Jack Brown

The Iron Fellowship has been a growing community since the 2012 merging of two friend groups, tied by the bonds of a love of gaming, friendship, and shared time. At the time of this writing, there are one hundred usernames and many more in our orbit. We are a multinational fellowship from all walks of life. The online group has nearly a hundred channels of various interests. Rare is the group that can span such distance, span such ideology, span such variety and all find common cause. At its core, however, there are three interests that reach the furthest, that bring us together more than anything else; athletics, epicureanism, and most ubiquitously... Gaming.

After a dozen years, it is with a heavy heart that we for the first time mourn the loss of one of our own.

Jack "Silbeg" Brown left us on July 7, 2023, and his loss to the Iron Fellowship is incalculable (although I'm certain Jayne Munny, his Inquisitor of Abadar, could give us the figure down to the last copper). Many of us have known him longer than the three-plus years he was part of our Fellowship (thanks to Steven “TriOmegaZero” Schopmeyer for inviting him in!), but anyone who knew him around a gaming table quickly understood they had a knowledgeable companion, an engaged roleplayer, and not a few pints sitting about. A fervent — sometimes fermented — friend.

Constantly ready with a play on words, Jack embraced fun when he played games. His PCs often reflected his love of puns, from the ridiculous (I AM SOOT!) to the sublime (Fafrd the Grey Mouse). He relished playing his characters. Yet, truth be told, he probably loved running more — whether that was running other characters through the latest scenario as GM or running the nearest 5K. He embraced the running spirit, and not infrequently embraced a few spirits afterward too.

It's ironic, in a way, that Jack's oversized, magnanimous heart was what put him in the hospital in the first place, before complications set in. He leaves a hole in our lives that can never be filled...and really, we wouldn't want it to be filled, even if it could be. It is the cherished memories he's left behind, the ones that choke us up a bit even as we remember and smile, that are Jack's lasting legacy.

— The Iron Fellowship

Update: Several members did a 5K run in Jack’s honor on Sunday, July 9th at 2:30PM Eastern/11:30AM Pacific. And knowing Jack (who did many brewery runs), he’d likely have welcomed a good beer at the end.

5K Memorial Runners