David J. Ritchie

Last updated
David J. Ritchie
Born(1950-10-06)October 6, 1950
DiedSeptember 6, 2009(2009-09-06) (aged 58)
NationalityAmerican
Occupation Game designer

David James Ritchie (October 6, 1950 [1] - September 6, 2009 [2] ) was a game designer and author.

Contents

Early life and education

David Ritchie was a Canton, Ohio native who graduated from Lehman High School in Canton and then went to Grove City College in Pennsylvania where he met Deborah, who he later married. [2]

Career

David Ritchie was working for Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) when it was taken over by TSR in March 1982. [3] :14 In the following months, as SPI employees either quit or were fired, Ritchie became the last remaining holdover from SPI. [3] :14 He designed The Omega War in his final months at SPI, [4] before leaving in late 1983 to work for Coleco. [3] :14 Ritchie, along with Jon Pickens, David "Zeb" Cook, Harold Johnson, Rick Swan, and Ed Carmien, co-wrote the adventure module OA2 Night of the Seven Swords . [5] Ritchie and Dave Arneson wrote a series of four adventures that further detailed the world of Blackmoor which Arneson had created, and they were published by TSR as DA1: Adventures in Blackmoor (1986), DA2: Temple of the Frog (1986), DA3: City of the Gods (1987) and DA4: The Duchy of Ten (1987). [3] :388

Ritchie wrote the 1991 book Connecticut: Off the Beaten Path with his wife, Deborah. [6]

Ritchie died in his Connecticut home on September 6, 2009, at the age of 58. [2]

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References

  1. "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JGGR-2YC  : accessed 07 Dec 2013), David Ritchie, 6 September 2009; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
  2. 1 2 3 "David Ritchie Obituary - Canton, OH | The Repository". legacy.com. Retrieved 13 Feb 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Shannon Appelcline (2011). Designers & Dragons. Mongoose Publishing. ISBN   978-1-907702-58-7.
  4. "The Omega War (1983)". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
  5. Pickens, Jon, David "Zeb" Cook, Harold Johnson, Rick Swan, Ed Carmien, and David James Ritchie. Night of the Seven Swords (TSR, 1986)
  6. Ritchie, D.; Ritchie, D. (1991). Connecticut: Off the Beaten Path. Globe Pequot Press. ISBN   9780871062406 . Retrieved 13 Feb 2015.