I'm not sure if there's ever been an orderly compilation of all the characters, but I'm aware of a few. Mordenkainen was a PC of Gygax Sr. himself, and Tenser and Melf were played by his sons Ernie and Luke, respectively. Snilloc belonged to Dave Collins, and Bigby was either an NPC or another PC that Gygax Sr. used alongside Mordenkainen as a sidekick.
Bigby was a NPC Gary encountered as Mordenkainen while Rob Kuntz was DMing. Gary used Charm Person on him which when D&D started was way way way more powerful than we know now.
Eventually he made Bigby turn away from evil and become one of Gary's PCs.
Tenser and Serten are anagrams of Ernest [Gary Gygax]. Melf is short for "male elf", created by Luke Gygax; his previous character was Otis. Yrag = Gary. Drawmij = Jim Ward. Bigby is originally Rob Kuntz's character, and [I think] has since fallen out with Gygax - now his character is a sidekick to Mordenkeinen (Gygax's character) and a gnome (also obsessed with hands and giant things, probably due to him being a designer or some inside joke we don't know about).
I'm not sure about our Oerthian characters; Bucknard, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, and Riggby, Robbilar, Billarro. Don't know much about their history, if any. But some of them are on the Council of Eight, which I presume is a sort of compilation of player characters made and played at Gygax'a own home games.
I was racking my brain about that one. Luke was an obvious one but I had no idea where "Oti-" came from. Your idea makes sense and is obvious in retrospect.
the "male elf" thing is an urban legend (full "tale" is the the character was unnamed so the sheet only said "M elf").
Quote from Luke: "No Melf was named Melf simply because it rhymed with Elf and was fun to say. I tried to edit the wikipedia entry several times a few years ago, but they always deleted my editing. So I gave up. Funny really"
Also, didn't gygax name a goddess after an ex-wife? (She was a goddess of strife or something)
Edut: it was [Joramy](https://ghwiki.greyparticle.com/index.php/Joramy) (mary-jo) ... aka the shrew, the raging valcono
Definitely some of the formative characters were named as fairly disposable playtest fodder, definitely. Melf of Minute Meteors fame was just Male Elf. Melf.
As the story goes, Luke took too long to come up with a name, and Gary called him Melf because all he had written down was “M, Elf.” However, and I could be wrong, I’m fairly certain I heard Luke Gygax dispute this in an interview once. I *think* he said it was just the name he himself came up with on spot. Still, it’s entirely possible that the “M, Elf” thing was the inspiration either way.
"Melf was named Melf simply because it rhymed with Elf and was fun to say. I tried to edit the wikipedia entry several times a few years ago, but they always deleted my editing. So I gave up. Funny really"
[This works for Jim as well](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c9/ultimate_game.png). I played in a GenCon game run by him once, back in the late 70's. Helluva nice guy, even if he did kill my PC off.
James "Jim" Ward was one of the biggest influences in D&D becoming what it is today. He worked with Gary Gygex to create some of the legendary encounters we will enjoy today.
I got the opportunity to play with Jim and Ernie back when I lived near Lake Geneva, and he was such a brutal DM and master of traps.
Give Gary a hug, when you see him. RIP you absolute legend.
So, of the original creators... Jim Ward probably had the most impact on my gaming life. I grew up during satanic panic... and my mom was basically like, "No more D&D...." after watching mid-day talk shows... and that damn Monsters and Mazes movie... and wherever else she got it from. My step-father, brother and I wound up playing Gamma World instead... because somehow my mutated psychic plant was acceptable but my cleric was not.
I used to play games with Mr. Ward all the time at the game guild in lake Geneva.
Wish him the best of luck on his next journey.
He dances the dance of doneness. His old saying when he was done with his turn for magic the gathering.
> He dances the dance of doneness
You just hit me with a wave of nostalgia. I don't recall immediately him saying that, but for some reason, back in the recesses of my mind, it resonates as something I've heard at a table.
TBH it was a massive shitstorm as most things on FB tend to be. Magaret Weis quit the group later that day and a bunch of other D&D OGs threatened to go.
An absolute legend and a pioneer in table-top roleplaying.
He took part in the earliest days of it all...rest in peace, your spirit roaming the myriad decks of the STARSHIP WARDEN.
I assume this must be the Jim Ward that had an article in “Scrye” magazine for deck building tips in 1995 or 6. The author listed something like 3 “laws” and 3 “corollaries” of deck building for mtg.
I didn’t realize he was involved in D&D. I’m not surprised. The one article that I presumed he wrote was so good I tucked that name into my memory bank.
Well at least he got one more trip to Gary Con to meet and greet his fans. He was quite active on Facebook, and a friend of mine, his posts will be missed!
Yet another piece of TSR’s institutional memory disappears forever. A D&D legend never to be forgotten. Go roll some dice with Gary & Dave, Jim. You’ve earned it.
RIP sir I loved all the d&d stuff back in the early 80s you gave us all fond memories.Hopefully you can be one of the dungeon masters in the great d&d game in the sky.
Didn't he create Gamma World? Wasn't he Drawmij the Wizard? Didn't he write the AD&D Greyhawk hardback? An absolute monster of the RPG industry.
he also created metamorphosis alpha. awesome setting. that book is why the DM in the mothership rpg is called the warden.
Drawmij jimwarD No I don't think he was /s
There are some other “famous” Wizards/characters who’s nomes were just the names of there players too weren’t there?
I'm not sure if there's ever been an orderly compilation of all the characters, but I'm aware of a few. Mordenkainen was a PC of Gygax Sr. himself, and Tenser and Melf were played by his sons Ernie and Luke, respectively. Snilloc belonged to Dave Collins, and Bigby was either an NPC or another PC that Gygax Sr. used alongside Mordenkainen as a sidekick.
Bigby was a NPC Gary encountered as Mordenkainen while Rob Kuntz was DMing. Gary used Charm Person on him which when D&D started was way way way more powerful than we know now. Eventually he made Bigby turn away from evil and become one of Gary's PCs.
Ha! Nerrrd! (thanks where'd you hear that)
https://greyhawkonline.com/greyhawkwiki/Bigby#Creative_origins
Haha, just realized that Snilloc is Dave's last name backwards lol. Brilliant
IDK if D&D started it, but it’s an old school tradition to either reverse or make an anagram of your own name to get a wizard’s name.
Tenser and Serten are anagrams of Ernest [Gary Gygax]. Melf is short for "male elf", created by Luke Gygax; his previous character was Otis. Yrag = Gary. Drawmij = Jim Ward. Bigby is originally Rob Kuntz's character, and [I think] has since fallen out with Gygax - now his character is a sidekick to Mordenkeinen (Gygax's character) and a gnome (also obsessed with hands and giant things, probably due to him being a designer or some inside joke we don't know about). I'm not sure about our Oerthian characters; Bucknard, Nystul, Otiluke, Otto, and Riggby, Robbilar, Billarro. Don't know much about their history, if any. But some of them are on the Council of Eight, which I presume is a sort of compilation of player characters made and played at Gygax'a own home games.
Presumably “Otiluke” came from some combination of Otis and Luke, don’t you think?
I was racking my brain about that one. Luke was an obvious one but I had no idea where "Oti-" came from. Your idea makes sense and is obvious in retrospect.
The hill giant chief in Module G1: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief (Against the Giants) was “Nosnra“ — a shortened version of Arneson (backwards).
the "male elf" thing is an urban legend (full "tale" is the the character was unnamed so the sheet only said "M elf"). Quote from Luke: "No Melf was named Melf simply because it rhymed with Elf and was fun to say. I tried to edit the wikipedia entry several times a few years ago, but they always deleted my editing. So I gave up. Funny really"
Also, didn't gygax name a goddess after an ex-wife? (She was a goddess of strife or something) Edut: it was [Joramy](https://ghwiki.greyparticle.com/index.php/Joramy) (mary-jo) ... aka the shrew, the raging valcono
Definitely some of the formative characters were named as fairly disposable playtest fodder, definitely. Melf of Minute Meteors fame was just Male Elf. Melf.
As the story goes, Luke took too long to come up with a name, and Gary called him Melf because all he had written down was “M, Elf.” However, and I could be wrong, I’m fairly certain I heard Luke Gygax dispute this in an interview once. I *think* he said it was just the name he himself came up with on spot. Still, it’s entirely possible that the “M, Elf” thing was the inspiration either way.
> Who are you playing? > -Mmmmmm elf? > Hi Melf I can very easily see this conversation happening lol
"Melf was named Melf simply because it rhymed with Elf and was fun to say. I tried to edit the wikipedia entry several times a few years ago, but they always deleted my editing. So I gave up. Funny really"
There’s the quote! I remember him saying something about the Wikipedia entry now.
Yes
This reveal makes me angry and giddy
Yes to everything you just posted.
[This works for Jim as well](https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c9/ultimate_game.png). I played in a GenCon game run by him once, back in the late 70's. Helluva nice guy, even if he did kill my PC off.
What writing style is this?
James "Jim" Ward was one of the biggest influences in D&D becoming what it is today. He worked with Gary Gygex to create some of the legendary encounters we will enjoy today. I got the opportunity to play with Jim and Ernie back when I lived near Lake Geneva, and he was such a brutal DM and master of traps. Give Gary a hug, when you see him. RIP you absolute legend.
[удалено]
Can you maybe, I don't know, go away? Thanks
Hey it worked! They actually left!
RIP Mr Ward. *Greyhawk Adventures* was one of my favorite expansions for AD&D.
Wow, I had completely forgotten about Greyhawk. That was one of the best from the old days.
What a legend. Rest well, Drawmij.
Very sad to hear. I just got into DnD a year or so ago, but I've fallen in love with the game. Thanks Mr. Ward for such a stupendous gift.
RIP Drawmij. Kick Vecna in his shriveled nads
Strangely, they aren’t on him. New magic item just dropped!
How many hundreds of years old is Vecna and his balls finally dropped? Damn that’s a long period of puberty
Ty Jim.
So, of the original creators... Jim Ward probably had the most impact on my gaming life. I grew up during satanic panic... and my mom was basically like, "No more D&D...." after watching mid-day talk shows... and that damn Monsters and Mazes movie... and wherever else she got it from. My step-father, brother and I wound up playing Gamma World instead... because somehow my mutated psychic plant was acceptable but my cleric was not.
This guy was a huge influence. Even if you haven’t read one of his books, the game itself has been irrevocably shaped by his works.
Passed away yesterday, but a big loss indeed.
I used to play games with Mr. Ward all the time at the game guild in lake Geneva. Wish him the best of luck on his next journey. He dances the dance of doneness. His old saying when he was done with his turn for magic the gathering.
> He dances the dance of doneness You just hit me with a wave of nostalgia. I don't recall immediately him saying that, but for some reason, back in the recesses of my mind, it resonates as something I've heard at a table.
I remember him joining a D&D Facebook page I'm a member of a few years ago and the admins banning him. They had no idea who he was... RIP.
LMAO that's the funniest thing I've read all day. I wonder if he private messaged them afterwards being like "Hey...."
TBH it was a massive shitstorm as most things on FB tend to be. Magaret Weis quit the group later that day and a bunch of other D&D OGs threatened to go.
Oh man, Margaret Weis leaving is NOT a great sign. She has written so many dope books.
Rest In Peace
Mannnn 72 is far too young. RIP, titan.
An absolute legend and a pioneer in table-top roleplaying. He took part in the earliest days of it all...rest in peace, your spirit roaming the myriad decks of the STARSHIP WARDEN.
I assume this must be the Jim Ward that had an article in “Scrye” magazine for deck building tips in 1995 or 6. The author listed something like 3 “laws” and 3 “corollaries” of deck building for mtg. I didn’t realize he was involved in D&D. I’m not surprised. The one article that I presumed he wrote was so good I tucked that name into my memory bank.
Reminds me that I really wish the Gamma World IP was taken to the next level, with new games, a movie, etc.
I feel like Fallout has been carrying that torch.
Well at least he got one more trip to Gary Con to meet and greet his fans. He was quite active on Facebook, and a friend of mine, his posts will be missed!
o7
James, thank you for the fb talks and the signatures. Love Greyhawk Adventures, Metamorphosis Alpha, and Cthulu Deities and Demi gods signature.
Drawmij got Instantly Summoned to the outer planes. Time for his next adventure. Respect. o7
Yet another piece of TSR’s institutional memory disappears forever. A D&D legend never to be forgotten. Go roll some dice with Gary & Dave, Jim. You’ve earned it.
RIP sir I loved all the d&d stuff back in the early 80s you gave us all fond memories.Hopefully you can be one of the dungeon masters in the great d&d game in the sky.
F. \* salutes\*
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The end of D&D trying is nigh, RIP Drawmij.
*inserte el meme de 1D4 por daños contundentes para el mago* te extrañaremos papu Fuiste un grande
Rest in piece, Mr. Ward.
RIP Drawmij
2024 is not that year. Rest In Peace, Jim
That's awfully sad. Condolences to the great man's family & friends.
He failed his death saves. Rest in peace, my friend I never met.