Theron O. Kuntz (born December 25, 1953,

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is on the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkins ...

) is a

game designer Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in ...

who was an early associate of

Gary Gygax Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson. In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...

and employee of TSR.

Biography

Kuntz was born in

on December 25, 1953. His family moved to

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Walworth County and situated on Geneva Lake, it is home to an estimated 8,105 people as of 2019, up from 7,651 at the 2010 census. It is located about 40 miles southwest of Milwa ...

in 1955. Kuntz became involved in miniatures wargaming when he was 15 years old, learning about them from his brother Rob, who played miniatures and

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

s with his new friend

. The three of them would play miniatures battles at Gygax's house on his sand table. Kuntz was also a member of the

Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association The Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA) was a prominent wargaming club active in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin during the early 1970s. History At its inception around February and March 1970, it was originally known as the Lake Geneva Tact ...

with Gygax and his brother. In the early 1970s, Terry, Rob, and Gygax's friend

Don Kaye Donald R. Kaye (June 27, 1938 – January 31, 1975) was the co-founder of Tactical Studies Rules (TSR), the game publishing company best known for their ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. He and TSR co-founder Gary Gygax had be ...

joined Gygax's children Ernie and Elise for the second session of Gygax's new game, the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

. Don Kaye played

Murlynd This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting (Dungeons & Dragons), campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. A Al'Akbar Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and gua ...

, Rob Kuntz played

Robilar This is a list of characters from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. A Acererak Acererak was a powerful wizard who became a lich, and later a demilich. Publication history Acer ...

, and Terry Kuntz played Terik. Terry later conceived of the monster known as the beholder, and Gygax later detailed it for publication. Kuntz also created the magic weapon, the Energy-draining Sword. Kuntz graduated from college in 1974, with a vocational diploma in mechanical drafting and design, but found it hard to find employment in that field. During 1974, TSR offered Kuntz employment with the company to help design rules, games, and to manage The Dungeon Hobby Shop. He joined TSR in 1975.

Early designs

* Castle Greyhawk Campaign proto-RPG development * "Wargaming: A Moral Issue?" for ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' magazine * ''The Maze of Zayene'' D&D module * ''The Empire of Zothar'' D&D-variant constructed nation * ''Twilight of the Gods'' boardgame * ''Treasure Search'' boardgame (lost)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuntz, Terry 1953 births American game designers Living people People from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin