WotC Chris Perkins announces Retirement from Dungeons and Dragons

Over on Twitter and Bluesky, Chris Perkins has announced his retirement from Dungeons and Dragons.

Chris Perkins started officially working for Wizards of the Coast in 1997 as an Editor for Dungeon Magazine. Since then, he has functioned as the Editor in Chief of D&D Periodicals, A Senior Producer, and eventually landing as the Senior Story Editor over D&D 5e and Game Architect on D&D 5e 2024.

He also is known for acting as one of the Dungeons Masters for Acquisitions, Incorporated.

Personally, I'll miss the guy's work.

https://bsky.app/profile/chrisperkinsdnd.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3llyvdjkphk2p

 

[MNblockhead]

Over on Twitter and Bluesky, Chris Perkins has announced his retirement from Dungeons and Dragons.

Chris Perkins started officially working for Wizards of the Coast in 1997 as an Editor for Dungeon Magazine. Since then, he has functioned as the Editor in Chief of D&D Periodicals, A Senior Producer, and eventually landing as the Senior Story Editor over D&D 5e and Game Architect on D&D 5e 2024.

He also is known for acting as one of the Dungeons Masters for Acquisitions, Incorporated.

Personally, I'll miss the guy's work.

https://bsky.app/profile/chrisperkinsdnd.bsky.social%2Fpost%2F3llyvdjkphk2p

There is no good emoji reaction to this news posts. I'm both sad yet happy for him. Gary Gygax was the face of D&D when I got into the hobby in the 80s. Chris Perkins with the new face of D&D for me when I got back into the hobby in 2014 after decades away. I (re)learned to play by watching his learn to play videos, his live plays, and his Lore You Should Know segments in the old Dragon Talk podcast were always the highlights of that show for me. His encyclopedic memory of Dragon Magazine articles impressed me almost as much as his passion for the game.

I had him sign my beat up copy of the 5e Ravenloft adventure at Gamestop last year, which I will now treasure even more. I wish him the best in his future endeavors and hope we'll still see him on the convention circuit. I'll be interested to see if he continues to create TTRPG material post WotC but I would love for him to start a lore podcast.

 

[MNblockhead]

Good for him. Only 57 so I wonder what’s next

Man, he looks great for 57. Maybe I need to buzz my hair and start wearing a cap.

 

[EthanSental]

Well dang, grats for retirement but I’ll miss his style and guidance. He’d be a DM I wish I could play a few sessions with as I’ve enjoyed the Acq Inc 4th and 5th edition live plays on YouTube.

 

[dave2008]

However, I am impressed that he managed to last 28 years with the same company. I’ll be interested to see if he gets a new job somewhere else (either in the RPG space or something completely different) or whether he really is retiring.

He specifically said he is retiring from WotC, that could mean simply "retiring," or that he just is finished with working on D&D.

 

[Echohawk]

I once signed a letter to Dungeon as "The Anti-Perkins" but I can no longer remember which issue it was printed in (I never had it).

Looks like it was printed in Dungeon #87:

 

[darjr]

@el-remmen did you love it?

 

[pukunui]

He specifically said he is retiring from WotC, that could mean simply "retiring," or that he just is finished with working on D&D.

Exactly. I am curious to know which it is.

 

[Shawn Kehoe]

He specifically said he is retiring from WotC, that could mean simply "retiring," or that he just is finished with working on D&D.

He’s Canadian, so he might just want to leave the US.

 

[Stormonu]

I got to meet and interact with Chris a year or two prior at the WotC game camp in Seattle in 1998. A really great fellow to interact with (and very, very patient!), and a hell of an editor.

A memory from that camp...

Spoiler

When we were spitballing adventure ideas, I came up with an idea for an arctic adventure that got published in Dungeon #78. I remember when he heard the pitch he was very enthusiast and saw it as a chance to include a Remorhaz in the adventure. I just shook my head - "10-100 points of damage for touching it - not to mention instant death on a critical bite; that's just too random." I remember how crestfallen he was at that, but the adventure got published - without a Remorhaz in it.

 

[el-remmen]

Looks like it was printed in Dungeon #87:
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Oh wow! I have been looking for this letter for years! I couldn’t remember when I wrote it and thought it was at the end of 2E, not a year into 3e! Thanks for sharing it, @Echohawk!

@el-remmen did you love it?