Good Night, Sweet Prince - Erick Wujcik 1951-2008

[jaegamer]

Erick Wujcik died Saturday from pancreatic cancer.  He was 57, and my heart is breaking.  We were not close friends, but he played a pivotal role in my early gaming, and he was always a joy to talk with.  His contributions to the industry are many, and you can check the links for them.

I will remember Erick best as he appears in this photo, with his leather cap and a quizzical, challenging expression on his face.  He was one of the first people I met when I started gaming in the wide world.  He was running a small con in the Detroit area (maybe 40 people) and I was the only woman there.  I had a tremendously fun time, and found Erick funny, welcoming and full of ideas that were new to me.  Before that, "gaming" meant D&D - after, I realized how much more there could be.

Erick continued to challenge my mind and open my eyes with seminars on “How to Win at RPGs” on being a better player, and in general as a GM how to understand your world on a macro level so you can improvise on a micro level.  Erick used Zen koans to help illustrate, and while they made perfect sense at the time, I've never been able to understand or remember them well enough to share with others.  His philosophies of gaming, though, I embraced and made my own.  He started me on the road to enlightenment as a gamer, and growth as a human being.

The world is a lesser place for his loss, and a greater world for his contributions.  I will miss him sorely.

Now cracks a noble heart. Good night, sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest! (Hamlet)

Comments

[varianor.livejournal.com]

Is there something in the air this year? So many influential people passing on.

Anyway, I'm sorry to see him go - I have heard the name for years.

[jaegamer.livejournal.com]

I think it's just our age... we're (or at least I am) past that rubicon of 50, and more and more of my friends and acquaintances are succumbing to disease. Depressin', ain't it?

[drouu.livejournal.com]

gawds speed, erick.

[femalegamer.livejournal.com]

I never actually met him, but Amber Diceless was the first game I ever played, and the first I ever ran. *sigh*

[quasievil-bunny.livejournal.com]

So sorry to to hear this. :(

[raconteurx.livejournal.com]

Erick loved people as much as he loved games, and that was a lot. His eagerness to interact with his fellow hobbyists was only limited by his need to occasionally eat and sleep. More than once, when he was having so much fun, even those didn't keep him from the things he loved.

[doctor-toc.livejournal.com]

It hit me last night, as I was looking at my bookshelves and thinking how many game books I have yet to unpack, when I realised how many of them he'd written. Hundreds of thousands of words, hours of fun and ideas, all from a man I met only once and now never will again. The words and ideas are still there, of course, but knowing that their source has left us for a new adventure still makes this world seem a little smaller.

[thewayne.livejournal.com]

Though I probably attended several conventions that he was at, I sadly never met him or attended a panel by him.

He left quite a printed legacy, and a lot of friends with fond memories. Be glad you have them, and don't be shy about posting a memorial page on The Geek or some place.