D&D Co-Creator Gary Gygax Has Passed Away

Mearlus writes "In the recent past co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons Gary Gygax has worked with Troll Lord Games, a small tabletop RPG publisher. Their forums have up a post noting that Mr. Gygax has apparently passed away. Gygax was known, along with Dave Arneson, as the Father of Roleplaying." Saddened reactions from well-known designers have already begun to appear online. Consider this is an in-memoriam Ask Slashdot question: How has D&D (and tabletop roleplaying) touched/improved your life? Update: 03/04 23:16 GMT by Z : With more time, official announcements have had time to appear. Many sites are featuring posts on Gygax's impact on gaming, including touching entries on Salon and CNet.

Comments

This sucks.

[LordZardoz]

Its too bad, since his influence goes well beyond D&D. The impact on videogames is very far reaching too.

END COMMUNICATION

Re:This sucks.

[Erwos]

I'd argue otherwise to the videogames, honestly.

Gygax's biggest impact, setting-wise, was Greyhawk. How many video games are based off Greyhawk? None, as far as I know.

He left before AD&D 2E, and AD&D 1E was horrifically broken as a rules system. The gold box games succeeded in spite of the system, not because of it.

The reason that the SSI / Bioware / Black Isle games succeeded was not because of the D&D rules, but because of good writing, good settings, and good programming. The D&D connection is mostly peripheral. Witness Fallout's success even after divorcing itself from GURPS for an example of why this is true.

Re:This sucks.

[ackthpt]

Part of my childhood just failed its save vs death.

Thank you Mr. Gygax, for your role in many enjoyable hours of leisure.

Re:This sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry, but every "role-playing" game (ie with character stats) owes itself indirectly to Gygax.

Not to mention FPS games and others that use "hit points".

Re:This sucks.

[corky842]

How many video games are based off Greyhawk? None, as far as I know.

One, actually.

Re:This sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

This sucks almost as bad as WoTC removing the Erinyes from D&D 4E.

I'm sury Gary would have joined the campaign for more hot devil chicks had he known.

Re:This sucks.

[cp3zer0]

I just rolled 28 + Ability against Resurrection! He should be fine now!

Re:This sucks.

[Thangodin]

It wasn't the rule system itself that was important, but the very idea of a role playing game. D&D was the first attempt to come up with a war game system that could be applied to general storytelling with players each playing a single character. All the other RPG systems were derived from this core idea, and a lot of the fantasy and nearly all fantasy computer games can trace their influence, directly or indirectly, to this first RPG.

Of course, once someone had created one RPG, it was fairly easy to come up with others and improve upon it. It seemed so obvious... once someone else had thought of it.

Oddly enough, during the 70's a lot of former flower children tried to come up with games where players actually played together rather than against each other. They abhorred D&D for its violent content--and yet, it fit exactly the dynamics they were looking for, and RPGs are the only kind of non-competitive game that survived the decade.

Re:This sucks.

[BakaHoushi]

But... surely he should have been traveling alongside a high-level cleric.

Does somebody in here know Raise Dead?!

Re:This sucks.

[ma1wrbu5tr]

I grew up in an orphanage. Playing D&D (frowned upon by the staff and houseparents) was my only escape from farm and school work during those years. It not only helped to enrich my imagination, it gave me the first real life use for the math I was learning in school. And eventually led to my love for computers (since I just had to play this "rogue" game everyone was talking about). For that, I thank the folks over at TSR and Mr. Gygax. Gary, you truly enriched my life then, and your damage system lives on in the RPGs I play today. You will be missed. Though, I'm sure you're rolling a d20 somewhere in the afterlife, even as I write this.

Re:This sucks.

[h4rm0ny]

I played D&D as a child and am better for it. It fostered a love of storytelling and is solely responsible for my love of probability theory. If everyone wasn't so busy in their lives at the moment, I'd quite happily still run a game as an adult.

Mr. Gygax, thank you for creating something so great.

Re:This sucks.

[jpetts]

Role-playing games were around long before the fantasy type versions. They were initially developed at the RAND corporation and used as simulations for nuclear war.

Re:This sucks.

[Moryath]

He left before AD&D 2E - actually, was forced out after his ex-wife got controlling interest in TSR and decided as a "fuck you" to mess with the company.

The gold box games succeeded in spite of the system - oddly, I find 1st/2nd/AD&D easier to use (not to mention cross-compatible) than the 3.0/3.5 rules-lawyer nonsense.

At least he went before WotC completely pissed all over his design by releasing the crap known as 4E. There's nothing left of D&D in that system, just a bunch of WoW kludge.

Re:This sucks.

[Creepy]

shoot - I swapped that out for Reincarnation.

He's now a... uh, some kind of fruit bat. Best of luck in your new life GG!

Re:This sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Given a long enough time line, everyone rolls a 1 eventually.

Re:This sucks.

[HTH NE1]

I propose a 21 Cast-Magic-Missile-into-the-Darkness salute.

Re:This sucks.

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

I'd argue otherwise to the videogames, honestly. Gygax's biggest impact, setting-wise, was Greyhawk. How many video games are based off Greyhawk? None, as far as I know. Dude... turn in your geek card. Do not pass go. Do not collect 10d20.

Re:This sucks.

[lgw]

He left before AD&D 2E - actually, was forced out after his ex-wife got controlling interest in TSR and decided as a "fuck you" to mess with the company. The fact that he was fighting a lawsuit from the man who *actually* wrote D&D was a factor as well. Regardless, he was influential through the early games that he ran, and the viral spread of the game as the people he gamed with started their own games and so on, until there was a market you could publish a book for.

The early versions of D&D, perhaps through 2E but certainly the earlier stuff, had a distinct charm. The combat system was certainly crappy, but is was so simple and flexible that you could do what you wanted to with it easily. World War II squad vs company of orcs and trolls? Give me 20 minutes to throw it together and we'll start.

At least he went before WotC completely pissed all over his design by releasing the crap known as 4E. There's nothing left of D&D in that system, just a bunch of WoW kludge. Wonder if he dropped any good loot?

Re:This sucks.

[bckrispi]

It's hard to think of a part of my late childhood and young adulthood that *hasn't* been touched by fantasy gaming. All of my longest and closest friends were gamers. My computer career was started in no small way by my love of the SSI Gold Box games. DM'ing helped to teach me to think quickly and creatively on the spot. As a player, I learned not only teamwork, but how to approach a problem from alternate perspectives (part of the joy of being a Chaotic Neutral thief or a Lawful Good Paladin). Even my wedding was medieval themed. The world has become a little sadder, and a little smaller today...

Re:This sucks.

[labrats5]

How has D&D changed my life? If it wasn't for D&D I WOULDN'T EVEN BE ALIVE! Proud son of two nerds who met at the table top. I can't understate what D&D means to my family and I. Some families play monopoly, or watch TV. We play D&D. I will never forget some of my dad's best characters, like the alcoholic Druid, or the Wizard who really just wanted to be a chef, or the Barbarian who was so stupid he thought he was a bard and kept trying to give stat boosts with his warcry. Rest in peace Gary. I will never stop playing D&D, and the world will never forget what you accomplished.

Re:This sucks.

[section321a]

Thank you. This got modded as funny, but I think its quite profound. You're exactly right. A big part of my childhood just passed on.

Re:This sucks.

[uncle slacky]

"Gary sent us."

Re:This sucks.

[Sentry21]

Fascinating how you can make assertions about their release of a system that hasn't been released without ever having seen it, despite everyone that's played it being a huge fan of the system and the way it simplifies roleplaying. Face it, you just don't know what you're talking about, you're just bitter. Get over it.

Re:This sucks.

[Rayonic]

Don't feel bad. I heard he's just going to reroll an undead character.

Re:This sucks.

[Xerp]

This is a sad day indeed. Possibly one of the greatest and most lasting influences from my childhood was the power that Gary helped to nurture - imagination. Combined with that very special way of being able to get together with friends. Back then, pen and paper, and today with MMOs. We have lost, but the legend will live on.

Re:This sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sadly you need to target something for the magic missile spell to fire... sniff.

Fireballs on the other hand :)

Re:This sucks.

[lundqvist]

The best tribute I can think of is that some people get a country mounring for them, a few get the world ... for Gary the flags will be lowered in worlds without number ...

Re:This sucks.

[orielbean]

Is this how Iran is going to shut down the Internet?

Re:This sucks.

[LaskoVortex]

I would argue that Mendel has had no impact on molecular genetics.. His model system was horribly simplified and, for the traits he studied, wasn't even perfectly accurate.

Mendel stopped doing genetics before epistasis and population genetics were even conceived of, much less understood.

Genetics succeeded after him not because of his influence in understanding heredity, but despite it. We all know that nonhomologous recombination plays an important role in the genotype of certain offspring and that random mutations can cause drastically new traits. (I'm ignoring the fact that such traits can result in selective advantage).

The reason genetics has succeeded as a field is because molecular geneticists have worked out a lot of the mechanisms of gene segregation on the molecular level. Mendelian inheritance has mostly played a peripheral role in this.

--
-1 offtopic = you admit you don't understand the sarcasm = you wasted your mod point

Re:This sucks.

[Count Fenring]

Well, while I do feel that he's being a bit over-emphatic, I do have to say that enough has been released to determine a fair amount about the direction the system is heading in; and I, for one, don't care for it. D&D is already, at 3.5, about as far into abstraction as I feel is workable for a roleplaying system based on combat. I feel that it's losing what little touch it has with physical reality, and substituting video-game logic for the aforementioned. This may, in fact, make the game "easier," or even "more enjoyable" to those who tend to live entirely in the rules and combat system anyway.

As an example: in 4E, diagonal movement is as cheap as straight movement. This simplifies the system somewhat, and eliminates a certain amount of annoying "busywork" from combats. It is not, in terms of power, unbalancing, since it affects monsters and humans alike.

It is, however, wildly inaccurate, and operates in a way that, visualized, just seems bizarre and ill-thought-out. In essence, you're saying that, just to make combat slightly similar, you're willing to make it so that everyone moves half-again as fast, so long as they do it diagonally.

D&D 4E promises to be a very fast, powerful system for expressing combats. But these combats will, I think, cease to be "roleplaying" combats. Cleric, Wizard, and Fighter have ceased to be abstractions of real concepts, given rules; they have become rules in and of themselves, with no thought given to the imaginary world that they are supposedly modeling.

Re:This sucks.

[paganizer]

There has to be the possibility of a "score: 6, schooled the idiot parent post" possibility here; come on, cowboy neal and other slashdot mods, would we have a geek culture even slightly similar to the present one without Gary?

Re:This sucks.

[lemur666]

Truly a shame. His game had a profound impact on me during my formative years.

Observes 1d4 + 1 minutes of silence then loots his body.

Re:This sucks.

[Kyojin]

Rolling in his grave?

Re:This sucks.

[Anonymous Coward]

As an example: in 4E, diagonal movement is as cheap as straight movement. This simplifies the system somewhat, and eliminates a certain amount of annoying "busywork" from combats. It is not, in terms of power, unbalancing, since it affects monsters and humans alike.

It is, however, wildly inaccurate, and operates in a way that, visualized, just seems bizarre and ill-thought-out. In essence, you're saying that, just to make combat slightly similar, you're willing to make it so that everyone moves half-again as fast, so long as they do it diagonally. Is it now? The only reason diagonal movement is longer is because of the shape of the tiles, which are there solely there for simplification of the game mechanics, arguably this change brings it _closer_ to the physical reality, and as such, makes it more accurate - reality is not constrained by invisible hexagons, and there is obviously no time penalty for stepping in any given direction, they're all equal.

It seems to me you're griping about D&D becoming too rule-oriented and yet at the same time you bring up an example that, if anything, is exactly the opposite! Hexagons are not real, they're not even game world real, they're just mechanics, just rules.

Re:This sucks.

[mcvos]

As an example: in 4E, diagonal movement is as cheap as straight movement. This simplifies the system somewhat, and eliminates a certain amount of annoying "busywork" from combats. It is not, in terms of power, unbalancing, since it affects monsters and humans alike.

Are you saying that D&D uses squares instead of the hexes that every single other RPG (the ones that feel the need to include miniature rules anyway) uses? It's the entire concept of moving "diagonally" that's wrong and unrealistic. Granted, hexes are also an abstract approximation, but much, much less so than squares.

The problem isn't the cost of diagonal movement, but the fact that there even is such a thing as diagonal movement. Every direction of movement should be the same.

Re:This sucks.

[geminidomino]

I don't think bringing that game up is doing Gary's memory any service...

Re:This sucks.

[Teancum]

What Gygax did was blend the concept of a role playing game to miniature combat situations. In fact, the "sandbox" miniature combat concepts even survived through most of the early rules of D&D, where missile and spell ranges were measured in inches (the " mark as is a fireball range of 6").

He also introduced the concept of using role playing games for leisure activities rather than behavior modification (something frequently done in a psychological or educational setting) or sociological studies (such as what the RAND corporation was doing).

This fusion of military simulation concepts with role playing also produced the incredibly dense and detailed rule books that built up the commercial role playing game industry. Most of the "role playing games" that the RAND corporation made were so simply that all of the rules could fit on a single piece of paper, at least in terms of participant to participant interaction.

The nuclear war simulations were something more like "you are the President of the USA" or "the chairman of the Communist Party of the USSR". An uprising took place in Poland, killing 500 Soviet soldiers. What do you do now? Yeah, that is role playing, but Gygax took it to a whole different level and popularized it for mere mortals to participate. The RAND corporation role playing games were not intended to be something for commercial production, but rather to help government planners decide on how to organize the military and prepare the government for worst case situations.

Re:This sucks.

[Count Fenring]

Switching to hexes is, in fact, an example of a good solution to this problem. A bad solution is dropping the adjustments you have in place to maintain some sense of reality ;-)

D&D is already so far to the "Abstraction" end of the "Abstraction/Modeling" continuum, that I feel it doesn't need that much more of a jump to be entirely over and past the shark, if you catch my drift.

Re:This sucks.

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

I was unaware AD&D 1st edition was "horrifically broke" as a rules system.

It seemed to serve us well for years. My level 8 dwarfen fighter sits there still, with +3 scimmy and 5500 platinum worth of money and stuff, enough to get a good start on a reasonably-sized keep of his own.

Quite frankly, having very little, if any, increase in your stats let your stats actually mean something, and thus a +1 ring of protection or +3 girdle of giant strength actually improved your character noticeably, unlike the most modern versions of D&D where fighters amp their strength to the low to mid 20's, rangers their agility, wizards their int.

That provides more opportunity for the little strokes as you ding up in level, but it loses some of the awesomeness of having a fighter with 18/92 strength and a simple +3 sword, which adds +3 to to-hit and to damage.

Nah, I'll take that "horribly broke" system over a "fixed" system with detailed rules on tumbling or latrine construction mini-packages, or 37 different rolls to complete the calculations for a critical hit.

Re:This sucks.

[geekoid]

oh, and what is broke about AD&D 1st ed.?

The only things I ahve hears have been from people who don't know what they are talking about, or disliked it because of some house rule that had nothing to do with the rules.

Re:This sucks.

[ma1wrbu5tr]

If I weren't so sad... I'd be ROFL.

Re:This sucks.

[jwo7777777]

It was a game balance and rules contradiction or rules ambiguity problem. As much as one might want to leave all decisions to the GM/DM, there were the inevitable rules lawyers that made gaming miserable by ... well ... lawyering...

Re:This sucks.

[Count Fenring]

The only reason diagonal movement is longer is because of the shape of the tiles, which are there solely there for simplification of the game mechanics, arguably this change brings it _closer_ to the physical reality, and as such, makes it more accurate - reality is not constrained by invisible hexagons, and there is obviously no time penalty for stepping in any given direction, they're all equal.

All things are arguable, but this is a poor argument to make. The 1.5 speed rule in D&D is specifically to make movement WITHIN A SQUARE GRID make more sense. Making it so that, at the same speed, moving diagonally on an arbitrary (but universal and enforced) reference frame causes you to cross half again as much space (move 1.4 times as fast) ... that's stupid. And if you don't get it from my broke-ass explaining, try this experiment:

1. Make a square. Larger will make it easier.
2. Measure it across the middle of one side to the middle of the other. Or just measure one of the sides.
3. Now, measure the distance from one point to the opposing point.
4. Subtract the first from the second.
5. Multiply whatever you get by 5 ft.

You now have the difference in movement between 3.5 movement and 4E movement over some space.

Assume a square is 5ft, as is standard in both systems. In both systems, to move 100 feet directly "up" on the grid would take 20 squares. In 4E, if you move diagonally 20 squares, you move 140 feet. Calling it 100 feet doesn't change the fact that you just put a major space-warping effect into your game there.

As long as you're using squares, not dealing with diagonal movement specially is going to produce differences from physical reality. Furthermore, 3.5 (and 3) dealt with the "You can step in any direction" problem by making your first movement 5 feet, and putting the adjustment on the second step. Doesn't interfere with steps, but prevents long travel from being ridiculous.

Remember, the squares are shorthand for distance. The extra rules D&D has concerning movement over squares are to keep it synced up with distance. D&D 3.5 is already cartoonish enough without dropping basic compatibility with real movement in space.

Re:This sucks.

[bonknasty]

Sorry to see him go, and sorry I never got to meet him. I bet he had a pretty fun life though.

Re:This sucks.

[rifter]

It was a game balance and rules contradiction or rules ambiguity problem. As much as one might want to leave all decisions to the GM/DM, there were the inevitable rules lawyers that made gaming miserable by ... well ... lawyering...

But there are rules lawyers in every game with rules, even games like Monopoly and American Football. Some games even seem to facilitate this process with complex rule systems (RuleMaster, I'm lookin' at you, baby).

In my eyes, 1st Ed. AD&D is the One True Edition just as vi is the One True Editor. :D

FIST SPORT!

[ringbarer]

What loot did he drop?

Re:FIST SPORT!

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously not a helm of recovery...that would've given him a chance to save.

Casting

[WormholeFiend]

Spell of Silence on all the trolls!

RIP, Gary.

Re:Casting

[cayenne8]

What...no saving throw?

:-(

Well, I guess we all have to go meet the 'Dungeon Master' in the sky at some point....

Re:Casting

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe he didn't die, he just left for The Outer Planes (belief and afterlife). If not there, then surely he is in The Astral Plane (plane of thought, memory, and psychic energy; it is where gods go when they die or are forgotten).

Re:Casting

[Coraon]

we will just have to wait till he writes a new chr up.

How has it improved my life?

[StevenMaurer]

It kept me from ever being in danger of becoming an unprepared teen father.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[moderatorrater]

Oh, um, yeah, me too. It was totally D&D that kept me from getting the girls. ;)

Re:How has it improved my life?

[moderatorrater]

I was like that once. However, as I thought about it, I realized that there was probably a reason that everyone I knew played those games, so I took the plunge and I've never looked back. If you've got a few hours to spare every week and you can find a good group, it's well worth the effort.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[Anonymous Coward]

>Oh, um, yeah, me too. It was totally D&D that kept me from getting the
>girls. ;)

Easily half of my campaign players were female.
It never occurred to me until years later that there was some stigma against fantasy gaming.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[kionel]

Wow, this is very sad news indeed.

I owe a lot to D&D. I can safely say that, were it not for the effort I put into learning the rules and running games back when I was a 13 year old kid in the late 1970s, I would never have developed the discipline to become:

* A professional writer.

* A professional speaker.

* An engineer.

Thanks, Gary. You did good.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[beholdsa]

Really? I met about half of my ex-girlfriends through playing D&D.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[Mr. Bad Example]

D&D led indirectly to my losing my virginity. Godspeed, Gary, you magnificent dice-rolling bastard.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[Mad Ivan]

moderatorrater said -

Oh, um, yeah, me too. It was totally D&D that kept me from getting the girls. ;)
Well, actually, it got me the girl - indirectly. The people I played D&D with introduced me to a larger circle of friends, one of whom was the young woman who, 20 years ago, became my wife. (She still is!)

Gary Gygax, Hail and Farewell!

Re:How has it improved my life?

[OldSoldier]

It kept me from ever being in danger of becoming an unprepared teen father. So it either kept you from having sex as a teenager or
in some way
you feel it prepared you for fatherhood.

Care to tell us which you meant?

Re:How has it improved my life?

[el americano]

I think you mean that your character lost his virginity. That doesn't count.

Re:How has it improved my life?

[Teancum]

I take it you have never played mixed-gender D&D campaigns. I know more than a few people who lost their virginity to such groups :)

Quick.

[RandoX]

Get the cleric.

Re:Quick.

[rucs_hack]

oh you are so going to hell for that one....

Re:Quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

oh you are so going to hell for that one....

Which plane?

Re:Quick.

[T.E.D.]

Get the cleric.

That would permanently lower his constitution by one. I don't think Gary would want to live that way.

Re:Quick.

[Opportunist]

You think he'd have a hard time finding a wizard to raise it again with a wish? I'm fairly sure there's a lot of wizards who'd fight over the right to do it.

For a favor... I mean, who wouldn't like to be the next Mystra?

Re:Quick.

[Ioldanach]

Are you sure? Start with Speak with Dead and ask!

Unfortunately, I think his death qualifies as Death From Old Age and Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection specifically exclude that.

Re:Quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

roll failed. make a new character.

Re:Quick.

[fm6]

As will all lovers of "pagan" games. And most interesting people in general. If I believed in the afterlife, I'd certainly want to go to Hell, where all the interesting people are.

Re:Quick.

[El Gigante de Justic]

I believe you could still reincarnate him, but he might come back as a kobold if you do that.

Re:Quick.

[CodeBuster]

I think his death qualifies as Death From Old Age and Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection True, but wish or miracle might still be efficacious given the circumstances. However, one must be careful with the wording or risk being transported back to a time when the subject was still living or to whatever plane matched the alignment of the subject in life or in other words, be careful what you wish for.

Re:Quick.

[Richard Steiner]

Better a kobald than than a prootwaddle. Oh, wait, wrong game system. :-)

Re:Quick.

[molarmass192]

Don't forget the Halloween parties and Luau Sundays

Re:Quick.

[Jaqenn]

If you believed in hell, commonly defined as the abode of a force seeking your unhappiness where sinners suffer eternal punishment, you'd really prefer to go there?

Or was that sarcasm?

Re:Quick.

[Actually, I do RTFA]

Never fear, he was an American!

Starting in 1952, the Bureau of Health Statistics which is part of the CDC, decided that you couldn't just die of old age, you had to have a reason, like you fell on your knitting needles, got hit by a bread truck, or something like that. I think they listed 130 official reasons for death.

Since he died after 1952 and was American, he died of some cause other than old age. Hence, Raise Dead, Resurrection, and True Resurrection all work.

Good thing I've been maxing out Rules Lawyering since I was a level 1 rollplayer.

Re:Quick.

[Jaysyn]

My. Gygax would have definitely been a high-level expert, at the very least.

Re:Quick.

[Culture20]

Effective rules lawyering only works when the DM is willing to play along. Our DM may not be willing, but it doesn't hurt to argue your case.

Nevertheless, I bow to superior rule-lore.

Re:Quick.

[UID30]

Put the Cleric and Druid away ... bring out the Mage. Animate Dead. How cool would that be at parties?

Re:Quick.

[Dachannien]

Get the cleric. Don't bother - I'm sure his lichified self is already busy scheming to fondue the world!

Re:Quick.

[auld_wyrm]

No, the effectiveness of rules lawyering is measured by the amount of steam and/or foam coming out of the various visible orifices of the DM. If they play along, you're not doing it right.

Re:Quick.

[PDX]

Killed by Bast the wood elf. His memory shall live on in WOW.

Re:Quick.

[Goldberg's Pants]

Believe me, spending eternity burning in damnation is better than spending eternity with sanctimonious pious assholes.

Re:Quick.

[fm6]

I'd rather be punished than bored.

Re:Quick.

[kalirion]

Believe me, spending eternity burning in damnation is better than spending eternity with sanctimonious pious assholes.

Who, and I have it on very good authority, will all be watching The Sound of Music.

Re:Quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

Believe me, spending eternity burning in damnation is better than spending eternity with sanctimonious pious assholes. If you don't like sanctimonious assholes, why do you read Slashdot?

Re:Quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

As will all lovers of "pagan" games. And most interesting people in general. Not necessarily on either account.

If I believed in the afterlife, I'd certainly want to go to Hell, where all the interesting people are. Well, be careful what you wish for :)

Re:Quick.

[Mugh]

I'm just wondering how much xp somebody got.

Re:Quick.

[Pseudonym]

Most of our picture of hell is from Dante, not the Bible, as you probably know. (Indeed, the Bible doesn't actually mention "hell" as most televangelists interpret that word, but I digress.)

Assuming Dante's picture is right, then the place you really want to end up is the topmost layer of hell, Limbo.

This is the place where the "righteous unbaptized", such as Aristotle, Plato and Euclid go. As Scott Aaronson pointed out:

There, these pre-Christian luminaries could carry on an eternal intellectual conversation -- cut off from God's love to be sure, but also safe from the flames and pitchforks. How could angels and harps possibly compete with infinite tenure at Righteous Unbaptized University? If God wanted to lure me away from that, He'd probably have to throw in the Islamic martyr package.

Re:Quick.

[saramakos]

These days Wizards all tend to be found On The Coast.
(Yes I know it is "Of The")

Re:Quick.

[Warg! The Orcs!!]

Just because the Govt says you can't die of old age doesn't mean you can't.

Re:Quick.

[fotzlapen]

He must have failed that system shock roll... :(

Re:Quick.

[The_Rook]

even better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFGrQMD6Uqc

Re:Quick.

[Anonymous Coward]

Second job for the cleric: cast Atonement on RandoX. Problem solved.

Re:Quick.

[Etyenne]

It was called "The Nine Hells" before it was called Baator, ya' know.

Re:Quick.

[DiEx-15]

The one I am driving with the rest of the world on board.

Re:Quick.

[Opportunist]

Well, not all. Some still do it for the fame and level, not just for gold.

Re:Quick.

[ConceptJunkie]

Or a badger... at least in the 1st Edition rules, IIRC. I know where my books are... don't make me get them.

Re:Quick.

[ConceptJunkie]

We used to have a saying "Die twice, save for half."

Re:Quick.

[pintpusher]

Retribution for rules lawyering is stealthy, discrete and usually served cold... rules lawyering was good way to have all sorts of things go subtly wrong.

Re:Quick.

[Vidorin]

He wouldn't take constitution damage if it was resurrection or true resurrection I forgot which one it was.

D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[PC and Sony Fanboy]

I LOVE D&D ... and everything it has spawned. ESPECIALLY forgotten realms. Drizzt. Bioware videogames. Dice games were cool when computers weren't widespread... but baldurs gate! c'mon ;)

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[PC and Sony Fanboy]

.. wake of the ravager .. gosh .. pool of radiance .. wow .. there are a lot of things to which d&d has contributed. Including the 'waste' (well, not wasted according to ME) of my teenage years!

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[smooth wombat]

.. pool of radiance

Ahh, now that brings back memories of playing that game, and its successors, for hours on my parents Commodore 64. New room, wait while the 5 1/4" floppy thrashes about looking for the new info then prepare to cast spells, launch arrows and hack away. Grab the treasure, head back to town, oh crap! More monsters. Fight your way through or retreat and recover.

Gah. So many good (and frustrating) times in front of that small screen trying desperately not to get your party killed. If only life were as exciting.

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[cHiphead]

Let's take it back even further in the vg realm and give a little props to the original graphical mmorpg, NWN on AOL. Ah, the early to mid 90s, the good ol' days of online gaming.

Ya know, if Red Baron could run on INN and have so many people playing at once, how much of a stretch are today's online games, really.

Cheers.

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[Errant Vibration]

Umm sorry to burst your bubble there buddy but pool of radiance and the others are older the NWN on aol pool was out on the Commodore 64

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[UncleTogie]

Believe it or now, I found my old copy of PoR at the house....5.25" disks intact, and even has the copy-protection wheel!

I'm tempted to mount it now....

Thanks for the years of imagination, Gary!

Re:D&D actually a lifeleech spell?

[MyOtherUIDis3digits]

I'll never forget figuring out how to create a ram drive to make more use of the massive 4MB of memory on my 286 (1MB onboard, 3 full-length, full-height ISA cards with 1 MB each), copy the files over from C:, and running the game from there. Man, it flew!

Luckily, the memory of the original was good enough to survive the ordeal of the unpatched installer in the late 90's remake.

In retrospect...

[Kingrames]

He probably shouldn't have made resurrection such a costly spell.

Re:In retrospect...

[endx7]

That's okay, he'll just have to reroll...

Re:In retrospect...

[KublaiKhan]

Well, it also doesn't work when you've died of natural causes.

O'course, "Speak with Dead" is still relatively cheap...

Re:In retrospect...

[Opportunist]

You obviously never lost a wizard who was about to attain godhood...

But I guess every RPG gamer now knows what it's like.

Thank you Gary

[BWJones]

How has D&D (and tabletop roleplaying) touched/improved your life?

It's almost cliched now but as a Dungeon Master in my early teen years, Gary Gygax's work helped to refine creativity, learning, communication, strategy and logic in a way that few other tools or experiences (including school) were able to accomplish. The rule sets were were a revolution to me at the time that helped inspire an understanding of how to engineer environments, social interactions and most of all communicate in conventional and unconventional fashions. All of these tools have certainly helped in my personal and academic lives.

I will forever be grateful to Gary Gygax and the team at TSR.

Re:Thank you Gary

[frankie]

Ramen. E Gary Gygax and his party of friends(*) up in Wisconsin pulled together ideas from all of our favorite fantasy novels and turned them into an entire gaming genre that millions of people love. Some of the specific rules they created (HP, AC, spell memorization, etc) turned out to be really bad, but in the grand scheme of things I would place D&D right up there with the Wright brothers' plane.

(*) = Geek History Competition: name the players and their respective characters in the ORIGINAL "Grayhawk" campaign.
I'll start with: EGG was Mordenkainen.

Re:Thank you Gary

[iocat]

I totally don't want to start a debate on this, but... AC, HP and spell memorization are actually pretty sweet conventions, and were awesome for the time. RPing may have move past them, and they have held things up, but in a lot of cases they remain the simplest, best way to handle things.

Anyway, RIP Gary. Here's a link to a newspaper story: RIP .

Re:Thank you Gary

[Anonymous Coward]

p.s. WITHOUT looking it up on Google, you cheaters!

Re:Thank you Gary

[DoctorSney]

i have to agree,

7 years of AD&D imbued me with numerous thought processes that help me so much as an adult, whether it be in the aspect of understanding my friends personalities better through their choices of alter-ego and their behaviour in the game world, or the nature of co-operative storytelling (as our DM tore his hair out when we chose to do something other than what he was hoping we'd do...)

To the idea of pacing drama and action as well as character interaction and dialogue. I work in tv and film now and really spending years playing D&D helped me invaluably for honing my imagination into a usable resource for work.

And it was fun! Hell I even got laid out of it, met great friends, went to roleplaying conventions and just really broadened my universe in many ways. Not mention being able to share a ridiculous amount of 'in-jokes' about +3 Swords and spells, magical items, my encyclopaedic knowledge of mythical creatures (thanks Monster Manual Vol 1-3), my god the list goes on...

D&D has been incredibly influential on my life. It was a path to making friends at school when I had none. I can't thank the creators enough :)

Cheers Gary, RIP.

Re:Thank you Gary

[Bilbo]

Funny -- I never played D&D as a teen, possibly because Gary hadn't written it yet (I don't remember the dates of when it first came out), so I did all my role playing as an adult. Some of my closest friends are still people I used to game with, both in face to face sessions, and in email based games. It's DEFINITELY true that it developed a lot of my imagination, as well as my skills in storytelling -- a pastime I have cherished ever since then.

I think people like Tolkien and C.S. Lewis and others developed the genre of Fantasy and stories of magic in our culture, but it was Gary Gygax and D&D that turned it into something that ALL of us could participate in.

Stories and Stuff at: http://www.bbaggins.net/Stuff.html

Re:Thank you Gary

[mynameismonkey]

Cheers Gary. Your vision, your work has left an indelible imprint on all of us in some way. No more needs be said.

Re:Thank you Gary

[mcvos]

I totally don't want to start a debate on this, but... AC, HP and spell memorization are actually pretty sweet conventions, and were awesome for the time. RPing may have move past them, and they have held things up, but in a lot of cases they remain the simplest, best way to handle things.

Mostly, they simply needed some mechanic, and these were a lot better than nothing. But particularly spell memorization was very quickly succeeded by mana/magic points in the vast majority of games. And AC is usually replaced with some sort of damage absorbtion. The only mechanism that really survived in dozens of more modern games is HP, not because it's good or realistic (it's neither), but because it's very easy and most more realistic damage systems are extremely hard. Except Fudge. I think Fudge does it best, but it's too small and too late to have a very big influence on anything.

Best game ever

[moderatorrater]

D&D isn't actually my system of choice, but roleplaying games in general were about the only time that my friends and I could get together. It was a way for us to force ourselves to hang out, and I've made several friends that I expect to keep in touch with for many years to come. I've always made up worlds that I play in, so for me D&D was a way to externalize those worlds and allow other people to affect them with me. It also appeals to many nerds' tendency to break down and quantify the world around them.

As a side note, my sister-in-law that's currently in college was struggling with depression and a lack of friends until she started doing RPGs. Now she's got as many friends as she could wish for :D

Re:Best game ever

[gstoddart]

D&D isn't actually my system of choice, but roleplaying games in general were about the only time that my friends and I could get together.

However, like it or no, it's difficult to play any of them without relating them in some way to D&D. It's like fantasy and Tolkein -- you're either like, or unlike, but you can't exist without being compared to it since it's the original frame of reference. (Well, there could have been RPGs before D&D, but my perception is that it's the grand-daddy of them all.)

As a side note, my sister-in-law that's currently in college was struggling with depression and a lack of friends until she started doing RPGs. Now she's got as many friends as she could wish for :D

Not to diminish the situation your sister-in-law was in ... but that seems to be the opposite effect RPGs had on my life in high-school. I seem to remember D&D being an impediment to making friends -- but, that was the 80s and D&D was at the height of its dorkiness. :-P

Cheers

Re:Best game ever

[moderatorrater]

I seem to remember D&D being an impediment to making friends I don't know what the situation was like when you were going to college, but I've found that my activities never really limited my pool of friends. I was drawn to my activities because of my personality, which I happened to like. It meant that I had a limited pool of friends, but the friends I did get were good friends that I related to. I don't think my participation or lack thereof in D&D would have changed anything.

However, I also have a very thick skin and am pretty oblivious to things, so take what I said with a grain of salt. I also think that I happened to have a high school and college that were significantly better (with regards to the social atmosphere) than most peoples'.

Re:Best game ever

[gstoddart]

I don't know what the situation was like when you were going to college

Well, by the time I was in university my interest in D&D had waned as it started when I was 12-13 -- during the latter parts of junior high and high school, everyone knew what D&D was, and it was pretty universally dorky. I think we'd had the first few murders which had been sensationalized to be blamed on role playing by then, too. (Video games, hadn't yet become anything you could call violent, so that was the scapegoat then.)

Like most of us on Slashdot, I'm sure I can attribute most of my social awkwardness to my own, well, natural social awkwardness. D&D was just a common outlet for the kids who were all at about the same dorky end of socialization.

It was more of a flippant comment than anything really intended to be illuminating about people. :-P

Cheers

Re:Best game ever

[OctaviusIII]

Although DMing was never my strong suit, it was another RPG, Shadowrun, that got me finally out of my shell at a new college to realize that yes, people actually DO enjoy spending time with me. D&D, a later love, has taught me things about taking risks while seeing the full picture and how to be decisive without delegating to others as a matter of habit: I can't stand those awkward "so... what do we do now?" moments around the table. My loathing of such silences has spurred me to make some dumb moves and some smart ones, with the latter becoming more and more frequent than the former.

So, yes, I can definitely identify with your sister-in-law, at least in part. Gary: good on ya, and may d20s roll long into the future.

Re:Best game ever

[shrubsky]

"As a side note, my sister-in-law that's currently in college was struggling with depression and a lack of friends until she started doing RPGs. Now she's got as many friends as she could wish for"

She used a ninth level spell just to get some friends?

Re:Best game ever

[hey!]

Not to diminish the situation your sister-in-law was in ... but that seems to be the opposite effect RPGs had on my life in high-school. I seem to remember D&D being an impediment to making friends -- but, that was the 80s and D&D was at the height of its dorkiness. :-P

Count yourself fortunate then. You wouldn't have liked those people anyway. Too worried about their status to have fun.

In any case you are right about the importance of the D&D system. Everybody changes rules they don't like, there are so many that are awkward or illogical or just plain inadequate. But the problem with improving rules it that it's hard to stop. In some ways, D&D's technical faults were an advantage. Making better and better systems eventually leads down a path away from role playing and back to its direct ancestor: war gaming.

It's not that war gaming isn't fun, it's just something different. It's not that you can't make a better role playing system than D&D, but you can't make it too much better without moving falling victim to the siren call of simulation.

Ever see a toddler running around the house pretending he can fly? In his mind he can fly. It's as close to really flying like a bird that a human being will come, even if jet powered bat suits go on the market. Adults, even young adults, are locked out of that experience. It is beneath their dignity to play.

D&D, with it s dice and tables, its miniatures and reference books, with all its war gaming inherited paraphernalia, is just a fig leaf, and not a very large one, over childhood games like Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians. People who are particularly insecure about maintaining adult gravitas immediately recognize the risk it poses to their facade of maturity or coolness.

Well, too bad for them. You can have fun and be cool, you can be cool and have fun, but only one of those things can paramount. It's like choosing a major in college; some people can double major, but most will have to choose to major in one and minor in another. Which one would you rather miss the advanced courses in?

Everybody feels like a geek inside; so many people live in dread that they will be found out. The great thing about being a grown up geek is that once you get over everybody saying it's uncool, you realize how much more simple, comfortable and fun to let those things that most people are apparently ashamed of show for all the world to see; things like playfulness, imagination and fantasy.

In that way many people's lives have been made immeasurably richer by Gary Gygax's work.

Friends

[The Aethereal]

How has D&D (and tabletop roleplaying) touched/improved your life? I made some great friends in college that I probably would not have met were it not for D&D (or role playing in general).

Re:Friends

[Penguinisto]

Same here, but in the military. Dunno about the other branches, but the USAF was packed to the rafters with D&D geeks, my former self among them.

I remember playing a round of D&D once in the cargo bay of a C-141, on the way to a TDY exercise... beat the hell out of playing the same card games over and over again, and you're right - it led to meeting a lot of great people overall.

/P

Re:Friends

[Red Flayer]

Dunno about the other branches, but the USAF was packed to the rafters with D&D geeks, my former self among them.

Just a quick question... if that was your former self, who are you now!?

Re:Friends

[ShOOf]

There were alot of us D&D geeks in the Navy too, used to play on the aircraft carrier while out on a cruise. Everyday after that 12 hr shift you head down to the forward galley and there were at least 2 games going on, sometimes more. You didn't even have to really be a part of the campaign you could just sit down, roll up a char and play for a couple hours. Played with alot of great people, we even had some officers who played.

Gary will be missed, he gave us geeks hidden down in the basement hours and hours of enjoyment.

Re:Friends

[interval1066]

Same here, but I got back to High School. Might sound sad to some, but some of the best times of my life were spent with a handful of friends from HS in a basement playing D&D. I started playing when the first hardback book, "The Monster Manual", was introduced. RIP Gary Gygax.

Re:Friends

[DerekLyons]

The USN Submarine Service wasn't packed to the rafters, but they were pretty common.
 
Actually, a goodly number of my best friends (even the non gamer ones) I met ultimately because I started playing D&D.

Re:Friends

[wraith808]

Indeed. I remember being at college, my first time away from home, very intimidated because everyone seemed so much more ready for college than I. I walked into the commons and in the midst of all of the cool people, some soon-to-be dear friends were playing AD&D unaffected by the stares and questions they received as people walked by. Gygax's own eulogy of himself from an interview: "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." Vaya Con Dios.

Re:Friends

[Macgruder]

Oh yeah, there seemed to be a game running 24/7 on WESTPAC on the 721 boat. Just the players would switch off at change-of-watch. I couldn't join in until I passed my quals, of course.

Re:Friends

[Vintermann]

I made some great friends in elementary school, at a time I basically had no friends, and had just moved to a new school to get away from bullies.

I owe a lot to that man.

His game was the best, too. None of that emo self-loathing vampire bullshit, or pretentious "dark fantasy" that pretended to be something more than an entertaining game.

Re:Friends

[DerekLyons]

Actually our underway game on the 'Hog (655B) was Diplomacy... But we had a strong and ongoing group back in Charleston. Tenderpukes (dolphin wearers, but still tenderpukes) and guys on shore duty formed the core, with the rest of us playing whenever we were in.

Re:Friends

[That_Dan_Guy]

Friends I made while in College over D&D all turned out fine. But dang, all the friends from Elementary School in my group all turned into losers. A couple are working for a porn company (theyir jobs are to watch pornos (I kid you not) and figure out what markets to send them to), another is jobless, with no desire to get a job despite living in a crap hole with 2 kids and a wife as well as being a brilliant technician and programmer, one became a lawyer, and ... hmmm... Oh and me. I spent 5 years in a foreign country teaching english to little kids for piddly amounts of money per hour and about 14 hours a week.

Thank god my wife beats me any time she catches me sneaking a peek at my old books or I'd end up like that guy living in a crap hole with 2 kids and a wife sitting at home complaining I never had time to do anything productive, like clean the dishes and instead had a size 50 waist.

Will be missed

[wembley fraggle]

A better question would be what aspect of my life hasn't been influenced by Gygax. Safe travels, Gary.

Re:Will be missed

[aredubya74]

While I was never a pad-and-paper RPGer, I learned the basics of IP networking, Unix sysadmin'ing and C programming from playing and administering an lpMUD many years ago. I met my wife through that same MUD, so much like the parent here, there's very little professionally and personally in the past 15 years that can't be traced back to that game. Its sword-and-sorcery constructs all derived from D&D, so indeed, Gygax's influence means a lot.

Re:Will be missed

[Brazilian Geek]

Thank you...

Better words have yet to be spoken.

Re:Will be missed

[thejynxed]

I too, met my wife while playing on an EOSII (heavily modified) mud. My homepage link takes you to the site for the aforementioned game.

We first met as players, then she became an immortal, then we started dating, I became an immortal, she became an admin with shell access, and the rest is history, shall we say.

I was quite pleasantly surprised when I moved in with her, to find a larger collection of AD&D/D&D/White Wolf, etc stuff than even I had. I remember playing the Gold Box games when I was younger (I still have them all and fire them up now and again via DOSBox), and have several first print D&D manuals and modules that were released before I was even born.

I was also a band geek, and I don't know about other schools, but in the school I attended, just about everyone in band played some form of AD&D or Vampire the Masquerade, or Palladium (Elf Quest and the like).

I never really got into LARPing though. The idea of dressing up like a wizard and throwing pretend fireballs in some cemetary someplace was just not my cup of tea.

So indirectly, and even directly, I have met most of my friends, and my wife, thanks to people like Tolkien and Gygax. I do really believe life would have been a vastly more boring and intellectually poorer place without them and what they did.

RIP Gary - We all fail our saving throws at some point or another, and please ask Reorx to hold a keg of his dwarven spirits for me :)

How has it improved my life?

[murrdpirate]

By letting me know I'm not quite the biggest nerd in the world by not playing it. It's always been the last frontier to me....

Me too, if it wasn't for AD&D

[georgeha]

I'd have been a debt-ridden teen father driving a 13 year old Japanese subcompact. Now I'm a debt-ridden middle aged father driving a 13 year old Japanese subcompact.

Re:Me too, if it wasn't for AD&D

[Stoick]

That's much better than being a debt-ridden subcompact father riding a 13 year old Japanese teen. Trust me.

Re:Me too, if it wasn't for AD&D

[Escogido]

I really hope you do not speak from personal experience.

Don't Forget His Writing

[TheMiddleRoad]

He wrote wonderful pulp fantasy that my students enjoy to this day.

Helped me get through 13 years old

[dotancohen]

When I was 13 I spent one summer, er, not at home. I only got through it by visiting a 'friend' and his buddies and playing D&D every day. 7 days a week. All summer. That's how I ate. That's where I showered. D&D didn't make me friends with those kids, but it made us close and support one another. Well, it helped them support me.

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[Anonymous Coward]

D&D didn't make me friends with those kids, but it made us close and support one another.

Judging by the end of your sentence, I think it did. :)

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[sunspot42]

That's where I showered.

Wow. A D&D player who actually showered. I knew there had to be at least one.

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[J05H]

Sounds like 13-17 for me - my pack of D&D friends always took care of each other. We still play once in a while now in our 30s and owe Mr. Gygax a great debt. RIP.

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[dotancohen]

There is a big difference between being supportive and being friends.

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[dotancohen]

I found out how much of a dick people can be, even after an entire summer together. They weren't my friends before, and not after. Their characters were friends with my character. No more. I'm glad that the details of my character are all but forgotten to me now.

I understand that friendship entails helping and supporting. But that is not the only type of relationship that entails such. Are you friends with your local tax-collecting body?

Re:Helped me get through 13 years old

[Anonymous Coward]

We don't support one another. They take, and I have no choice but to give.

I don't get it

[youngdev]

Can some one please explain the fascination with D&D to me? I have been around the block with RPGs (specifically D2) but I never played D&D. Isn't it a card game? Why does being geeky seemingly go hand in hand with a fascination with D&D?

Re:I don't get it

[KlomDark]

D&D was pretty much the first RPG. It definitely is NOT a card game. Any RPG you've played takes some influence from D&D.

Are you serious?

Re:I don't get it

[Lord Apathy]

If we have to explain it, you will never understand it. Best just to walk away now.

Re:I don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

He's serious enough. My introduction to RPGs was from D2 as well, and chances are, your definition of RPG is a bit different from his definition of RPG. To the GP: Try playing some NWN. Play around with the campaign creator module a bit. Then go search for and download the d20 SRD. Or have a look at the D&D Player's Guide and Dungeon Master's Guides. You'll likely appreciate it for its true glory then.

Re:I don't get it

[Maxo-Texas]

A good D&D game combines sitting around talking with friends about movies, school, your life with
* puzzle solving
* ensemble acting
* lots of calculating
* making moral choices that give you practice for real life
* or just reveling in being bad since it doesn't really count
* painting
* collecting
* drawing
* writing stories
* telling jokes
* a lot of laughter-- sometimes so hard you can't breath.

Even a bad game has most of these-- but often drops the acting part. The worst are where the referee seems themselves competing with the players instead of entertaining them since they can always win by adding more foes or an unsolvable puzzle.

Re:I don't get it

[closetpsycho]

For the uninitiated, I will attempt an explanation of D&D. You and a number of your friends all get together, one of you comes up with an idea for a story, and everybody else plays a character in that story. The actions of the characters in the story are moderated by the person who is telling it (the dungeon master), the choices of the friends acting in it, and the whims of random chance(dice rolls). The reason geeks are so fascinated by it, is it's a chance to hang out with friends, it's a way to be creative and tell a story, it's a chance to let your imagination go wild. In theory, it's interactive story telling with dice rolls. In practice, it's an opportunity for a bunch of friends to get together, and have some fun while exercising their imaginations just a bit. If you've never tried it, I suggest you go to a local hobby shop, and find out if they host any games. You might like it, you might not. But it is the only way to truly understand what D&D is.

Re:I don't get it

[Ioldanach]

If you've only played online RPG's then you haven't really been around the block with RPG's. A tabletop RPG allows interaction between players at a level not found in a computer game, and nothing short of going and playing with a good GM for a few sessions will explain it to you.

Re:I don't get it

[kryliss]

I was going to say something similar to that..

Re:I don't get it

[Lord Apathy]

I want to know why all my posts are now being modded as flamebait.

Re:I don't get it

[esper]

No, youngdev, you haven't, assuming that the "D2" you're referring to is Diablo 2. Computer RPGs reflect the experience of in-person RPGs about as well as cybersex reflects the experience of in-person sex, if even that well.

Take your CRPG, but replace the computer's role as a mediator of what you can do and what the results are and replace it with an actual, living, breathing human who is able to assess any action you can imagine and (with the aid of the game's rules) determine what results. At the broad physical level, there's no asinine "there's a completely immovable knee-high table here that you must walk around" simply because the game engine doesn't have support for it - if you can't jump over, stand on, flip over, carry away, take a bite out of, etc. the table, there's a specific reason for it and you have a decent chance of determining that reason.

Much more importantly, though, it means that you can take on the persona of your character and interact with the other characters in the world - both PCs and NPCs - through that persona. You can set your own goals instead of or in addition to those presented to you. You can even negotiate the terms of the goals presented to you or their rewards instead of just walking up to the guy with punctuation floating above his head, click to talk, click a few canned responses, click "accept quest", kill 20 monsters, collect gold, repeat. (Admittedly, that's WoW. I haven't played D2, so I don't know whether it uses the floating punctuation or not.)

You can also change the (game) world in tabletop RPGs. Things don't respawn as soon as you turn your back (unless, as in the table example, there's an actual in-game reason). If there's a dragon threatening the city and you slay it, it stays dead instead of just waiting for the next person to accept that quest so you can go farm it. If you ignore it, then that city is going to be toast and your characters will be held at least partially accountable for their decision not to even try to save it unless they make sure that nobody knows it was their fault.

These last two combine to open up possibilities for actual stories to develop in the course of the game rather than just a series of "deliver item", "kill X monsters", and "clean out dungeon" contracts. With a good gaming group, you can get stories comparable to, and even more intricate than, the plot of a good novel or movie.

It's a whole different world.

Re:I don't get it

[Bilbo]

I think the biggest thing D&D added which other games (some of which are still excellent!) couldn't was the removal of boundaries, and letting the gamers run free with their imagination. If you had a good Game Master (which is a big IF), you could go in pretty much any direction you wanted to go in. There were constraints of course, some of which were pretty arbitrary, for the sake of playability and balance, but the game really was limited only by the combined imagination of the group.

The only down side I can think of to the game would be the "moral choices" part, since the choices you made in the game were rarely linked to real consequences. Your actions might affect the other people in the group, but there was a lot of "wild living" going on in some of the games that I played which had no real consequences like they might have in real life.

(How many of you had Evil DM's that actually made you roll "save-vs-STD" for every encounter with a bawdy barmaid? ;-)

Re:I don't get it

[Goldberg's Pants]

Oh man, I'm throwing a flag on that moderation play. Flamebait? C'mon!

Re:I don't get it

[Culture20]

Dungeons & Dragons: Satan's Game

..Can I have a mountain dew?

Re:I don't get it

[SnapShot]

The actions of the characters in the story are moderated by the person who is telling it (the dungeon master)...

It's a bit like here, except that you get XP (experience points) instead of karma.

Re:I don't get it

[Lord Apathy]

The worst are where the referee seems themselves competing with the players instead of entertaining them since they can always win by adding more foes or an unsolvable puzzle.

It has always been my experience that a good DM will make the players think they can die at any moment while most of the time allowing them to live. I've always found that you want to avoid kill PC out right if you can but not seeming to do so. Just make them think they are going to die.

When a player works on a PC and puts a lot of effort in him I try to avoid killing that PC when possible. Even to the point of bending the rules in favor of the PC. I look at this way if I kill a players PC I get one pissed off player who basically has nothing to do until the rest of the party gets around to raising his dead ass. Most of the time that can take hours.

But on the other side you must never be afraid to kill a character if it moves the game along or "teaches a lesson." For instance I had a player who worked hard on his character. He ran in to combat with 10 hit points out of 60. I warned the player that his character was badly hurt but he insisted in fighting. His character dropped to 0 hit points and fell over. I repeatedly warned the other players that this character was hurt bad and bleeding. The other players didn't do anything for the character for over 10 rounds. By that time the character was dead. The player in question was shocked that I let his character die even though I explained to him that he was hurt and the other players did nothing to save him.

Re:I don't get it

[brainboyz]

(How many of you had Evil DM's that actually made you roll "save-vs-STD" for every encounter with a bawdy barmaid? ;-)

*raises hand* and he turned my character female at one point to make me "save-vs-cramps" during a period too.

Re:I don't get it

[apoc.famine]

My little sister, while both creative and intelligent, just didn't get my D&D playing either. To explain why I dug it, I ran her a non-D&D, generic medieval/fantasy scenario. Listen to a description of the times and lands, pick a character, (13 yr old boy escaping the serfdom of his parents under a mean regional lord) and pretend you're him.

She found herself in a world which was similar to hers, but not exactly the same. And we both still laugh on occasion about her choices in that world. Perhaps the best was trying to break into a locked stone building to see what was inside. Not strong enough to kick the door down, she climbed onto the thatched roof and pulled up the thatch to get in. Since it was dark inside, she lit a torch, and stuck it through the hole in the thatch to see inside the building...

It was at that precise moment that she realized why I love playing D&D, and why it's so much fun.

Re:I don't get it

[mcvos]

My introduction to RPGs was from D2 as well, and chances are, your definition of RPG is a bit different from his definition of RPG. To the GP: Try playing some NWN.

Ah, D2 is a CRPG? I wondered why I didn't recognise the name (although it made me think of the d6 system and the d20 system). It's useful to distinguish between CRPGs and "real" RPGs. To a lot of people (including me) CRPGs aren't real RPGs but adventure games with RPG elements. Actual roleplaying is hard to do on a computer.

At least with a computer as GM. I have seen some very good roleplaying on TinyMUDs, in email and on various fora, though, but that was usually systemless, and certainly not at all anything like CRPGs. But definitions vary, particularly with people with little or no exposure to "real" RPGs.

I'm still hoping for a real solo RPG on the computer, but I'm doubtful whether that's even possible. Planescape:Torment was a nice approximation, though.

Re:I don't get it

[paazin]

He was referring to D&D - the upcoming Dungeons and Dragons Fourth Edition. Mentioned before on here...

Re:I don't get it

[Torvaun]

Because you pissed off someone who has mod points, and now they're taking petty revenge?

Re:I don't get it

[Lord Apathy]

Would not surprise me. I've pissed off petty people before and probably will do so again.

Re:I don't get it

[KlomDark]

D2? Are you talking about Diablo II or R2's other half?

Is he going to Heaven or Hell?

[Fear the Clam]

Let's roll and find out...

Rest in Peace

[The-Bus]

"Gary Gygax has passed away? I'm--"
* rolls dice *

"very sad to hear that!"

(With apologies to the writers of Futurama).

Re:Rest in Peace

[ajs]

"Gary Gygax has passed away? I'm--"
* rolls dice *

"very sad to hear that!"

(With apologies to the writers of Futurama). I don't think they mind.

From the episode:

Gary Gygax: Hello Fry. It's a (rolls dice) pleasure to meet you.
Gary Gygax: Here, take my +1 mace. RIP E.G.G.

Re:Rest in Peace

[kalirion]

May his magic missiles defeat much darkness in the afterlife.

He rolled 00.

[grub]

I first played AD&D in the early 80s. The name "Gygax" was awe-inspiring for me at the time. To this day the whole medieval-style of game is my preference in video games: the Thief series, Oblivion, etc.

That's the luck of the dice

[DrXym]

His d20 saving throw wasn't good enough

Friends.

[onion2k]

I met some people many years ago through playing AD&D who are still friends today. That's testament enough to how much it's affected my life I reckon.

Damn

[Badbone]

I'm {rolls dice} very sad to hear this.

Sad day...

[painandgreed]

...if only I had a 1000 GP gem.

Re:Sad day...

[griffjon]

Well, it is Gygax; writer of The Village of Hommelet / Temple of Elemental Evil -- it just might be worth checking his entrails for gems and treasure...

(damn those giant frogs!)

We'll miss ya Gary. But not your fondness for fungi.

yes. bad taste.

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

Man failed his save roll.

RIP

Re:yes. bad taste.

[s!lat]

On the other hand, the modifiers on a Save vs Death Magic roll aren't really good when you've had multiple strokes and a heart attack

Re:yes. bad taste.

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

I guess a pacemaker has a -3 penalty.

Re:yes. bad taste.

[s!lat]

And I'm sure there are -4 penalties for each stroke. I don't think anything but a natural 20 was going to help

Awwww...

[gotroot801]

Now who's going to help Al Gore guard the space-time continuum?!

Since I believe premarital sex is wrong

[unassimilatible]

I'd like to thank Gary and D&D for ensuring my virtue in grade school.

It was...

[Jabbrwokk]

[rolls dice] a pleasure to know him.

Re:It was...

[WhiteDragon]

double kudos for the Futurama ref :-)

Thanks...

[andawyr]

Gary, thanks for what you and Dave created.

May your rolls always be natural 20s....

Re:Thanks...

[Constantine XVI]

May your rolls always be natural 20s.... You're a bit late there... :)

Re:Thanks...

[sapphire wyvern]

Nah, he just got involved in a game of Alternity.

Or played a Psion, or used non-weapon proficiencies, in a game of AD&D2E.

Where a natural 20 is a critical failure...

RIP Gary

[Weaselmancer]

You gave me a lot of my favorite childhood memories.

Thanks Gary. We'll miss you.

Re:RIP Gary

[Audacious]

A year after D&D came out I had bought the 3 Book set. I played hard, died a lot, and even allowed my GPA in college go down the drain. D&D was like a drug and I couldn't get enough of it. A small toy company called Nan's Toy Shop put on a small D&D get together and Frank called up the fledgling TSR, Inc. game company and asked if some of the people could come down to Houston and chat with the fans. Surprisingly enough Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, and a couple of other people came to Houston. I got to talk to everyone and even got my 3-Book set signed by both Gary and Dave. Over the years, no matter what else went on I have kept hold of those books because they really are a piece of history.

With the advent of games like EverQuest, GuildWars, and WOW - people have forgotten that all of these games have their basis in the original Chainmail and 3-Book set of rules produced by Gary, Dave, and others. Those simple rules were the first and helped to show the way for everyone else. I'll miss knowing that somewhere out there Dave and Gary were working to bring something new to the world....

I have sat here now, for a while, looking at those old books thinking of what else I could say but I think I'm going to put them back up now. After all, I wouldn't want them to get wet.

Peace to all.
Audacious

Missed by all his friends and admiers

[IAmAMacOSXAddict]

I'm currently on the play test team with Jeff T. in Gary's current works (Castle Zagyg). Gary was was the Progenitor of all modern gaming. Imagine a world that did not have D&D. Computer games would not have developed in the way they have, they would be 3d versions of Chess etc. Gary's work, and the work of the people that have followed have entertained us for decades, and through Gary's work we will be entertained for decades and centuries more... Bob H.

Farewell Gary, glad I met you.

[binaryspiral]

I had the opportunity to talk with Gary at a GenCon (when it was still hosted in Milwaukee) back in the 90's. I was a teen and full of questions having played rpgs for many of my years growing up.

He was friendly, and a fun guy to talk to. I was actually quite amazed at how interested he was at talking to my friends and I about the game and actually was very interested in what we thought of the 2nd Generation of D&D.

I only had the chance to meet him once, but I was glad I had the opportunity.

Farewell, Gary. Thanks for the great games and entertainment.

Re:Farewell Gary, glad I met you.

[KnoxKnight27]

I also had the opportunity to meet Gary this past year at Gen Con Indy 2007. And actually I was lucky enough to interview him:https://owa.bestbuy.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Jvnm9ahJM (I'm the bald one). Gary was by far the coolest person that I have ever met. Today is a sad day for all kinds of gaming. Gary you will be missed.

Re:Farewell Gary, glad I met you.

[TheBracket]

Likewise, I talked to Gary at a few Gen Cons. Even one of the UK ones (he was a special guest). Very friendly, funny guy, and amazingly open to discussing all things gaming (from the state of videogames - and what we dream of, to various things D&D).

Farewell, Gary. You did more than most people: you touched the hearts/minds of millions, and made the world a better place.

Re:Farewell Gary, glad I met you.

[KnoxKnight27]

Sorry that URL should have been http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Jvnm9ahJM

Where would we be without Mr. Gygax?

[Push Latency]

He will be sorely missed. R.I.P. Gary.

RIP Gary, thank you so much

[Brazilian Geek]

Thank you so, so, so much.

D&D helped me through my timid teens, made me friends, made me love reading (introduced me to Tolkien) and led me to Rogue, Hack and Nethack - which, in a way, helped me fall in love with computers.

I'll be sure to break out my old, old, old D&D books and read them over for old time's sake.

Thanks Gary and rest in peace.

In related news...

[retech]

Senior citizens across the world are shocked to find their middle aged children finally leaving their basements en masse. One 87 year old woman is quoted as saying: "I thought my son had run away 35 years ago. If I'd had known he was in the damn basement all this time I'd have made him pay rent. This would explain why I ran out of cheetos and mt. dew so fast. I just kept thinking it was my failing memory and I only imagined buying all that junk food..."

I am *rolls dice* sad to see him go.

[tim_darklighter]

Enjoy your trip; I hope you took a d20 with you.

Sad irony in my life on this

[Like2Byte]

Ugh, I *just* cancelled my DDO subscription this morning, too - before I found out about his passing.

For those who don't know Gary Gygax performed the narrator sequences for a few quests in DDO.

Tips an ale to Gary Gygax.

Cheers, mate!!

Re:Sad irony in my life on this

[Divide By Zero]

As much as I hate the narration, I'm doin' a Delera's run tonite in his honor.

Re:Sad irony in my life on this

[LandDolphin]

I'm sorry for you...

Damn

[Paranatural]

I suppose it had to happen at some point.

Though they do not appear to have done much, RPGs, especially D&D, influenced my life and, despite the jokes, they actually were directly responsible for forming a lot of my social skills, as well as teaching me the importance of communication and teaching me good problem-solving skills, all of which I use every day and I rely on to get me through life. Even still they greatly impact my life; my big 'vacations' of the year are to go to DragonCon and Frolicon, each of which would not have existed without D&D.

I am truly saddened.

Alas, he failed his last saving throw...

[GodfatherofSoul]

Where's the Cloak of Immortality when you need it?

Re:Alas, he failed his last saving throw...

[areReady]

Don't you *always* fail your last saving throw?

I'm new...

[Lovedumplingx]

...to the game of D&D. I've only played for the past 3 years or so (got into it after college...go figure). But I can say that because of him I've met some really good friends and have also been able to buck the whole "D&D players are complete nerds idea" with some of my other friends.

It's sad to hear this. Especially when he was a pretty young guy.

Neverwinter Nights

[PIPBoy3000]

While I wasn't a big D&D fan, I loved the idea and always enjoyed tinkering and making up stories. When Bioware put out Neverwinter Nights, I started my own campaign, which was received quite well. When Neverwinter Nights 2 came along, I started yet another and don't plan on stopping.

At one level, it's simply a hobby that combines a lot of skills I enjoy practicing. The scripting language is C-like, which probably helped me get over a long habit of programming in Basic-like languages. Modding is also something I can share with my kids, as my son enjoys tinkering around with the toolset and putting together simple modules.

On another level, I'm in awe of the people who have played my modules and how I've touched their lives. I remember getting an e-mail from a woman who was dying of cancer and how a particular moment in my game made her husband laugh for the first time in a long while. I got another letter from a young man in the Israeli army, talking about how my games were a bright moment in an otherwise terrifying life.

I think Dungeons and Dragons has ended up being something larger than it was originally envisioned. My kids make up these elaborate "playing pretend" stories. D&D has turned this instinct for adventure into something adults can do without too many funny looks. We all need to play the hero and live a life bigger than ourselves. Gary helped give that to us, and for that I am most grateful.

Thank You Gary!

[sckeener]

I picked up Deities and Demigods when I was in the 3rd grade or 27 years ago. I wasn't a reader until then. It got me hooked on reading specifically Fantasy and Science Fiction. The undertones of math in D&D probably helped too.

Basically Gary, thank you for influencing me for 27 years and going. I probably would be as smart, but you opened worlds to me.

Re:Thank You Gary!

[FuzzyDaddy]

I played D&D extensively as a teen. My friends and I eventually moved on to RuneQuest, then Call of Cthulu. But D&D was the first. I think the Player's Handbook was the first thing I every bought that cost more than $10.

I haven't thought about playing those games in many years - but I have a ton of fond memories. Thanks, Gary.

Re:Thank You Gary!

[mcpkaaos]

You and me both! I fondly remember flipping through that book as well as Fiend Folio when I was in grade school (I am a couple years your junior). It's been years, but I'll never forget the God/Serpent and crazy elfish-looking demon from the respective covers. I can't say the same for other books I read around that same time (except for Johnny Tremain, which I still hate to this day). :)

Re:Thank You Gary!

[sckeener]

I think it was because of Deities and Demigods that I read Moorcock and Lovecraft.

I remember that Erik Mona published in Dragon a couple of years ago a list of words that he learned because of D&D. It was a huge list.

How many products can you point back to and say they taught you most of your vocabulary? For some words, I have no clue where I learned them...but I have fond memories of my mom being happy that I was using words like Charisma, dexterity, constitution, etc. It has influenced my life profoundly. Gary, Thank you. Thank you.

March 4th, or DM's Day...very fitting for the original DM.

Re:Thank You Gary!

[DirkGently]

...crazy elfish-looking demon from...

That's a githyanki. Didn't even have to look it up. ;-)

D&D, specifically first edition rules, were a huge part of my childhood, too. I remember my first introduction. Being six or seven, my cousin had me take over for him while he was up from the table. Killed his shiny new cavalier (Unearthed Arcana had just come out) with a 1/1.

Wow. Until just now, I had almost forgotten. Some 10 years later, I set fire to his '90-ish Cavalier. It was a completely freak electrical fire in the dash, but it was me, just the same. :-D

Anyway, Gary started an avalanche and I'm glad I got caught up in it.

Re:Thank You Gary!

[Anonymous Coward]

Not to mention glaive-guisarme, bec de corbin, bardiche, ranseur... Without Gary Gygax, our polearms would be insufficiently differentiated.

Goodbye, and good luck

[Ioldanach]

Goodbye, Gary, your work brightened many an evening spent with friends.

My moment of silence.

[whoseon3rd]

Thanks EGG, for giving us D&D

Going to hell for this...

[ChrisStrickler]

But even the Father of Roleplaying (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Gygax) couldn't hit 70.

Dangerous Journey

[Azghoul]

I guess he's on the most Dangerous Journey of them all. We'll see him around the Multiverse, I expect...

remembered not through D&D

[joe 155]

the main impact upon me that D&D has had really hasn't been through D&D as a game in and of itself, but instead through nethack. I seem to spend so much of my life playing that game now and it just wouldn't be possible without D&D having existed.

I know many other people on /. will feel the same here, and that seems like a good way to remember the people who made it possible

The Master of The Dungeon

[Sir_Eptishous]

Gygax is the king!

His adventures were the most interesting of all the stuff TSR put out, and he set the bar. Not only good at writing and adding color to the game, he was good at the bigger picture of a campaign.

Long live the king!

Thank you Gary

[Garrick68]

I played D&D from the time I was about 10 until I was 25. In that time D&D got me into being creative. It helped explore my self, helped me learn how to work in a team, how to think fast, how to act in almost any given situation. It allowed my to explore and expand my knowledge in a safe environment. How to ad lib off the cuff. The time I spent playing D&D formed one of the core foundations of who I am today. Gary. Thank you for helping me become who I am. Thank you for everything. See you on the other side!

Same, plus:

[Mongoose Disciple]

I met the woman who would later be (and still is, to be clear) my wife through my gaming friends.

Other friends of mine have changed careers and gotten much better jobs through friends they met gaming.

Clearly D&D is a gift to the world that's touched a lot of lives, and not just those of parents'-basement-dwelling pasty teenagers.

Re:RPG didn't improve my life

[cobaltnova]

On that note, you may want to consider blocking /. ...

Well

[kitsunewarlock]

What did Gary do? Besides promote playing a single character? Hit points? Magic systems to a level never before seen in gaming? Levels? Experience points? The list goes on...

Kinda weird that this happens today. 3/4. Right before 3rd edition was about to transfer to 4.0.

Re:Well

[kitsunewarlock]

To continue my eulogy...I've been posting this on the all the forums I frequent. Oh, and the official DnD site is changed...

Today Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons and one of the main promoters of the RPG industry leading it to its current place as a tabletop, online and video-game staple, has died.

His legacy will live on for eternity...that man touched and helped more lives than any other game developer of the last 40 years (probably yourself included, whether you know it or not).

Kinda weird it'd happen on 3-4, given the current transfer of DnD from 3rd to 4th edition too...

His innovations to gaming are so countless and great that today we see them as such staples that we probably couldn't imagine a current "gaming industry" without his advances. His promotion of Gen-Con and many other conventions to spread the name of DnD helped create modern video games as we knew it by spreading tabletop gaming to colleges that would later develop games like Zorc...which would later go to influence such known franchises as Zelda, Final Fantasy, etc...

Dungeons and Dragons (and Chainmail...long story there) were the first character based roleplaying games of all time (there were some games like...well improvised acting and reinnassiance fair things, but nothing with rules, dice, etc...). Dungeons and Dragons set a fantasy standard that continues to influence RPGs to this day. In fact, if you've ever played a fantasy based RPG, odds are its like that because of Gygax (who adapted Chainmail into Dungeons and Dragons). Gygax can be creditted with inventing the slime monster from things like Ragnorok and Dragon Warrior (he created the first "ooze" monsters in gaming: the gelatenious cube and deadly pudding!). The basic "team" system (The warrior, the caster and the healer) is his design. Although influenced from hundreds of fantasy novels, things like collecting magic items, potions, spells-per-day, a spellcasting system limiting the number of spells a wizard can cast *at all*, hit-points, armor, strength stats, dexterity stats, constituion stats, charisma stats, intelligence stats and wisdom stats on a character can all be attributed to his legacy (even if he didn't directly create them, someone on his epic team did, and he was basically the head of his team and best promoter of the game).

Fireball? His. Magic misisle. You bet your ass. Feats are from Dungeons and Dragons, although not a gygaxian creation. *Classes* are derived from RTS-style tabletop war games and first appeared in Chainmail and Dungeons and Dragons. Although in 1.0 you could only choose between non-human races OR classes (so no elf-thieves until 2.0).

Anyways Gygax, to you I pour out the remaining contents of my Health Pot and tip my +2 cap of intellect. May more great developers forever learn from your innovation and may we meet someday in the afterlife. I'll bring my dice if you have a campaign ready by then.

Pouring...

[dbc23]

Pouring out a 40 of mountain dew for my dead homie.

As silly as it might seem

[sjvn]

I might not have been become a computer journalism without his influence. Some of the first stories I ever published were 'tech analysis' D&D stories. You wouldn't believe how much a volume a D&D fireball actually takes up in an enclosed area. Well, not until you've been fried by one anyway, or the fine art of bouncing lighting bolts off obstacles.

Beyond that, I can't begin to count the number of hours I spend enjoying first D&D in 1975 and then all the other RPGs that followed it.

Good-bye Gary.

Steven

Re:As silly as it might seem

[tezbobobo]

You're a computer journalism eh? Don't quit your day job.

I'm joking. I've worked in papers for years and am currently an operations manager. No journalist can spell, or more importantly, write good copy first without revision. You're not alone.

Did he Ascend or Become a Really Bad Ass Lich?

[GlobalColding]

Did he Ascend or Become a Really Bad Ass Lich?

D&D is IRL software

[graveyhead]

I've made a similar post once before, but it seems appropriate now.

D&D was my entire reason for becoming interested in programming computers. In the early 80's what I realized is that D&D is the "software" of games. Modules expand the original game in new ways that nobody thought of before. They expand the core system in new and interesting ways.

Sure, software was already doing this on computers at the time, but it really helped my brain make that leap at a young age - software is extraordinarily powerful.

It also seemed to foster a healthy (or unhealthy of you believe Jack Thompson ;) love of video games and computer graphics.

Thank you Mr. Gygax. You will be missed.

Not just YASD

[192939495969798999]

It says he died of health problems, but we all know his passing was the result of the most classic of roleplaying deaths, the Nethack death "touching the edge of the universe". That's a death worthy of the father of roleplaying... thanks for helping me and friends through our early teens, GG!

Interview in Uber Goober

[WSaure]

I got to interview Gary for a documentary I did on gaming (Uber Goober). I'm glad I got to meet him and get him on DVD before he went. Awesome guy.

Gosh

[MrDoh!]

My friends and crazy amount of time in my youth were spent playing theses games. We did all sorts of systems, but it was AD&D that was the main campaign we played variations of for years.
If it wasn't for EQ, we'd all probably STILL be sat around a table on tuesday nights with character sheets in front of us.
Fare thee well sir in whichever higher plane you eventually end up.

Actually, he pretty much shaped my life

[Opportunist]

Indirectly. A lot of important events revolve around me joining a local RPG club. I met my first girlfriend there. I got a job, again indirectly, from there. I met a fair deal of the friends I have today there, or as friends of people I met there.

Funeral Details?

[Skevin]

Nevermind the cleric. Which funeral home?

Seriously, does anyone have funeral details yet? I somewhat envision the geek version of Mother Theresa, when she died, only with about a third as many people attending...

However, I expect twice as many people demanding that the Pope canonizes "Saint Gary", the Patron Saint of Natural Twenties, Preserver of Virginities; may your troubled heart find shelter in His mother's basement.

S.

Re:Funeral Details?

[Culture20]

"Saint Gary" ... Preserver of Virginities

There will have to be a miracle attributed to Mr. Gygax postmortem first; would GenCon turning a profit this year be miraculous enough?

Re:Funeral Details?

[IAmAMacOSXAddict]

The funeral will be private, with onlya select group of friends...

Re:Funeral Details?

[Black Art]

"Saint Gary", the Patron Saint of Natural Twenties, Preserver of Virginities

I find it ironic that the man credited for preventing so much sex had six kids himself.

Re:Funeral Details?

[dargon]

The family has requested that it be a private memorial, just for them and those closest to them.

Re:Funeral Details?

[Ristol]

Six doesn't necessarily mean he had sex all that many times. Maybe he just rolled a bunch of nat 20's.

Technical Writing

[rcmiv]

Gary Gygax's work has meant a lot to me over the years. Many of my best and longest-lasting friendships were formed while playing his games.

I am still impressed by his technical writing style and the depth of thought that went into the original system. To this day I enjoy reading through the old DM's Guide or Player's Handbook, simply to appreciate the precision of his writing. One might think that books comprised mainly of statistical tables would be unreadable, but not so with Mr. Gygax's work. He was able to bring abstract concepts to life. I know he wrote novels as well, but it was the rulebooks that influenced and inspired me most.

What a rare creative mind. I feel great sadness at his passing.

-rcmiv

Cons

[Lord Apathy]

Let us not forget the cons. How many of you have come out of a con dressed as an elf into a waffle house loaded with klingons? How many of you have latter, that same day, got thrown out of same waffle house with the klingons for singing "stand by your man" at the top of your lungs? In the original klingonize?

This is...

[myrrdyn]

This is (dice rolls on table, showing a failure) an horrible day for us all :(

D&D and interactivity

[Ian Lamont]

Back in the early '80s, when I first started playing D&D, I think many people assumed Gygax was someone who was inspired by Tolkien and the freewheeling spirit of the 60s to an extreme, but he really did start something special with D&D. To me, it was more than a game, or an elaborate fantasy. D&D and early text adventures were a cornerstone of my early teens; they collectively spurred my imagination and allowed me to consider other realities beyond what most mainstream media experiences provided. The interactivity was a key differentiator, and in many way trained me (and I assume many others) for grokking the potential of the Web, virtual worlds, and other emerging interactive media.

First chat with the Almighty

[EricTheGreen]

"Mr. Gygax, care to explain why I wasn't included in Deities and Demigods?"

Re:First chat with the Almighty

[Deekin_Scalesinger]

Gave me a good chuckle there. Mod this up!

Re:First chat with the Almighty

[grassy_knoll]

Whadya mean?

Deities and Demigods did at one point include Cthulhu

F'htagn.

Re:First chat with the Almighty

[geekoid]

I remember Zeus being in the book, huh.

Hmm

[Quantam]

If homosexuality is genetic... and RPGs have two fathers... wouldn't that make RPGs gay?

Could be worse

[wiredog]

You could be hanging out on an obscure English website.

D&D saved my life

[MushMouth]

Due to playing AD&D with my horde, I avoided contact with women and any chance of catching any STD's including deadly HIV, or HPV which causes throat cancer.
-Carlos the Dwarf

D&D Changed my entire life.

[Maxo-Texas]

Almost all my friends flowed from D&D-- even the sporting friends came through a D&D connection.

My leadership job success flowed in part from EQ experience running large organizations (i.e. guilds) and that came from a D&D friend and from D&D.

The relatively drug-free, bright, success-oriented crowd of nerdy types I was with in high school and in college all came from D&D. Heck- my ex-wife was in my first D&D group for as long as we were married.

Not sure where i would be if I had not heard about the "d&d room" at Spectrum Con '88.

Appareantly he got a glimps

[geekoid]

of 4th edition.

Re:Appareantly he got a glimps

[sckeener]

of 4th edition.

Nah, he just wanted to go out on His Day. Today is DM's Day!

Re:Appareantly he got a glimps

[Enzo the Baker]

I think he wants to roll over in his grave when it comes out.

Re:Appareantly he got a glimps

[peacefinder]

I'm so glad someone else made that joke so I don't have to.

RIP.

Re:Appareantly he got a glimps

[MintMMs]

WotC has already stated they will dedicate the 4th edition core books to Gary. http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=220708

Solemnly

[parvin]

I take off my wizard hat.

saved my life

[chelanfarsight]

despite all that the news and religious right were spouting in the 80s when i was a kid, dnd actually saved my life. i was a chronically depressed, suicidal adolescent with no social contacts outside my immediate family. dnd let me open up imagination and share it with likeminded people. taught me invaluable reference skills, story telling, group management, but most importantly it insisted that i interact with others and in doing so provided me with the slow crawl back to reality. i dont know that gary would have understood the seriousness of all that, but what that group created was an invaluable part of my life. goodbye e. gary gygax and thank you.

Re:saved my life

[Calibretto23]

Hehe its funny how many of us feel exactly the same way. He will be missed...

D&D and Gord Books. Thankyou Gary.

[zymano]

You definitely had an imaginative and creative mind.

I wish i had emailed you to thank you.

Gary's Divine Ascension

[saudadelinux]

Let's see if I remember this from 1st Edition rules...

• Stats magically raised above human potential: Of course.
• Achieved level way, way above average in campaign: Hell, yes.
• Sincere body of followers convinced of power: What do you think?

Am I missing anything, people? I know some of you out know this stuff, this is Slashdot, after all. You know he'll go up in a "great fanfare of light", to some greater place where men are men, and the women look like Lolth in in the frontispiece the first edition of Queen of the Demonweb Pits. Someone get Jeff Dee to draw him the right way :D

Seriously. So long, Gary. In an age of increasingly recycled meh, you assembled myths, legends and beings from around the world - spiced with some of your own design - to give us (okay, sell us ;-) the tools to have fun and make wonder. We'll miss you :)

Re:Gary's Divine Ascension

[Richard Steiner]

Sincere body of followers convinced of power: What do you think?

That reminds me... If you're an Evil type who is getting perilously close to descending to Godhood due to the unbidden rapture of henchmen, underlings, and other assorted riffraff, just gather them into a single place to celebration the occasion ... and wipe them out.

Do it with style if possible, but speed is of the essence!

Man, I've seen it done more than once. Godhood is *such* a hassle...

Re:Gary's Divine Ascension

[JosKarith]

Don't go to Gencon this year. I'm not giving anything away, just... don't.

Gary Gygax was a god.

[Khopesh]

Really: Ernest Gary Gygax was a god. He turned the wargaming world on its head when he created a fantasy-based game, and did it again with the little supplement in the back that dealt with more individual encounters. His legacy was this new attention to detail, a whole genre, richly inspired by Tolkien's similar work, and spawning universes of imagination to touch generations. ... for this reason, I'd say he was a creation god, having created the world of role-playing games, significantly influencing the Fantasy genre itself, and even brining polyhedral dice to a more mainstream world. Gods don't die; Gygax will live on as only the most significant fathers of ideas do.

D&D has been a part of me since 1986 or so. I've been actively playing and even designing rules for most of that time, even if I had no idea of what I was doing. How did D&D improve my life? It gave me a gateway to my imagination, allowing me to express myself in creative ways that would otherwise have been developed far less aptly. It increased my vocabulary ("what does 'proficiency' mean?), and in triggering my interest in Tolkien, it caused me to learn much of linguistics, etymology, and language, not to mention the reading of fantasy novels including RA Salvatore's Drizzt books. Its limitless possibilities make me laugh at MUDs and MMORPGs for their simplicity ... I can't play CRPGs or the like thanks to having discovered the real thing.

Thanks, Gary. From your days guiding the RPG movement, to your voice-overs on the D&D television show, to your return to the core team with WotC, you had a great run. We always wanted more, but that's only because you always provided so much. You will be missed, and never forgotten. So long and thanks for all the books.

PS: Anybody thinking of DMing or writing about a game or fantasy world (even outside the context of D&D) should take a look at his book Master of the Game, which is sadly out of print.

Re:Gary Gygax was a god.

[geekoid]

"Really: Ernest Gary Gygax was a god. "

please. He created a game that allowed people to play individual pieces in a war game. It became an influential game that created an industry, but he was hardly perfect.

His comment about women being good for gaming because they bring food and tidy up says much.

Re:Gary Gygax was a god.

[Anonymous Coward]

Who's to say gods are perfect? That doesn't seem to be implied by the title. There is quite a bit of gender discrimination ascribed to the god and prophets of the Bible and Qur'an...

Sadly, gender equality is still a long way from realization. There was far more ground to cover back in the forties and fifties, when Gygax was young and impressionable (recall Mark Twain's assessment: "Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen"), and the geeky community has always lagged behind the rest thanks to the "dork" reputation and the fact that girls were steered away from scientific fields until only recently. He was a product of his time. This had nothing to do with his developing the game. (Also of note, Tolkien's loose grasp of the other half of our species caused him to remove most women and all the romance from The Lord of The Ring, which set the pace for fantasy and therefore D&D.)

Happily, the role of women in science (and gaming) is higher than ever before, to the point at which "equal opportunity" at colleges makes it easier for men to apply (I'm not so happy about that last part, but it's a nice contrast to the way it was before). I played two separate D&D groups in the past few years where the women outnumbered the men. One woman did bring food every time, but she had a magic card (tied to a scholarship) granting her nearly infinite access to food...

Re:Gary Gygax was a god.

[tm2b]

Except that experience shows that this is true, just not the only reason. They're good for gaming for other reasons, but they do often inspire the male gamers to take a freakin' shower from time to time.

Re:Gary Gygax was a god.

[Molochi]

Well Zeus was into rape. Being A god doesn't mean you're Lawful Good.

Re:Gary Gygax was a god.

[geekoid]

Maybe your experience, but most of us aren't slovenly to begin with.

My many years of experience shows that it's about equal. The people I talked to when I first heard this quote seemed to agree. People I talked to who were there didn't think it was taken along the same intent as you mentioned.

Yes, I know, the plural of anedoct is anedocts, not data.

Creative training wheels

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

I never had an interest in D&D I played it a few times, but found the rules too limiting. It was too much of an excuse to avoid the real world. Its sort of like the ruby on rails for creativity. It helps most people who don't know much to quickly create something that works very well, but ultimately there the very things that make it easy end up being prison bars.

Note this is not a troll or flame bait. Its just my needs exceed what each one can provide.

Re:Creative training wheels

[Anonymous Coward]

Alternately, maybe you just didn't understand the game.

Somebody whose only knowledge of mathematics is basic arithmetic would think that mathematics is too limiting, but they'd be wrong.

Re:Creative training wheels

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Exactly. Arithmatic is to limiting. Thats what D & D is. I, myself, prefer calvin ball. Best game ever.

Fail Save Vs. Death?

[Torinaga-Sama]

So he's like -11?

Shit, he's gonna have to re-roll.

I hope his next DM is a kind one.

Met my wife with D&D

[az26er]

There is hope for slashdotters. I never had to leave my parents basement to actually meet a woman and marry her. Now if I can just get her naked...

Once he

[geekoid]

Sold me a great pair of shoes, changed my life forever.

I don't care if I get marked redundant

[AuntieWillow]

I'm really sad. I've been playing 28 years (and I'm only 23!).
D&D taught me that no matter how High you go (unless you're a Monk!) you can still reach higher, still get better.
In a way I'm not really working, I'm just gaining enough XP to get to the next level of SQL Goddess (only 15,000 more XP!)

I feel sorry for the cemetary...

[gmcraff]

They're going to wonder at the legions of people in various modes of dress, from lawyers to pimply-faced geeks to Vin Diesel, that will stop by and pour out a tube of dice on his grave.

And then they'll realize they have to have someone go out and clear up the piles before they can mow. A lawnmower hitting Gygax's grave will cause a 30' radius spray of polyhedrons, doing from 1d6 to 3d6 damage depending on the horsepower of the mower.

Re:I feel sorry for the cemetary...

[Artuir]

That made me laugh so hard I cried. Thank you! If I could mod you up I would. Thanks for all the memories, Gary!

Re:I feel sorry for the cemetary...

[geekoid]

Save for half damage.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd say it's your experience that is the exception, not the rule. I'm sorry for you. (which sounds sarcastic or condescending, but I don't mean it that way).

From a non-player

[hansamurai]

I had two direct interactions with D&D throughout my life, the first was after freshmen year of college over the summer when my best friend from high school wanted to DM a D&D campaign with me and all of our high school friends, who had never played D&D before. I guess he had played a ton of it at school and wanted to introduce us to it so we tried out some anime game. We had two sessions and it went absolutely horrible. We were back playing Super Smash Bros. Melee the next week.

During college, specifically during my sophomore year, all of my college friends on my dorm floor would play D&D, well, except without me and my other friend. These were guys that we played video games with every night, went to the movies with, went to football games together; but for whatever reason, every Saturday they would lock themselves in a room and play D&D without us. Honestly my friend and I didn't have any experience, but we both wanted to play. It kinda ticked me off so we made a point to be obnoxious outside their door while they played, ah well.

Even though my stories might make me sound angry towards D&D, I have nothing against it and would like to do it someday. Alas, all my friends I'd be interested in playing with from college are spread across the country now.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[mark-t]

but its mostly a trap for the mind, and an escape from the real world, just like video games, drugs, and alcahol.

An escape, I would agree with... but calling it a trap, I would not. D&D is essentially just a grown-up version of the imagination-using games that children play when they are young... cops and robbers, good guys and bad guys, make-believe... or what have you. Never underestimate the importance of simple relaxation and play.

Expect an update to Deities & Demigods...

[GOD_ALMIGHTY]

Anyone want to speculate on the powers of the Gygax? Will it be able to kick Tiamat's ass? Will it be more of a Tom Bombadil character or a benevolent Loki?

I learned to program by modifying hack source in vi on a Tandy Model 16 running MS-XENIX. The K&R C manual and the AT&T Unix manuals were a little above my elementary reading level, but building dungeons was a big enough reward to overcome that. As to the other folks who mentioned the skill set that D&D taught them, I'd like to add my agreement. Learning how to logically model and implement rule systems with teams was an amazing challenge that has served me well.

Gary Gygax's flight of fantasy has probably done more for the world than we will ever know. I will be spending my night with good friends, strong ale and old songs.

With my eternal thanks and appreciation, Godspeed Gary Gygax.

He must have

[twentynine]

failed his fortitude saving throw. Besides, a cleric couldn't bring him back if he died of old age. RTFPhB

Sad to see him go

[James in PDX]

He and his games have influenced my life greatly. I have some true real friends from gaming, and even an ex-wife! :) The world is a sadder place as of today but I know that there will be some great games played where ever he goes. :)

Gygax's impact

[Infonaut]

It's a cliche now to talk about how the geeks have taken over the world, but back in the early days of tabletop RPG, Arneson and Gygax created a seed that gave bright, imaginative young people an outlet and a way to explore and collaborate and have fun. American society often punishes smart kids. D&D rewarded intelligence and imagination, and paved the way for a huge cultural shift. The geeks of today owe a huge debt to Gygax and Arneson.

too much 4th edition.

[Kazzarius]

Ah Gary, so much you have brought to this world. Creating so much late night literature to make every geek weep. Seeing his genius written rules/gaming mechanics being churned into video game logic must have been too much for him. I blame 4th edition and WOW for his early demise. /roll 1d20 save vs. play 4th edition anyway. **player rolled a natural 1.

saving roll...

[Tumbleweed]

Was he eaten by a Grue?

Re:saving roll...

[Mercano]

Probably.

Re:saving roll...

[psychicninja]

Was he eaten by a Grue?

I should hope not! He of all people should know to cast Magic Missile at the darkness...

My remembrance

[HikingStick]

I will always remember Mr. Gygax as the man who, while villified by many, was responsible for introducing me to a world of unlimited imaginations where grand adventures took form. The doorway of imagination he opened through his game allowed me to dream bigger dreams and to imagine entire worlds within my own mind. More than any English teacher, Mr. Gygax, albeit indirectly, moved me to write stories of epic scale. Without Dungeons & Dragons, neither would I have known so many great friends.

Now he has passed from the game we call life. I don't think Mr. Gygax failed his last saving throw, but rather that the Great DM determined that it was time for his character to be retired. He will be missed.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[dave562]

I have to kind of agree with you on this one. By playing D&D and other roleplaying games in general, I became acquainted with the types of personalities who like to completely control their worlds and impress their fantasies upon others. That was a kid. Once I grew up and played D&D with a bunch of people in their mid to late twenties, it was a completely different experience. I think the difference is that when you play a game like D&D as a kid, you're really acting out that fantasy world. The boundry between yourself and your character is slim to non-existant. As people grow older and mature, they realize the difference. Although you can occassionally come across those people who really think that they are a thief, or a warrior... or the real nut jobs who are mages or clerics.

...you could say that DnD has improved my life: mostly by subtraction.

This is what I agree with. By playing D&D, I recognized a lot of social qualities and personal traits that I didn't want to manifest in myself.

On the other hand, all of the bad aspects aside, if I hadn't hung out with the people who played roleplaying games I probably would have never gotten into computers. I never would have gotten into BBSes and MUDs. I wouldn't have been on the internet as early as I was, or gone to 2600 meetings, or gone to the first five Defcons. I wouldn't have learned to enjoy reading and writing as much as I do.

I think that just like D&D provided a system through which geeks could act out their fantasies, it also provided a medium for geeks to get together and be social and imaginative in healthy ways. All things considered, I think getting together with a bunch of your gamer friends for the weekend is a lot healthier from a social aspect than sitting in front of a computer playing some MMORPG and raiding all weekend.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[MightyMartian]

Using ancedotal evidence to demonstrate that D&D is bad is idiotic. There are weak and damaged people who will take on to anything, whether roleplaying, alcohol, gambling, sex or whatever.

Gygax gave us an incredible hobby which has blossomed. I've been roleplaying for nearly a quarter of a century now, have a wife, two kids, a dog, a house and a full time job. I consider myself reasonably well adjusted.

If D&D caused you problems, then quitting was a good thing, but don't extrapolate that on to entire hobby. That's ludicrous and unfair.

A man who made a difference

[Pheidias]

If not for Gygax...

Would I have had the imagination to escape from small-town life so satisfyingly, and what's more important, so socially? And twenty years later, would any of us be able to play FF12 (or just name a game!) in our off-hours?

Glad they caught him for the Code Monkeys episode before he was gone.

add him to the dieties list

[mozkill]

its time to add "Gygax", lord of dungeons, to the Deities list...

Goodbye :(

[mr_Spook]

Mr. Gygax is a large part of why I'm the geek that I am today, it's sad to see him go.

Thanks for the games, you will be missed.

What a shocker

[PapaSmurph]

I started playing D&D back in 1977. Yes, I admit it. I'm an OLD geek. I met my wife playing D&D. Some of my best memories are of playing D&D with co-workers (including my boss!). Before I went off to college and worlds beyond, I played regularly with a group that included 3 of my 5 brothers and several other friends, all of which were at least 3 years older than me. I believe this helped me learn how to associate better with "adults".

:-)

R.I.P. Gary. Know you impacted many lives, and many of them for the better.

Bummer

[Scott Lockwood]

I met him at FlatCon one year, though admittedly, I spent most of the Con drooling over Chainmail Girl.

First Robert Jordan and now Gary Gygax

[Kazzarius]

Jeeze laweese, I feel as though the apocalypse is coming! Epic writers of fantasy and gaming are dropping away, I feel my childhood heroes losing their grasp on this physical world.

Another God of Youth falls

[jwonder69]

How can a person really quantify the impact a person such as Gary Gygax has had not only on themselves, but pop culture as a whole. His impact is felt in everything from comic books, cartoons, RPGs, movies and books. Might as well try to quantify Hunter S. Thompson...

Seeing things from a different perspective

[sscroggins]

As most people that game and grew up in the `80's D&D was my first RPG so, even though I moved away from it to other games, I still get nostalgic thinking about "the good old days".
I don't remember the site, but several years ago some people were ripping Gygax because, apparently, it was the popular thing to do. I posted, saying that just because you don't like the product that the guy was currently involved with was no reason to slam him personally or to take away from the contribution that he'd made to a hobby that so many of us share. He read it and got back to me, basically saying that it was good to know that there are still some decent people out there. He seemed like a pretty nice guy from the few e-mails that we sent back and forth.
I work for a pretty huge company now, and I need to communicate with people of diverse backgrounds at all levels of the organization. My gaming experience has helped me do that effectively. Learning to look at things from someone else's perspective is an invaluable skill. Gaming also taught me that not every situation calls for a leader, but sometimes it's definitely helpful.

Sigh...

[kropcke]

Basic >> AD&D...the modules, miniatures, the manuals, the local hobby shop...the bulk of my youth - it was all good, and wouldn't trade it for the world. Thanx a million Mr. Gygax. Godspeed. -kropcke

Fare thee well

[Mybrid]

Fare thee well in the great yonder Gary Gygax.

I actually started playing D&D back in 1974 when all you got was this white box. We had a couple of manuals that were nothing more than 8 1/2 by 11 sheets folded in 2 and stapled down the fold. In fact I still have the original dice from that box somewhere lying around. They are so worn though I think they are all Infinite sided die at this point.

D&D...Star Wars...it was great growing up as a geek and sci fi freak in the 1970s. Dr. Demento on the radio every Sunday! Science Fiction was hot, Roger Zelazny was in his prime and I was always waiting for the next Amber series book to come out. First thing we did with D&D was put all the Amber series characters in our scenario's. I remember Corwin was our first NPC to travel with our party. Eric was the nasty king. Benedict was the neutral but most powerful character. Great stuff.

Thanks for memories and for contributing to a great era of new imaginations for a teenage boy.

Re:Fare thee well

[dacheeze]

I remember in the mid 70's my friends and I riding our bikes 25 miles each way to Lake Geneva to pick up this original box set and dice from his store, I believe it was called "The Dungeon" We had a great time that summer, learning all about this new game, made some lifelong friends. I came across the box with the books when I was moving a few years ago tucked away in a box in my garage. It has moved its way back onto my bookshelf next to my bag of dice. Gary, you were a great man. Thanks for the memories. You will be missed.

what a loss

[jabcm]

Time to roll those eternal dice Gary. Thanks for bringing us a brave new world!

Jesus saves...

[subl33t]

... and takes half-damage.

Re:Jesus saves...

[LurkerXXX]

Dude, Jesus is a Monk. When he saves he takes no damage. When he misses a save, he only takes half.

Friendship...

[_Shad0w_]

I have friends I would never have had if it wasn't for D&D; I think that sums up what it means to me. Hours of fun and friendship. And a collection of stupid nicknames for rule books.

Re:Friendship...

[geekoid]

You also don't have friends you would of if you didn't play DnD.

I mean, really.

Also thank Dave Arneson

[LordZardoz]

Dave Arneson (that other guy who invented D&D with Gary) actually invented the HP concept as it was used in D&D.

END COMMUNICATION

QUICK! Make a saving roll!

[coaxial]

Oooo... all ones.

Well THAT Sucks!

[Greyfox]

My favorite D&D memory is actually not of playing the game. It is of my (female) room mate wanting to stop by a gaming store in the area. She got into an involved discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of the various systems with the three guys in the store. The expression on their face was priceless. I think they were trying to figure out how to propose marriage on the spot. Sadly none of them managed to figure out how to go about it before she made her purchase and left.

CNN obit

[beetle496]

Here is an obit on a server that is likely to resist the /. effect.

Purely by luck I have been gaming since Chainmail was first published. Senior year in high school I was the only kid for miles and miles around with the books. I had to travel to next city to play once a week if that. But that was the year that the first bad press hit the mainstream. I actually became quite popular and, for the first and only time in my life, was with the "in crowd" for the rest of the year! Quite bizarre really, and had I been a year older or younger, that never would have happened!

Re:CNN obit

[geekoid]

you weren't with the in crowd, you were with a bunch of geeks who happened to like the next stage of gaming...much better then being part of the 'in crowd'.

Remember when you could only get those odd dice via mail order? man, I was so excited when my dice arrived.

Re:CNN obit

[beetle496]

LOL. No, but my high school was small, ~120 in a class. Barely enough to have cliques. Too poor to field a football team, so the jocks had friends who were non-jocks, and most had other interests besides sports. Without planning to, circumstances conspired to provoke a bunch of non-geeks to try something a little strange, and I was a good enough DM. A few key trend setter types gave it whirl, had fun, and ended up running campaigns on their own. This was in the early 80s, and the first round of accusation about links to Satanism, so there was the danger appeal. I also introduce the school to punk, despite being a complete poser, but I had at least heard of the Ramones.

The geeks I had learned from were friends for much a longer time, but I only got to see them once a week. Yes, they were at the next stage of gaming, and that was much better than being part of the "in crowd" -- but that was a whole different crew that didn't interact with my peers from school.

Mail order was latter for us. We got our fix at the Studio of Bridge and Games.

Yes, I Posted This On Reddit, Too

[Poeir]

I'm very [rolls dice] upset about this.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[Mongoose Disciple]

Really, in these respects, it's little different from any other hobby or distraction.

I know dozens upon dozens of healthy, well-adjusted adults who, shockingly, have good jobs, function normally in society, have regular consentual sex with other people, and game.

People who "piss away" their future playing D&D aren't doing it because D&D is just that addictive or compelling. They're doing it because they're so unhappy with the real life they're avoiding. What you're seeing is the symptom, not the problem.

Re:RPG didn't improve my life

[jaraxle]

Your /. username is very appropriate, apparently.

To keep on topic, I didn't game TOO much as a kid with the dice and manuals, but when I did it was always enjoyable (I especially enjoyed poring over the Monster Manuals over and over). Plus, as the father of RPG's, he's obviously affected me insofar as the video games I most enjoy now (and in the past) are FRPGs which are obviously in one way or another taken from his work.

~jaraxle

What I learned from Gary

[nixNscratches]

1. Surround yourself with people who are good at things that you aren't. When you work together, you can all shine in ways that would be less impressive individually. (P.S. The best place to find these people, is the local inn.)
2. Take on challenges no one else dares to. It could all end badly, but nothing extraordinary ever happens that doesn't begin with taking a chance. (P.S. It will certainly go badly, but with luck it won't end badly.)
3. Respect everyone's religious beliefs regardless of your own. Being on the wrong end of a divine intervention really, really sucks.
4. Never underestimate the importance of luck. There is really almost no situation that a well rolled natural '20' can't get you out of.
5. Search everything no matter how disgusting it is. You'd be surprised where kobolds will decide to hide their treasure.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[Kpau]

"Using anecdotal evidence to demonstrate that D&D is bad is idiotic." -- quoted for Great Truth. There's so much scientific evidence that imaginative play is critical for brain function from the very young to the very elderly that it is difficult to even want to bother to respond to the anti-play comments in this thread. There is a certain segment of the population that tends to be "psychologically addictive" and it really doesn't matter what the target obsession is. Some target obsessions are better than others (e.g. D&D vs. gambling) but blaming the target is too easy and often extends into the crazy mindset of the "If I can't handle it, no one else can either" type of control-freakdom. Gary took the idea of collaborative storytelling, mixed it with a standardized set of game mechanics -- and created what can be a highly creative and recreative form of entertainment. Kudos and I'd love to see his resting place festooned with d20 dice :)

Without a doubt

[Orig_Club_Soda]

I played D&D casually as a teenager and as an adult. The mere mention of D7D is top criteria for identifying a geek. D&D is a part of American just like the hoola hoop and the Frisbee.

that is MMORPG not just single player games

[Mister Whirly]

I think you missed the mmorpg part of his post. (AFAIK not too many mmorpg games were made for the Commodore 64 - like none. The games you refer to are single player games.) NWN on AOL was the only reason I had signed up for AOL. There was a cool mmorpg back in the day on Compuserve, but the graphics were ascii and that was when Compuserve charged by the hour. I played all night one evening and when the $50 Compuserve bill came later that month, the parents were mighty pissed.

Re:that is MMORPG not just single player games

[cHiphead]

Yeah, what you said.

I remember getting my parents to let me stay overnight at the office under the guise of 'fixing the computers' while I logged onto AOL all night and downloaded some games from a mass warez mail I somehow got thrown on, back when we had the 9.95 AOL + hourly overage. Parents weren't too happy about that month's service.

Also, dialing up to Software Creations BBS in Boston to download every Apogee, EpicMegagames, and iD shareware title didn't come across to well on the long distance bill.

Cheers.

Re:that is MMORPG not just single player games

[Mister Whirly]

Didn't hourly rates suck? Although I will say (now that the statutes of limitations have long passed) that large phone bills from calling out of state BBSs was what led to my, ah "knowledge", of how the phone systems worked. Didn't have any big phone bills after that. But calling cool boards, especially ones with the latest warez, was a big part of my motivation.

Re:that is MMORPG not just single player games

[cHiphead]

We had a local renegade bbs with uucp that was hosted in some guys apartment above an isp. Saved a lot of money on long distance, and also saved me from going a similar route and violating federal laws to get free long distance ;)

Cheers.

how has it TOUCHED my life? it IS my LIFE!

[Sebastopol]

D&D has mostly defined my life from the first time I was given a First Edition boxed set in 1979 by a highschool teacher (I was in 5th grade at the time) to now as an adult (a grumpy old man still kvetching about d20 rules, to be more precise).

It hasn't been the same since. Speaking about it "touching" or "influencing" one's life seem trite compared the actual impact it has reached every of my existence, from my college choice (engineering school with D&D like tunnels) to what I like to wear (handmade leather rogue boots) to what I do for fun (uh, RPG?) to who I am attracted to (nerdy SCA babes FTW!!!).

Gygax completely restructured my life with his precise rules for defining unlimited universes. I don't think his subtle impact on our culture will be fully understood for decades.

I suspect...

[Samurai Cat!]

...he simply died so he could then be on time to roll over in his grave when D&D 4.0 is released. :/

How D&D changed my life

[CharlieG]

WAY back when, in either 1975 or 76, a friend and I discovered these 3 strange little booklets - known as D&D, and quickly discovered the "chainmail" combat system (yeah, this tells you how early it was)

Anyway, we started playing, with a few other friends, and within a year or 2, we had a very unusual D&D group - about 50% girls (I use girls because we were all under 18). My friend brought a girl that he knew since childhood, "M". "M" and I became friends, and in March 1980, we started dating. We've been together since. Took till 1988 till I married her, but..

Thanks Gary, Without you, I probably would have my wonderful wife and 2 kids. Too bad you couldn't roll the save on the dice this time

Thanks Gary

[Shanathalas]

Thanks for brilliantly creating a system that helps me escape from the stress of modern, adult life.
You are a genius; we will miss you.

Re:RPG didn't improve my life

[zugmeister]

Ouch!
Well maybe it didn't improve your life, but you tried it, and kudos to you for that. Think of it like that strange food in the buffet line with the unpronounceable foreign-ish name where you don't even recognize what it's made out of. You try a little of it and maybe you like it, maybe you don't. If you don't, you don't get seconds. It's not really the game genre's fault it didn't work for you. If you invested a lot of your life in RPGs and are now unhappy, consider it a life lesson on time/resource management. If nothing else you can get that!

D&D touched my life

[Eggplant62]

I was in the Marines back in '82-'86, specifically with 1st Bn 6th Mar 2nd Div. At the time, there were a couple guys I hung around with, Dave, Brian, and Vic. Dave was married to Deb. We all hung out with Dave and Deb at their place in off-base housing near Camp Lejeune playing D&D until the wee hours.

Many nights and many gallons of beer and trashcan Everclear Kool-Aid were consumed during those weekends. We'd build up our characters, and Dave the sicko DM would tear us down. It was a twisted extension of boot camp, now that I look back on it. Often we'd end up passed out by 3 a.m. on a Friday night, wake up Saturday morning; Deb would cook breakfast, and we'd shake off our hangovers and do it all over again from noon or 1 p.m. until dawn Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon we'd gather up our laundry and head off to the barracks to get our shit together for the coming week.

Another time I got into it was while living out in New Haven, MI. I was working for a small auto seating manufacturer and made friends with a guy and his wife who had a penchant for gaming. He did a great job ripping us apart. By that time I was married, he was married, and we, wives and all, had a rippin' good time getting drunk and gaming all night long on weekends. Yeah, history repeats itself.

I owe a lot to Gary and the rest of the guys in on his project for all the fun and good drunken rip-roaring nutcase shenanigans. I won't mention all the time wasted on spin-offs from his work, including my own penchant for games like Nethack and World of Warcraft. If it weren't for him, what would we have done to waste the time?

I think I'll scare up a drink in Gary's honor. Man, those were good times!

Perspective

[Mechagodzilla]

Truly a sad day for RPGers...

I think I learned perspective. I learned how to step back and view something from the outside, as an invisible outsider. (Go go DM screen) The game taught me to think about how people react to certain things, and to think ahead of that. Yes, I was the nasty DM that made the door have a real obvious trap on the lock, only to have a pitfall right after the door. I use that kind of perspective today when doing engineering things like DFMEAs.

Thanks, Gary.

[jasko]

Gary, through D&D, has been a major impact on my life. I've been playing since 4th grade, which is 28 years ago, now. And though I stopped playing D&D itself regularly many years ago, I've never stopped playing RPGs. I know people are making jokes, but being a smart kid in my elementary and middle schools wasn't exactly a ticket to popularity. So D&D provided a valuable interactive fantasy that I could share with my small circle of friends as well as a healthy outlet for frustration, aggression, and desires for revenge. My wife has been playing with me since 9th grade, though D&D has never been her game. When I decided my son was old enough to play, I started him with D&D because the very things I found so confining (class / level system) made convenient splats for him, and he was familiar with LotR and Arthuriana. I run a weekly game for three adult players, and a monthly game for nine (!) kids.

D&D got me interested in probability, simulation, narrative structure, theater, and more. A good game session can be the best entertainment around, more engrossing than a video game, a movie or even a book. Furthermore, I appreciate anything that encourages people to produce instead of consume, and RPGs put the participants in an active, creative, participatory role with regard to their entertainment. Roleplaying games give players common history - the stuff of in-jokes - shared experiences that never happened. So Gary gave me years of wonder and excitement, and I've tried to pass that on when I can. Thanks, Gary, and goodbye.

A poem

[kitsunewarlock]

Thank you Mr. Gygax for all you've done,
From Forgotten Realms to Grayhawk, and even Darksun.
Thank you for hit-points, ability scores and class.
Thank you for oozes and drow (who frequently kick my ass).

You've inspired so much, from Sephiroth to Warcraft,
and yet you were still designing more even when you left.
Yet very few can Knowledge (gaming) your name (a pox upon their fumble!),
A man who's inspired and made multiple industries, and yet so humble.

Who forged the greatest gaming convention to last until this day.
Who gave us such joy with his games t'was like dancing with fey.
Who brought together so many friends who grieve for you this morn.
Who made such diabolical adventures I'm suprised you don't have more scorn. (:3)

Who inadvertently birthed and slayed more dragons than any other man,
or at least the dragon slayers who adventure across the land.
Of course now our adventures will miss you and your gray bearded face.
And all some may have as a momento is a feather token or +2 mace.

And while your up in the plane of epic designers of great fame,
I beseech you to prepare yourself and later meet me for a game.
I probably won't get to play with your group (the trinity and Wilde to name a few),
I hope you'll visit me in regular heaven (I'll bring the pizza and the dew).

jesus saves

[mattwarden]

http://www.jinx.com/men/shirts/video_games/jesus_saves.html

OK

[Anonymous Coward]

Now, if only D&D would also rest in peace, we could all get some work done.

RIP

[Teflon_Jeff]

E Gary Gygax was a visionary man, and without him, RPG's may have been set back decades. Imagine if D&D had not been the force it was as a creative outlet for so many people. You will be missed...

How D&D changed me:

[BForrester]

How has D&D (and tabletop roleplaying) touched/improved your life?

Ever since I started roleplaying, I've had
+2 to Intelligence and
-1 to Charisma.

What I Owe Gary Gygax

[damabupuk]

I can't really express the influence on my life of the games that Mr. Gygax championed. When I discovered role playing games in grade 7, I joined the small, generally poorly regarded gaming club we had at school (where we were completely unallowed to play D&D, 'cause it was SATANIC!), and met a group of people who became my family. I still see them every week, and they are some of the best, brightest, and most creative and stimulating people I know. We don't necessarily play that many games any more, but the relationships we created through the medium of role-playing have lasted, and will last, the rest of our lives. Thank you, Mr. Gygax, for everything you did directly for the gaming industry, and indirectly, for my life.

Anyone have a level 25 cleric to resurrect him?

[ruggerboy]

"He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm..." A daily diet of Funyuns and Moutain Dew will do that to you.

Oh just use a "Wish".

[Lanboy]

But Word it carefully...

called an acquaintance and ass

[fragbait]

I had to give my best friend a shout to get the recount of a time Gary called my friend's former roomate an ass.

Yeah, I remember that he and Ernest had a back and forth on an rpg theory newsgroup one time. Gary was getting a little weird in his diatribes, long existential stuff, and he had his core of fanboys that would eat it all up. Ernest kept analyzing what he actually said though and would bring up all sorts of counterpoint arguments, often much more cogent than Gary... who, in Ernest's opinion, had fried his brain on coke in the 80's. After one particular rant, Gary finished it off by "humbly submitting to the group that this Ernest is an ass.' Ernest could not have been prouder, lol. -fragbait

Goodbye Gary and thanks for all the Dungeon Crawls

[S810]

I have to say that I ma sadened by this news. I still play D&D (and not the mommas-boy versions of 3.0 or 3.5 either). I know that he hasn't been associated with D&D for a long time, but I remember buying the BAsic and Expert boxed sets on the very early 80's and being totally overwhelmed by it. But I soldiered on and figured it out. In fact, my 6 year old and my wife play weekly. It has helped him focus in school and has greatly improved his imagination.

Gary, you will be missed by several generations of RPGers.

Shoutout from a Kraut

[dr_g0rilla]

If it wasn't for Gary Gygax and the gang at TSR, I wouldn't have had the incentive to really dig into the English language (because translations just don't do it - how do you translate vorpal sword...?).

Gygax is gone, but he lives on in his (many) creations.

Re:Shoutout from a Kraut

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know. Find a German translation of the poem "Jabberwocky," and look at the first line of the second verse.

Apologies in advance for this ...

[xant]

I search the body for treasure. Anything good in his pockets? Was he wearing any armor?

It's not premarital sex...

[Blaede]

...if you never get married.

Are you James Dallas Egbert III ?

[Lanboy]

Just kidding. Now no one will argue that ALL female Dwarves HAVE to have beards.

"I have become Brahma, the Creator of worlds"

[Harmast]

I doubt Gary said it when he saw the first copy of the brown box come from the printer, but he could have.

He wasn't the only one to create RPGs. Arguably they'd existed for a bit in the miniatures community in various half-finished states, such as ruler driven campaigns. But he was the one with the vision to write it all down and say "let's do it this way", combining all those ideas into one coherent work (even if the text didn't quite convey that coherence).

And with that text he made us all creators of world.

Yesterday a friend and I were exchanging emails on gaming and concluded that tabletop RPGs are one of the most accessible forms of creativity in the modern world.

I can't thank him enough for that gift. All I can do is pass it on.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[CubeRootOf]

Anectodal evidence is not what I used in the case. I used personal experience. The difference is huge.

DnD caused me problems, but I didn't play. It caused problems for those around me, and thus for me. I didn't need to quit because I didn't play.

Gygax created something that was a game. So long as it is a game it is fine. When it becomes something you need to function, it stops being a game, and starts being an addiction. Yes, lots of people have addictions. I have an Oxygen addiction. You are probably addicted to H20, I hear many people are addicted to sleep, However, when you become addicted to something that takes you away from reality, rather than keeping you in it, it becomes destructive.

DnD, when taken to an extreme, is destructive. Yes, yes, some people don't take it to an extreme. blahdy blah. some people do.

And it is not something that I have seen ever improve someones life. I'm not trying to blast the man, or the game. I'm just saying don't put him, or his game up on a pedistal. Don't give him a +10 charisma bonus that he never had in life now that he is dead.

Mourn him, take this as a reason to look up his old books, read a few and remember those times you had as a kid that were so good.... but don't put him on a pedistal.

Which One?

[Lanboy]

There are 7, remember,

Re:Which One?

[bckrispi]

FAIL!

There are 9 levels to Hell.
        Avernus
        Dis
        Minauros
        Phlegethos
        Stygia
        Malbolge
        Maladomini
        Cania
        Nessus

Re:Which One?

[node 3]

I thought they were:

3.1
95
98
98sr2
Me
2000
XP
Vista
The 9th Level has yet to be RTM'd.

Re:Which One?

[voidphoenix]

You forgot NT...

A memorial I'd like to see

[gpoobahva]

I'd really like to see the various MMORPG companies go to the trouble to have an in game memorial for Gary Gygax. I'd like to see all the MOBS in WOW simply walk around and MOURN the passing of Gary Gygax for a few hours (no fighting or anything just a lot of weeping). So much of the computer gaming industry exists because of D&D that these companies should do something to say thanks for starting the ball rolling. Even first person shooter games evolved because developers were bored with putting out yet another D&D clone RPG.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[MightyMartian]

Gygax created something that was a game. So long as it is a game it is fine. When it becomes something you need to function, it stops being a game, and starts being an addiction. Yes, lots of people have addictions. I have an Oxygen addiction. You are probably addicted to H20, I hear many people are addicted to sleep, However, when you become addicted to something that takes you away from reality, rather than keeping you in it, it becomes destructive.

This is incredibly silly. I've known one roleplayer in all my years of gaming that I considered a bit delusional, and I basically removed him from my game. But gaming wasn't the cause, the guy, as I discovered later, had long had psychological issues. It's a hobby, of which Gygax was one of the major figures. He did an impressive thing, and I admire that. By all accounts he was a pretty decent guy to.

The problem with addictive personalities is that they will latch on to anything. Roleplaying doesn't create troubled people. That's a load of bollocks from 1980s pop psychology and hysteria, in the same vein of blaming Ozzie Osbourne and Judas Priest for a few deluded suicidal kids. If you or those near you had a problem, I'll wager that roleplaying was the outlet of the problem, and not the source. Someone who is trying to escape reality is doing it for a reason. Don't play the symptom, that's just silly.

As I've said, I've been playing for nearly 25 years. Due to my busy schedule, I haven't done any face-to-face gaming in three years, but I have a PBEM that I've been GMing since December 2003. It's a fun thing to do, a collaborative form of story telling that allows people to stretch their imaginations.

Your down on a popular hobby because of personal experiences. Are you willing to concede that those experiences are in the minority?

Obg Futurama reference

[Vexinator]

I am *rolls dice* sad to hear this.

RPGS and Video games go together so well

[CrazyJim1]

Both RPGS and Video games came out in relatively the same era. Video games wouldn't be the same without D&D as many of the video games even use modified RPG rules.

Personally, the only thing I enjoyed reading before I was 10 was choose your own adventure books we'd get at the discount store. I naturally transitioned into D&D when I was like 12, and when I acquired my group of friends, we played RPGS of all sorts. I even wrote my own RPG. In my RPG, a certain mission had two crippled mice trying to take over the universe. I changed it up a bit and thought it would be great for a recurring cartoon of lab mice trying to take over the world. A year later Pinky and the Brain came out. Anyway, I tried to get this RPG to be the first MMORPG out, but Ultima Online came out first.

Re:RPGS and Video games go together so well

[Jurrasic]

Like so many young geeks grown up and married with children now, AD&D was a -huge- part of my youth. Starting in Grade 6, playing my first campaign with a DM who was so lazy he didn't bother calculating XP, he simply rolled a d4 to see how many levels you went up at the end of a module, I was hooked. I ran out and bought a DM's guide with my savings, and realized just how crappy a DM my friend was, and promply took over DM duties. The lessons I learned, interests I discovered (computers) and the friends I made playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons all have stayed with me all my life. Thank you, Gary. You will not be forgotten. I'll be pouring out an ale for my fallen homie when I get home tonight.

Oh, no...

[93 Escort Wagon]

I just hope that someone has the presence of mind to update his Wikipedia entry...

Memorial I'd like to see

[gpoobahva]

'd really like to see the various MMORPG companies go to the trouble to have an in game memorial for Gary Gygax. I'd like to see all the MOBS in WOW simply walk around and MOURN the passing of Mr Gygax for a few hours (no fighting or anything just a lot of weeping). So much of the computer gaming industry exists because of D&D that these companies should do something to say thanks for starting the ball rolling. Even first person shooter games evolved because developers were bored with putting out yet another D&D clone RPG.

"Rest in Peace?" To hell with that!

[StefanJ]

I'm hoping Gary's version of the afterlife includes orc-stomping and eldritch wizardry and chances to try out exotic pole arms.

Re:"Rest in Peace?" To hell with that!

[rlanctot]

We should all be so lucky! I'm deeply saddened by his passing.

The Klingons roar their warriors into the afterlife. I suggest we all roll a D20 at the same time.

Kick some lich ass for me, Gary.

Farewell Gary

[tikal2k]

I first got into D&D in 5th grade, and it has taught me much over the years, such as learning about other cultures and their mythologies through Dieties & Demigods, Oriental Adventures, Monster Manual, etc. Good bye, Gary, may your travels be safe, wherever you are, and may all your rolls be 20s.

Commemoration

[JavaScrybe]

Wouldn't that be the best time ever to create a "Pen & Paper RPGs" Topic? Maybe even name it in his honor?

I never really felt the Final Fantasy one did "that kind of RPGs" justice...

sad :-(

[Frederic54]

I played D&D, AD&D and dozens of others RPG during my teens (and adult life), it's sad Gary is no more with us :-( I'm sure hundreds of thousands people will miss him :-(

Flowers?

[sckeener]

Apparently the funeral will be closed to family and friends, but if anyone finds out where to send flowers, please post on Slashdot.

Gary shaped geek culture and he changed my life.

I'd love to see a tribute to rival stars given to him.

Flowers are always fitting, but I also wonder if it would be fitting for him to send a D20.

RIP

[wdavies]

Well, I am deeply saddened. I didn't play Greyhawk (I'm 44), but I did play the Blue Rule Book D&D, in the late 70s early 80s and never looked back...
Yeah, D&D was so disorganized, but it was the principle that counted. No matter that other systems had better rulesets.

Thanks Gary, You will be remembered.

Winton

They go back to HG Wells...

[MsGeek]

...and his Little Wars: A game for boys from twelve years of age to 150, and for that more intelligent sort of girl who likes boy's games and books. (Dig the not-so-veiled sexism of that title!) Yes, his rule set for gaming has passed into the Public Domain, so you can use them for free if you want to.

Little Wars was initially released in 1913. A 2004 printed edition of the work comes with a foreword...by Gary Gygax.

Re:They go back to HG Wells...

[Anonymous Coward]

Dig the not-so-veiled sexism of that title!

Was it sexism, or just an understanding of the sexism prevalent at the time, that suggested that girls couldn't do the same things that boys could? The smarter women would hopefully see that as ridiculous...

Cause of Death

[Hoi Polloi]

Mr. Gygax was killed after being ambushed by an orc chieftan wielding a +3 battle axe. His distraught wife said, "He had an invisibility potion?. Why didn't he use it?"

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[CubeRootOf]

I'm not willing to say that my experiences are in the minority, although I will say that the people who I have known who play DnD, are probably a small subset of the total: College students between the ages of 18 and ~30 in the northeast, at a college whose name you may be able to guess from my email address. A set of people that I think everyone can agree will try anything to excess, especially if it lets them avoid thier homework or roomates, or both.

Additionally, I will also agree with you: addictive personalities WILL latch on to anything. This is just one of those things. If not this, then Magic Cards, or Pokemon, or Coffee. I have found this to be a popular latching point.

I also agree that the 80's crap is very similar to what is going on now with the violent video games craze... All I am trying to say, is that this game has not improved anyone's life that I know. It is not a self help regimen, nor is it a magic wand to make your problems go away. It is a pause, and if a pause helps you take better action, good. If it lets things fester and grow worse, bad. In either case, it is not action.

The summary asked how DnD has improved my life: It hasn't, except by making the people around me who had problems and latched on to this game disappear from my life. That is a rather harsh improvement.

It got me to focus

[garylian]

I suffered from ADD as a child, and still do as an adult. Finding something outside of a book or sports that could hold my attention for hours on end was a serious problem. And forget getting creative like writing a book or artwork. Even computer programming bored me to tears. And by my later teen years, I was so introverted it was pathetic.

But from the 8th grade on, one thing could get me to lock down and focus for hours on end, whether alone or in a group. And when I hit college, it really let me grow socially.

Alone, I could sit still for hours creating worlds, dungeons, bad guys, and plots. My only limitation was how fast I could write, and whether I could read what I had scribbled down later. It was probably some of the quietest I ever was as a teen..

In a group, I could easily hold my own, either taking over in spots where I just had more knowledge, or sitting back and being a good party member. I had something I really understood, and could easily pick up a conversation with others that shared my passion.

By the time I hit college for real (after dabbling at a tech school and wasting 2 years of my life), I was primed to meet people. Some guy started a "Adventurer's Guild" at the community college, and set up a first meeting, which I and two dozen others attended. We talked about what we wanted to accomplish, and what the school's fears were about it. (Urban Legends about D&D were very popular at the time.) And on the 2nd meeting of the group, the guy starting it never showed up. After sitting around with our thumbs up our collective butts, I got annoyed and started to organize things for that meeting, and found myself elected "guildmaster" of our group the 3rd meeting, not knowing a single person in the room. It was almost surreal to an introvert like me, but I was an introvert no more.

D&D really gave me a way out of my shyness, and let me have a common ground with people like me. And dealing with all those diverse personalities (and the few freaks that always seemed to gravitate to D&D) gave me leadership experience that has served me very well in life. From a chronic wallflower type to someone that has no fear of taking charge when it's needed, I grew up during those years.

Gary Gygax, thank you for your imagination and for making your dream a reality. It madea difference in my life.

Thanks Gary

[dreamchaser]

That's all I have to say. I picked up the original 3 books back in early '75. Thank you, thank you for the memories and the fun.

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[Toonol]

Well, now you have read the testimonials of hundreds of people who have been positively impacted by the game. An open-minded person might wonder if their personal, negative, experience was not universally true.

One Last Adventure... Fetch the Dice

[Degreeless]

When I was but a boy, not so many years ago, it was my one ernest wish to be a knight; that gallant swordsman who would rush in and save the day, in short a hero. I think at some level this was a dream we all shared, why we all waved sticks around like we were in some Errol Flynn movie, fighting off the castle guards and saving many maidens. Secretly that desire never really went away, we dress it up in different clothes but in the end it's still there.

Dungeons & Dragons, when I came upon it, by no means had the monopoly it once had, but the very name grabbed me and all those buried childhood memories came flooding. So the girls didn't like me? So there were strains of ebola that were more popular than me in the school yard? So what? For an afternoon none of it would matter, for an afternoon homework was less important than ancient dragons and glowing swords, and I'll always thank him for that.

So fare thee well Gary Gygax, wherever you've gone may you always roll 20's.

I can't believe it.

[Caine]

Somebody go get 5000gp of diamonds. Please.

Re:I can't believe it.

[plambert]

10gp weigh a pound, so 5000gp is 500 pounds of gold. At around $965 an ounce, and 16 ounces to a pound (am I using the right pounds?) that works out to $7,720,000.00.

A VS1/D diamond in the 1.0 caret range runs about $10,500.00 per caret. So that's about 735 carets of very nice diamonds.

Paul

P.S. That's all 3rd Edition and 3.5 Edition numbers. I don't recall what Gary's own rules said, and that'd be the right set of guidelines to use...

more thanks

[Chris Johnson]

I've got to post my thanks simply because the first thing I did when I heard was go to Slashdot. I knew ;)

I'm old enough that I played the first version when it came out. The most notable story I've got is when a neighbor kid's wizard made his roll for changing a monster attacking us from the top of a hill- polymorphing it- but hadn't said WHAT he was changing it into. So it was pretty much carte blanche as he'd already made the roll...

He turned it into a burrito. It sort of rolled down the hill and went SPLOT. It was a very large, giant burrito.

Not QUITE what Gygax had in mind, but I think he would've understood :)

Actual News For Nerds

[CranberryKing]

Just have to point this out. Considering the volume of non-nerd related news here these days (consumer electronics, business news, &c.), this piece belongs on slashdot.

The Grim Reaper...

[charlieo88]

rolled a natural 20.

Tribute to Gary Gygax

[bensch128]

I guess since /. is the best place for a tribute:

I spent alot of my teenage years pouring over the D&D rulebook and then the AD&D rulebook.
I loved adventuring through the keep on the borderlands and fighting weird trolls in Dragonland.

I really like his Grayhawk universe. It felt more real and vibrant then the Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance universes.
Really liked his Gord the Rogue series. They were inspiring and just right for a boy of 12.

Well, I guess I need to go back to my storage and find that original dungeon masters manual and try to play those great games over
again with my friends.

Damn, gary, you will be missed.
Thanks so much for the inspirational ideas and fantasizes that you created.

I hope that the future fantasy makers (I'm looking at you blizzard!!) will maintain his spirit of fun in their adventures.

Over and out,
Ben

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[MightyMartian]

I also agree that the 80's crap is very similar to what is going on now with the violent video games craze... All I am trying to say, is that this game has not improved anyone's life that I know. It is not a self help regimen, nor is it a magic wand to make your problems go away. It is a pause, and if a pause helps you take better action, good. If it lets things fester and grow worse, bad. In either case, it is not action.

I don't think anybody said it was. But there are a sufficient number of people out there who say that it has helped, at least in learning how to focus creativity, that I think you're off base. Because it may not have helped you doesn't mean it hasn't helped anyone. You clearly have negative experiences, but it's a mistake to lay the blame on a game.

apparently passed away

[brentonboy]

Gary Gyrax has apparently passed away. how do you *apparently* pass away? hasn't anybody bothered to check for a pulse?

Re:apparently passed away

[Fantastic Lad]

how do you *apparently* pass away? hasn't anybody bothered to check for a pulse?

Early reports need to be conservative. You never know if one of those odd items picked up won't turn out to have resuscitative properties.

In any case, I would like to thank the man for having shaped a piece of our culture in a positive way. Doesn't happen every day. Cheers, Gary!

-FL

A sad day

[rishijaya]

I remember my first copies of the player's handbook and the dungeon master guide. I had no idea how much fun books and words could be at that point. I was eight years old. It inspired me to read The Hobbit and then the White Dragon by Anne Mccafrey. To this day my love of good fantasy and fiction waxes still. My love of learning, reading, and the possibilities of life started from that space. I raise a pint to Gary.

D&D in accounting

[Jimekai]

Thirty years ago, back in the days when I rewrote D&D in BASIC-2C, I ended up putting it into my commercial 4GL-based operating system. It would pop up whenever a terminal operator needed to be notified of a system problem. The personalities of evil little trolls, and such like, were grid-mapped to similar characters from the local computer environment. It's in the way that you tell a locked-in client that they must recover from backup that prevents them from going insane, and keep coming back for more. Thanks D&D

Thank you Gary.

[Anonymous Coward]

For all the friends I met, for all the strange and interesting people I got to talk with, thank you.

For teaching me about game design and storytelling thank you.

For all the fun we all had, thank you.

In Memoriam, D&D style:

[RMingin]

In every campaign I ever participate in from here on, 'Gygax' is a recognized and respected deity of creativity.

In Memorium...

[tredman]

It's a sad day indeed. Contrary to what the bible-thumping religious right would have you believe, many of us had so many positive things to take from D&D, and almost all of them could be directly attributed to Mr. Gygax himself. When I started playing it in '79, you could still go out and buy paperback pocket versions of Greyhawk, Blackmoor, and Eldritch Wizardry. There were many rules, but comparatively speaking, it was a much simpler game than it is now. That simplicity is what made it fun to pretend you were a hero battling evil, instead of a player trying to figure out which table to look up numbers in. It was all about the role-playing, the camaraderie, and the wonder of imagination.

I enjoyed reading at that age (I was 11 when I started playing), but the most powerful part of all the D&D literature was that it forced me to take my reading skills up a level or two. The intelligent prose contained within the manuals and modules, prose that should have been way over an 11-year-old's head, imparted on me self-learning tendencies that I carry with me to this day. I still may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I've never been afraid of wanting to learn knew things.

Gary, you gave that gift to me. You gave me the gift of finding friends that I could relate to, and you gave me insight into the kind of person I wanted myself to be. For that, I fear that I could never fully repay you.

Tim
D&D Fan for 28 years

A tribute

[Milkymalk]

When I just read this, I took out my favourite D20 and rolled it as a salute. The first fell off the table, the second came up 20. How much symbolism is in that?

Re:A tribute

[RMingin]

I like that. A 'lost' roll for Gygax, and he gave you a natural 20 in return.

It's a damned shame that good folks die just like the rest of us.

RIP, Gary

[bondjamesbond]

But I have to admit, I never did get D&D. I played two games, but it seemed like a waste of time - no offense.

Farewell Gary

[blackpaw]

You changed my life for the better, god speed where ever you are.

Time to roll up a new character ...

[Fractal Dice]

Role playing games are one of the truly great innovations of the 20th century and I would rank it up with the television in the impact it has had on a generation of geeks and the industries it has spawned. Though I never had the chance to talk to (or more importantly game with) him, I would like to hope someone will leave 3d6 behind for him in case he needs to roll up a character in the next campaign he joins.

Wow...

[christurkel]

I played D&D for the first time when I was thirteen and the game has had a profound effect on my life. To say it helped shape me as a person is an under statement and I am deeply saddened by his death.

I met Gary Gygax once at Gen Con and he gave me a bag of Famous Amos cookies, telling me I must try them and I did. Nice, nice guy.

Roll a natural 21 in Heaven for me

[coren2000]

GG mr Gygax. GG to you. Roll a natural 21 in heaven for me.

You are out of your mind.

[Molochi]

I strongly doubt we would have World of Warcraft, or indeed most video games we enjoy today if there had never been a D&D. And I also strongly doubt the commercial success of TSR would have reached national (let alone world wide) recognition without Gary Gygax. The idea of a persistent character that gains experience and becomes more powerful the longer you play it was contrary to the wargames that evolved into D&D. D&D rules spawned ideas for hundreds of other table top RPGs, perhaps because its rules were "broken" but also because the concept was revolutionary and gave would be game designers an industry to design in.

I never particularly cared for D&D or WOW, but I would not try to conceal its enormous influence of Gary or TSR.

Not willing to play along

[Valdrax]

Everyone knows God is a killer DM. No one makes it out of *his* modules alive at the end.
Puts Gygax himself to shame.

Re:Not willing to play along

[Culture20]

No one makes it out of *his* modules alive at the end.
Except when he play a module himself and casts Resurrection... ;-)

Re:Not willing to play along

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, the bastard is always giving his son special favors. That's why I stopped playing in his game. At least in Cthulhu's game, I know that everybody is going to get eaten.

Re:Not willing to play along

[sapphire wyvern]

Ugh, GMPCs :)

Re:Not willing to play along

[geekoid]

You mean, no one has yet. I made it through tomb of horrors, maybe I can survive this one.
My goal? be alive longer then I will be dead.

Yes, it has.

[Aegis Runestone]

My life has changed ever since I started DnD. I love to role-play now and I have DnD every Saturday with my family and friends, and yes, we do role-play. I also have online friends I role-play with through Neverwinter Nights, forum thread RPGS, and the whacky chat RPs that happen in my channel (they have forbidden crossover characters, like Sasami, and Shadow the Hedgehog, to some of our own made up DnD characters we made from Icewind Dale I, II and Baldur's Gate II).

How has D&D (and Gary Gygax) touched my life?

[DoctorPepper]

I met the woman I subsequently married through D&D. We met in the late fall of 1979, playing D&D. It took us quite a lot longer to get married though (July 1997).

So yeah, Gary Gygax and D&D have touched my life in a very special way.

Godspeed Gary!

Natural 20

[Justabit]

25 years ago, when the numbers of D & D players in my area was counted on 1 hand, I bought a 'special-Lucky' 1D20 dice from the local games shop. It was all crystaly and majical looking and was only to be used in emergancies - because it was weighted. Before you all go CHEATER, I contest that a smart GM would either insist on using his/her own dice OR reversing numbers so a low role was required to pass/live. From all hand feel tests the dice was normal, no obvious lopsidedness. Cornered by Kobolds in a swamp, must role a 20 to suscesfully use vanish, Out comes old lucky and the char lives to another day. Thanks Gary, you saved me from becoming a jock. Thanks to you I joined my local SCO and did sword training and now i have the body of a jock but alot more brains.

Had a lot of fun...

[dkalley]

What a great game, played a lot of D&D/AD&D through the 80's and wasted so many hours playing video games influenced by it (Ultima, Bard's Tale, Wizardry, and countless early 80's knockoffs). Popularizing role playing was genius and had a side effect which was good for society, I can think of no other way one can get kids to the library for researching castle design, medieval history, or developing map making skills. Probably one of the reasons I ended up studying anthropology now I think about it.

Learned more English words terms

[owlman17]

English isn't my first language. When I picked up his books when I was around 10 back in the 80s, I learned big words/terms like milieu, gestalt, myriad, vis a vis, i.e., e.g., et al thinking they were normal for that age.

Spent an inordinate amount of time finding out what glaives, voulges, bec de corbins looked like. That was after all, long before we had internet.

Gary was a very intelligent man, but never ever condescending in how he wrote.

Sigh. Would have wanted to meet him. He'll be missed.

Rest in peace Gary.

PA Salute

[Nerdfest]

Ever the gamers, PA's paying their respects as well: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/

Gary Gygax

[Brad Velcoff]

I started playing D&D in 1978, and have played practically every week since (sometimes more than once). In fact, my involvement in Dungeons & Dragons has lasted longer than all of my relationships put together. In the busy hustle of jobs, families and endless responsibilities, D&D has been a constant source of entertainment and constitutes (this may be sad) most of my social life.
My thanks to Gary Gygax...D&D will never be the same.

AD&D and Mathematical Models

[tobiah]

D&D magazine once ran an article on the practical physical limits on boat speed, criticizing the official AD&D table on this topic. That article inspired me to question, qualify and revise the mathematical models I encounter, and not just accept them at face value. These games I played and invented with friends were viewed poorly by most every authority in our lives, but at least for me it contributed significantly to my career as an applied mathematician and scientist. Currently I work for a biotech, but the skills born in those games have served me equally well in neuroimaging, finance, and radar research. My work is relaxed, lucrative and interesting. I doubt I would have the career I enjoy today if I had not learned to enjoy it as a child.

R.I.P. Gary Gygax

[HippyCraig]

DnD has had a great influence on my life and I want to thank Gary for that. It has helped me open my mind and see things in different ways. I started playing when I was very young and I am glad to say the friends I used to play DnD then, I still keep in touch with today.

Thanks for everthing Gary!

Thanks Gary, you made being 13 tolerable

[manatee123]

The memories come flowing back. Those exciting moments tearing open the blue Beginners' D&D box, then soon after moving to "Advanced" D&D, it was all excitement. There were many times when the real world would fade away and only the moment in the D&D World would exist. Nothing else. Pure. I cannot put into words what that meant to my friends and I. It is a feeling that I can invoke now but not really put into words...

Tomorrow

[fadethepolice]

My current group has been playing together for 10 years now. Tomorrow is my turn to be Dungeon Master. There is not enough room here to discuss the impact this man has had on my moral, and intellectual life. It's not just the game that he invented, it's the morals that he suffused into it. We were taught by mister Gygax that it is not enough to work 40 hours a week. That there is more to life, and that we can be leaders, even heroes. Often, I think to myself "what would I do if I was one of my characters in D&D? What would I take with me? It's those hours of simulations that help us to stay alive in this world of today. Gygax may have passed on, but Gord's short sword still cuts sharp.

how did it change me...

[nuclear_zealot]

My vocabulary. I know exactly when and where I first read the words 'Dexterity' and 'Constitution'. For that matter, 'Wand of Orcus' and 'Prestidigitator', but I digress.

Farewell DM

[Eklypz]

Gary's creations gave me the tools to cope with a viscious childhood. A place to escape the world and be something greater than I was. I learned so many problem solving skills and believe me without roleplaying I would not be getting nice raises every year :D Thanks for your vision Gary and rest with peace!

A loss indeed

[Moe1975]

Mr. Gygax's work certainly filled my childhood/early teens with a universe of wonder, into which my mind would retreat quite often . . . thank you Mr. Gygax, RIP.

It does suck, and its in how you play

[Steve4Driod]

Gary, It was a chance meeting that gave us friendship. It was you who inspired so much and made us Champions. As one of the 4 Steve's I post this to remind us all how much of a friend, creator, mentor and general DM you were. You leave us, but I'll role my constitution and stand for another day. May the lights guide your path and may your family relish the man you were for the time you spent to give so many a childhood that never ended.

Wow.

[Ristol]

First Gary Jackson, now Gary Gygax? I wonder if his funeral is gonna be open casket... I could use a lucky d20!

Re:This sucks. Guerilla moderation: +1 Interesting

[unitron]

Re:This sucks. (Score:-1)
by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 04, @06:33PM (#22643906)
Your comment reminded me of what Stewart Brand said about Strategy and Tactics wargaming magazine in The Last Whole Earth Catalog: ...its considerations of game design, nostalgia-stroking, and bloodless conflict may be worth investigation by inventors of whatever's gonna replace war. You can be sure that peace isn't. Conflict is too interesting.
[ Reply to This | Parent ]

RIP Gary Gygax

[yanyan]

I regret that i am of insufficient level to Wish you back to life.

Mod parent up, please.

[Count Fenring]

Mod parent up, please. Or the enemy wins.

Although to be fair, one can safely assume that even the most enlightened Victorians had a somewhat sexist view. Except Mary Wollstonecraft. And her husband. And Thomas Hardy. Well, fine. Maybe not. ;-)

Re:Mod parent up, please.

[MsGeek]

Well there was also John Stuart Mill and his wife/collaborator Harriet Taylor-Mill. But these are only a handful of Victorians. Most Victorians believed women to be the "weaker vessel." Including Queen Victoria.

Oh yeah, Mary Wollstonecraft's hubby was Percy Bysshe Shelley, the romantic poet.

Re:Mod parent up, please.

[Count Fenring]

Wrong Wollstonecraft. I'm speaking of "Vindication of the Rights of Women" Mary Wollestonecraft, married to William Godwin, and mother of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

Victorians and their names and affairs.

Re:Mod parent up, please.

[MsGeek]

#^_^# -- my mistake.

Mod Parent Awesome!

[Count Fenring]

What, good sir/madam, is the offering required to begin worship of your august self, and the fiery blade of sarcasm you so righteously wield.

Penny Arcade Tribute

[Raideen]

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04

Order of The Stick Tribute

[owlman17]

A brief tribute.

RIP Gary...

[CeePhour]

Thanks for the wonderful memories. :(

It is amazing to think that after all these years, well over a decade ago, that I managed to hold onto my bag of dice this entire time.

I wonder how many of us dug them out of the closet today and were lost in reverie.

Gygax on "death" and "immortality"

[Torodung]

Death Due To Age

This is a serious matter, for unless the lifespan can otherwise be prolonged, the character brought back from such death faces the prospect of soon dying again. Beyond the maximum age determined for the character in question, no form of magic which does not prolong life span will work. (This, some characters may become liches...) Of course, multiple potions of longevity, wishes, and possibly magical devices will allow a greatly extended life span, but once a character dies due to old (venerable) age, then it is all over. If you make this clear, many participants will see the continuity of the family line as the way to achieve a sort of immortality. Thanks for the inspiration and the good times, sir. Don't come back as a lich!

--
Toro

Eulogy from Order of the Sticks

[sshock]

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

Farewell and Thanks, Gary!

[serutan]

D&D has really had a strong positive impact on my life. It gave me a new perspective on cooperation, meeting challenges, sharing responsibility. Possibly most of all, the game has helped me develop an attitude that with enough determination any problem can be solved. Often the key is to think of a problem as an animate thing and understand its point of view. What does it want? How dangerous is it? Where is its weak point? What's the worst thing that could happen to it, and can I make that happen? Do I even have to worry about it or will it just go away by itself?

The aspect of the game that has always impressed me the most is the way I remember game experiences. Not in terms of people sitting around a table with books, dice and graph paper, but in game world terms. I vividly recall a battle with an enraged minotaur whose treasure we had stolen, who had trailed us out of his maze and caught up with us just as we were engaging some other baddies. Episodes like this are detailed visual memories, even though they never happened and I never actually saw any of them. For me that's always been the real magic of D&D.

My slashdot nickname is the name of a 7th-level wizard character of mine who died back in the 80s. He was going to be an intellectual type of wizard, but after acquiring a powerful dagger and getting a pseudodragon for a familiar he became a very gung-ho and formidable combat mage. When he got killed due to random chance, well, that was the way it was. We all have to go some time. I understand and accept that as a part of my own real life. I'm sure Gary did too.

Godspeed Gary

[ReagansUndeadBrain]

As I read the news about Gary Gygax today at my desk in work, I was surprised to find myself getting a little choked up. I abandoned D&D in my "adult life" and haven't played in twenty or so years, but hearing about Gary sent me back all those years. From the late 70s through the mid 80s a group of my friends played together as we moved from junior high to high school, eventually petering off as we all separated for college.

Despite the proclamations of latter day geeks these days that playing D&D was (or is) cool & great for so many reasons, playing D&D was most certainly not cool back in the day. Particularly bad if potential or current girlfriends got wise to our gaming proclivities. So we kept our sessions clandestine. For us D&D was both uncool & cool at the same time.

All those hours in class idled away thinking about how to construct the next adventure, money blown skulking in joints like the Compleat Strategist, eyes strained poring over the latest issue of Dragon, ultimately culminating in a late night game session powered by coca cola and nachos and accompanied by lewd & raucous commentary - these were some of the best times of my youth - and Gary Gygax helped bring them into existence.

The irony (to me now) was that we didn't even like Gary Gygax. We'd read those original softcover and then hardcover books that pretty much dripped with Gygaxian lore & wisdom, and say "Oh my god, Gygax is such a pompous load." We'd laugh, secure in the knowledge that although we played this incredibly geeky game, we were no Gygax-es --- that guy was the consummate geeky load.

But the truth is we were Gygax and he was us. All these years later I think quite differently about Gygax & am grateful that he made the creative effort he did. Simply put, he gave us something to do that was creative & socially-engaging at a point in our lives when we needed it.

I ventured into the closet tonight and dug out my old hardcover books to take a spin down memory lane. Despite the goofy artwork, the various goofy game mechanics and wacky sounding game material (the Apparatus of Kwalish? just who was Kwalish anyway?), I can still see the appeal of the game.

Lastly, a note to aspiring young gamers, don't let anyone spill bong water on your Fiend Folio --- it will still smell like bong water 20 years later...

Most of my hobbies...

[CdXiminez]

Not a day goes by that I play, read, or do something that is somehow connected to his game.

apparently?

[sqldr]

Surely someone's checked his pulse to make sure. He might just be stoned.

Gary Gygax

[ThrikreenGamer]

I'll be rolling one on the Wandering Prostitutes table for you Gary.

R.I.P.

Comic tributes

[PhilHibbs]

Order of the Stick
Penny Arcade

Missed but will never forgotten..

[modi123]

I heard the sad news yesterday, and took some time out of work reminiscing with folks about their time spent with the game (well the ones not afraid of being pegged nerds). I was going to stop by my parents place and see if I could dig up the old red sixteen page d&d book my cousin and I played back in the day. Of course if I was to dig for that then I would have to go bring forth the 2nd edition books my friend bequeathed to me and think of fond memories of THACo, lizard men, and EPs. I am certain I have faded and aged character sheets stuck in those books that should see the light of day... Sadly those books are underneath my 3rd Ed books where I was able to start getting a group together in college. That of course failed, and I just didn't have the time to game like I used to. Thankfully my Hackmaster stint was a few years back with a random group of folks brought back the gushing joy of tables, crits, and magic missiles.

So long Gary and thanks for all the fun!

Thank You

[argo747]

AD&D helped in part to shape the person I am today. I never forget those summers with friends playing from dusk till dawn. God speed...

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[Anonymous Coward]

Anectodal evidence is not what I used in the case. I used personal experience. The difference is huge.

Not to the rest of us, by definition.

Yeah

[geekoid]

sometimes my dad would play the alcoholic Druid, hitting me with a switch..

good times..

Re:DnD has not improved the life of anyone I know.

[geekoid]

I suggest you actually look, there are many, many stories of how it helped people. People so interverted they culd barley get along in society become more socially acceptable, people learning math, increasing reading skills, teaching social skills, beoming writers.
Ok, it didn't help you, but it has helped a lot of people.

"except by making the people around me who had problems and latched on to this game disappear from my life."

When everyone around you seems crazy, maybe it's you. Take a long hard think about those people. It seems you cut THEM off.

Wake up.

So, the real question is

[geekoid]

what do you think should go on his tombstone?

Re:So, the real question is

[MRe_nl]

what do you think should go on his tombstone?

"One game to rule them all,
  One game to find them,
  One game to bring them all,
  And in the dorkness bind them."

sounds fitting somehow ;)

Memorial in Second Life

[bkizzy]

More here: http://brooklyniswatching.com/2008/03/06/for-gary/ We have a beholder too!

A old friend to be sorely missed

[Tom Christiansen]

[ I know it's late, but trying to write even a half-decent eulogy and
restrospective of a person like Gary Gygax this takes a bit of time
to think about. Mea culpa. ]

To the rest of the world world, Gary Gygax was the guy who created D&D
(Dungeons and Dragons) back in Lake Geneva, WI, and who started the company
there called TSR Hobbies, which produced it.

To me, though, Gary was just my neighbor down the ways a bit along Center
Street. I lived down the street and around the corner from from him,
*worked* for him at TSR for about 4 years, played games with him, on and
off the job. Hung out with his son Ernie and pal Skip (Ralph) Williams a
good bit in high school, since the other kids of my own age I found--um,
boring and slow. I'd sub for Skip on his paper route at times, and once
Ernie dragged Skip into D&D, I wasn't far behind, even thought I was like
five years younger than they were.

Gary was from my folks' generation--actually a little older even. Gary was
smoething of a nobody for the longest time, our semi-employed town cobbler,
whose flame-haired wife, Mary, a fervent Jehovah's Witness, was the mother
of their 6 children (2m+4f) who lived in the only sesquistoried house I'd
ever been in. His dad was a violinist down in the Chicago Symphony, but
Gary never got the hang of the instrument.

I also seem to recall Gary may only gotten a college degree later in life,
if then, but even so, it was something like a BA-English and may have been
of the honorary or over-the-net or mail-in variety, Gary initially being
one of those bored-with-school drop-out sorts. People around town really
didn't think much of him--*UNTIL* he became rich.

But before then, the talk of the town wasn't very good about him. "All
those kids, and all you did was shoe repair with maybe a little insurance
on the side? And your wife has nothing better to do than to be knocking on
our doors passing out Watchtower pamphlets? What kind of a way to raise a
family is that?" You know how critical some small-town people can be of
others, especially when they just don't know the people their bad-mouthing.

But I did, and I never thought that. It was especially fun to go over to
Gary's house, not just because of his jokes and stories, not to mention the
virtual library books and comics he had littered about everywhere, but also
because that extra half-story was kidsville, since only we kids could get
around standing up straight in it and the adults were crippled. I always
enjoyed Gary's first wife, Mary, even if she did have funny pamphlets.

I got into D&D just after Don Kaye died, which would be in 1975. I
remember stopping off at 542 Sage Street with Skip (Ralph) Williams to get
some D&D books or supplements from Don's widow. This was just across from
the street from Eastview, the grade school I'd only just then completed the
6th grade at, and barely half a block from my home.

Later when Gary and Brian Blume moved the business to the corner house a
couple blocks to the north, called the "Dungeon Hobby Shop" then. The
downstairs was retail, the upstairs games-design. I helped out in the
store and in shipping and mailing. By the time I was old enough to be
hirable, TSR had moved down to the choicest of spots in town: the old
hotel property at corner of Broad and Main, which at that time was Lake
Geneva's only stop-light. We didn't even have 5k inhabitants at the
time. There were well under 2 dozen employees when I first went on the
payroll; I think my employee number, if you counted extant employees was
13, or 19 if you didn't.

I'd work in the retail hobby shop under Ernie, or upstairs in mailing, or
eventually in the GenCon (Geneva Convention) department itself under Joe
Orlowski (R.I.P.) and Skip Williams. GenCon started out in Lake Geneva

Re:A old friend to be sorely missed

[Mybrid]

Thanks for taking the time to write this.

I enjoyed it very much.

I never stop to think about how my affinity for Perl might be related to imagination then related to AD&D.

Re:A old friend to be sorely missed

[Tom Christiansen]

> Thanks for taking the time to write this.

You're very welcome. It's something I needed to do, a sort of
professional-piety response, perhaps, giving credit where due.

> I enjoyed it very much. I never stop to think about how my affinity
> for Perl might be related to imagination then related to AD&D.

Adam Rogers of Wired Magazine wrote convincingly in the NY Times that:

        GARY GYGAX died last week and the universe did not collapse.
        This surprises me a little bit, because he built it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09rogers.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

I strongly encourage you and all programmers and gamers alike to check out
what Adam has to say there about our world being one that Gary built.

Adam also has a 17-minute segment on NPR:
      http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88062853

D&D promotes open, imaginate thinking and problem-solving ability.
Consumerist alpha-state zombies entranced by the bube tomb do not
develop these skills. From the moment I took up D&D in 1975, lo these
33 years ago, I never again watched TV with any regularity, racking up
fewer hours per year than the average American does in a single week. I
later became convinced by Postman's position, and his take on Huxley's
_Brave_New_Word_, and so came to see television as modern-day soma.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World#Comparisons_with_George_Orwell.27s_1984

The crossover between gamers and programmers, especially but apparently
not uniquely those of us of a certain age, is remarkably high. For it's
still going on as young players, often social outcasts looking for a safe-
space for nerds or geeks or whatever outsider term you care to apply to
them and us, are always coming into the gaming world.

The imaginative, creative, problem-solving ability essential in any good
admin or programmer is not nurtured by couch potatoes in trance state
worshiping their false idols of TV and spectator sports, wasting away
"Amusing Themselves to Death" per Postman. That ability is stifled, quelled,
stanched, nipped in the bud before it can even develop. Instead, these
abilities are much better fed by interactive challenges, and this is why
good gamers make good sysadmins, and good programmers sometimes, too.

Gary also helped plant the seed in me of being a word-guy, something of
a vocabulary antiquarian. He would plumb older sources for words in
English that in modern times were either unused entirely, or used
quite differently. A brief list of these might include:

        adamantite, aegis, cantrip, cuirass, curate, drow, durance vile,
        dweomer, electrum, glaive, habergeon, lich, morningstar, myrmidon,
        panoply, rune, sigaldry, sigil, thaumaturge, theurgist, and wight.

I should really write these all down some time. I'll bet even such words
as apothecary and dwarves owe much to Gary for their modern currency.

For a while, Slate had the best Gary Gygax article at:
        http://www.slate.com/id/2185914/pagenum/all/#page_start

But I think now that the Wired treatment is most impressive:
        http://www.wired.com/gaming/virtualworlds/news/2008/03/ff_gygax

--tom

Re:A old friend to be sorely missed

[Mybrid]

Again, thank you very much Tom.

How D&D changed my life...

[dokhebi]

I found love of a different kind playing AD&D: I met my first girlfriend while rolling dice and slaying monsters. Even though we were together for only a year it changed my life for-ever.

The EGG of the Fane shall be missed.

[Gravenhurst]

I will miss the times I will "not" be able to share a game with Gary Gygax. But, I count my self lucky I got the chance back at Fan Expo Canada 2006, for two sit downs. One was a Legendary Adventures introduction to the game. I happened to be using an elementalist with all these percentages, and multiples to cast this and that. Overwhelmed I just role-played trying to do whatever I could to get his attention from the other 11 or so players, crammed around a long rectangle table vying for his attention. I won an autographed L.A. book collection with autographs - I rolled a 100 to win them! I felt guilty because of the disappointment in all the other players' eyes. One other player won the L.A. set he was using for the game! That must have been special, eh! But, my memorable moment was playing the 1stE D&D romp, where he cursed me for pilfering coins from a collection plate, but my gnome had some kind of Luck Chance and so I saved. Oh did his bushy Groucho Marx eyebrows lift at that! And he chuckled at my wins at outwitting him during the challenges of the encounter. Jovial and willing to listen to all, to a fault, you got to love that quality in someone. And that someone just so happened to be the originating catalyst (in my opinion) of my favourite hobby past time, Dungeons and Dragons. To have loved the game is to have loved the man! Wassail! Wassail!! WASSAIL! Fare thee well, Mr. Gygax!