I don't see another thread on the forms so I guess I will start one.
Mike McArtor, formerly of Paizo Publishing, was in a car accident and passed away.
I did not know Mike personally, but I was a fan of his writing. He loved writing about dragons and it showed in his writing. It was one of the things that drew me to Pathfinder.
You will be missed, good sir.
o7
My god...I'm so sorry to hear.
My deepest condolences.
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;_;
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS YEAR >_<
Wow, that is so sad. He was always one of my favorite people to follow on these boards back in the day. Rest in piece Mike. :-(
Edit: This is a super fun read. Mike McArtors account of James Jacobs Shadows of Yogsothoth game. Shadows of Yogsothoth spoilers.
Tragic does not even begin to describe this. This is just awful. His presence in the industry will be missed.
Condolences to the family.
Oh damn, sad. Rest in peace.
Condolences to the family and friends. Also to the Paizo family. We've lost a great ninja master :(
Damn. Requiescat in pace, Mr. McArtor, and deepest sympathies to your grieving family and friends.
RIP Mike and condolences to his family- personal, Paizo and other.
... Don't know the man, or his work since I don't much follow who writes what, I just play the stuff (Bring the fire closer, it tickles).... So I'm not really too emotionally invested.
Still, condolences to friends and family. May he find rest in whatever realm he decided to kick back in.
I can't say I've followed his stuff recently because I don't follow Magic, but I really did like the work he did for Paizo - particularly the dragons. What sad news.
We who got to work and play with Mike will miss him greatly.
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God, I don't have the words.
Even long after he left Paizo, he still felt like a member of that family. His work played such a big part in shaping the character of the setting, it was honestly like he'd never really left. Korvosa alone has his fingerprints all over it. He really brought the place to life.
Always liked seeing him pulling his ninja lurking thing on the forums afterwards.
Rest in Peace, Mike. And condolences to your family and friends, at home and at work.
May you find dragons where you're heading. The cool kind.
* Raises sword to the sky *
Fare thee well, brave warrior. May you soar through heaven upon the backs of dragons.
Condolences to all who knew him; obviously he left this life way too soon.
PaizoCon Founder, Wayfinder Editor-in-Chief
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After I heard the news, I revisited the campaign journal of the first Paizo campaign I played in, which introduced me to D&D 3.5, Eberron, and of course, everyone at Paizo.
This harkens back to the early days of the messageboards, the era of the Lords of the Boards, so to speak. I know many here on the boards now weren't around then, but it was the beginnings of the Paizo community, and Mike exemplified that strong connection and interaction that Paizo is known for today.
I only hope that I can still meet up with him in Quarut in 2021 to witness his ninja empire.....
We'll miss you Mike, the old P-town game group will have a special session in your honor.
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This harkens back to the early days of the messageboards, the era of the Lords of the Boards, so to speak. I know many here on the boards now weren't around then, but it was the beginnings of the Paizo community, and Mike exemplified that strong connection and interaction that Paizo is known for today.
It was the days of high adventure, before the oceans drank Azlant, and the rise of Thrice-Damned Thrune.
"Gninja" is an appellation that I picked up during my interactions with Mike, and like many others, started me on the path of freelance writing with his encouragement. (Sadly my pitch for ninja-themed magic items died when the magazine licenses ended, but still, he was one the first professionals to encourage me.)He is sorely missed. :'(
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I only hope that I can still meet up with him in Quarut in 2021 to witness his ninja empire.....
Thanks for sharing that thread! Fun stuff. :)
Two things stood out about Mike to me:
1) Back when Paizo was publishing Dragon magazine, other editors published a couple of my articles, but he was the one who talked to me the most and worked back and forth on stuff and was excited about it even though none of it saw print. Incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm sure he wouldn't remember me a decade later, but I still remember talking with him.
2) In one of the coincidences that make you pause and feel a bit more mortal on a day like today, I believe we shared a birthday (or at least within a day) and he was exactly 1 year younger than me.
However, I followed his blog and there was a post I think from a year or two ago where he mentioned that he had actually achieved every long term goal he had. His life was still far too short, but he apparently did live it well.
My condolences to his friends and family. This has to be devastating.
My condolences to his friends and family.
The loss of anyone is devastating.
The loss of a good man is catastrophic. From all accounts Mike was a Good Man. My prayers are with his family.
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Wow! I only knew Mr. McArtor through the few times I interacted with him here on the Paizo Boards. He was always very helpful and I got a "welcoming" feeling from him. He was a great ambassador for not only Dragon Magazine, or Paizo, but for gaming in general. My Condolences go out to his friends and family
Mike was my editor when I wrote articles for Dragon Magazine, and we came to be friends after that, chatting on the boards and on LiveJournal. One of my fondest memories of my nerd career was getting to meet him at PAX, and his groans when I introduced him to my player whose favorite PC resource was the Fiend Folio.
He will be missed. Farewell, friend.
News like this is just devastating. Mike, you will be missed.
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I'm in the middle of writing up something more substantial, but Mike was a great guy, and I owe him a lot.
For those who didn't know him: You probably know his work. Mike was instrumental in creating the Pathfinder setting, and from Korvosa to Darkmoon Vale to Shelyn to Tian Xia, Golarion wouldn't be the world it is without him.
Wow, that is terrible news.
I never knew Mike personally, but I do recall interacting with him online here and there in D&D related forums, and was proud to have been able to contribute some Mystara-related history and lore for his Bargle article. He was one of the Paizo guys who seemed to have a fondness for Mystara (still my favorite TSR world).
A talented writer and editor. My condolences to his friends and family.
I always enjoyed reading his posts. He really was a great example of what I love about Paizo and the industry in general. smart creative people trying to bring more fun to their fellow gamers. RIP.
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Some more in-depth thoughts from several of us at Paizo: Remembering Mike
This harkens back to the early days of the messageboards, the era of the Lords of the Boards, so to speak. I know many here on the boards now weren't around then, but it was the beginnings of the Paizo community, and Mike exemplified that strong connection and interaction that Paizo is known for today.It was the days of high adventure, before the oceans drank Azlant, and the rise of Thrice-Damned Thrune.
"Gninja" is an appellation that I picked up during my interactions with Mike, and like many others, started me on the path of freelance writing with his encouragement. (Sadly my pitch for ninja-themed magic items died when the magazine licenses ended, but still, he was one the first professionals to encourage me.)
He is sorely missed. :'(
Wow. Back in the days when it seemed like there was a black hole at Paizo Mike's letter was the first thing I saw escape. He certainly encouraged me and I got my first 'I would like to print this' letter from him. His presentation of Falling at the first (second?) PaizoCon is why almost all of my nieces and nephews have learned the game and something we do when I get to see them.
Condolences to his family and friends.
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Aw, s+%*. Mike was one of my favorite Paizo staffers back when I was just a yappy little kid on these boards. I remember him gently baiting me back when I was always complaining about smurfs. He was a hilarious guy with a lot of tolerance for yappy little kids.
What is the obsession with smrfs? I just don't.....What the SMRF!?Darn smrf plague.Why KC, you've changed your smurf filter language.
Whatever for?
McArtor was a really cool guy, and a great game designer. I'm really bummed out to hear that he's passed. :(
I remember the days of that dragon head popping into threads. Always awesome. I remember when he left as well. I was sad to see him go. RIP Mike. And condolences to all your family and friends.
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For those who are interested, here is an article on the WotC site with stories and reminiscences from his co-workers there.
I enjoyed Mike's work and Korvosa is one of my all time favourites. Mike was a gentleman on the boards and I am sad to hear of his passing.
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Oh, man, he kept chickens? Americaunas, even?
:(
What's really messed up was I had just reread one of his articles and then checked FaceBook and learned of his passing. I hope his family is handling everything as best they can. Very sad news. :(