Who has made D&D great?

[Fifth Element]

In your opinion, what designers/developers/authors/artists/etc have made D&D great over the years, OTHER THAN GARY GYGAX (which is a given, I think)?

 

[Stormtower]

James Jacobs and Rich Baker have to get a mention here for their work on Red Hand of Doom. The module is challenging, entertaining and IMO represents some of the best 3.5 adventure work out there. I think we will look back on RHoD as one of the classics of 3.5e many years from now, that it will become one of the most fondly remembered and iconic modules of its time.

 

[Darkwolf71]

Monte Cook.
Ed Greenwood. I don't care so much for what The Realms evolved into, but the original release was impressive.
Kieth Baker. I love Eberron.
Weis & Hickman. I'm not a huge fan of Dragonlance but again, the original material was incredible for it's time.

 

[Clavis]

Dave Arneson, of course.
Rob Kuntz
Tom Moldvay
Frank Metzner
Len Lakofka
Erol Otis
D.A. Trampier
Larry Elmore (even though I not a big fan of his art)

 

[Melan]

John Eric Holmes for the first introductory ruleset.
Tom Moldvay and David Cook, for their popular Basic-Expert sets.
Frank Mentzer for the same.
Behind the scenes people like Tim Kask.
Bob Bledsaw for pioneering the idea of selling gaming support material.
David Hargrave for taking the game in directions nobody would have suspected.

Also, I don't think we can deny the enormous role David C. Sutherland III., Dave Trampier, erol Otus and other early TSR artists have played in influencing the popular imagination of roleplayers. Why are hobgoblins kinda-Japanese? Because DCS drew them that way. Why do white dragons have a crest on their heads, and why are black dragons a bit skeletal in the same area? Because DCS drew them that way. (etc.)

 

[Asmor]

Eric Noah, Morrus, Piratecat, etc.

 

[Keith Robinson]

For those of us in the UK: Don Turnbull

Not only did he have an impact on D&D in general (the Fiend Factory column in early White Dwarf which leant its weight to the original Fiend Folio, as well as the excellent Sinister Secret of Salt Marsh, Danger at Dunwater and The Final Enemy, plus Beyond the Crystal Cave), but he had a huge impact here in the UK, where he was head of TSR UK and editor of Imagine Magazine.

He sadly passed away in 2003, but is not forgotten.

 

[WayneLigon]

Tracy and Laura Hickman, for creating the first TSR modules (Rahasia, Ravenloft) that were not cookie-cutter dungeon crawls but actually had some weighty story behind them.

Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss for creating the first shared-world D&D series with Dragonlance.

Don Turnbull - Excellent choice. The UK modules were sadly marginalized when they should have set the standard for graphic and map presentation in a gaming product.

Monte Cook, for all-around excellence.

The entire 3E design team.

 

[an_idol_mind]

I'd say Peter Adkison gets credit for saving the game from a nasty demise, and also for his part in the creation of 3rd edition.

 

[dogoftheunderworld]

Ryan Dancey and everyone else who had a hand in the OGL.