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Hey, so, anyone want to help get the Gary Gygax article up to "good article" status? I think we're coming along nicely, but a few more knowledgable hands who know how to write well would really help.
Anything I type is only my opinion unless explicitly stated otherwise, which should go without saying. Please assume that I've left out a smiley after every sentence. Thank you.
Parenthetically, photostat copies of the manuscript rules were made, and when the commercial game was published, fans not willing or financially unable to expend the princely sum of $10 for the product did likewise, copying the material on school (mainly college/university) machines. We were well aware of this, and many gamers who had spent their hard-earned money to buy the game were more irate than we were. In all, though, the 'pirate' material was more helpful that not. Many new fans were made by DMs who were using such copies to run their games. - Gary Gygax
Parenthetically, photostat copies of the manuscript rules were made, and when the commercial game was published, fans not willing or financially unable to expend the princely sum of $10 for the product did likewise, copying the material on school (mainly college/university) machines. We were well aware of this, and many gamers who had spent their hard-earned money to buy the game were more irate than we were. In all, though, the 'pirate' material was more helpful that not. Many new fans were made by DMs who were using such copies to run their games. - Gary Gygax
I am going to go ahead and give my 2 cents...but then offer nothing more.
These things...are tough.
Very easy to loose the forest for the trees, and that starts to happen here. The two key events for the reading public are the creation of D&D, and the dispute(s) that led him to leaving TSR. Also, towards the end of his life, he did reengage with his fanbase and D&D, though not exactly in the way described.
Both the creation and disputes need more attention, and need to be "broken out" more. The issues surounding the decline of the company under the blooms should be part of that. Off the top of my head both the 25th aniversary "silver box" and the 30th aniversary book may help, as should the many, many things Mr Gygax had to say on these matters.
As for his last years, the focus on Troll Lords...is not enough (and there is too much of that it in the Biography section). Its critical to mention the final settlement with WotC, and the fact that he had a Dragon column again. I would say even things like his regular partipation at cons, his involvment on ENWorld, his mixed feelings on 3E and disapointment at ADD not coming back, all would be worth noting. His work with the Trolls, for better or worse, is something that only a small fraction of the gaming public will ever be familiar with.
A few more quibles:
-his interview on 60 minutes should be noted.
-This: "After leaving TSR in 1985 over issues with its new majority owner, Gygax continued to author role-playing game titles independently, beginning with the multi-genre Dangerous Journeys in 1992" Is obviously incorect and contradicted latter in the article.
-The influance of LoTR on D&D, and the Chainmail fantasy supplement, should be noted...I know the arguments, I know the other influances, but Tolkien is why the game had the races, and some of the classes, that it does.
Final Thought:
-To really give heft to the article, a little criticism and controvery could be interesting. Cyborg comando was a flop, dangerous journeys really, really complicated, he had his own issues when in charge at TSR. ADD is not a perfect game. When he left TSR, the response by management was pretty brutal: taking his name off books, the Castle Greyhawk parody module...No one is perfect, and a little of this could take the article to the next level.
Oh, and one more thing. Anymore pictures, of Gygax or his products?
Ok, thats my 2 cents. Thanks to all of you actually working on this.
4E has rituals, use them, they're magic; Want to see the greatest thing you will ever see? then click; You can use “Earth” as a D&D setting; Origins of The Rouse; (look for it) The Rouse responds; (look for it) One can appreciate both old and new D&D.
Gary had a bibliography file that he sent to me back in 2002 or so, and I have some of it posted to Grodog's Bibliography of the Works and Worlds of E. Gary Gygax (looks like that's not as current as the file he sent in 2002/2003, though; I'll ping Gail to make sure it's OK to post the fuller version).
__________________ grodog
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Allan Grohe
Editor and Project Manager Black Blade Publishing
I am going to go ahead and give my 2 cents...but then offer nothing more.
These things...are tough...
Skimming what you wrote... I can say that Wikipedia isn't called the encyclopedia that anyone can edit for no reason. If you see discrepancies... DIY! I'm going to reread through most of the sources and see what I can add/fix/source, and I'll keep your suggestions in mind, but feel free to help me get the work done.
Gary had a bibliography file that he sent to me back in 2002 or so, and I have some of it posted to Grodog's Bibliography of the Works and Worlds of E. Gary Gygax (looks like that's not as current as the file he sent in 2002/2003, though; I'll ping Gail to make sure it's OK to post the fuller version).
Hey all - I want to thank anyone who helped out or at least wished me well (publicly or silently!) - the Gary Gygax Wikipedia article is now a "Good Article".
My next mission... Wizards of the Coast. assuming I can actually post on Gleemax, I might as well let them know there as well.
Just a quick note - we tried to get this one up to "Featured Article" status but were unsuccessful on the first try. If you can think of anything to improve this one, feel free to have a go at it. We'll undoubtedly try again soon. It took five tries to get the main "Dungeons & Dragons" article onto WP's front page, so if at first you don't succeed...
I think we're coming along nicely, but a few more knowledgable hands who know how to write well would really help.
4E has rituals, use them, they're magic;
Want to see the greatest thing you will ever see? then 
You can use “Earth” as a D&D 
The Rouse 
One can appreciate both old and new D&D.
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