MOB Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) Vale and farewell, Steve Perrin! By Rick Meints, Chaosium President When the world of roleplaying games was still waiting to be born, you and your closest friends conjured up the Society for Creation Anachronism (SCA) from the realms of your collective imagination. Bump, bump, bump down the stairs, indeed. Shortly thereafter Steve and his wife Luise joined the fledging Chaosium as it spread its draconic wings in the mid-1970s with White Bear & Red Moon, and a little known RPG called RuneQuest, born on the 4th of July in 1976. Steve’s canny understanding of gaming mechanics and Luise’s artistic vision helped forge an iconic game still played around the world today. But a few hours ago we learned that Steve was taken from us, even as he worried that his beloved Luise’s health situation was more dire than his. He was a loving and devoted partner to the end. To sum up all that Steve was to the Chaosium family cannot be typed up in a few sentences. He is one of our Great Old Ones. An innovative genius who helped pave the way for us to exist today, delighting gamers while they sit around a table, in person or online, exploring stories and adventures together, weaving new tales of derring-do. RuneQuest and Superworld were his children, and his imprint on so many of our other games is indelibly present. Many of us grew up playing his games. He was the uncle we admired, envied, and listened to for his wise counsel. In the last few years, as a new edition of RuneQuest was born he was there, his wisdom and experience reminding us of the simple, pure, and wondrous origins of the magic of roleplaying. How can you say thank you for that? We grieve with all of those who knew him, especially his family. We thought we might have been able to entice him to be with us at one more gaming convention in the near future, but now we know that gathering will have to wait. Saying farewell is never easy. Dear friends depart, and we remember them for all the richness they brought to our lives. We at the Chaosium cherish all the decades you sat with us at the gaming table and the stories you created with us. Vale, and farewell, Steve. Steve Perrin and Greg Stafford at Gen Con 2018. Vale to these Great Old Ones. Edited August 14, 2021 by MOB 3 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill the barbarian Posted August 14, 2021 Share Posted August 14, 2021 (edited) Well. Hmm, at a big loss of words here. I will try... Thanks Mr Perrin for all the great games over the decades! I have heard it said we are not Homo Sapiens (Wise Man) but Homo Fabula (Story Man)! If so, you and Greg were our shamans to that wonderful place where stories became real! Thanks for everything and my deepest sympathies to your friends and family! Edited August 14, 2021 by Bill the barbarian 3 1 Quote ... remember, with a TARDIS, one is never late for breakfast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakob Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 Very sad ... The one consolation is that Steve Perrin still got to see the wonderful resurgence of Chaosium. Thank you, Steve Perrin! Thank you for RQ and thank you for giving us gamers many other great games! 3 Quote My RPG Blog: Swanosaurus - A Fierce and Beautiful Creature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mankcam Posted August 15, 2021 Share Posted August 15, 2021 (edited) Steve Perrin, Ray Turney, Greg Stafford, Sandy Petersen, and Lyn Willis... These names took on an almost mythical sage-like quality for me in my youth, given my fondness for Chaosium's BRP system, a devotion that remains to this day. BRP is easily one of my favourite set of game mechanics, and my old RQ2 book is a treasured artefact of mine. It would not exist without Steve Perrin. The world feels slightly darkened now that I have just found out about his passing Another great trailblazer of our hobby gone Vale Steve Perrin Edited August 15, 2021 by Mankcam 2 1 Quote " Sure it's fun, but it is also well known that a D20 roll and an AC is no match against a hefty swing of a D100% and a D20 Hit Location Table!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreadDomain Posted August 17, 2021 Share Posted August 17, 2021 RuneQuest, Superworld, Stormbringer, BRP as a whole, his contribution to Champions... Very few, have influenced my gaming life as much as Steve Perrin did. I am saddened by his departure but when you think about the number of people still playing today games originally designed by him or strongly influenced by them, we know his legacy lives on and will live for a long time. Vale Steve, I would have loved to see your new take on Superworld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOB Posted August 17, 2021 Author Share Posted August 17, 2021 (edited) "Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson founded the roleplaying industry with Dungeons & Dragons (1974); Ken St. Andre proved that the feat was replicable with Tunnels & Trolls (1975); but it was Steve Perrin who broke the mold of D&D and proved that fantasy roleplaying games could be more than just variants of that primordial game with RuneQuest (1978). However, Steve Perrin's story is so much bigger than that..." A wonderful RPGnet memorial piece by industry historian Shannon Appelcline: https://www.rpg.net/columns/advanced-designers-and-dragons/advanced-designers-and-dragons54.phtml Edited August 17, 2021 by MOB 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MOB Posted December 27, 2021 Author Share Posted December 27, 2021 Talking to Dieku Games, RPG Historian Shannon Appelcline ('Designers & Dragons') ends this annual review remembering those we have lost this year. Shannon leads off with RuneQuest creator Steve Perrin, "the one that really touched me... I would definitely put (him) in my 10 most influential people in the Roleplaying Industry... He was unassuming and I don't think he ever really took up that pedestal that he was well-deserving of off as one of the real founders and creators of the industry." Vale Steve. Watch here: https://bit.ly/3JmHCfN 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill the barbarian Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 On 8/16/2021 at 11:03 PM, MOB said: A wonderful RPGnet memorial piece by industry historian Shannon Appelcline: Just read this (hard to stay up on reading material for what, in the end, is just a hobby) and wow... reminds me of the human beings in the hobby. Giants yes, but humans first! 1 Quote ... remember, with a TARDIS, one is never late for breakfast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.