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

[freyar]

I'll just add my condolences to the list. I haven't been able to read all of it yet, but I think the length of this thread is a wonderful tribute.

 

[WilliamRAllen]

Very sad news, indeed. My thoughts are with the family-- and everyone else who feels they've lost a friend.

 

[Dragonmarked DM]

R.I.P. to someone who changed a lot of lives for the better, and who's influence will be felt for many more generations to come. Anyone find it somehow appropriate that his passing fell on GM's Day. Kind of makes it seem like it should be a national holiday now.

 

[Boregar]

I just found out about this today, and firstly I'd like to extend my thoughts and condolances to Gary's family and friends.

I can't count how many hours of enjoyment his creation has given me, and the fact that it will continue to do so, along with the number of friendships that I have forged over the gaming table, are the biggest compliments that I think I can pay to the man.

Thanks, Gary.

 

[LoneWolf23]

Steve Jackson, of SJGames, wrote a tribute to him in today's Daily Illuminator editorial:

March 5, 2008: Gary Gygax

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and a gaming icon for more than 30 years, died yesterday after repeated strokes and heart problems. He was 69.

Like the rest of my generation, I was introduced to roleplaying via Dungeons & Dragons because there wasn't anything else back then. My first, very lame, Dungeons & Dragons game was in college. Shortly after I became a (semi)professional and joined the Metagaming group, we started a D&D campaign, with Robert Taylor as the GM, and it was excellent. Decades later, I can still say that my biggest-ever thrill in roleplaying was when my first character got chainmail. No longer would I face certain death if I met an orc.

If not for Dungeons & Dragons, "adventure game" would still mean "cardboard chits on a hexmap." Which I love dearly, but would it ever have gotten out of the garage? And that's the least of it. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson didn't just remake a hobby. They impacted all of Western culture. Fantasy fiction would still be a backwater had not D&D built an audience and a new generation of writers. Lord of the Rings would be something taught in college English classes, not a blockbuster movie trilogy. And consider: The direct lineal descendant of D&D is Worlds of Warcraft, which is, all by itself, what? A billion-dollar business now?

For the last few years, roleplayers have celebrated March 4 as "GM's Day." And now it's the day when the best-known GM of all time put down his dice. Going forward, this should also be a particular date on which we recall Gary and his contributions.
-- Steve Jackson

Jackson's right. It's thanks to Gary Gygax that Fantasy became more then a small niche in fiction, and has shaped Western culture so much. We owe him a lot.

 

[Ranes]

Condolences and sympathies to his family and friends. Tonight I raise a glass to Gary Gygax, in thanks for the entertainment, the friendship and the career I've enjoyed because of him.

 

[Blumf]

A sad day at the passing of someone who most of us, probably, have never met yet touched our lives and thoughts.
I for one have been playing D&D for 25 years and still have a weekly session with great friends all of whom I have met through playing D&D.

What a legacy to leave behind, to have created so much enjoyment, to have taxed the minds, stretched the imagination and to brought together so many people as friends.

RIP Mr Gygax.

 

[Zander]

I'm very deeply shocked and saddened to hear of Gary's passing.

I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person but in the contact I did have with him via these boards and by e-mail, I found him incredibly approachable. I'm very glad now that I had the chance to return a tiny fraction of the pleasure he has brought me over 25 years of gaming when I informed him that "Dungeons and Dragons" (sic) had been accepted as an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

In Chinese and other Far Eastern cultures, they believe that you live as long as you're remembered. I think that Gary will live on in our hearts and minds for a very long time to come.

RIP, Gary.

Edit 1: Don't know if this has been posted yet but here's the obituary from the BBC site.

Edit 2:

----- Original Message -----

>To: <ggygax@genevaonline.com
>Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 3:26 AM
>Subject: D&D in Oxford English Dictionary!!

> Hi Gary!

> "Dungeons and Dragons" and "D and D" have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. The additions were officially made 13 March '03. Here's the link: http://dictionary.oed.com/public/help/Dict/Quarterly/0303.htm

> I don't know if they'll mention you by name. I hope they do. Even if they don't, congratulations are in order. You've joined the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien and Lewis Carroll as someone who's contributed to the English lexicon. Jolly well done! :~)

> All the best,

> Zander at EN World
>Alexander in real life

[Reply from Gary]
Greetings Alexander!

Whoa, and that's a surprising bit of news. Thanks for informing me

Regards,Gary

 

[Phoenix8008]

I've been playing D&D since I was 11 years old when I got the red Basic set to keep me busy during a roadtrip from Texas to Idaho and back. That would be over two decades ago now. I started with that red box set and have been addicted ever since. Played through all of the editions between then and now and I currently sit here eagerly awaiting the 4th edition of the game which Gary helped to create so many years ago. To say that my life would be drastically different without it would be an understatement. And I would have many less friends in this life if not for the joy of that game which brought us together over the years.

Condolences to his family and friends.

RIP Dungeon Master. RIP Gary. May the next game you play be an even better one.

 

[WSmith]

Melan posted this over on the Knight's and Knaves Alehouse, but I find to so true that I have to reiterate it here.

How many people could say that they impacted the lives of millions without bloodshed, political power or a global marketing machine - just a small game of gelatinous cubes, strange dice and 10' corridors? Gary did it just like this, and he did it out of his humble game room in Wisconsin. The context makes it all the more remarkable.

So true. I really can't think of anything more to say at the moment.