The Wayfarer's Inn

Rafael · Fear me, I am Admin! Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 983

Hi all,

Very sad news from over at DF:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=23086

Seems indeed that one of the great game designers has passed away.

Yours,

Rafael

Plaag · Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:06 pm Post subject:

I'm gonna wait till this can be proven. Mr. Moldway basically disappeared from RPGs after TSR, so this maybe a bit harder to prove, so I'm a bit skeptical at this point without some proof.

ShaneG.
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Rafael · Fear me, I am Admin! Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 983

Sounded pretty serious to me - however, if this turns out to be false, I am glad, of course.

Havard · Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 6:21 pm Post subject:

Cab · Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:59 pm Post subject:

A toast.

To Tom Moldvay; D&D wouldn't be quite the same if not fot you. You brought your own style and vision to the game, for which we'll always be thankful.

Sorry I never got a chance to talk to you. Catch you later, maybe.

Rafael · Fear me, I am Admin! Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 983

Sad, very sad. One of the best desginers out there, as far as I have seen.

Glgnfz · Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 12:44 pm Post subject:

Apercu · Rat Fodder Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 28

I'm at a loss for words, not just for the fact that Tom has passed away, but it seemed like he was a loner in his final days. It makes me sad. That one red book way back then got me started at the table with my brother, my cousin and various friends. Those were good times. Tom's Mods were among my very favorites, and I still have B3, B4, X1 and X2 in my collection.

Tom's work on that old red rule book had inspired me to follow a dream and create my own rpg, which is in the early stages. I wish I could have met the man or that he would have stopped by one of the forums and posted a bit. Sadly, that was not to be. I can only hope that he has found peace and happiness where he is now.

I found this post over at the Wizards forum, fading into the archives. I would like to share it here:

WotC Mearls
Member

Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Renton, WA

Re: RIP Tom Moldvay

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Moldvay is the most underrated contributor to D&D in the game's history. Many older gamers, and a big percentage of all D&D designers, can cite X1 The Isle of Dread and B4 The Lost City as important parts of turning D&D from a simple game into an obsession/hobby.

Both modules are genius examples of what makes D&D uniquely interesting. I can still vividly remember looking over the map of the Lost City, reading the few cool scraps of info on it, and then feeling D&D click into place for me. The city was mine - it was up to me, the DM, to bring it to life. I could decide who lived where, what foul evils hid in the city, and what strange plots waited for the PCs.

The fundamental essence of the game was finally clear to me, and I knew that I'd never give it up.

I've been in a bit of a funk since I heard about Tom's passing. I know everyone has pegged the news about Dragon and Dungeon as the story of the week, but I will always remember last Thursday as the day I learned Tom Moldvay had passed away. Whether D&D is a magazine, a hardcover book, a web site, a stack of stone tablets, or whatever, it doesn't matter. It's the people who create, play, and enjoy the game who really make D&D what it is. Moldvay played a major role in making that a reality.

Tom might now rest in peace, but his legacy will last forever.
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alhoon · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 1:13 pm Post subject:

It seems a great loss to me from what you all share here. I wish I had "Lost City" as it sounds 1. interesting 2. my style.
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Apercu · Rat Fodder Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 28

Just felt like posting to this thread to remember Tom. A couple Knights of the Dinner Table issues ago, they had a nice mention of Tom. We've been fortunate enough that Gary, Frank and some of the guys from the glory days have posted on various forums. I wish Frank had been successful in trying to get Tom to post. I wonder if Tom ever looked and saw how many fans he had of his work? I sure hope so.

That lone red book is the one I started with. Many an hour was spent delving into a dungeon with my brother and my cousin. Many characters died, but it was easy enough to roll up a new one. Back into the dungeon, and dead again by bee sting or an unlucky roll against an orc. Grrr.... my brother and his love of kobold ambushes...

I probably wasn't as aware of Tom with that red book as I would be with the mods he did. Palace and Lost City are two of my all time favorites. I love the way Tom did them, and I can remember thinking I sure would love to try and make one of these one day. I think a lot of us had those dreams, however brief.

Tom isn't here to hear my thanks for kindling an interest in this wonderful old game. Frank is. I hear Frank will be at Gencon, and I hope to have a chance to meet him and shake his hand for his awesome work on Basic. There are others I want to meet too.

Never got the chance to meet Tom. He hadn't been in the business for years, but his work still resonates with many. Just wanted to take a moment to remember Tom and the impact he had on my gaming life.
_________________
You can't give up hope just because it's hopeless. You gotta hope even more, and cover your ears and go like bla bla bla bla.