I learned a while back that Tom Moldvay had passed away around April 9 (some reports say March 9) of this year, but I hadn’t been able to verify it independently. I’ve seen enough details now to believe it’s true.
Along with Mark Acres, Tom developed one of my favorite roleplaying games ever: Gangbusters. As a teenager at Gen Con, I made it to the finals of the Gangbusters tournament two years running and absolutely loved it.
Tom also made many substantial contributions to Dungeons & Dragons while working at TSR. My pal Steve Winter, who knew Tom far better than I, sums it up well in his appreciation.
I never met Tom in person, but I had the privilege of talking with him on the phone and working with him on some material for Silent Death: The Next Millennium, back when I developed the line for ICE. That never saw print, as Tom’s poor health prevented him from finishing the work before I left that gig. That was something like 15 years ago, and I’m sad to say we lost touch over the years. Still, I remember being thrilled that I would get the chance to talk games with someone whose work I’d so admired.
Farewell, Tom. Wherever you may be, I hope you’re finally resting easy.
