Gary, We hardly knew ye....

[rengadeirishman]

Ernest Gary Gygax died today at the age of 69. Many of us roleplayers owe a debt to Gygax and his creation of Dungeons and Dragons. Many hours have i logged turning undead and going berserker.

So rest in peace Gary, and keep the +10 potions of inebriation cold till i get there.

 

[Ravenloft]

Rest ye well G. G.

At least he didn't have to see the mockery made in 4th ed...

 

[Ravenloft]

RIP Gary Gygax 1938-2008
by Rick S.
March 04, 2008 02:07 PM EST rating: 10/10 (1 vote) | comments: 2

Gary Gygax
Born July 27 1938, Died March 4, 2008

Sometimes all it takes is one person with an idea.

Gary Gygax did not envision all that grew from what we eventually came to know as roleplaying games, but it was from the original work of Mr. Gygax and his partners and fellow gamers that Dungeons & Dragons, and eventually an entire subculture would emerge.

Mr. Gygax gave us the spark of an idea that would evolve into an entire new way of playing games and telling stories. Without Gygax and D&D, no World of Darkness, no LARPs, no Clix, no Magic: The Gathering, no Warhammer. I won't go so far as to say that there would have been no Harry Potter without D&D, but the game did lead to a booming growth of fantasy literature that paved the way for today's young adult fantasy genre.

And of course, there is the influence of D&D on today's video games and MMORPGs. Most of the basic structures of the World of Warcraft can be traced to Gygax's work.

I had the honor of meeting Mr. Gygax briefly on a couple of occasions at GenCon, the convention that he founded in his home town of Lake Geneva WI. By the time I attended (my first Gen Con was in 1986), it has outgrown those facilities and taken over Milwaukee's MECCA convention center. Gygax was gracious with his fans. His business dealings with his partners were sometimes rocky, by he was always looking forward, working on new games and new worlds.

Gygax was responsible for an entire geek vocabulary. I've had author friends speak of "leveling up" when they've made their first professional sale.

Most importantly, Gary Gygax and Dungeons & Dragons provided an outlet for the imagination and creativity of a generation and more.

Gary passed away, fittingly, on Worldwide Gamemaster's Day. He will be fondly remembered for his idea, and for the work he put into making that idea grow.

 

[Mantra]

Weis, Hickman, Elmore, Salvatore, McCaffery, Panolini, Turtledove and so many more of my favorite authors were inspired by Gary's games, stories and creations. Not to mention he set the tone and mood for great story settings and systems like World Of WarCraft, Magic the Gathering, DragonLance and Vampire the Masquerade.

Werther you thought he was a creative genius or a freakish mega-nerd, Gary Gygax brought a great deal of creativity, inspiration, entertainment and fun into the world.

He made being a 'dreamer' fun and popular.

Farewell Creator of Worlds; may flights of golden dragons wing you on your way to the 7th Level of Heaven.... And thank you for what you did for all of us dreamers.

 

[rengadeirishman]

Weis, Hickman, Elmore, Salvatore, McCaffery, Panolini, Turtledove and so many more of my favorite authors were inspired by Gary's games, stories and creations. Not to mention he set the tone and mood for great story settings and systems like World Of WarCraft, Magic the Gathering, DragonLance and Vampire the Masquerade.

Werther you thought he was a creative genius or a freakish mega-nerd, Gary Gygax brought a great deal of creativity, inspiration, entertainment and fun into the world.

He made being a 'dreamer' fun and popular.

Farewell Creator of Worlds; may flights of golden dragons wing you on your way to the 7th Level of Heaven.... And thank you for what you did for all of us dreamers.

that was beautiful man. Though we'll miss him on earth, at least heaven will have a fitting dungeon master.

 

[Abraxas Winterlight]

I'll raise a mug in his honor this weekend

 

[Jedi_Khan]

I shall play a game of classic DnD tonight in his honor. It is the least I, a lowly RPer, can do for the first DM to have ever existed. May he be accepted into the eternal game of DnD.

 

[TheGreatRaja]

and in his honor
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/chrono2005/ArmorClass.jpg

 

[Wolfsister]

Fare thee well G. G,

You will be missed.

 

[rengadeirishman]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04

 

[cats]

This one is good.

http://www.xkcd.com/393/