Erick Wujcik

 ( 1951 Births ) 

Siembieda obtained the rights to produce a licensed roleplaying game based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book, but he did not approve of the freelancer's final product so he had Wujcik redesign the game, which was done in five weeks, and it was published as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness (1985). Wujcik designed Revised Recon (1987), a role-playing game revision of the miniatures warfare game Recon (1982). Wujcik also designed the Ninjas & Superspies role-playing game in 1988, which benefited from his long-term interest and extensive research on Japan. Wujcik also wrote the After the Bomb role-playing game for Palladium. He also did freelance work for West End Games, and wrote one of the early Clones in Space (1986) adventure for the Paranoia roleplaying game, and made contributions to the Acute Paranoia (1986) supplement for the game as well.

While working at West End Games, Wujcik learned that the company held a license from Roger Zelazny for his Amber novels, which were among the favorite novels of Wujcik, and he offered to design an Amber role-playing game even through West End would not guarantee to publish it. While playtesting the game, Wujcik found that it worked better without dice, but West End disagreed, so he acquired the role-playing game rights to Amber. He began developing the game for R. Talsorian Games in the early 1990s, but encountered creative differences there as well. Siembieda encouraged Wujcik to set up his own company to publish the game, and Wujcik founded Phage Press. Wujcik hired his cousins Lisa and Ron Seymour to run the business side of the company. Phage Press thus finally published Amber Diceless Roleplaying in November 1991. Wujcik did not like the manuscripts submitted for the Amber supplement Shadow Knight (1993), so he rewrote the book on his own. James Wallis brought his Bugtown game to Phage to be produced, but creative differences with Wujcik led Wallis to pull out of Phage in 1994 and start Hogshead Publishing. In 1996, Wujcik was able to convince Bugtown creator Matt Howarth to license the rights back to him, although Wujcik never actually published a game based on the comic. Wujcik wrote the book Mystic China (1995) for Palladium.

Wujcik was also the founder of the gaming convention known as Ambercon. In 1997 he went to work for Sierra Studios and was lead game designer on the game Return to Krondor (1998). He also served as a game designer at Outrage Entertainment for the game Alter Echo.

Wujcik served as chief editor of Amberzine, a fanzine for the Amber Diceless Roleplaying Game, publishing the work of such notables as Ray Bradbury, Henry Kuttner, and Roger Zelazny. He was also an editorial contractor for the Detroit Historical Museum, and gave seminars on a wide range of topics related to the writing, design and development of role-playing games.

Wujcik wrote the books Rifts China 1 and Rifts China 2.

Beginning in the mid-1990s, Wujcik worked in the electronic game business, on titles from Sierra, THQ, and Ubisoft. From 2004 to 2006, Wujcik was Game Design Studio Manager for UbiSoft China, in Shanghai. Wujcik was also Adjunct Assistant Professor of Game Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University between 2003 and 2008.

In early 2007, Wujcik became the senior game designer/writer for Totally Games. Until his death in June 2008, Wujcik was Senior Game Designer and Writer for Totally Games, located in Marin County, California.

Erick Wujcik, age 56, is dying of cancer. Until a few weeks ago, Erick was healthy and doing fine. He was enjoying his work at Totally Games, a videogame company, when he thought he had come down with the flu. When he couldn't shake it, he went to the doctors. The diagnosis was unexpected, to say the least. Pancreatic cancer that had spread to his liver. There was no advance warning. It was a shock. Erick presses forward with the willful exuberance he has exhibited all his life.

In his final months, chemotherapy treatments had failed to eradicate Wujcik's cancer and were halted. He entered hospice care in his home in San Rafael, California.

On June 6, 2008, Kevin Siembieda released an update on Erick's condition:

I'm sorry to report that Erick is quite ill now and suffering from the consequences of a failing liver. His deteriorating condition is not a surprise, but it is unwelcomed. Erick has beat the odds and fooled the doctors – fooled everyone – by lasting as long as he has, but then Erick has always been full of surprises and magic. But even the power of the "Wuj" has its limits, and I fear it won't be long now.

Erick Wujcik died the following day, June 7, 2008.

Wujcik was also inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame by the Game Manufacturers Association at the 37th on June 25, 2011.

At the beginning of the end credits for Tom Clancy's EndWar, there is a dedication to Wujcik.

• (1986). 9780916211158, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211158
  Out
• (1986). 9780916211202, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211202
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• E. Wujcik (1988). 9780916211349, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211349
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• E. Wujcik (1990). 9780916211448, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211448
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• E. Wujcik (1990). 9780916211455, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211455
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• (2001). 9780916211158, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211158
  – Coauthor, maps.

• (1987). 9780916211189, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211189
  Out – "Victim rules" and additional text.
• (1990). 9780916211417, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211417
  Out – Additional text and ideas.

• (1992). 9780916211493, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211493
  Out – Additional text.
• (1998). 9781574570069, Palladium Books. ISBN 9781574570069
  – Additional text and concepts.

• E. Wujcik (1983). 9780916211035, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211035
  – Research and compiling.
• M. Balent (1989). 9780916211387, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211387
  Out – Castle floor plans.
• E. Wujcik (1990). 9780916211318, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211318
• (1995). 9780916211776, Palladium Books, Incorporated. ISBN 9780916211776

• Out – Tunnel designs.
• (1985). 9780916211134, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211134
  Out – Adventure scenarios.

• (1984). 9780916211042 ISBN 9780916211042
  Out – "Gersidi" adventure scenario.
• K. Siembieda (1984). 9780916211097 ISBN 9780916211097
  Out – "Special thanks" for help with "Place of Magic" adventure scenario and map designs.
• (1985). 9780916211127 ISBN 9780916211127
  Out – Assistant monster designer.
• (1987). 9780916211172 ISBN 9780916211172
  Out – Additional text.
• (1989). 9780916211394 ISBN 9780916211394
  Out
• (1996). 9780916211981 ISBN 9780916211981
• (1996). 9780916211172 . ISBN 9780916211172
  – Contributing author, editor.
• (2003). 9781574570632 ISBN 9781574570632

• (1986). 9780916211196 ISBN 9780916211196
  Out – Revised rules and additional text.
• E. Wujcik (1987). 9780916211240 ISBN 9780916211240
  Out – Author, maps.
• (1999). 9781574570236 ISBN 9781574570236
  – Lead author, maps.

• (1995). 9780916211882 ISBN 9780916211882
  – Special consultant.
• (2001). 9781574570670 ISBN 9781574570670
  – Selected material.
• (2002). 9781574570724 ISBN 9781574570724
  – Additional text and "words of wisdom".
• (2004). 9781574570946 ISBN 9781574570946
• (2004). 9781574570953 ISBN 9781574570953
• (2005). 9781574571509, Palladium Books. ISBN 9781574571509
  – Additional text and ideas.

• (1989). 9780916211370, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211370
  Out – "Mecha Su-Dai" combat rules.

• E. Wujcik (1985). 9780916211141, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211141
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• E. Wujcik (1986). 9780916211165, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211165
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• E. Wujcik (1987). 9780916211257, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211257
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• E. Wujcik (1989). 9780916211356, Palladium Books. ISBN 9780916211356
  Out