Erick Wujcik
This website is dedicated to Erick Wujcik, game designer, writer, artist, originator of ideas, thinker and kind soul. Friend to countless people and an inspiration to thousands upon thousands more.
He is one of my dearest friends, so it is with a heavy heart that I report Erick Wujcik, age 56, is dying of cancer.
Until a few weeks ago, Erick was healthy and doing fine. He was enjoying his work at Totally Games, a videogame company, when he thought he had come down with the flu. When he couldn’t shake it, he went to the doctors. The prognosis was unexpected, to say the least. Pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver. There was no advance warning. It was a shock. Erick presses forward with the willful exuberance he has exhibited all his life.
We thought about letting people know after Christmas, but Erick’s time is, all too quickly, running out.
We thought it would be wonderful to give the millions of people who have loved the man and enjoyed his games, the opportunity to express their appreciation for him and his work. I have no doubt your comments and remembrances will put a smile on Erick’s face and help his spirit soar.
While this is sad news that weighs heavily on our hearts, we’d like this website, and the comments posted on it, to be a celebration of Erick’s wonderful life.
Just as you did when Palladium announced its Crisis of Treachery, let Erick know how much you have enjoyed his games and ideas. How Ninja Turtles (or Amber or whatever) turned you on to gaming or opened up your mind to new possibilities, and similar commentaries, thoughts and regards. I know your kind words and warm remembrances will put a smile on his face and warm his soul.
We’ve chosen to go with a blog style. Post as often as you’d like. Share your recollections about encounters with Erick, the first time you heard him speak or met him at a convention, what he and his work have meant to you, funny convention stories, and whatever else feels right.
The Erick I know
I’ve often said two things about Erick Wujcik, 1) that he is a true game designing genius, and 2) that he is a true Bohemian.
The game design genius. I’ve known a great many people who have claimed to be a genius at game design or covet the title, but Erick really is a genius, at least when it comes to game design. He mastered the art of storytelling and understands the dynamics of game design better than anyone I’ve ever met. Erick has created more great games that have never been completed and published than most game designers dream about.
That drives me and others a little crazy, because Erick’s quick mind leaps from one great idea to the next with the exuberance of a child lunging from one present to the next on Christmas Day. Like that child, he is enthralled with his new toy – new idea – until something else catches his attention. Unfortunately, that sometimes means his great ideas are left unfinished, but boy, are they exciting, and I’ve had the privilege of hearing many of them.
That’s the other aspect of Erick’s genius, his enthusiasm and hunger for new ideas, and desire to stretch the boundaries of convention, is contagious. He can get you (certainly me) excited and going with an idea faster than anyone I know. To Erick, there are no limits or boundaries. “Why not” and “what if” and “how about” are essential parts of Erick’s vocabulary. If you float an idea or notion of any merit, he seizes it and starts to postulate on its premise and potential. “That’s cool, but what if . . .”
I cannot tell you how often Erick and I would feed on each other, throwing out ideas and building on suggestions and excitement until we both collapsed laughing and exhausted. Sometimes those idea sessions (often impromptu) went nowhere other than fun, playful mental exercises. Other times they’d lead to new perceptions, new realms of possibility, and published works or a personal epiphany.
Erick helped me fine-tune parts of the Palladium role-playing game universal game system way back when. Not at some office (heck, we were both working out of our homes), but at a laundromat on Michigan Avenue in southwest Detroit. I was second guessing myself and frustrated. Erick had to wash his clothes. So we met at a place near my house and chatted about character creation, the elements that made them fun, which attributes were necessary, were eight too many, etc., while waiting for his clothes to wash and folding his shirts. The people around us must have thought we were crazy. So did my ex-wife when Erick would “drop by for an hour” at 8:00 P.M. to talk about a new idea or something he read, and at midnight he and I would be still be going strong, excitedly talking about . . . god only knows till the wee hours of the morning. Awesome. By then we would have moved well beyond the original reason he stopped by. I love talking to Erick about anything and everything. From game and story ideas or new concepts, to the application of psychology or technology or theology, to personal thoughts, fears, dreams and aspirations.
Erick the Bohemian. I call Erick a true Bohemian, because I don’t think I know anybody who enjoys life more deeply than Erick. He loves meeting new people, visiting new places, exploring new ideas, tasting new food, and taking in everything and everyone around him. Furthermore, his personal circumstances are always secondary to his enjoyment of his surroundings and the people in them. Erick’s sense of wonder is endless. We’re similar in that regard, as we both love new ideas and quickly see the endless possibilities they represent. But Erick simply immerses himself in them and floats along just enjoying wherever they may take him. He’s not necessarily looking to figure out how to apply them or exploit them, at least not at that moment of discovery, he’s simply adrift in them and soaking in all they have to offer.
Money, fame and recognition are nice, and Erick isn’t going to turn any of them away, but they aren’t necessities. Rich or poor, Erick has never changed. Maybe he enjoys a little more luxury, but it’s the experience of interacting with people, the exchange of ideas and sheer pleasure of experiencing something new that brings Erick joy. That, and creating and inspiring others to push the envelope and imagine beyond the known limits.
Gosh, there are so many stories I could tell, but I’ll stop here, for now. While I’m smiling, ear to ear, in the warmth of my friendship.
On behalf of Erick Wujcik and his many friends and admirers,
– Kevin Siembieda – December 22, 2007
Publisher and owner of Palladium Books® Inc., game designer, writer, artist and lucky son of gun for having Erick Wujcik as one of my dearest friends for nearly 30 years. Your light will live on, Erick, in your published works and in the hearts and minds of the multitude of people whose souls you have touched and made better for it. Love ya.
Cal Rea
I first met Erick at Gen Con oh so many years ago. I met him by lurking at the Amber table. The world of Amber and I have always started thus. Lurking. When I was six, the head librarian thought it was inappropriate for children to read adult books. So I lurked behind the tables and snuck up to the science fiction shelves to filch a book (so I could hide it in the pile of children’s books and, hopefully, get it past the harpy at the front desk). Being near the ground I ended up near the end of the alphabet, so I took the last book on the shelf. Something called Nine Princes in Amber by someone named Roger Zelazny.
Decades later, there I was again. Lurking. I had learned something in the intervening years. I had graduated to hiding in plain sight by trying to be good company. Helpful even. Lurking through ingratiation. I was less subtle than I thought (as I often am) and must have been showing my desire to play the game (I had already bought and read the rules). And the chance to play the game with the guy WHO WROTE IT must have been etched into my face. When Erick came by to gather up a mixed crop of old troopers and new victims… err… I mean “players”. One of the people I had been ineptly schmoozing with held up my arm and said, “Erick! Here’s another one!” Erick just nodded, counted heads, told me I was in and I followed dazedly along to the hotel suite where we started character creation.
That was the first of several characters I created with Erick. Probably the least memorable of all of them. I have to work to remember his name. It’s around here somewhere in a file. (Of course I kept it. Are you kidding? There was always the (sometimes realized) chance we would be playing that game again.) I have also failed him completely by being assigned the role of “voice of reason” in helping newer players in the infamous auction style character creation process, then getting into a bidding war with Lester Smith that ended with Erick having to reverse some of the character buy rules to account for all the problems with which I had saddled my new creation. And I remember the pride I felt when Erick and I, working together, actually managed to disturb ourselves and appall everyone else in the room with a character going off into a very strange, dark and alien place (the infamous Meat Pattern).
But Erick’s effects on me go on past the fun I had in his games. Erick both as himself and through the game he created changed the way I played games, made up games and even how I thought about games. He turned me into a true storyteller. Which has been something of immeasurable value. It has served me past the gaming table and into my work reconstructing the past when I was an archaeologist and on into the court room as an attorney and perhaps, onwards to being a writer of stories myself one day.
anneharris
Like so many who have posted here, I’ve been privileged to know Erick and benefit from his advice and his energy and enthusiasm. I was in the TNTGW game that ran next to Erick’s at many gaming centers for many years. When I became published, Erick gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever gotten. Though our work together on a game supplement for Amber never quite reached completion (my bad, and my regret) we had fun with it while it lasted. I’m still stunned at this news and searching for words to express myself. My thoughts are with you Erick, and as this site so abundantly demonstrates, you have had a profound impact on many, many lives, and nothing could be a better testimony to a life well-lived.
pantherviking
TMNT was the very 1st RPG I ever bought. I was 11. I didn’t know it was part of anything grander or greater, I just knew it looked $%$#$ cool. If I had never bought that game or was consistently drawn back to rpg’s because of the love it gave me of the game. I never would have met so many wonderful people and lifelong friends. I never would have struck my imagination so much as to believe a Rabbit could mutate and hold a sword, it ignited a passion for writing, while not successful by any means, I still enjoy on a personal level.
It’s funny how so little a thing as a crazy little RPG based on an even crazier comic book can actually direct someone in their endeavors.
My thoughts are with you sir and all of your family members. I hope we meet sometime in this lifetime or the next with a bag of dice and enough BIO-E to kick some @$$!
VaticanT
When I was 12, I borrowed TMNT the RPG from the library, in the middle of the TMNT craze. The RPG led me into the comic books, and I re-borrowed it from the library so many times that the Librarians started giving me dark looks. In the end I trekked to the other side of the city (it was a big adventure for me when I was 14) to buy my own copy. Subsequently, I bought every other book in the line, and loved ’em all. I played the living crap out TMNT, and loved it like nothing else. I still think Transdimensional Turtles is one of the greatest game books ever written. You gave me an amazing amount of gaming joy, in a hard part of my life, and I hope you take the thought that there must have been literally thousands of me’s out there too. Few people get to say that they’ve brought joy into thousands of people’s lives, but you definitely can.
Po Ling
Erick,
I met you just one time, but it was one of my fondest gaming memories. It was GenCon 2004, and Rifts China 2 had just been released. You ran a game on Saturday, with just my friend and I as players. I was Po Ling, the Goblin Wrangler, who joined with my buddy’s Goblin Wrangler (whose name I forgot), and our servant, Fen Lo, the pig demon. Even with just the three of us at that table in the exhibitor’s hall, it was a great time, and I knew that I was in the presence of someone who truly deserved the title of Game MASTER.
You invited us back to continue the adventure on Sunday, and we were there. For that session, we were joined by Joel Levise (who posted earlier) and his girlfriend, and once again, a great time was had by all. Read Joel’s post for an excellent description; he stated it better than I could. I’ll always treasure my China 2 book, with the words written by you on the title page, “For Jake, who I’ll always know as Po Ling, master of Fen Lo. Enjoy China 2! Erick Wujcik, GenCon 2004.”
Although those two days were some of the highlights of my gaming hobby, I’ve also had countless hours of fun just reading your work and playing games using it. Although I’ve never played Amber, your Palladium stuff is pure gold. Ironically, or poetically, or fittingly (or whatever term one might use), I just recently acquired the TMNT Guide to the Universe, which was the last book I needed to complete the series. There was so much wonderful stuff packed into just 48 pages, and I was reminded of just how awesome and fun your work is.
You are truly a giant in this often crazy hobby of ours, and you will not be soon forgotten. I wish you all the best in this difficult time.
Sincerely, Jake Marsh
Render
I was fortunate enough to meet Erick on a few occasions, and I was struck by his friendliness, enthusiasm and wit. He raised the bar for me as a GM and a player–always keeping us on our toes in his games and encouraging us to think about what might be possible in our own.
What struck me about the Amber DRPG was not that it was diceless, but that it encouraged the reader to make each game uniquely their own. It didn’t just admit you could change the rules or setting if you wanted to, it insisted and gave you three versions of every ‘truth’ to get you started.
I only got to play in one of Erick’s Amber game sessions. He let us make our ultimate villains, if we were going to run a game–mine a Prince who mucked about with the dark areas between the lines of the Pattern–and then made us play them as young children. And naturally, we had to ask our most difficult and untrustworthy ‘future’ selves for help in the crisis that followed. I’ve never know someone who could play so many NPCs so vividly–and with no time to prepare, at that. The game was hilarious and nail-biting by turns. Come the end, a nameless monster was devouring the Pattern from the center out, one step at a time–and I threw the only weapon I had at it and missed. So I inched out into the dark between the lines for the first time, palmed the weapon my future self had given me, and gave the monster my hand and the trap. Erick paused just long enough to smile and say something like, “Hey, that’s clever,” and we went from disaster to desperately saving the day. I felt like an epic story had come full circle in one evening–plenty of long, carefully planned games never manage that, but Erick is a master of improvisation.
I’m glad I got to meet you, Erick. There is never enough time, but people like you make the time we have brighter.
Gabe_G
Growing up, I was spoiled enough to have Erick gamemaster some of my first RPG sessions. My friend’s father was a good old friend of Erick’s and he would sometimes come to Wisconsin and run games for a group of elementary school kids. He was a great storyteller and ran fun, complex games – even for such young kids. Unlike many adults I knew, I never felt like Erick looked down on us or condescended to us. Those were some amazing times. I didn’t even realize at the time that Erick had designed the games we were playing. As I read his work, I grew to be a big fan and learned to appreciate Erick’s sessions even more. Learning about RPGs and fantasy and storytelling at that age was an incredibly formative experience and Erick and his work were a large part of it.
Later on, when I was in high school, I was at GenCon when I found out that a video I made had won a little award. When Erick heard about it he was very excited for me. Though he barely knew me, he was asking me questions and asking about my interest in film and encouraging me to pursue it. It meant so much for such a great storyteller to take interest in me and for him to be encouraging my creative hobby. I count myself lucky to be able to take inspiration from both Erick’s work and from Erick himself.
Thanks you so much for all the fun you caused, Erick. It was such a pleasure playing with you. I wish you the best!
GodPidgeon
Its not exaggeration to state that Erick Wujcik is responsible for more of my all time favorite RPG supplements than any other author. Ninjas and Superspies was part of the very first RPG purchase I made. Even after close to 15 years, it remains one of the most used and read books in my now vast Palladium Books library. Adventures on the high seas for the Palladium FRPG was EASILY my favorite supplement for that game. The TMNT books, especially the guide to the universe, also hold a special place in my heart. Looking back on his works and what I loved about them…the Martial arts, the Ships, the Strangeness…I really feel a connection with this man I’ve never met. Mr. Wujcik, I hope you read these comments, because I just want you to know that no matter how this battle with cancer turns out, your works will always have a special place on my bookshelf. One day, when I have little dice slingers of my own to teach the game to, they too will know the name of Erick Wujcik.
Nathan Franklin
Erick,
I’m greatly saddened to hear this news. The times we talked were always thought provoking and encouraging, and you introduced me to many new sources of inspiration. I have a huge stack of books sitting here that you recommended and I still go back to the TED site to watch a random talk from time to time. Thank you for everything you’ve shared. I really wish that I had been able to be more open and taken the time to get to know you better. You are in my thoughts and I wish you well.
Nathan
Aethon
Erick,
I’ve always preferred running games to playing them and Amber was my poison of choice. I’ve had the fortune to run several games at the Ambercon UK and the most memorible compliment that I received was when I was told that we had similar GM styles. Wish I could have got over to the ‘States to see you in action before now.
I’ve a ton of great memories, both from conventions and RP sessions, that can all be attributed to you. Thank you, I would be much poorer without them.
Sethra007
Erick,
You were one of the first game designers I was ever exposed to outside of D&D. I admire your work and thank you for all the fun you’ve given me over the years.
Please: keep hope alive as you fight against this cancer. Cancer runs in my family so I understand your struggle. I also know that it’s not an automatic death sentence anymore. Get plenty of rest, ask your doctors questions if you don’t understand something, and remember that eating healthy gives your immune system bonuses on any cancer-related saving throws:
http://cancer.stanfordhospital.com/forPatients/services/nutrition/recipes/default
http://www.susunweed.com/A_Recipe_ImmuneSoup.htm
Again, thanks for all the years of gaming fun. And may God bless you and your family.
Dane Bramage
Erick,
Some friends and I had the pleasure of playing an Amber event with you at BashCon, a event we still talk about two decades later. I also had the priviledge of attending your seminar on the Roleplayer’s Manifesto at GenCon. That has influenced how I run and play games. Thank you.
David Blackwell
Erick,
I’ve known you for quite a few years now, in some ways, longer than you’ve known me. I first met you through your games. I remember running TMNT shortly after it was first published. As an avid reader and Zelazny fan, Amber Diceless was a must. I was momentarily leery of the idea of roleplaying without dice but quickly discovered that it lead to some of the best games I ever played.
I don’t remember whether I first met you in person at GenCon, or at Ambercon. Right now I’m drinking from the glass mug I got at Ambercon 5. For many years I saw you twice a year or more, and I had some great gaming experiences that involved you. I remember Simone Cooper’s GenCon game, just after Shadow Knight came out. I told her I wanted to play an incorporeal intelligence from the Abyss, promptly encountered a strange object and got sucked into it. The look on your face when you realized your construct had not only developed a Psyche, but was another player, was priceless. The “I’m going to get you for this” look you gave Simone a moment later was just as entertaining.
I’ve run your unpublished Zelaforming Unit One scenario twice, on the basis of a five minute description you once gave me. It was different and interesting both times. I remember two of your Hard Science games, one at Eclipse, where my character created a universe in a night of inebriated inspiration, and another at Gen Con with about sixty other players, where I spoke to you for about two minutes and then enjoyed 5 hours of intense and emotional roleplaying that never once required me to talk to the Gamemaster. I remember you saying afterward that you weren’t sure if that was a good thing or not… it was good Erick.
But the single most memorable gaming experience I’ve shared with you has to be your Ghenesh game. I started the game with a couple other players a year or two in, and I really enjoyed the setting. I made up a character, Jheram, who was egotistical, self-centered, and controlling. I remember during that first session you described the stairs to the holy city, and the ritual that some Ahduce holy men conducted, going up the spiral stairs by impaling themselves on the railing, unscrewing supports, pulling themselves up the rail, and screwing the supports back in behind them. You referred to it, off hand, as going up the stairs the hard way, and said it was the one way to become an Ahduce quickly, or die trying… all the other methods took years.
Two years later, having driven himself nearly mad in his quest for power over the hearts and minds of men, and realizing that only the Ahduce seemed to have overcome a weakness that he was now constantly aware of in everyone, even himself, he made his way to the central plaza during a rally, and I told you he was going up the stairs the hard way. I was amused that I had to explain what I meant, and the look that came over you when you realized a player was doing something you hadn’t imagined any of us would ever try, well, you put that enthusiasm to good use roleplaying the reactions of the crowd. I became an Ahduce on the 17th step. There are over a 1000; I suppose I’ll never know how many. In subsequent years, as long as the campaign lasted, my character was still on the stairs. He survived an attack by demon warriors, defeating them in a way no one expected, and he became the kind of person who was willing to risk his own death to save his brother’s soul. He is without a doubt the most dramatically and extensively developed character I have ever had the opportunity to roleplay, and I cherish that experience.
I’ve taken quite a few aspects of my attitude and philosophy, as a gamer, as a gamemaster, and as a person, from ideas I got from you, or simply by following your example. Three years ago I lost my father to cancer, but he fought it for years before that, and until the last few days his quality of life was still very good. I remember sitting through chemo sessions with him, and bringing my laptop and later a smaller DVD player so that he could watch movies during the session, or sometimes just talking. He had a great sense of humor, and kept the staff at the treatment center laughing when he was there. I am sure you must also be an entertaining patient. Whether you have a month, a year, or a decade, I know you will be milking every last drop of joy out of each and every day. You are just that kind of guy.
Your friend,
David Blackwell
Janne Jalkanen
Erick,
you are the only person for whom I’ve missed the annual naked wrestling event of Ropecon. In that hour, you taught me more about gamemastering than anyone else ever. Thank you so much.
I’ll miss you.
/Janne
Mike Yates
Erick,
I met you at Ambercon 4, I think I was 19. You were a mysterious figure the first couple years…the game designing Giant, whose games I couldn’t get into because they were packed.
Over the years the mystery faded. You told me about your t-shirt printing nuns and other trade secrets. You complimented my when I broke into gaming for other companies and teased me for working on games for kids.
For everyone else, here is my favorite Erick Wujcik story;
In 1999, I had very little money for Gencon. I decided to print up a t-shirt and sell it out of my backpack to try to make enough to cover my con costs. STAR WARS Episode I had come out that year and I fell hard into one camp of opinion. So my t-shirt simply said in star-wards font “Episode I SUCKED ASS”.
I showed Erick the shirt, who seemed to love it. We talked about printing for a while, and then Erick light up like he was eight and it was Christmas morning.
He spotted the guy that played captain of the guard from Episode I signing autographs about two rows away. “Give him a shirt! Give him a shirt!” Erick insisted I give this actor one of the SUCKED ASS shirts.
Admittedly, I was slightly reluctant at the time, but Erick was giddy as a schoolgirl…I couldn’t disappoint him. I waited in line and gave the guy the shirt. It was awkward, to say the least, and he didn’t know quite how to take it. I told him I thought the movie was great, and headed back to Erick.
I could see all the way from the signing table that Erick had been watching me and was laughing like a hyena. He was thrilled beyond belief. When I got back to Erick’s booth, he pointed out to me that now there was a chance -however small- that Lucas might see the shirt.
I had never before, or since, seen Erick laugh like that in my life.
I’m wishing you the best Erick, and it’s not all over until the fat lady sings. Let’s make that tubby bitch work for her time in the spotlight.
With you in fighting spirit,
Michael Yates
PaulofCthulhu
This is very sad news, but I wanted to thank you for all the many hours of fun and entertainment that you provided both myself and my friends in the UK over many years. You won’t know us, but you allowed us to have so may great memories through your games. Thank you, and I wish you the very best in your fight against this terrible disease.
Mary Williams
Beautiful Erick! It’s Mary, of the Joe and Mary duo. Erick, I only “got my foot in the door” through your gaming side: I’m addressing Erick the Bohemian. But first:
Joe and I met Erick because he was the mentor of a couple of gaming guys who worked for Joe. Our friends are not the only folks he’s mentored, of course! Erick, you mentored us in so many ways. Your facilitating our living a year in Hong Kong will continue to be one of the most profound contributions to my life.
Erick, you probably already know how much you mean to me and my family. You and Kay are role models!
I have a funny fantasy involving you and the Chunking Mansions in Hong Kong. Anyone who has been there knows how weird that could be… it involves your coolness and ability to stride into new situations with charisma, grace, and intelligence. I don’t think I ever even played a game with you. I didn’t need to to know that you’re the real deal. –Mary Williams
james.browningii
We’ve never met.
Sadly, we probably never will.
I missed the Palladium open house this year…and that chance.
You don’t know me and I don’t know you but you’ve had a big impact on my life and the lives of countless friends of mine.
Every time we bellied up to the table you were there with us.
We’ve fought countless battles together.
We’ve braved evils the likes of which this world will never know.
We’ve discovered countless priceless treasures and unraveled mysteries and uncovered secrets fantastic enough to destroy the minds of mere men.
Every victory we raised our voices in triumph together.
During every hard fight our battle cries rang clear.
You have lifted our spirits during the hard times.
You have lit our hearts afire during the good times.
You have calmed our fears by being there.
There were times when the odds overcame us and we were overwhelmed, engulfed, extinguished, only to rise anew.
Just as the stories of our adventures shall live on, stronger and more real with each telling so will your legacy, your spirit, your heart.
As we have many times before, we will emerge victorious from the rubble and the ashes.
Yet this time will be different.
Now you shall accompany us forever. You will be the shadow that follows our footsteps, the sun that warms our faces.
You will never be truly gone.
You are with us every time we embark.
Just as you have been, you will always be.
By our side.
You have given us joy and taught us the power of imagination.
Thank you. Our lives wouldn’t be the same without your brilliance.
You have brought us together. You have been the catalyst for our adventures over the years.
Every time we roll the dice we will remember you. You will always have a place at our table.
You will live on as strong as ever through gamers like us everywhere.
The world will not be the same without you.
Wishing you the best. (A warrior never quits fighting and magic happens everywhere!)
James Browning II
njloof
I met Erick in Hong Kong, through Joe and Mary Williams (hi, Mary!). Here was a man that hardly knew me, and he was incredibly generous with his time, taking me all over Hong Kong to see the sights and show me everything he loved about being in this faraway place. His energy and high spirits were infectious and amazing.
Erick, I can’t thank you enough for helping me during a very difficult time in my life. You gave me hope that I could have fun again. Thanks, ya big gwai-loh.
SightblinderX
Eric Wujcik…
Without him, I’d never have found Palladium Books. TMNT was the second RPG I ever played, and I loved it. N&SS is one of my favorite Palladium RPGs next to that… finding out today that the writer has tread upon dark times makes me feel ill. Ill and sad.
I wish i could have met the man in person, but I’d like to think I know a smidge about him from his works…
Hang in there Eric…
drewemeyer
It sounds like I would enjoy meeting Erick. I hope I have the opportunity to do so.
I am in the middle of a Rifts game with a story arc that truly bends the mind. I repeat it for Erick’s enjoyment:
I (a total conversion ‘borg ((South America 2)) and “Diana” (a more than slightly mixedup refugee from Tolkeen who just happens to have a possession pact with Loki) wander into a NEMA base that just happens to be commanded by Lindsay Sawyer. It gets better: this base just happens to be in the path of Coalition forces on their way to “deal with” the Federation of Magic. Sawyer’s comment: “We will teach the Coalition what it means to be truly American.”
The game master behind all of this is my roommate. So what does all of this have to do with the present situation? Erick is a favorite author of my roommate. Erick also appears to be a major player in the task of keeping Palladium alive. So the above scenario may be credited in part to him as well…it is the kind of thing that, from all of the comments, Erick would enjoy. So Erick, enjoy it, get a chuckle out of it. Thank you for all of the hard work. Godspeed.
Jolly_Blackburn
I can’t find the words.
My thoughts have been on you Erick these past few days since hearing the news. I thought would find the appropriate words and post them here. But I have nothing.
Huge fan of your work for years. Seems like your name came up in every conversation I’ve ever had with Kevin. There was never any question about it. You’re the man.
We met briefly a few years ago at GenCon. I could hardly contain my the fanboy in me — thrilled to be meeting someone I’ve admired for so long.
I’m not writing you off just yet. Still hoping you kick the big “C’ right in the crotch and prove those doctors wrong.
Godspeed.
jolly blackburn
dead_tom
I don’t know you, Erick. But when I was in junior high, your work — first on TMNT, then other books — made my life more fun. And it stuck with me. Your work made my world a better place. Thank you.
Kevin Gormley
… The very first paper & Pencil game that I played was TMNT & Other Strangeness way back in 1987. I have played P&P ever since. I have never met you or the others at Palladium (Sadly) but your names were always spoken with respect. Erick, I just wanted to let you know that your work and creativity made my life better. It opened up doorways for my imagination to escape and to soar.
… Thankyou very very much Eric Wujcik … Good journey.
Natural 20!!!
Mannfys
Thank you for all of your creativity and passion for gaming and storytelling. Your work has enriched the texts of Palladium Books and Role Playing in general for years, and I for one am very appreciative of it. Your efforts in Ninjas and Superspies yielded one of the best and most underrated RPGs that I have ever had the pleasure of playing, and your contributions to Rifts (my personal favorite RPG of all time) made the world an even more interesting and fleshed-out setting for the best campaigns that I have ever ran. From the heart, thank you.
Mannfys~
JohnnyRyce
Mr. Wujcik,
I am another incredible fan of what you have brought to role-playing. You games and the supplements that you wrote for other games have represented some of the finest moments of role-playing me and my friends ever experienced. I have enjoyed your work for over twenty years now… wow, that’s a long time. What is wonderful about your work is that it is so open-ended and created to support others imaginations… not force some pre-conceived notion of how a game world should look onto players and gamemasters.
Heh, now that I am thinking about it, there are so many great gaming memories associated with your work. After Ninja & Superspies came out, I refused to play in any Palladium campaigns unless they included your martial arts system. They added such a depth and richness to all of our campaign worlds. Whether is was my tae-kwon-do cyborg, my kyokushinkai karate dog pack, my thai-kickboxing movie star… man those were good times. Ninjas & Superspies actually catalyzed me to later start taking martial arts… no kidding! I ended up studying Tien Shen Pai Northern Style Kung Fu and Tai Chi for several years and I doubt I would’ve done that without the seed your games planted in my head.
Heh, I remember one time we were playing the first night of a new TMNT campaign, and our over-excited GM was acting out a fight sequence when he accidentally kicked out a window in the college classroom building we were using. We laugh about it now, but boy, did we clear out of that room quick! We never did play that campaign again, but the characters were so rich that even one night with them was enough to burn them into my imagination (Caliban, Mr. Spank and Mr. Boo Boo, if anyone out there wants to quiz me :))
And this doesn’t even touch on the amazing work of Amber. Talk about letting your imagination run wild! And the true genius behind it, was the multiple NPCs the GM could choose from. Even within the confide of a pre-existing universe, you worked incredibly hard to give players and GMs the freedom to create something new. You games give people a chance to feel ownership of something special.
I don’t role-play much anymore, but during college I spent every Sunday afternoon playing your games with the greatest gamers I have ever known, many of whom form the core of my close friends to this day. To have the chance to step away from all the problems of the real world and go save an imaginary one was such a catharsis. When the session ended for the day and we all trudged back to our dorms (or to buy 99 cents junior bacon cheeseburgers) all those real world problems didn’t seem so bad as they did the day before.
For all those moments of peace, contentment, fear, pride, excitement, awe, and friendship that your work provided for so so many years, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And I know I speak for all of those other gamers. You have made me a better gamer, a better gamemaster, a better game designer, and a better person.
Thank you again,
Mark Anticole
CathyK
Till chaos coils and shadows fall
We share our numbered hours and days.
Each precious brightness plucked and shared
May serve to keep the dark at bay.
So, looking back on certain hours,
It’s very clear where thanks are due.
Until the shadows fall for me
I’ll think with gratitude of you.
Andrew Gillespie
Erick, you have touched so many lives. I hope you can find comfort in the fact we will always remember you.
If I may ask though have you considered M.D. Anderson? I know they saved my grandmother from ovarian cancer twice and I would like to do everything I can to help.
I hope you are at peace and will not suffer. I will always remember you.
kairam
THANK YOU ERICK!
arenson9
ADRPG changed my life.
In a new city, I posted online for anyone who might be interested in Amber. Someone in London knew someone in Indianapolis who contacted me. You find the coolest people playing Amber …
Derek Kagemann
Just last night, I sat down with my copy of the TMNT RPG for the first time in years. I was thinking about putting together a game for my nephew and his friends. They are the same age that I was when I first played the game in Middle School. It was a difficult book to pick up. The guy who’d introduced me to it died not too long ago of a heroin overdose. He was one of my closest friends — more like family — and I’m still trying to figure out how to get by without him. Turning the pages brought back a flood of memories — wonderful memories of longstanding friendships and the amazing experiences that we shared. Having your book in hand, made dealing with the loss of my friend a little easier and put in my mind all of the best things about him. Thank you for that, Mr. Wujcik. You were part of what brought us together and so many happy memories stand upon that foundation you built for us. You gave me something very precious. God bless you.
Derek Kagemann
onemorbidpoet
When I was 16 years old, I think, I was introduced to my first ever roleplaying game, TMNT. I was blown away by the experience. I dove into roleplaying from then on, mainly those from Palladium. I am now 30 years old, and I still play and collect Rifts. I fancy myself a game designer/writer and only hope that I can be as good as Erick one day. I will miss his work and I know he will be missed by his friends. Anyone with that kind of talent has to be an extremely interesting person to know. Thank you for sharing your work with us, and God bless you, Erick.
Knakal
I met Erick in the 9th grade. We had I good friendship, but not being the most sensitive guy, I never really thought that much about it. I lost touch with Erick through the college years. Later, I noticed his Detroit News computer column. I managed to get a contact to him through that route eventually. Erick was busy, but said to come on down to the gaming center on Thursday and we could reconnect. I went to this old place and found Erick busy running a game with many people. I had never gamed or really knew anyone who had (too busy being an engineer), but that night Erick urged me to rollup a character. The players were helpful and I created Chartock the dwarf. I immediately got in the game that night. I didn’t think anything of it until later when I saw people trying to get in Ericks game for weeks. I don’t know if I would have come back if I hadn’t because I probably would have just assumed Erick wasn’t interested. Little did I know that would restart our friendship and lead to a multi-year gaming involvement.
I still remember at some point after I had been gaming with Erick and “Dragonwright” for a time, that Erick discribed me as his best friend. I was stunned, mostly because I never realized he felt that way. I have since realized that we really were very good friends. Erick has always been able to just accept me for who I am. That along with his natural outgoing spirit and basic kindness has caused me to highly value our friendship. I can’t think of a finer person to call “my friend”. Since then Erick has introduced me to GenCon and WorldCon. We have shared rooms and done lots of booth duty for Phage Press.
I have also come to realize that besides the magical world of Dragonwright and Amber, Erick has given me a portal to find and make new friends. Even though Thursday night gamers playing Dragonwright died when Erick had to move away to support himself, we kept on playing. Many of the original Thursday night players still get together every Thursday night and game. A number of us have taken a crack at GMing, and while not in Erick’s league, we still have a good time together. Having fun and being with friends is the name of the game no matter what system you use.
Erick never told me cancer ran in his family and while I deeply hope that he can beat this, I also know the chances are slim. No matter what happens, I am with you Erick, in spirit at least. Just ask and you have my help.
Tony Havok
Mr. Wujcik,
I spent a good amount of my teenage years role-playing, and a good chunk of that time was spent within the various Palladium universes. The games that you created (and the ones you helped to create) were the center of so many good times; too many to count, even. As I sit here and type this, my mind shuffles through the many characters that my brothers, friends, and I created to take part in adventure after adventure. So much laughter, so much howling at bad dice rolls (and high-fiving at the ‘god-rolls’), and oh so many bags of gummy bears and no-brand soda pop…
My brothers recently started their own game company, and I know that your games helped to sow the seeds of its growth. I’ve attended gaming conventions recently to help work the booths, and every time the memories are waiting for me like old friends as my eyes invariably find the TMNT and palladium game-books.
You provided an outlet to express creativity, build friendships, and most importantly, to have fun. Thank you for all of that. You’ve got a lot of fans out here, big guy.
Anthony Anticole
Ralph Lajara
My thought and prayers are with you.
I am a hugh fan of your work. I enjoyed meeting you and chatting with you at gencon back in the early ’90’s.
I know you can beat this.
Samaritan
My words here would seem so… hollow. Irrelevant. I’m just a gamer, another among many. I’ve never met Erick, but I know him through his work. TMNT and Ninjas & Superspies defined my early gaming years, the summers and weekends with my friends spent toiling over new campaigns and characters that his work gave us.
I lost a loved one to cancer a few months ago, so I have some inkling as to how hard this news must have hit home for some.
My thoughts and prayers for solace, peace, and comfort through difficult times are with Erick, his friends, and his loved ones.
ssptony
… I’m just a casual gamer. I haven’t played in years. I still recall the first time I picked up a copy of Ninjas at the store though, thinking “Finally! Someone’s making games for the REST of us.” All these years later, I can only imagine to think that for all the times people say things like “It’s just a game”, there are memories we attach to the games we play that will prosper forever in our minds as we reflect on better times. I hope that creating his games has given him as much joy as playing them did for me and my friends.
May the man who allowed me and my friends to become, if only briefly, the Martial arts warriors and espionage agents we dreamt of find in himself the solace of knowing that he touched many people through his work; in ways that transcend words, dice, pens, and paper. His touch was that of a friend and he was present in our games then as he is in our hearts now.
CommonDialog
I got to interview Erick for my podcast. It was ridiculously intimidating to interview the man who wrote one of the first RPGs I have ever played (TMNT) and one of my favorite of all time (Amber.) Depsite numerous hardware troubles, he never lost his sense of humor or his patience with me and I got the honor of recording one of the finest interview in my podcasting career.
Thanks Erick, for the games, the podcast, and the fun you inspired!
Alice
We’re two fans of Erick’s work, particularly regarding Amber. Thanks for everything you did, I never played RPG in the same way after having read Amber RPG!
Alice and Fabien (France)
khalils
man i’m so sorry to hear this news and obviously really late erick and kevin both unwittingly saved my life. there was a time when i was younger that i lead a double life one in the streets with other lost young men involved in low level crime trying to find an identity. and one with pens and paper and kids from my school some would call geek. most times they didnt conflict or intersect in anyway. but one night i was forced to make a choice hang out on the corner or role play rifts with my other friends. mainly because it was cold and also because my hatchling great horned dragon was about to level up i chose to play. that night the entire block where i usually hung out at got shot up. i lost 2 friends and i know had i been there i would have suffered a similer fate. i thought i would die by 21 and here i am still playing role playing games thanx. much appreciated
malcolm
Erick, just wanted to thank you – I met you when you visited Australia a couple of years ago and you ran a couple of fantastic games for us. You made me realise what was good about my own games – imagination, adventure, the unexpected and getting people together. Whatever happens, I’m sure you’ll know that you’ve made a difference and many people’s lives are better because of you.
Kevin_Matheny
Damn.
I’ve never had the opportunity to meet you, Erick, and now it seems like I never will. I’ve enjoyed your games, and this world is better for having you in it and will be lessened by your passing.
– Kevin
Rex Barkdoll
Erick, like so many others, I’ve never met you, yet i have been thoroughly influenced by your ideas, games and books. No one can thank you enough for what you have done, but hopefully enough of us will be able to say a small fraction of what should be told.
I don’t have any specific stories or good memories, but please know that every time I flip open one of your books my imagination is ignited and for a few more moments in my life, I return to those wonderful years of childhood where my imagination could take me anywhere. To a place where I could do anything without limitation. These memories and experiences are my fondest. no matter what happens, this gift that you give can never be taken away from me or anyone else.
May your story be forever passed down, your life’s journey be sung by bards, and may the world be changed for the better by your works in the times to come.
thank you, friend.
Silveressa
Hi Eric, like millions of others your work has enriched my life and stretched the boundries of my imagination far beyond what I ever thought possible.
Thanks to some of the great products of yours, especially TMNT and other strangeness, I discovered the wonders of role playing, and met the woman who would become my life partner through this hobby.
To this day 10 years later (I’m 28) I still play TMNT among other palladium rpgs and have a great time with my friends. Your books have made some of the toughest times of my life more enjoyable, and gave me countless hours (perhaps I should say years?) of fun; more so than any video game, or movie ever has come close to.
I still remember years ago when me and my lover were homeless, playing TMNT & Palldium Fantasy in the back of our vehicle and being able to forget for a time, how bad things were in real life, and still laugh and have a good time despite the circumstances. It really was one of the few bright points in a very dark time.
Playing the games you produced and help produce have given me some of the best memories of my life, and I know, will continue do so for years to come.
Though your body may be failing, you have achieved immortality through these works, in the minds of myself and I’m sure millions more that your games have touched. May every roll of the dice and yell of joy around the gaming table be a tribute to your eternal legacy.
Bugboy
Erick, TMNT brought together two of my favorite things in life, roleplaying and animals. It was one of the first RPGs I ever played, and I still think back fondly to bringing mutant animals to life around the gaming table. And then later, Amber gave me a chance to step away from dice and exercise my creativity. I haven’t the words to describe how sad I am to hear of your illness, nor the gratitude I want to express for all the joy your games brought to my life. I wish you the best.
cwillame
Erick,
Know that the world and the lives of everyone in it is truly blessed by your passage. I, like many others, will always remember my days as a mutant, a hero, a ley line walker, a D-bee, an innocent and so many other things, in the guise of using my mind’s greatest tool; my imagination. I am now attending college, most probably on my way to becoming a chemist, and that tool, that imagination, you helped create and improve to limitless ends.
You are also responsible for reinforcing my firm belief in God, righteousness, and justice, through your work and the lives your life has touched.
Please know that many of our prayers are with you, whether or not you believe in such things, and also know that you will truly never be forgotten by me and at least 100 friends. =)
Take care, take time, and keep hope, and when the time eventually does come, like for all of us, may God keep you safe on your continued journeys!
bloodmoney
YOU ARE THE REASON I ROLEPLAY AND ROLEPLAYING HAS CHANGED MY LIFE.
Its that simple. I bought a musty old box of roleplaying books off my fathers friend for like ten bucks many years ago, and inside was TMNT, Beyond the supernatural and rifts books aplenty. Nearly fifteen years later i still roleplay every weekend, and those books still sit on my shelf along with all the new systems and settings, masterpieces of imagination and completely unparalled examples of the art form that is roleplaying. Your games helped me, helped me as a musician, a writer, an artist, a GM and one day will help me be a better father. Not everyone understands the profound effect Roleplaying has on someones life (and the insuing obsession with it) but i do. I hear you brother, from the other side of the world, i hear you. And thankyou. Thankyou a million +1d6. And when its my time to step through a Rift onto the other side, i look forward to thanking you in person.
LaurentM
Erick,
I don’t know you much. I met you and your wife a few times in Shanghai at friend’s parties. But I had great talks with you, your openness and kindness forced my admiration. You always had great stories to tell and I felt your passion for what you do, and I will remember that.
Keep telling stories with the same energy 🙂
Balrogxo
You’ve brought endless hours of fun to my friends and I. While D&D brought me to role-playing, RIFTS was one of the reasons I stayed. Ninjas & Superspies and Dragons & Gods are my favorite works of yours, both invaluable for the game ideas they contain, whatever RPG I’m actually playing. Thanks for everything and Godspeed.
Will Taylor, Memphis, TN
wlhaskell
I played TMNT for the first time when I was twelve. It introduced me to the world of RPG’s, something that I am grateful for today. I still play TMNT with my brothers and use it to introduce new players to the world of role playing. Whenever someone is interested in learning about role playing I make them play Terror on Rural Route 5- they always love it.
Thanks for everything,
~wlhaskell