Tim Kask
Encyclopedia
Timothy James Kask is an American editor and writer in the role-playing game
industry. Kask became interested in board games in his childhood, and later turned to miniatures wargames
. While attending university after a stint in the US Navy, he was part of a group that playtested an early version of the new role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
(D&D) for game co-designer Gary Gygax
. Gygax hired him as the first employee of TSR, Inc.
in 1975. After editing some of TSR’s early D&D publications, Kask became editor of The Strategic Review, which later became The Dragon
, and then Dragon Magazine.
Kask left TSR in 1980 to start Manzakk Publishing. He left the games industry in 1983, and spent some time as a freelance editor and speechwriter before becoming a teacher. In 2010 he returned to the games industry as one of the co-founders of Eldritch Enterprises.
. At age 11, he became interested in Avalon Hill
's board wargame D-Day
, and played it frequently for three years. During a four-year stint with the US Navy (1967–1971) during the Vietnam war
, he often played 1914
, another Avalon Hill game. He married his wife Cheryl in 1970, and they have a daughter.
After leaving the Navy, Kask attended Southern Illinois University
’s campus in Carbondale, Illinois
. While there, he was introduced to miniature wargaming
, including Chainmail
. Kask phoned Chainmail author Gary Gygax with some questions about the game, and subsequently met Gygax at the 1974 Gen Con
gaming convention
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
. At the time, Gygax was co-developing the rules for a new type of role-playing game, and Kask and his friends became one of the first groups of playtesters of what would become Dungeons & Dragons
.
), Gygax hired Kask as an editor, the first full-time employee of the new company. Kask’s first assignment was editing, developing, and contributing to the Blackmoor rules supplement
. Kask became editor of The Strategic Review, starting with Issue #5. In 1976 Kask edited the final three supplementary rules booklets for the original D&D rules: Eldritch Wizardry
, Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
, and Swords & Spells
. Kask’s focus within TSR then changed, as he oversaw the formation of TSR Periodicals. He split The Strategic Review into two new periodicals: The Dragon
, devoted to D&D; and Little Wars, devoted to historical board gaming and miniatures play. Kask was the editor of the first 33 issues of The Dragon (soon renamed Dragon Magazine). Kask developed and edited TSR’s historical board game, William the Conqueror, 1066, and was responsible for starting the Days of the Dragon line of calendars. During the development of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Basic Dungeons & Dragons
in the late 1970s, Kask helped Gygax delineate the differences between the two game systems.
Kask was responsible for hiring a number of people at TSR who subsequently went on to become influential creators in the role-playing game industry, including Kim Mohan
.
Kask resigned from TSR in 1980. He stayed in the games industry for a few years, re-developing Naval War for Avalon Hill in late 1981. He also started up Manzakk Publishing and became publisher and editor of Adventure Gaming Magazine.
In 2006 Kask was a celebrity auctioneer, with Frank Mentzer
, at Gen Con Indy
. He joined Mentzer as a special guest at the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention in 2007 and 2008.
Jim Ward
, a fellow TSR employee in the early days of the company, who had become managing editor of The Crusader magazine, persuaded Kask to write a monthly column for his magazine.
At the KC Game Fair in November 2010, Kask announced his return to the games industry as one of the founders (with Mentzer, Jim Ward and Chris Clark) of Eldritch Enterprises. The company publishes a variety of general works as well as new creations for role-playing games.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
industry. Kask became interested in board games in his childhood, and later turned to miniatures wargames
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
. While attending university after a stint in the US Navy, he was part of a group that playtested an early version of the new role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
(D&D) for game co-designer Gary Gygax
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
. Gygax hired him as the first employee of TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
in 1975. After editing some of TSR’s early D&D publications, Kask became editor of The Strategic Review, which later became The Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
, and then Dragon Magazine.
Kask left TSR in 1980 to start Manzakk Publishing. He left the games industry in 1983, and spent some time as a freelance editor and speechwriter before becoming a teacher. In 2010 he returned to the games industry as one of the co-founders of Eldritch Enterprises.
Early life
Tim Kask was born and raised in Moline, IllinoisMoline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
. At age 11, he became interested in Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
's board wargame D-Day
D-Day (game)
D-Day is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill first in 1961 and later re-released in 1965, 1971, 1977 and 1991.An operational/strategic simulation of the Western Front between June and September, 1944, the game simulates the invasion by the Allies of France while it was occupied by the Axis...
, and played it frequently for three years. During a four-year stint with the US Navy (1967–1971) during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, he often played 1914
1914 (game)
1914 was a board wargame published by the Avalon Hill game company in 1968 and designed by James F. Dunnigan. It was a corps-level simulation of the first few weeks of World War I on the western front...
, another Avalon Hill game. He married his wife Cheryl in 1970, and they have a daughter.
After leaving the Navy, Kask attended Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
’s campus in Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
. While there, he was introduced to miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
, including Chainmail
Chainmail (game)
Chainmail is a medieval miniatures wargame created by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren. Gygax developed the game with fellow Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association member Perren, a hobby-shop owner with whom he had become friendly, and the game was first published in 1971...
. Kask phoned Chainmail author Gary Gygax with some questions about the game, and subsequently met Gygax at the 1974 Gen Con
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
gaming convention
Gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering that centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a university or in a convention center hotel...
in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. At the time, Gygax was co-developing the rules for a new type of role-playing game, and Kask and his friends became one of the first groups of playtesters of what would become Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
.
In the games industry
In 1975, shortly after the original rules to Dungeons & Dragons were published by Tactical Studies Rules (soon to become TSR, Inc.TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
), Gygax hired Kask as an editor, the first full-time employee of the new company. Kask’s first assignment was editing, developing, and contributing to the Blackmoor rules supplement
Blackmoor (supplement)
Blackmoor is a supplementary rulebook for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game written by Dave Arneson...
. Kask became editor of The Strategic Review, starting with Issue #5. In 1976 Kask edited the final three supplementary rules booklets for the original D&D rules: Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry
Eldritch Wizardry is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core game.-Contents:...
, Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
Gods, Demi-gods & Heroes
Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes is a supplementary rulebook for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The work provides information on the pantheons and constructs of the Egyptian, Hindu, Greek, Celtic, Norse, Finnish, Aztec, Mayan, Chinese, and Japanese mythologies, as well as...
, and Swords & Spells
Swords & Spells
Swords & Spells is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:Swords & Spells was a supplement of miniature rules, for use with the original D&D set....
. Kask’s focus within TSR then changed, as he oversaw the formation of TSR Periodicals. He split The Strategic Review into two new periodicals: The Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
, devoted to D&D; and Little Wars, devoted to historical board gaming and miniatures play. Kask was the editor of the first 33 issues of The Dragon (soon renamed Dragon Magazine). Kask developed and edited TSR’s historical board game, William the Conqueror, 1066, and was responsible for starting the Days of the Dragon line of calendars. During the development of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Basic Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
in the late 1970s, Kask helped Gygax delineate the differences between the two game systems.
Kask was responsible for hiring a number of people at TSR who subsequently went on to become influential creators in the role-playing game industry, including Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan
Kim Mohan is an American author and editor.-Biography:Kim Mohan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Williams Bay, Wisconsin when he was five. He became an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader and occasional wargamer, and graduated third in his high school class...
.
Kask resigned from TSR in 1980. He stayed in the games industry for a few years, re-developing Naval War for Avalon Hill in late 1981. He also started up Manzakk Publishing and became publisher and editor of Adventure Gaming Magazine.
After TSR
Kask left the games industry in 1983 to do freelance editing, ghost-writing, and speech-writing. He went back to school in 2002, and after earning a Master’s degree in Education from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, he became a teacher.In 2006 Kask was a celebrity auctioneer, with Frank Mentzer
Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin "Frank" Mentzer III , is an American fantasy author and game designer best known for his work on early materials for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He was a performing folk musician from 1968 to 1975, and played one concert at the White House during the...
, at Gen Con Indy
Gen Con
Gen Con is one of the largest and most prominent annual gaming conventions in North America. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card-style games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, board games, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, non-collectible...
. He joined Mentzer as a special guest at the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention in 2007 and 2008.
Jim Ward
Jim Ward (game designer)
James M. Ward , is an American game designer and fantasy author. He is most famous for his game development and writing work for TSR, Inc., where he worked for more than 20 years. In 1989 he was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame...
, a fellow TSR employee in the early days of the company, who had become managing editor of The Crusader magazine, persuaded Kask to write a monthly column for his magazine.
At the KC Game Fair in November 2010, Kask announced his return to the games industry as one of the founders (with Mentzer, Jim Ward and Chris Clark) of Eldritch Enterprises. The company publishes a variety of general works as well as new creations for role-playing games.