{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}} {{short description|American artist and game designer|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Infobox artist | name = Jeff Dee | image = Jeff Dee (2009).png | imagesize = | caption = Dee on ''The Atheist Experience'' television series, January 4, 2009 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = United States | death_date = | death_place = | field = Fantasy art, illustration | training = | movement = | works = | patrons = | influenced by = | influenced = | awards = }}
'''Jeff Dee''' is an American artist and game designer. He was the youngest artist in the history of pioneering role-playing game company TSR when he began his work at the age of 18. He also designed the ''Villains and Vigilantes'' superhero game. He was a co-host on ''The Atheist Experience'' and Non-Prophets atheism advocacy podcasts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atheist-experience.com/people/jeff_dee/|title=People: Jeff Dee|work=The Atheist Experience|publisher=Atheist Community of Austin|access-date=February 4, 2019|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004074520/http://atheist-experience.com/people/jeff_dee/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Biography== In the late 1970s, while Dee was still a teenager, he and Jack Herman created ''Villains and Vigilantes'', the first complete superhero role-playing game.<ref>Jebens, Harley (September 21, 1995). "Game central", ''Austin American-Statesman'', p. 38.</ref> The game was published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1979.<ref name="designers">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons|publisher=Mongoose Publishing|year=2011| isbn= 978-1-907702-58-7}}</ref>{{rp|73}} Dee and Herman persuaded Scott Bizar to produce a second edition of ''Villains and Vigilantes'', which was published in 1982.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|75}} Dee came up with the idea of creating a role-playing game based on cartoons when he, Greg Costikyan, and other designers were discussing which genres had no role-playing game systems yet; although they agreed that it would be impossible for such a game to be designed, a few years later Costikyan designed ''Toon'' as a full game with the assistance of Warren Spector.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|104}}
Dee was the youngest artist in TSR history when he began working for them at the age of 18.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jeff Dee|date=2010|website=blackgate.com|url=http://www.blackgate.com/2010/09/29/art-evolution-3-jeff-dee/}}</ref> Dee designed a new superhero role-playing game originally titled ''Advanced Villains and Vigilantes'', which was ultimately published as ''Living Legends'' in 2005.<ref name="designers"/>{{rp|77}} In 2009, he co-founded Nemesis Games, developers of an MMO named ''Gargantua''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nemesisgames.net/ |title=Nemesis Games web site |publisher=Nemesisgames.net |access-date=June 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606024608/http://www.nemesisgames.net/ |archive-date=June 6, 2012 }}</ref>
Dee has long been an advocate for the role-playing game industry.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2014/02/25/art-of-the-genre-the-halflings-of-jeff-dee/ | title=Art of the Genre: The Halflings of Jeff Dee – Black Gate | date=February 25, 2014 }}</ref>
==Advocacy of atheism== In addition to his artistic and game-related work, Dee is an outspoken atheist and transhumanist.<ref>{{citation|last=Rahe|first=Emily|date=July 11, 2001|title=Atheists blast faith-based initiative as an unconstitutional "religion tax" | newspaper=The Washington Times|page=A9|url=https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-76461881}}{{dl|date=July 2021}}</ref> He has been the host of a bi-weekly Internet podcast called ''The Non-Prophets'' and a former host of a live, weekly, public-access television program, ''The Atheist Experience''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atheist-experience.com/archive/index.php?full=0|website=atheist-experience.com|title=The Atheist Experience|access-date=August 22, 2007|archive-date=November 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122085027/http://www.atheist-experience.com/archive/index.php?full=0|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web | url = http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=509 | title = Jeff Dee | access-date = August 22, 2011 | work = Pen & Paper RPG database | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930201246/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=509 | archive-date = September 30, 2007}} *{{moby developer|id=487|name=Jeff Dee's profile}} * [http://www.paratime.ca/v_and_v/art_jdee.html A Jeff Dee art gallery], including most of his AD&D work * [https://wwjdee.blogspot.com/ ''What Worries Jeff Dee?''], Dee's blog
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dee, Jeff}} Category:American atheism activists Category:American fantasy artists Category:American game artists Category:American role-playing designers Category:American role-playing game artists Category:American transhumanists Category:Atheist Community of Austin people Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)