Kim Rudolph Mohan (May 4, 1949 – December 12, 2022)Announcement of death by Pamela Adams Mohan
/ref> was an American author, editor and

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 ...

best known for works related to 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 ...

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 ...

Early life and education

Kim Mohan was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, on May 4, 1949. His family moved to

Williams Bay, Wisconsin Williams Bay is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is one of three municipalities on Geneva Lake. The population was 2,564 at the 2010 census. History The village was named for Captain Israel Williams of Massachuset ...

, when he was five. In high school, he became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader, and also played

wargames ''WarGames'' is a 1983 American science fiction techno-thriller film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film, which stars Matthew Broderick, Dabney Coleman, John Wood, and Ally Sheedy, follow ...

. He graduated third in his class and enrolled at

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and h ...

. However, he couldn't find a focus, switching majors several times from

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

to mathematics and other subjects.

Career

Reporter

Not finding what he needed at college, Mohan dropped out and decided to be a writer, finding a job as a reporter for Lake Geneva Regional News. After a few months, he joined the staff of the

Beloit Daily News The ''Beloit Daily News'' is a daily newspaper that has served Beloit, Wisconsin and the stateline area of Rock County, Wisconsin and Winnebago County, Illinois since 1848. The newspaper was owned by Duane Hagadone and the Hagadone Newspaper Group ...

. Over nine years, Mohan worked as everything from a

sports writer Sports journalism is a form of writing that reports on matters pertaining to sporting topics and competitions. Sports journalism started in the early 1800s when it was targeted to the social elite and transitioned into an integral part of the n ...

, an editorial writer, the state editor, and the wire service editor. After nine years, he left the newspaper business to become a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

writer for various newspapers.

TSR

In the summer of 1979, at the age of 30, Mohan went to the TSR Periodicals headquarters in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. After completing an interview and some test freelance editing assignments,Mohan was hired by TSR as part of a three-man staff. Mohan was soon promoted to assistant editor of '' Dragon'' magazine, and became

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

with issue #49 (May 1981). Mohan also worked on other TSR projects: he was the co-designer of the TSR board game ''Food Fight'', performed managerial duties for '' Strategy & Tactics'' and ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances ...

'' magazine, served as editor and "general handyman" for the ''

Unearthed Arcana ''Unearthed Arcana'' (abbreviated UA) is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing materia ...

'' rule book, authored the ''

Wilderness Survival Guide The ''Wilderness Survival Guide'' is a supplement to the '' Advanced Dungeons and Dragons'' (''AD&D'') role-playing game, written by Kim Mohan and published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 (). Contents The ''Wilderness Survival Guide'' covers adventures ...

'' rulebook., and edited ''

Saga of Old City ''Saga of Old City'' is a 1985 fantasy novel by Gary Gygax, set in the world of Greyhawk, which is based on the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Plot summary ''Saga of Old City'' was the first novel to feature Gord the Rogue. ' ...

'' (

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 ...

's first novel).

New Infinities Productions

In late 1985, Gary Gygax lost a boardroom struggle for control of TSR and left the company, forming rival company

New Infinities Productions New Infinities Productions was an American game company that produced role-playing games and game supplements. History Immediately after leaving TSR, Gary Gygax helped form New Infinities Productions, Inc. (Registration required) Wargamer and acc ...

. Mohan and

Frank Mentzer Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that time ...

both left TSR to join Gygax at New Infinities. While there, Mohan was the author of the ''Cyborg Commando'' sequence of novels with Pamela O'Neill. Based on an outline by Gygax, the trilogy included ''Planet in Peril'' (1987), ''Chase into Space'' (1988) and ''The Ultimate Prize'' (1988). However, New Infinities was unable to procure enough outside investment to survive until their various projects came to market, and the company failed in 1989. Luke Gygax, son of Gary, later wrote, " eleft TSR and went to work with my Dad because he believed in him and his capabilities. He did that at great risk to his family and it was a gamble that didn't pay off."

Return to TSR

Following the closure of New Infinities, Mohan returned to TSR and became editor of ''Amazing Stories'' (1992–2001), receiving several

Locus Poll Award The Locus Awards are an annual set of literary awards voted on by readers of the science fiction and fantasy magazine ''Locus'', a monthly magazine based in Oakland, California. The awards are presented at an annual banquet. In addition to the pl ...

nominations for "Best Editor" and "Best Magazine or Fanzine". He also became editor of ''Dragon'' again from 1993 to 1995.

Wizards of the Coast

In 1996, TSR ran into financial difficulties, and was taken over by

Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...

(WotC) the following year. Mohan agreed to stay on, and became the lead editor of the 3rd edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. He was then promoted to

managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edit ...

during the second half of the design stage (with

Julia Martin Julia Martin is a game designer and editor who has worked on a number of products for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Career Julia Martin worked for Game Designers' Workshop until she left in 1991 to work for TSR. Martin wor ...

finishing the project). Mohan appeared in the 1999

History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...

special ''In Search of History: The Truth About Science Fiction'', which featured Harlan Ellison and

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...

in a discussion about science fiction literature and movies.

Later life and death

Mohan retired from WotC on May 31, 2013, aged 64. He continued to make contributions to material for both the 4th and 5th editions of ''D&D'', becoming one of the few people to have writing or editing credits for all five editions. His final credit was as an editor for the 5th edition adventure '' Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage'' in 2018. Mohan died after suffering from lung problems on December 12, 2022, at the age of 73.

Writing credits

Role-playing games

* ''

'' (

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...

1st Edition) (1986) * '' Cyborg Commando'' (1987, with Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer) * ''

Tobin's Spirit Guide The ''Ghostbusters'' franchise consists of American supernatural horror-comedies, based on an original concept created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis in 1984. The plot ostensibly centers around a group of eccentric New York City scientists who ...

'' ( Ghostbusters RPG) (1989)

Board games

* ''Food Fight'' (1980)

Novels

*''Planet in Peril'' (1987, with Pamela O'Neill) (''Cyborg Commando'' trilogy) *''Chase Into Space'' (1988, with Pamela O'Neill) (''Cyborg Commando'' trilogy) *''The Ultimate Prize'' (1988, with Pamela O'Neill) (''Cyborg Commando'' trilogy) *''Four from Cormyr: 4 Forgotten Realms Adventures for Characters of Levels 9-12 (Adventure)'' (1997, with John Terra)

Editor credits

*'' Dragon'', 1984–1994 *''

'', 1991–1995, 1998–2000 *''More Amazing Stories'', 1998 *'' Sword and Fist: A Guidebook to Fighters and Monks'', 2001, managing editor *''

Psionics Handbook The ''Psionics Handbook'' is a sourcebook published by Wizards of the Coast in 2001 for the 3rd edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It contains a multitude of rules and options for integrating psionic powers into t ...

'', 2001, managing editor Cordell, Bruce R.
interview by Jesse Decker
retrieved 2007-08-04 *'' Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage'', 2018, contributing editor

References

External links

*Amazon.com
More Amazing Stories (Paperback)
retrieved 2007-08-04 *Engler, Craig E.

retrieved 2007-08-04 ()

retrieved 2007-08-04 ()

retrieved 2007-08-04 *Mamer, Karl

mentioned disappearance of

David A. Trampier David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Many of his illustrations, such as the cover o ...

, retrieved 2007-08-04 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mohan, Kim 1949 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists American male novelists American male non-fiction writers American science fiction writers Beloit College alumni Dungeons & Dragons game designers Novelists from Wisconsin People from Williams Bay, Wisconsin Science fiction editors Sportswriters from Wisconsin