Richard Garfield vs. Gary Gygax

[sparxmith]

It seems to me that Mr. Gary Gygax frequently comes up in conversation on a number of threads. There is always, it seems, at least one thread on the front page concerning Mr. Gygax, his views, or his health. My question is why? I don't know all the facts, but I'm under the impression that he is credited with creating Dungeons & Dragons--30 years ago. In the mean time, from what I've gathered, he nearly ran TSR into the ground and nearly destroyed the game by allowing it to waste away. Were it not for the extremely devoted fans, the game would have gone under long ago.

Why all this seeming hero worship? I've played D&D since the release of 3.0, never played AD&D. In fact my roleplaying experience actually started with Vampire the Masquerade in '97. So maybe, I just don't have the historical understanding necessary to place this all into context.

Any help or explanation as to why he seems to be revered would be appreciated. I do not mean any disrespect, I just don't know why he occupies such a hallowed place in the hearts and minds of so many of enworld's members. I mean, I've been playing Magic: the Gathering since 1995, and yet I've never known Richard Garfield (the game's creator) to be as revered as Gary. Why?

 

[d4]

I don't know all the facts, but I'm under the impression that he is credited with creating Dungeons & Dragons--30 years ago. In the mean time, from what I've gathered, he nearly ran TSR into the ground and nearly destroyed the game by allowing it to waste away.

you know, i'm no fan of Gary's (i disagree with about 90% of his views on role-playing), but this is simply not true. TSR's demise was not his fault.

that said, i don't really understand the adulation he receives either. but like i said, i've never really agreed with him.

 

[MerricB]

Gary was the "face" of D&D for many years, Richard has rarely been so for Magic. The holder of that title would likely be Mark Rosewater (who writes one of the best columns on the Magicthegathering.com site )

Also, Richard's work has been largely hidden by the very talented people that have come after him and made Magic the success it is today; for a long time Gary was one of only a handful of people making quality D&D products.

Cheers!

 

[derverdammte]

Wow, someone should lurk more.

Gary Gygax is most likely "revered" because he co-created an amazingly influential game--the RPG that basically every RPG since has been based on. Also, anyone with even a slight knowledge of TSR's history would be aware that Gygax was forced out of the company years and years before Lorraine Williams ran the company into the ground.

 

[babomb]

Well, for starters, he didn't run TSR into the ground. Control of the company was taken from him, and his successors ran it into the ground, to put it briefly.

Secondly, without him, we wouldn't be playing D&D.

Third, he's a nice guy. He takes time out of his busy schedule to answer questions from fans, often posting on this very message board. (You may have seen one of the eight or so Gary Gygax Q&A threads.) He's got lots of interesting stories, too.

 

[Etan Moonstar]

Point of clarification for you: Gary was not the person who nearly ran TSR into the ground; that distinction belongs to Lorraine Williams, a gamer-despising businesswoman who effected a hostile takeover of TSR (given her feelings for gamers, I never did understand why she would want to run the pre-eminent gaming company). TSR's less sound business ventures occurred after Gary was ousted.

The seeming hero worship comes from the fact that Gary not only helped create the game, but is also personally responsible for writing a campaign setting and many adventure modules that long-time gamers consider to be classics largely unmatched by later rpg products (with, as always, some few exceptions). He is a skilled and enjoyable DM, and those individuals (again mostly long-term gamers) who had a chance over the years to play with him have generally fond memories of the experience. Gary also possesses a wealth of knowledge on many topics related to medieval-based gaming, is a very accessible and friendly individual, and, while he is not always correct, is always worth listening to.

 

[Olive]

I thought it was Dave Arneson who was the actual creator?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

As far as I know, it was a cooperative effort between Arenson and Gygax.

Gygax, however, has historically been a much higher profile ambassador for the game and the hobby than anyone else I can think of. He writes articles of clarification, defense of the hobby, debunking the claims of people like Jack Chick, etc.

 

[trancejeremy]

He's always been nice on these message boards. Maybe his ego was a bit inflated back when he was the head of TSR, but eh, that can happen to anyone.

Anyway, many of us grew up on the 1st edition AD&D books - especially the DMG. That was pretty much all Gygax, in terms of writing. Same with Greyhawk - that was originally Gygax.


Actually, he's sort of like the Capt. Kangaroo of gaming.

 

[MarauderX]

It seems to me that Mr. Gary Gygax frequently comes up in conversation on a number of threads. There is always, it seems, at least one thread on the front page concerning Mr. Gygax, his views, or his health. My question is why? I don't know all the facts, but I'm under the impression that he is credited with creating Dungeons & Dragons--30 years ago. In the mean time, from what I've gathered, he nearly ran TSR into the ground and nearly destroyed the game by allowing it to waste away. Were it not for the extremely devoted fans, the game would have gone under long ago.

Why all this seeming hero worship? I've played D&D since the release of 3.0, never played AD&D. In fact my roleplaying experience actually started with Vampire the Masquerade in '97. So maybe, I just don't have the historical understanding necessary to place this all into context.

Any help or explanation as to why he seems to be revered would be appreciated. I do not mean any disrespect, I just don't know why he occupies such a hallowed place in the hearts and minds of so many of enworld's members. I mean, I've been playing Magic: the Gathering since 1995, and yet I've never known Richard Garfield (the game's creator) to be as revered as Gary. Why?

His imagination alone forged the way for gamers past, present and well into the future. He had ideas for a system that would lay a foundation not only for his generation, but for all to come. His dedication to follow through with the tough times and to keep going and gaming has left a legacy in which we can only ride the waves.

He launched role-playing as a common game, in which acting, plots and stories could unfold in people's homes. He brought the theatrics and deeds of heroes into the grasp of people, something that Magic:tG cannot ever do. He brought theater home by appling simple rules of adjudication, the necessary constraints of numbers to prevent players from make-believing their way to never lose. Those ideas alone, housed in the core rules that live to this day, were what he created and later lobbied for.

To his deeds for the game and people's imaginations he has earned my respect, and the torch has been carried on by the current game writers as they do the same.