Editor, teacher and Dungeons and Dragons Legend Tim Kask has died at the age of 76. Best known as an editor Dragon magazine and the first official employee Dungeons and Dragons creator of TSR, this iconic figure will be sorely missed by the TTRPG community.
First edition Dungeons and Dragons was released in 1974, publishing Tactical Studies Rules, later known simply as TSR. Founded by Gary Gygax, TSR was responsible for the original i Advanced Dungeons and Dragonswhich created and managed the famous tabletop role-playing game until it was acquired by Wizards of the Coast in 1997.
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Dungeons and Dragons editor Tim Kask dies aged 76
Now one of the original minds that helped shape Dungeons and Dragons in what it is, it died. On December 30, Tim Kask died of complications from a sudden illness. The 76-year-old lifelong player was surrounded by friends and family at the end of his life.
Kask was TSR's first ever full-time employee, having been hired by Gygax in 1975 as an editor for Dungeons and Dragons. He is credited with editing and contributing to most of the appendices from the first edition D&Dincluding Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry, Gods, Demigods and Heroesand Swords and Sorcery. He was also responsible for hiring influential TSR developers, including assistant editor Kim Mohan, and even authorized the creation of Dungeoneerplayer magazine and one of the first pieces of fan-made home beer D&D contents.
After correspondence regarding the TSR wargame chain mailGygax eventually invited Kask to meet him at Gen Con, where he became one of the first people outside of Gygax's family to test the game. Dungeons and Dragonsthen simply known as “Fantasy Game”.
However, perhaps one of the things Kask is best known for is his work for TSR Periodicals. He was the editor of TSR magazine, Strategic reviewwhich he later split into two separate periodicals: the D&D– focused Dragon magazine and focused on miniatures and board games Small wars. In addition, he also edited a lot of othersD&D products, incl William the Conqueror, 1066the historical TSR board game.
Tim Kask's Departure from Dungeons and Dragons
In 1980, Kask left TSR due to disagreements regarding the creation Advanced Dungeons and Dragonsedition popularized by Stranger Things. He claimed that things began to “go wrong with publishing ADD, Player's HandbookKask preferred it Dungeons and Dragons to remain “a free-wheeling game, only loosely bound by the parameters of the rules” and the directional direction contributed to his resignation.
After leaving TSR, Kask made several other forays into the gaming realm, including rebuilding Naval warfare card game for Avalon Hill and the release of a new magazine called Adventure gamesbut the recession eventually forced him to pursue other avenues. He became a freelance editor and ghostwriter, later earning a master's degree in education in 2002.
Fortunately, the gaming industry hasn't seen the last of Kask. For many years, beginning in 2006, he appeared as a celebrity auctioneer and special guest with Frank Mentzer at Gen Con and wrote columns for Jim Ward. Crusader magazine, they later teamed up with both former TSR collaborators and formed Eldritch Enterprises in 2010 to continue creating TTRPG content. In 2012, Kask also became a contributing author to Gygax magazine in collaboration with Gary's sons Ernie and Luke until publication ceased in 2016 due to a trademark dispute with Gary's widow Gail Gygax.
Although Dungeons and Dragons three more editions have been released since Kask got involved, his legacy is still felt in TTRPG today. Dragon magazine it was published until 2014, with a total of 430 issues produced over the years. Moreover, Kask is the very first Dungeons and Dragons the character, an artist named Kwalish, has been immortalized in modernity D&D in the form of a Kwalish device, a crustacean-like submarine, a The Lost Laboratory of Kwalishofficial 5th edition mini-adventure. Needless to say, Dungeons and Dragons without Tim Kasko, it would not be the same as it is today.
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original release date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a board game in which players create their own worlds and band together to adventure in mysterious realms outlined in accompanying materials. One of the best RPGs ever made has been adapted into various video games and other media.
Source: EN World
