Gary Gygax has passed. RIP beloved father of RPG's. (merged)

[HolyGrenadeFrenzy]

Goodbye Gary You Are Missed Already

Thank you for all you have done and shared with so many of us.

I thank you for your humor, insight, honesty, courage, forethought, and willingness to be yourself.

Who will send people off to read those machinist catalogs now when someone is being an idiot?

Thank YOU, for you time with us.

I shall remember you in our prayers, God Speed Gary, all the Trolls will be drinking in your honor I am sure. I must call those that I know and drink with them in your honor.

Toast to the Colonel!

 

[gamecat]

Thanks for everything, Mr. Gygax.

You gave me my imagination.

It's been fun.

 

[Peter LaCara]

If the measure of a life is in hours of joy created, then we have indeed lost a great man.

I remember the day when I was 10 years old and my best friend borrowed the Rules Cyclopedia from the library clear as crystal. I played an elf and fought some giant rats in a latrine before defeating a doppelganger in an inn.

Thirteen years later and most of my friends I've met through roleplaying. Most of the girls I've dated were gamers of one sort or another. I'm currently in college studying game design because of the way this man inspired me.

I can't think of a single person other than my immediate family who has touched my life this much, and I never even met the man. Now I never will.

He had better have been guarding some really, really good stuff.

 

[caudor]

I find I cannot sleep until I put my sadness into words. This wonderful man's passion touched so many lives. I'm really choked up right now. All I can say is...

May you rest in peace, Mr. Gygax.

I offer my condolences to Gary's family and friends.

 

[PoeticJustice]

Man...

D&D is the superlative method of enjoying the company of other nerds. It's like nerd-ball. Cheap, flexible, rich with tradition and very easy to become passionate over. God willing, I'll play forever.

The other thing that really struck me was when I realized Gary Gygax actually posted a Q&A thread. And that he let people just come out and relax on his porch. Quite a friend to the nerd, he was.

I thought about ending this post with a bit of poetry, but I think Gary'd be a bit happier to know that I introduced an NPC tonight in his honor . He's named Zargyg, he's an Oracle and a cleric of Boccob. My players like him.

This way, Gary, you'll ever be telling my players what lies in Heatherwick Ruins or Mythandalus's Forge and bringing them back to life after neglecting to mention may live beneath.



Tom Liles

 

[Blackrat]

His physical form may have died but this man has already achieved immortality.

A toast for your memory Mr. Gygax.

 

[Nyaricus]

Words almost fail me.... Thanks to Mr. Gygax, I had a stable pillar of refuge throughout a tempestuous period of my life, and when all and everyone had left me, I still had my books and an imagination brought to fruit by a fantastic game.

Gary, I have never met you sir, but you and I are good friends. I have never played at your table, but I have brought that table to my friends many a weekend night. Thank you sir, your game has positively affected my entire life, and your passing hurts me sorely. May you roll all 20s for the next leg of the journey.

R.I.P. Father of The Game

--Ryan

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

(whelmed look, tears, despair, hopelessness, helpless horror)

I cannot give a fit tribute to Gary Gygax. I apologize. Certainly, he deserves a fit tribute.

I would like to say that his game probably saved my life. It gave me joy and happiness, brought friends and activities, at a time in my life when there was no joy, hope, friends, or happiness.
Is that enough? That his creation very likely saved my life? I offer more.

His creation kept me young at heart. I took it's spirit to heart, and I stayed young. Everyone else around me grew old before their time. It would have happened to me, too. But his creation kept that from happening.

His creation gave me a defense against horror and pain, from which there was no other defense. The horror and pain went on for years, but his creation allowed me to shield myself, fight back against that pain.

Because of his creation, I found a lot of friends. I had never had many friends, and I probably would have had none, but for his creation. Some of those friends are friends today, after many years.

I would dedicate my IRs on ENWorld to Gary Gygax. I tried to run them in the spirit of what Gary Gygax created. If anyone from the IRs reads this, would they second that?

Is it enough that I am feeling totally crushed? Totally flattened? In tears? So depressed as to be almost incoherent?

No. My tribute is only a small and poor one. I'm just a small and insignificant little person.
But at least I can say that I think Gary Gygax was a great and majestic person, who remained young all his life, who loved children and the child in everyone, who believed and who dreamed. Especially, who dreamed. Especially, who dreamed.

I wish we could honor Gary Gygax by keeping his Legacy alive. Pen and paper roleplaying, creativity, imagination, escapism, roleplaying ... and fun. Especially, fun. And friends. Pepsi. Pizza. Dice. A lot of clattering, thrown dice. Paper. Cluttered character sheets.
We should preserve his Legacy. We owe him that. We *owe* him that.

Edena_of_Neith

 

[Thurbane]

I think this quote from Wiki sums it all up perfectly:

"I would like the world to remember me as the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else."

...we will, Gary, we will.

 

[pawsplay]

How cool was he? I will miss him, and his knowledge of polearms.

 

[The Thayan Menace]

Thank You, Mr. Gygax

He was a scholar and a gentleman, who created a noble art and dedicated his life to defending it.

May his memory be eternal.

-Samir Asad​

 

[Frostmarrow]

I loved the cut of his jib.

 

[jester47]

In memory of a man who loved his work:

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

There also was much joy in this man's heart.

 

[JLXC]

This actually makes me sad. He changed my life more than nearly anyone outside of my family. I've been playing for a long, long time and have spend so many thousands of wonderful hours playing D&D, it changed my life. I'm glad he was born, and that's as nice a thing as I can say about another human.

 

[Orius]

I came to this thread fairly late, and I don't know what to say that's already been said. I only knew him from the various discussions he took part in here, and he always seemed like a pretty good guy.

 

[SoulsFury]

A sad day. Rest in Peace Gary. Thank you for the many things you have done for my life and the many ours of enjoyment you brought to me and my friends.

 

[Night Watchman]

Thank you Mr. Gygax for so many years of fun and imagination filled adventures. My friends and I have so many wonderful memories thanks to you and we pan on having many more in your memory. The next round of drinks is for you sir!

 

[Baron Opal]

Thank you Gary.

Your game, which my parents had a love / hate relationship with, kept me out of more trouble and developed my mind more than any of us could imagine.

You had a great impact in my life, despite the fact that I never met you.

Thanks again, and I hope to see you in Valhalla.

- Erich

 

[Sharp Tongue]

He, along with Carl Sagan, was one of the most influential people in my life. I don't know where I would be without his creativity and ingenuity. I do know that I wouldn't be the person I am now.

Rest in peace, Gary Gygax.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Gary was one of those people who I didn't know much about as I was growing up, and it was only until later that I realized how much he meant. I read the news this morning, and was in a funk all day. I never realized how much he truly was an idol of mine. I had a drink and rolled a d4 for him tonight, and thanked him not just for giving me the chance to stretch my imagination, but not to be ashamed of doing it.

Thanks Gary.