As one of the keepers of Chaosium’s archives, I cannot remember a day that didn’t involve Greg Stafford in some fashion or another. Every piece of paper from the days of yore either was written by him, reviewed by him, and/or signed by him. He involved himself in every aspect of our company from its inception in 1975 until that fateful day five years ago when he made his last journey to other side. Since his death we still feel his influence. Many of us use the phrase “what would Greg do?” when faced with a difficult decision or in need of a bit of inspiration.
These last few months include some poignant examples of how much he remains a part of what Chaosium does. The Pendragon Starter Set published this summer bears his name on the front cover. It was one of Greg’s last projects, and the culmination of decades of his work. The same could be said of the RuneQuest Cults books being published over the next few months. Greg and Jeff spent many countless sessions working on the series of books cataloging the lore Greg first dreamt of in 1966 and enriched over the following half-century. As the curators of his body of work, we continue to work on his vision for them and remain true to it.
Most of my Out of the Suitcase posts include Greg by name. I hadn’t thought about it until writing this that the Meints Index to Glorantha mentions him on most of its pages as well. All the “classic” Call of Cthulhu and RuneQuest material we rereleased in the last few years – still recognised as some of the most engaging and innovative TTRPG products of all time – have his name in the credits too. These are but a few examples of how his influence is still present.
While there may be a twinge of sadness each time we think of Greg, the smiles and fond memories far outweigh it. As we approach Chaosium’s 50th Anniversary we know his spirit and influence will remain undiminished. He left us five years ago today, but only in body.
Vale Greg!
-- Chaosium founder Greg Stafford (rear), with the four principals of Moon Design Publications
(L-R Michael O'Brien, Neil Robinson, Rick Meints, and Jeff Richard),
who joined the Chaosium ownership in 2015 --
-- "May Issaries guide your path" – Rick's signed copy of Cults of Prax --
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