If you are on FB and part of the NTRPG con group, you know this, but many here at the Acaeum might not be aware. Doug is losing his four year battle with colon cancer, his liver is now failing and he's gone into In-Home Hospice starting today. He has anywhere from five days to five weeks, according to doctors.

I met Doug here on the Acaeum many years ago, when he was selling a few white boxes he had bought. I found out he was local, so we met up and exchanged money and boxes. Later that week, my computer was fried due to a lightning strike near my house, remembering he fixed and sold computers I called him up. For free, he coaxed my hard drive back to life, transferred to a new hard drive, and installed it in a brand new computer shell. From there we became friends and this led to forming the North Texas RPG con in 2009. The con has the rep for one of the best small cons out there that celebrate the founding fathers of RPGs. This was due to Doug financing the con out of his own pocket all these years, and not making a cent along the way. The influence of the con on this industry and hobby cannot be underestimated, and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Doug was also a huge supporter of the Acaeum, and its no coincidence most of our early attendees to NTRPG con were Acaeum members, since when it comes down to it, this is really who the con's target audience is...people we had met and gamed with here (Brian Kwaino, John January, John Lile come to mind especially). It was through the Acaeum we first announced the con.

Doug found he had Stage IV colon cancer several years ago, and has been undergoing chemo since then. This June he had some difficulties which led him to having surgery right around the time of NTRPG con, which he missed for the first time ever.  He spent two months in the hospital and was released, without much of his intestine and without the cancer. Unfortunately, the cancer grew back at a prodigious rate and attacked his liver, which it had previously left alone. He's now in the last stages of liver failure and not eligible for a transplant.

Doug is an amazing guy and one of the toughest guys I've ever known. If you've ever attended the con, or met him, and you feel like sharing a story about the man, post it here.

The con will continue with myself, Gary Oliver and Doug's son David doing the best we can to live up to his incredible legacy. Through Doug, the con had some amazing special guests that in general never made it to cons, or to cons in this part of the country....Rob Kuntz, Frank Mentzer, Tim Kask, Dennis Sustare, Jennell Jaquays, Jim Ward, Erol Otus, Jeff Easley, Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, Larry Elmore, Lawrence Schick, Allen Hammack, Steve Perrin,  Steve Marsh, Steve Winter, Darlene, Jeff Dee, Douglas Niles, Jeff Grubb, Kevin Hendryx, Chris Clark, Wolfgang Baur, Bill Webb, Ken St Andre, Diesel LaForce, and Zeb Cook are some of the illustrious names from RPG past that attended. In recent years the special guest list has gotten more modern with many more names of people who have gotten involved in the hobby the past couple of decades. Everyone had one thing in common, they were there because Doug wasn't scared to pick up the phone and let them know they were needed in Texas.

Thanks Doug!  For his final days, he's resting comfortably at home with some visitors and Zoom set up for him to talk to those who want to pop in...more information about that when we get it set up.

Mike B.

Thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.  He's done an incredible service to the hobby over the years.

Foul

So the Canadian gets in the SUV and the first thing he does is rifle through compartments. Way to go to break down stereotypes Blackmoor!

I missed the first two NTRPG Cons and I regret that very much. Bracton & Invincible Overlord told me how much fun they had so I went down for #3. I walked into registration was talking to Doug when Sandy Petersen walks in. I had never met him but we started talking and he was hungry so we went and ate at the hotel. Over lunch I gave him my "largest FRP collection" spiel and he asks to see my want list. Realizing that he had several items on the list he invites me to go back to his home that night and we'd go through his stuff (!). Well it went better than I could have possibly hoped, dinner was great and I even lightly cut my arm on his bannister heading to bed at 3 AM (yes it did occur to me I was going to be sacrificed to the Old Ones). This kind of thing could happen in Texas because Doug (& Mike) brought a tremendous grouping of master RPG designers to his con and being treated so well they kept coming back again and again. I've met people there who have become dear friends all because of Doug. After many years of telling him about my collection it was an honor when he stopped by for several hours with his lovely wife to visit my home in the midst of their vacation. He has been so generous to me and to all that have graced his conventions. I have a hundred wonderful memories of my visits to Dallas in June that I will treasure always. Thank you Doug from the bottom of my heart. You couldn't have done it any better. God Bless!

Doug you will be missed, you are a great inspiration to the gaming/collecting world.

NTRPGC was one of my favorite cons, just wished I still attended. Maybe we will make the trek again in the future.

I never met Doug but i still remember when we used to have deals over his rpgmarketplace.com (another great idea, highly underestimated!)... He is simply a lord. I will pray for him.

My wife and I met Doug and his wife briefly several years ago while he was vacationing in Puerto Rico. We spent a few hours talking D&D, laughing, drinking beer, and so many other things. Not sure if lawful or chaotic, but good to the marrow.

Hope to see you up there, friend.

Héctor.

Is this the same Rhea that was selling his entire collection off many years ago to fund building a house?

Although I've never met Doug in person, he and I interacted via PM's and the long forgotten but happening NTRPG chat.  He offered to pay my plane ticket as long as I was going to book the hotel and badge.  The problem was that in that time, I was going through a divorce and monetary and property stuff was being divided.  I have never forgotten that display of generosity.  Doug is one who, pardon the trite saying, 'wanted to make people's dreams come true' in the context of the RPG gaming convention scene.  I truly was agog at seeing what he was saying.  

However, as time went by, I have met BadMike and others who have attended other conventions and NTRPG was somewhat on the back burner, I put off attending the NTRPG.  It seems, that time is too late.

With the time left, I want to show my appreciation for Doug and all he's done.  I thank him for the chats, the emails and the generosity shown towards so many.  Wow.  What an exemplary example of a decent human being.  Doug, if you read this, just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks for who you are and what you have done.  Also wanted to express my prayers to you and your family in this difficult time and what you're going through.  "SketreWhisp" (if I spelled that correctly?) will not be forgotten.  

Cory

Ah, damn. Really sorry to hear this, Mike, but thanks for letting us know.