David Lance Arneson, the legendary co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, has passed on into the afterlife. He was sixty-one. Mr. Arneson had been battling cancer for some time; finally, he succumbed to his opponent in a prolonged, exhausting, and truly heroic battle. His beloved daughter, Malia Weinhagen, said in a statement that “The biggest thing about my dad’s world is he wanted people to have fun in life. . . . I think we get distracted by the everyday things you have to do in life and we forget to enjoy life and have fun.”

David Lance Arneson, along with Gary Gygax, first published Dungeons & Dragons in 1974. The first print-run of Dungeons & Dragons was limited to 1,000 copies and sold out quickly. By 1982, sales reached $20 million.

In Dungeons & Dragons, epic campaigns can last for years and involve characters of unlimited dimensions. Genuine personalities emerge over the span of an adventure, involving tons of genuine and fascinating interactions. Dungeons & Dragons is the true progenitor of a multiverse of gameplay upon which the active imaginations of the entire world thrive to this day.

Thanks for everything, Mr. Arneson.