David A. Trampier

Dave A. Trampier is a former artist and writer who worked on some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. He would sign his work with his initials (DAT), or often as Tramp. He is best known as the creator of the "Wormy" comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine.

Wormy

From its inception in issue #9, until its abrupt end in issue #132, Trampier's "Wormy" comic was a popular feature of Dragon. Each issue of Dragon would have anywhere from one to four pages of "Wormy". The comic's storylines were cleverly plotted, and its art was carefully drawn and colored.

"Wormy" featured a title character in the form of a cigar-chomping, pool hustling, wargaming dragon, and a colorful cast of monsters who were his neighbors and friends; the stories were told unwaveringly from the point of view of the antagonists of the Dungeons & Dragons game, and the types of characters that players would be expected to portray, such as wizards and warriors, were presented as unwelcome intruders. Life between Wormy's neighbors was never peaceful, either, and while many confrontational scenes were played for laughs, Trampier was also skillful in presenting stark violence in a darkly dramatic light.

Sudden departure from career

"Wormy" suddenly stopped appearing in Dragon after the April 1988 issue (#132), in the middle of a storyline. In issue #136, in response to a reader letter, the Dragon editors wrote: "We regret to announce that 'Wormy' will no longer be appearing in DRAGON Magazine. We are looking into the possibility of adding another graphic series in the future."

David Trampier, the artist and writer, effectively vanished at that point, and his public has never reliably heard from him since.

Rumors circulate

In the absence of all public contact, rumors as to his fate began to circulate in gaming circles, and ultimately online, from the late 1980s on.

In a casual conversation with fellow Dragon artist Phil Foglio at the 2000 Origins Game Convention, Mr. Foglio stated that at some point the "Wormy" strips just stopped coming into Dragon magazine and all checks mailed to Trampier were returned as undeliverable.Template:Fact Inquiries by TSR at his residence showed that he had moved with no forwarding address.Template:Fact

Rumors that he had died were denied by Tom Wham, who was for a while Trampier's brother-in-law. Wham stated in the 1990s that he had actually had some contact with Tramp and that he was fine. He gave no further details.Template:Fact

New career as taximan?

A February 15 2002 article in the online edition of the Daily Egyptian, the student newspaper of Southern Illinois University, featured a taxi driver named David Trampier working in Carbondale, and included a photograph. The article made no mention of a former career in art or gaming.

Gary Gygax and other TSR staff of the time confirm it is the same David Trampier who drew "Wormy".Template:Fact

Other works

AD&D Player's Handbook, 1st Edition (8th printing).
Cover by D. A. Trampier.

Outside of Wormy, Trampier's most enduring visual legacy is the cover of the American first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook. Most recently, it was parodied in 2000 by John Kovalic on the cover of the first volume of his Dork Tower collection, Dork Covenant.

Trampier also provided much of the black and white interior art in many of the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules and manuals, such as the original Monster Manual and Deities & Demigods. His 1979 cover art for the original monochromatic version of the module The Village of Hommlet is widely recognized among fans of earlier D&D materials, and has become a collectors item.

Trampier painted the cover, and provided some of the interior illustrations, for the first edition of TSR's Gamma World roleplaying game, published in 1978.

He is credited as co-designer, along with Jason McAllister, of the Titan board game published by Avalon Hill in 1980.

References

• Adams, Chris. Trampier's Wormy Bootwebbed. Yamara Central, 1998-04-03. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
• Mamer, Karl. Wormy. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
• Thompson, Arin (2005-11-17), "Coffee, cigarettes and speed bumps: A night with a Carbondale cabby", Daily Egyptian
• TSR Insider (Name withheld by request). Letter Subject: Trampier. Aetherco, 1999-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
• rec.games.frp.dnd FAQ: 4/9 -- Meta, Misc., Religion. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
• "Letters - Farewell to Wormy", Dragon Magazine, no. #136, August 1988

External links

• List Roleplaying Game Credits at Pen & Paper