RIP: Lynn Willis

I found out yesterday through yog-sothoth.and chaosium.com that Lynn Willis passed.  Lynn had been a long time Chaosium employee since 1978.

Now that name doesn't bring up the same grandeur as Gary Gygax, or, in the world of Chaosium, Sandy Peterson, but it should.

I'm piecing together from numerous sources just how awesome this guy.  Please understand, that when this guy got his first game published, the lowly text editor for it was a young guy named Steve Jackson (the American version).  He joined Chaosium in 1978 for boardgames, but became an integral part of their role-playing games.  He was given the title of co-creator of Call of Cthulhu and was Line Editor for it until his retirement just a few years ago.  He has had a hand in just about every product Chaosium has produced from 1st to 6th edition Call of Cthulhu, Runequest, and Elric. He played a crucial role in making CoC the well respected horror game it has always been.

From the Chaosium announcement, his credits as writer and editor.

CREDITS: Chaosium Dude since 1978; co-creator of Call of Cthulhu. Other credits include BOARD GAMES: Dragon Pass, Lords of the Middle Sea, Stomp, Reich, Raiders and Traders, Panzer Pranks, Arkham Horror. ROLEPLAYING GAMES: Basic Roleplaying, M.U. Graduate Kit, Keeper's Kit 1, 2, Engage & Destroy, Vive l'Empreur, Thieves' World, Thieves' World Companion, Worlds of Wonder, Ringworld, Ringworld Companion, King Arthur Companion 1, 2, 3, RuneQuest 1, 2, 3, etc., Apple Lane 1, 2, etc., Snakepipe Hollow 1, 2, etc., Cults of Prax 1, 2, etc., Cults of Terror, Borderlands, Pavis, The Big Rubble, Questworld, Stormbringer Companion, Demon Magic, Cities, Carse, Tulan of the Isles, Elric, Melnibone, Fate of Fools, Bronze Grimoire, Atlas of the Young Kingdoms, Seas of Fate, The Unknown East, Cthulhu Live, Call of Cthulhu 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, 6, Shadows of Yog-Sothoth, The Asylum, Cthulhu Companion, Fragments of Fear, Masks of Nyarlathotep, Alone against the Wendigo, Alone against the Dark, Cthulhu by Gaslight, Dreamlands, Spawn of Azathoth, Terror Australis, Great Old Ones, Cthulhu Now, Arkham Unveiled, At Your Door, Fatal Experiments, Blood Brothers, Blood Brothers II, Horror on the Orient Express, Cairo Guidebook, Dark Designs, Fearful Passages London Guidebook, King of Chicago, Miskatonic University, Taint of Madness, Compact Arkham Unveiled, Booke of Monstres 1 and 2, No Man's Land, Horror's Heart, Complete Masks of Nyarlathotep, Resection of Time, Secrets, Dreaming Stone, Before the Fall, Last Rites, Beyond the Mountains of Madness, M.U. Antarctic Expedition Pack, Unseen Masters, Keeper's Companion 1. FICTION: Castle of Eyes, Hastur Cycle, Singers of Strange Songs, Complete Pegana, Nightmare's Disciple, Percival, Bear of Britain, Book of Dzyan, S. Petersen's Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters, S. Petersen's Field Guide to Creatures of the Dreamlands.

And after all of that, they failed to mention that he co-wrote the Ghostbusters RPG   Ghostbusters was the first RPG to focus on the dice pool resolution method, which was completely innovative at the time and spawned such games as Star Wars d6 and the entire World of Darkness line from White Wolf.  Plus it was a hoot to play!

It's always sad to lose an influential member in our hobby. It's even sadder when it's one of the Old Guard whose contributions allowed us to play the games we do today. 

Rest well, sir.  It is well earned.