Professor Muhammad Abd-al-Rahman Barker, creator of the classic old-school D&D spinoff Empire of the Petal Throne set in his seminal role-playing setting Tékumel, passed away today, March 16, 2012. He was a key figure in the early days of the hobby; his work offered a solid base for development of both world-building and non-Western fantasy themes, and he continued to run games in the setting for close to 40 years, providing a window into the past of the hobby — yet another such window that has now closed.
His family has requested that donations go to The Tékumel Foundation.
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Charlatan
Eric Minton
maldoor
Greengoat
David Wellington
James Nostack
tavisallison
RIP, Professor Barker.
RIP. :(
I wrote a small piece on this on my blog too. His significance to our hobby may have been much greater than what most people know…