Putting Gary in your Campaign (forever immortalised)

[Umbran]

The next person who tries to use this passing as a way to cast aspersions on the current corporation or editions can be welcome to a vacation. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with us in e-mail.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I run a Ptolus game. I suspect Gygax will be showing up as the First Delver at some point.

 

[AFGNCAAP]

In the past few years, I've taken up the Gygaxian flavor in my campaign by using anagrams and references in my homebrew campaign. Even recycling old PC names from older campaigns & other campaigns in my game, serving as a Mordenkainen or Bigby for my homebrew game.

Right now, I really wish my 3.5 ed. campaign hadn't died out a few months ago. I was in the midst of running Keep on the Borderlands.

With Mr. Gygax's passing, I feel compelled to pay tribute to the man somehow within the games I run. Because of this, I think I'll have Mordenkainen be a regular bigwig in my homebrew setting. I've always liked the character of Mordenkainen from what I read in the Greyhawk materials I had, and the Finnish-sounding name was another big draw for me. He'll be there alongside Warduke and Bargle the Infamous as a tribute to the good times that I had playing D&D, and what keeps me playing D&D all of these years.

 

[Drammattex]

What a wonderful idea. Thanks for this.

He will inspire a notable NPC in my campaign in the same manner as Klaus Deland, "the Heromaker" did (Del Close was my teacher when he passed on the same date, March 4, 1999). Rarely does he appear, but occasionally he'll walk onstage and speak in his gruff voice, telling some long-winded story about some past hero.

My best memory of Gary was Gen Con 1999. He was sitting on a brick bench outside the convention center, casually hanging out with a crowd of wide-eyed young gamers who were awestruck by "the god of D&D's" layed back demeanor. I offered him a cookie.

Thus, I see him appearing that way: an old hero whose fighting days are past but everyone forever stands in awe of his achievements. He's approachable, kindly, and formidable all at once. I think I'm going to start my first 4e campaign with that character. He'll be a linker; because of Gary Gygax, I've met the closest friends I've ever had. He brought people together; that's the kind of character Gary Gygax will inspire in my campaign.

 

[Tewligan]

Personally I think any artifact of Gygax would have to give a good death save, Gary saved vs Death for half damage several times to survive strokes and a heart attack. Guess eventually no matter your death save your gonna hit a natural 1 and be toast.

Whaaat?! Dude, given The Grand Old Man's fondness for save or die and straight-up NO save, any artifact with his name attached to it is gonna be dangerous for any PC's to even say its name! You'd be better off jumping into lava than hoping for a save from an artifact named after Gary.

Similarly, you'd better believe than any PC of mine is going to steer well clear of The Lost Tower of Garigaxx, The Hidden Tomb of Gyygaraax, AND The Forbidden Temple of Gaxigarr!

 

[Mighty Veil]

I'd like to see Gary immortalized as a diety in the new 4E cosmology.

I think he'd find it offensive to be a D&D god. A solar maybe, but not an actual god. I think it'd be a nice thing to immortalize him in some way like that. I think if wizards were to republish 1e or basic (as a pdf) he'd of like that.

 

[Brewhammer]

Excellent tribute to Gary tonight at Order of the Stick.

http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html

 

[Incenjucar]

Gygax as a deity? He'd have quite a portfolio.

Games. Deep Places. Sudden Death. Creation.

Community.

 

[Generico]

Gygax is now the overgod of my new setting. And there shall be an epic wizard somewhere, named Ernest Gary.

 

[Mephistopheles]

In my opinion the most appropriate place for him to lurk in a campaign setting would be the equivalent of Colonel Sanders in The Matrix.