Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Gygax, Arneson, Siembieda,... Fathers of RPG

Here, and on occasion, I will continue to post relevant information on male heroes who have been overlooked, forgotten, or whom I just happen to like writing about.

This month, I’m paying tribute to Gary Gygax, the father of Dungeons and Dragons, and Kevin Siembieda, the father of Palladium books. Both of these great men influenced my ownwriting for role-playing games, war games, and tabletop. (My newest blog is 9prpg.blogspot.com).


Gary Gygax is truly the giant of role-playing games.

After his death in 2008 (a bad year for sci fi), I checked all over the social networks to see if WotC had paid any honor to the veteran of RPG, and the father of Dungeons and Dragons. To no avail did I find commentary or mention of his passing by the new holder of the Dungeons and Dragons industry.

In any event, DnD's legacy lives on through Gygax Magazine, operated by Luke Gygax. There is also a Gary Con meetup in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.(See my Gygax page on this blog).



Dave Arneson (The creator of BlackMoor). Dave passed away in 2009, after a two-year fight against cancer.

Overall, Dave is remembered as a very kind and joyful man. He wanted one thing for everyone... to take time away from all the burdens of getting things done in daily life, and to rather enjoy life itself. To have fun. To play a game, and share experiences (collaborative story-telling/ role-playing) with friends.



Kevin Siembieda is a real modern success story in role-playing games. The aspiring comic book publisher was pulled into RPG, and as a result created Rifts Earth, Heroes Unlimited, Supernatural, and many other role-playing games. His particular style is a comic book look and feel, with emphasis on science fiction. Kevin Siembieda is a real doer in the ranking of creative people.


The author/ illustrator and inventor, Mr. Siembieda, lived on Cup-O-Noodles during the startup of his business. Following his vigorous persistence, Mr. Siembieda lives his dream. 

Obituary of Dave Arneson

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