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

[Thunderfoot]

It only a fitting end that he passed on March 4th - DMs day.
He was the first of our ilk and by far the greatest. My son was looking forward to meeting him at GenCon to get a letter that Gary had sent him electronically congratulating him on attaining Eagle Scout actually signed, but now that letter will probably mean even more.

I've heard many people slander him and call him a bully when it came to his business dealings, but I for one can say, that every time I ever dealt with him, he nothing but warm and gracious. Gary, you will be truly missed.

 

[Matchstick]

I was lucky enough to meet Gary a couple times at GenCon, and they are memories that have remained crystal clear due to their importance to me. He was indeed a mentor.

I will count myself fortunate should my life have even a quarter of the impact of the life of Gary Gygax.

Link to thread on City of Heroes boards

 

[boerngrim]

Hi.
First off, my condolences to Gary's family, friends and to all gamers. Many years ago I was checking out a website connected to Gary, I believe it was the Legandary Journeys site. There was an email address to contact Gary. I sent a short email thanking him for the D&D game and the good times and friends that have come from it. Gary replied. His reply caught me off guard, because it was warm, personal, and friendly. I'll never forget that. I got the impression that Gary was just a really good guy. Reading his posts here on ENWorld has only reinforced that impression. I've never before been so sad at the loss of someone I never met in person. Thanks again Gary.
Thanks.

 

[Kalitharus]

I've been around D+D since 1981... my older brothers were a major influence on me getting in to Mystara. I owe a lot to Gary, a lot of great times RP'ing thru Greyhawk and Mystara; he really was a unique trailblazer in the publishing business. He'll be sorely missed by a lot of old-school gamers, myself included.

 

[The_Warlock]

The King is dead.
With laughter and friendship
He taught us
We need no kings
Nor rule
Just imagination.
Long live the memory
of the King.

---
And now to plan some old school gaming with the buddies to toast the creator of the hobby that brings us together.

 

[Storm Raven]

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.

Well, maybe. While it is important to give Gygax his due, I don't think even he would have denied that D&D followed the rise in popularity of fantasy fiction rather than preceded it. In point of fact, much of D&D wouldn't exist had it not been for the fantasy fiction antecedents: the Dying Earth books, the Newhon books, Moorcock's writings, many of the works of Poul Anderson and so on, from which D&D directly drew many of the tropes that have become regarded now as "D&Disms". In his own writing, Gygax pointed out that the "Tolkienesque" elements placed in the D&D game were done so consciously to try to exploit the already significant popularity of those books.

Gygax brought us a great game, and launched and molded a hobby that without a doubt most of us have loved and enjoyed for many years. He was the right man, in the right place, at the right time, with the right idea. But fantasy fiction would probably have done just fine without him. It would have been different, but it would have flourished just the same.

As an aside, I never heard him talk on this subject, but I wonder if the style of fantasy that has developed since the 1970s, with much of it clearly aping, if not imitating the works of Tolkien, was really something Gygax was fond of. The style of fantasy he appears to have preferred - written by Lieber and Howard and so on, was very different from the epic Tolkienesque tales that litter the genre now.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.

As many others have said, I'm sure my life would be very different if not for the game he helped develop. I have made many friends that I never would have had it not been for Dungeons and Dragons.

Rest in peace, Gary.

 

[Drowbane]

rest in peace Gary!

Last night I logged on ENworld to get my fix and am floored with the news of Col_Pladoh's passing. I thought about it quite abit while I was at work. Having never played a game of D&D with him is my newest "great regret". While I never knew him personally, I cannot begin to convey how much joy I've had playing his game.

So, last night I rolled 3d6 in order as a way of "geek tribute" for our beloved Father of the Game. My results... S:10, D: 17, C: 10, I: 13, W: 12, Ch: 10. I think I'll use these as either my first 4e character or to make my first ever OD&D character. Either way, Gary, this ones for you!

edit: I couldn't help but notice that Gygax died on "GM's Day". Strangely appropriate?

~Brew, 3/5/08

 

[TerraDave]

I just got the news...not surprising given what I knew of his health, but still deeply sadening.

He will truly be missed.

 

[Maltrok]

Any chance the front page can link to the NY Times Obit instead of the CNN rehash of the AP obit?

The NY Times one seems to understand the impact that this man had on the world beyond "he created some game that nerds used to play"

Link to the NYTimes article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/05gygax.html?_r=2&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin&oref=slogin