Another Light Goes Out

"Here we see a long forgotten starport on a long forgotten backwater planet in a forlorn system, deep into the Long Night. The ghosts of the once great Imperium, now long gone can be seen here, in the skeletons and rotting hulks of once proud starships.

"Here, under the light of a distant binary star the planet never truly has a night - in light brighter than an earthly full moon, the dim night light reveals the last vestiges of a star spanning civilization brought to ruin and leather flyers wing over it all in unconcerned ease.

"How melancholy indeed to see mans achievements brought so low, here on the Derelict planet."
- Bryan Gibson

I learned today that Bryan Gibson had finally lost his battle with Double Pneumonia and has passed on.

A well-known craftsman associated with the Society of Creative Anachronism, Bryan was also an artist and has contributed to several editions of Traveller, as well as to numerous adventure books and supplements over the last thirty years. A selection of his art - the picture, above, a melancholic piece that reflects my mood this evening, is taken from the collection - is currently hosted on deviantART. Bryan was also the author of Field Manual for Spica Publishing.

I never met Bryan in person, but I did have the privilege of taking part in a couple of mIRC Traveller games he ran, as well as chatting with him, off and on, via IM. I understand that he was a man of fairly firm views, and could be rather prickly to deal with on occasion, but I always found him immensely creative and interesting to talk to.

"Stand easy, soldier, ere the setting of the sun.

Stand easy, soldier. Job well done."