D&D General Industry Veteran Jennell Jaquays Passes

Jennell Jaquays was an important figure in the development of Dungeons & Dragons and the tabletop roleplaying game industry. She passed away today at the age of 68. Known for her work on Dark Tower and Caverns of Thracia, she was a game designer and artist; she was responsible for many RPG covers, including Dragon Mountain. Jennell worked for TSR, Judges Guild, and Chaosium, amongst others, as well as video game companies, working on Quake and Age of Empires, and was also an activist for trans rights, instrumental in bringing about important legislation as creative director for the Transgender Human Rights Institute. Jenny had been suffering from Guillain-Barré syndrome in recent years.

Our condolences go out to Jennell's friends and family. The industry lost a legend today.

 

[SteveC]

This is really sad news. I remember looking at the Dark Tower adventure and just having a "wow" moment. And there were so many more over the years.

 

[Blue Orange]

Her Savage Frontier is one of the best rpg books I’ve ever read. May she rest in peace.

I remember playing the Savage Frontier games on PC back in the 90s, they really felt like places even though they were 16x16 (I think?).

RIP.

 

[mserabian]

and she co-wrote one of the greatest sandbox campaigns ever: Griffen Mountain (for RuneQuest). She will be missed and remembered.

 

[Distracted DM]

Oh sht. RIP. She was one of the greats.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Heartbreaking. Though I'm now a big fan of it, I didn't know her Judges Guild work until far later in life. But the Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide helped me grow as a DM. At a time when DMing advice was still frequently non-existent or bad, that book was absolutely a quantum leap forward for me.

 

[MGibster]

I didn't know who she was until I started seeing her name pop up in threads over the last few years. That's a not a dig against Jacquays, it's just that I never took a keen interest in who was making the games I loved when I was younger. It's amazing to me how people you've never met or might even be aware of nontheless managed to have a profound impact on the games you love to play.

 

[General_Tangent]

I was a big fan of the cover of the Dragon Mountain book, it really leapt out at me with the vivid colours and how lifelike the red dragon appeared.

 

[Stormonu]

I was not aware she did art as well as writing. She will be surely missed.

 

[Quickleaf]

She did so much for our hobby. An artist, a writer, an activist. My condolences to friends and family.

 

[timbannock]

RIP. Caverns of Thracia is still my favorite megadungeon by far. Here's hoping we're still getting a Goodman Games OAR release of it.