Dave Arneson, who created the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game with Gary Gygax in 1974, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 61.

The blog Grognardia, which has been in communication with Arneson’s family, reports that the game designer, teacher and entrepreneur died peacefully April 7 surrounded by his family.

Arneson was a miniatures wargaming enthusiast in college. He and Gygax met at a gaming convention and wrote up the custom rules they had created to combine their hobby with fantasy roleplaying. When no publisher would bite, Arneson and Gygax created TSR and the rest was history.

Gygax, his friend and onetime business partner (though their relationship was later strained), died in March 2008.

UPDATED with official D&D tribute

Source: SCI FI Wire