the stories you created with us.
Vale, and farewell, Steve.
I was notified earlier this afternoon that Brian Fitzpatrick had passed away Saturday afternoon, July 24th, after a rafting accident. Brian was 51.
One dead after raft flips on Arkansas River in Chaffee County
One man was found dead Saturday after his commercial raft flipped on a 'rocky and steep' section of the Arkansas River, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
It is believed that 51-year-old Brian Fitzpatrick was attempting to raft through the Numbers Recreation Site, north of Buena Vista, which is known for technical and challenging rafting when his raft flipped, officials said in a news release.
Employees for a commercial rafting company downstream of the accident reportedly pulled Fitzpatrick from the water and began CPR, according to parks and wildlife.
Chaffee County EMS officials along with parks and wildlife staff responded to a 911 call regarding the incident. After arrival, further lifesaving efforts were made, but they were unable to revive him. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy to establish an official cause of death is scheduled Monday, according to the Chaffee County Coroner's office.
Gallant Knight Games has made an announcement:
Brian Fitzpatrick & Moebius Adventures
On Saturday July 24th, Gallant Knight Games was notified that Brian Fitzpatrick of Moebius Adventures passed away unexpectedly in an accident.
The loss of our friend, colleague and publishing partner is heart wrenching, and we can only imagine the pain his family is going through. Brian was a vital part of our day to day lives, both in the industry and outside of it, and his loss is deeply felt.
While the family takes the time they need, we again extend our heartfelt sorrow at this unexpected loss and everyone to respect the family’s privacy.
Alan & Erin Bahr, Gallant Knight Games.
Short Bio of Brian Fitzpatrick and Moebius Games (PRLOG)
RPG Geeks Page for Brian Fitzpatrick
From Brian's Wife, posted to Brian's Facebook account:
My husband was the one who wrote eloquently, so for me, this is extremely difficult.
For those of you that do not know, the world became a lesser place 48 hours ago. Our girls and I are heartbroken, confused and upset with the universe. Our family went on a rafting trip on Saturday, our raft flipped, we were all thrown into the water, and Brian did not survive the accident.
Brian was the center of our world. He was the one who kept us grounded. He was the one who made sense of everything. And this makes no sense.
At this time, our family wanted to inform those close to Brian of his funeral services:
Services will be held at:
THE SPRINGS FUNERAL -North
6575 Oakwood Blvd Colorado Springs, CO 80923
Saturday July 31st, from 5-8pm --Viewing. For family and friends that need the closure to see Brian one last time.
Sunday August 1st starting at 2:30pm- Celebration of Life. Anyone that would like to speak, it will be open for everyone to speak about him, what he meant to you, tell a story, whatever you like. IF you are not comfortable with speaking but want to write something and have it shared with family or those there, please bring it to be shared.
Brian HATED formal events, so we ask that for all services please dress casual. Brian loved quirky t-shirts, we ask if you have a t-shirt that reminds you of him, wear that shirt. But please know t-shirts, shorts and tennis shoes are requested. IF you show up in all black formal dress or attire, you will be judged 😀.
In lieu of flowers or any more food, our family has requested if you would like to honor Brian, any contributions go to the following:
IF you are a gamer, Brian's passion and proudest achievement was his published game books, buy one of his books, read his work that he loved so dearly : moebiusadventures.com/shop
IF not a gamer, Brian was an amazing supporter of my non-profit Street Petz, he loved that we helped pets and the homeless community in the Colorado Springs. Donations can be made at Streetpetz.org
IF you would like to make a contribution to support my girls, please send me a FB message and I can get a Venmo address to you.
Many of you know that Brian was an introvert, and with many social events, he reached a point of "critical mass" and excused himself. With that in mind, and respect for our family, we will not be having a gathering after the Celebration of Life.
We will be looking at a later date, possibly organizing a memorial Gaming Day in honor of Brian at one or several of his favorite local gaming locations for all of his gaming family.
We will be reaching out to our Crossfit family to do a family WOD in his honor as well
I offer prayers and condolences to Brian's family, friends, and business partners. When and if there is further information to share regarding services and such, I will update this page. Tenkar
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
And a horrible year continues to be horrible. It has been said on Facebook that Len Lakofka, writer of the "L" series of modules and inspiration of the Lendore Isles in the Greyhawk Setting has passed. L2 was one of the first modules I ran.
Lenard "Len" Lakofka (1944-2020) was an American writer of material for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Although never a formal TSR staff member, the company that published Dungeons & Dragons, he was an influential voice in the development of the game.[1] He was one of the playtesters of the game as it was being developed, an editor of early manuscripts, wrote a widely-read monthly D&D magazine column and two official D&D adventures, and had his home campaign setting of the Lendore Isles incorporated into Gary Gygax's World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting.
Brian John Blume (January 12, 1950 - March 27, 2020)[1] was a game designer and writer, principally known as a former business partner of Gary Gygax at TSR, Inc., producers of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 15 January 2020) was an English editor and academic. He was the son of author J. R. R. Tolkien and the editor of much of his father's posthumously published work. Tolkien drew the original maps for his father's The Lord of the Rings.I knew he edited much of his father's posthumous work but had no idea he drew the original maps for the Lord of the Rings.
