It’s been too long since I posted on my blog, for various reasons, which I’ll talk about in the coming days. I hate that it is the passing of someone that brings out a post from me now, but here it is.
I never met Scott Bennie, but I admired all of his work that I’m aware of. The first thing I read by him was the write up of a Bounty Hunter NPC class, one of three that appeared in an issue of Dragon Magazine; issue 51 or 52, I think. He had couple of other D&D articles I remember in the Dragon, like an article on Rakshasa, that were well-written and engaging.
But it was his Champions work that I remember best. His love for that superheroes game shone in the various books he wrote or collaborated on for it. I think he was he first to attach a quote to his character write-ups, giving each a unique voice in the time-honored tradition of superhero comics, that became the standard in all of Hero Games’ books going forward. His sourcebooks were among the best in writing and layout, particularly his VIPER sourcebook, which was never equaled.
From the early 1990s on he worked in the computer gaming industry, occasionally returning to tabletop RPGs in the 2000s. He was involved in the popular game Fallout, which I know nothing about, but it seems everyone has heard of it.
He died a few days ago, at age 61, evidently from pneumonia. By all accounts he was a very nice man, well-loved by all that knew him. I didn’t know him personally, but I was always struck by his distinct voice in his products, and appreciated his storytelling ability.
My best to all of his family and friends.