Lynn Willis is a wargame and role-playing game designer who has done work for Metagaming Concepts, Game Designers' Workshop, and Chaosium.
Willis began by designing science fiction wargames for Metagaming, starting with the Godsfire in 1976. He also designed the microgames Olympica (1978) and Holy War (1979). Chaosium published Lords of the Middle Sea (1978), while GDW published Bloodtree Rebellion (1979).
However, Willis's relationship with Chaosium has proved the most enduring, and there he would turn to role-playing games. He helped founder Greg Stafford trim and refine the RuneQuest rules into Basic Role-Playing, the rules that would serve as the base for many of Chaosium's RPG lines. He is included in the design credits for Worlds of Wonder (1982) and the Ringworld RPG (1984). With other members of Chaosium, he co-wrote the Ghostbusters RPG for West End Games, which won the H.G. Wells Award for Best Role-playing Rules of 1986.[1] After their original creators left, Willis took on the task of developing new editions of Stormbringer and Call of Cthulhu. Throughout, he edited, and sometimes wrote for, Chaosium supplements. Indeed, as other staff members, even Stafford, have departed, he has ended up as not only editor-in-chief, but the longest-running member of the staff.
On Sept 11, 2008 his friend Charlie Krank informed the public that Lynn Willis has Parkinson's disease.[2]
"Some time ago. Lynn Willis began to notice symptoms consistent with the effects of Parkinsons. Being a very private person he chose not to relay this information to the world at large. In keeping with his wishes, I also abided by this and, when asked, would quietly comment on his health to the best of my ability. Some months ago he stopped driving, and would come to the office when his partner, Marcia, would drive. Recently he has stopped coming in, and I do not know if he will resume work. I offer him this possibility should he feel up to it. Lynn's guidance and effort have been a cornerstone of Chaosium over the years. Everyone here appreciates his skill and sense of humor, and the work he did to develop Call of Cthulhu and hundreds of other books for Chaosium. Whatever the future might bring, he will always be part of Chaosium."