During this time, Ward become interested in wargaming, and was drawn into the
International Federation of Wargamers (IFW) founded by
Gary Gygax in nearby
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. In 1973, Gygax introduced some of the players to a new concept in wargaming — a game that would eventually become Dungeons & Dragons — where each player took on the role of one character in a fantasy setting that Gygax called
Greyhawk. By the following year, Ward was one of these players, and created a wizard he named Leledibmob.[a] During one session, Leledibmob urgently need an item that he had left behind, and Gygax created a new spell that allowed Leledibmob to retrieve the item. Gygax called the spell Drawmij's Instant Summons — "
Drawmij"[b] being "Jim Ward" spelled backwards.[6]
Dungeons & Dragons and TSR
In 1974, Gygax and
Don Kaye formed Tactical Studies Rules (TSR) in order to publish Dungeons & Dragons. When sales of the new game took off in 1975, TSR rapidly expanded its product line, and Ward started to design games and write material for them.[7]: 24 In 1976, Ward worked with
Rob Kuntz to produce Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes that expanded the
original D&D game by introducing gods.[7]: 8 On his own, Ward designed Metamorphosis Alpha (1976), which was the second science-fantasy role-playing game,[c] and published as
TSR's fourth role-playing game.[7]: 9
In 1980, Ward left teaching to become a full-time employee of TSR[9] and co-authored Deities & Demigods.[7]: 382 In the early 1980s, Ward and
Rose Estes formed an education department at TSR, planning to market classroom modules to teachers.[7]: 14 At the 1983 EastCon convention, Ward ran Kuntz's adventure "The Maze of Xaene" as the D&D tournament module, although that module was never published by TSR.[7]: 240
However, in 1984, TSR faced a financial crunch due to senior mismanagement, and Ward, along with dozens of other employees, was laid off. Ward continued to write products for TSR, which paid him in royalties.[9] In 1986, TSR hired Ward back. Ward wrote Greyhawk Adventures (1988), a hardcover supplement that presented new rules for the Greyhawk setting.[7]: 19
When TSR produced a second edition of AD&D (1989), Ward instituted changes such as removing
assassins and half-orcs as
player character options from the game, explaining this decision in Dragon #154 (February 1990) that "[a]voiding the Angry Mother Syndrome has become a good, basic guideline for all of the designers and editors at TSR, Inc"; Ward printed many replies from upset players in Dragon #158.[7]: 23
Ward can be glimpsed early in the Dragon Strike tutorial video playing the man who is slapped in the face at the king's party.[11]
Ward designed the Spellfire collectible card game.[12] Ward was eventually made the VP for Creative Services.
In 1996, TSR suffered another financial crisis when an unanticipated number of books were returned by booksellers. Ward was ordered to lay off thirty editors and designers, but Ward instead resigned.[9] The financial crisis would shortly result in the company being bought by
Wizards of the Coast.[7]: 30
Ward then co-founded the
d20 company Fast Forward Entertainment with
Timothy Brown,
Lester Smith, John Danovich, and Sean Everett, and from 2000 to 2005, he was president of the company[7]: 351 t of Fast Forward Entertainment, an independent game development company. Ward wrote Sete-Ka's Dream Quest (2006), an adventure gamebook published by
Margaret Weis Productions.[7]: 353 He wrote the Halcyon Blithe novel Dragonfrigate Wizard (Tor, 2006), which he considered one of his better and prouder creations.[12]
Ward then joined
Troll Lord Games, writing supplements such as the
boxed setTowers of Adventures (2008) and the Castles & Crusades supplement Of Gods & Monsters (2009); Ward was also made the editor for their Castles & Crusades magazine, The Crusader Journal.[7]: 382 Ward also wrote the horror fantasy game Tainted Lands (2009), based on the "SIEGE" system from Castles & Crusades.[7]: 382
Together with
Frank Mentzer, Chris Clark and Tim Klark, Ward co-founded Eldritch Enterprises, which planned to publish a variety of general works as well as new creations for role-playing games.[5]: 234 [13]
Ward wrote for Gygax Magazine beginning in 2013,[14] including a new Metamorphosis Alpha adventure "They All Died at the International Space Station,"[15] which was also released as a standalone product.[16] Ward was co-author of GiantLands by Wonderfilled, which was announced on Kickstarter in 2019 and shipped in 2022.[17][18][19]
Personal life
In 1973, Ward married his high school sweetheart Janean M. Bray,[9] and they had two sons and a daughter together, James, Theon and Breck.[12]
In 2010, Ward was diagnosed with a serious neurological disorder that required treatment at the
Mayo Clinic. His friend
Tim Kask helped to establish a fund to help Ward offset some of the medical bills.[20]
Ward died on March 18, 2024, at the age of 72.[21]
Legacy
In 1989 Ward was inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame.[22]
Deities & Demigods, with
Robert J. Kuntz (TSR, 1980), a core rulebook for the 1st Edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons presenting similar material to that of Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes. This work introduced a number of now iconic Dungeons & Dragons deities, such as
Corellon Larethian, Garl Glittergold,
Gruumsh,
Moradin, and
Yondalla.
77 Worlds RPG (
http://Firesidecreations.com , 2014), a science fiction post apocalyptic role-playing game and campaign setting using the Ward Card System (WCS). The 77 Lost Worlds RPG is part of the Apocalyptic Space series of RPGs.
^Drawmij would later become a fictional character who appeared in some commercial TSR products set in Greyhawk.
^The first science fiction role-playing game, Starfaring, was published by
Flying Buffalo in August 1976. Although the forward of Metamorphosis Alpha is dated July 1976, TSR didn't actually release the game until later in the year.[8]
^"Q&A with James M. Ward". Dragons Foot. January 25, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2024. I was in a dungeon and the group needed a magic item I owned that was back at the inn where I lived. My character name was Bombidell spelled backward. So at a whim Gary let me create that spell and use that spell and I did indeed save the day.
^Wincen, Kim (November 6, 2022).
"GiantLands – The Beginning". A gentleman with opinions.
Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2023.