| David A. Trampier | |
|---|---|
.jpg) David A. Trampier from The Daily Egyptian, 2002 | |
| Born | April 22, 1954[citation needed] Saint Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Died | March 24, 2014 (aged 59) Carbondale, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Pseudonym(s) | Tramp, DAT |
Notable works | Wormy AD&D Players Handbook Monster Manual Titan |
David A. Trampier (April 22, 1954 – March 24, 2014) was an artist and writer whose artwork for TSR, Inc. illustrated some of the earliest editions of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.[1] Many of his illustrations, such as the cover of the original Players Handbook, became iconic. Trampier was also the creator of the Wormy comic strip that ran in Dragon magazine for several years.
At the height of his career in the late 1980s, Trampier suddenly withdrew from the gaming world and became a social recluse. Although the reasons for this break were unclear, a disagreement with TSR is possible; it is clear that later in life, Trampier wanted nothing to do with TSR or its successor, Wizards of the Coast. For many years, Trampier's location was unknown to anyone and rumors circulated that he had died; his brother-in-law Tom Wham denied this, although Wham admitted that even he did not know where Trampier was or what he was doing.