David J. Ritchie
American game designer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
David James Ritchie (October 6, 1950[1] – September 6, 2009[2]) was a game designer and author.
David J. Ritchie | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 6, 1950 |
| Died | September 6, 2009 (aged 58) Connecticut, US |
| Occupation | Game designer |
Early life and education
David Ritchie was a Canton, Ohio native who graduated from Lehman High School in Canton and then went to Grove City College in Pennsylvania where he met Deborah, who he later married.[2]
Career
David Ritchie was working for Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) when it was taken over by TSR in March 1982.[3]: 14 In the following months, as SPI employees either quit or were fired, Ritchie became the last remaining holdover from SPI.[3]: 14 He designed The Omega War in his final months at SPI,[4] before leaving in late 1983 to work for Coleco.[3]: 14 Ritchie, along with Jon Pickens, David "Zeb" Cook, Harold Johnson, Rick Swan, and Ed Carmien, co-wrote the adventure module OA2 Night of the Seven Swords.[5] Ritchie and Dave Arneson wrote a series of four adventures that further detailed the world of Blackmoor which Arneson had created, and they were published by TSR as DA1: Adventures in Blackmoor (1986), DA2: Temple of the Frog (1986), DA3: City of the Gods (1987) and DA4: The Duchy of Ten (1987).[3]: 388
Ritchie wrote the 1991 book Connecticut: Off the Beaten Path with his wife, Deborah.[6]
Ritchie died in his Connecticut home on September 6, 2009, at the age of 58.[2]