Terry Kuntz
Encyclopedia
Terry Kuntz is a game designer who was an early associate of Gary Gygax
and employee of TSR
.
on December 25, 1953. His family moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
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
s with his new friend Gary Gygax
. 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
with Gygax and his brother.
In the early 1970s, Terry, Rob, and Gygax's friend Don Kaye
joined Gygax's children Ernie and Elise for the second session of Gygax's new game, the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
. Terry conceived of the monster known as the beholder
, and Gygax later detailed it for publication.
Kuntz graduated college in 1974, with a diploma in Mechanical Drafting and Design, but found it hard to find employment in that field. On October 1, 1975, TSR
offered Kuntz employment with the company to help design rules and games for wargame enthusiasts.
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....
and employee of TSR
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....
.
Biography
Theron "Terry" Kuntz was born in Fort Atkinson, WisconsinFort Atkinson, Wisconsin
Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. In 1996, Money Magazine named Fort Atkinson "One of America's Hottest Little Boomtowns." The population was 11,621 at the 2000 census.- History :Fort...
on December 25, 1953. His family moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Lake Geneva is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,148 at the 2000 census. A resort city located on Geneva Lake, it is southwest of Milwaukee and popular with tourists from metropolitan Chicago and Milwaukee.-History:...
in 1955. Kuntz became involved in miniatures wargaming when he was 15 years old, learning about them from his brother Rob
Robert J. Kuntz
Robert J. Kuntz is a game designer and author of role-playing game publications. He is most famous for his contributions to various Dungeons & Dragons-related materials.-Works:...
, who played miniatures and board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
s with his new friend 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....
. 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
Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association
The Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association was a prominent wargaming club active in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin during the 1960s and 1970s. Its membership included Gary Gygax, Terry and Rob Kuntz, Jeff Perren, Mike Reese, Leon Tucker, and Don Kaye. The organization usually met weekly in Gygax's...
with Gygax and his brother.
In the early 1970s, Terry, Rob, and Gygax's friend Don Kaye
Don Kaye
Donald R. Kaye , co-founder of TSR, Inc., was the childhood friend of Gary Gygax, and shared an interest in war games and tabletop miniatures with him during their youth...
joined Gygax's children Ernie and Elise for the second session of Gygax's new game, the 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...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
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...
. Terry conceived of the monster known as the beholder
Beholder
The beholder is a fictional monster in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It resembles a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and lots of smaller eyestalks on top with deadly magical powers....
, and Gygax later detailed it for publication.
Kuntz graduated college in 1974, with a diploma in Mechanical Drafting and Design, but found it hard to find employment in that field. On October 1, 1975, TSR
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....
offered Kuntz employment with the company to help design rules and games for wargame enthusiasts.