Last Friday, Triple Ace Games received the terrible and tragic news that Hans-Wilhelm Bothe had passed away. We don't have any details of his passing, save that he left us on March 4, apparently of natural causes.

Some of you knew him as a fellow gamer and a strong and passionate voice in the Savage community. Others knew him as an editor and others as a friend. We knew him as all three.

Wiggy worked closely with Hans for several years, so we've asked him to say a few words.

"I can't remember when I first met Enno - his username on several forums and the name I always called him by when communicating with him - but it would have been on PEG's forums back in the early 2000s. He was among the first Savage.

"He joined the TAG forum early on and soon made his presence felt by his willingness to answer questions and help others. He could be brusque at times, but he was never intentionally rude to anyone. Indeed, he went out of his way to help his fellow gamers. His knowledge of the Hellfrost setting was encyclopedic, and it wasn't long before we began conversing off the forums. He went from fan to friend.

"It wasn't long before his name became part of the Hellfrost canon, with several NPCs carrying his name in one form or another - a small thank you from us for all his assistance, support, and friendship.

"When it came to searching for a line editor for Hellfrost, Enno was the obvious choice. Not only did he know the setting in and out, but he was never afraid to speak his mind and keep us honest - admirable qualities. He worked tirelessly behind the scenes for many years - far more than many fans will ever know - before accepting public acknowledgement of his position with the company. Likewise, when we needed help with the forums, Enno was happy to become the moderator."

"I'd like to add something truly personal about Enno, but the honest truth is that those things never cropped up in all our years of working together. We never spoke of family or religion or politics - gaming was our medium and it was pretty much all that we spoke about. Judging by the links he'd send, he had a good sense of humor. I never heard his voice, as all communication was by e-mail. We were hoping to add him to our team at Essen back in 2017, but he wasn't available.

"We're leaving Enno's company profile on our site unless his family decide otherwise. He may be gone in body, but his spirit will live through his friends and family and the body of work he helped produce (not just with us, but with other RPG companies). He'll always be part of the TAG family and always be part of the Savage community."

Rest in peace, Hans!

Hans in His Own Words

Hans spent roughly 20 years as an IT specialist in the heart of Swabia in southwest of Germany. He is the scholar of our Hellfrost forums, and supported us with editing and proofreading many products of those lines. Hans is a veteran roleplayer with almost 40 years of experience, and plays as often as his schedule permits, which is less than he prefers in recent years. He lives at the birthplace of Einstein, reading obscure texts on the web and the local libraries, always with RPGs on his mind.