Gary Gygax RIP

[ejp626]

I really didn't think I would be the first to post, but so be it. The co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons has passed on at the age of 69. I will admit to playing for a few years during high school but wasn't obsessed by it. (Ok, ok, so I was a Dungeon Master -- but that's it. No spending my allowance on D & D every week, no crazy outfits, and most of all no running around through the sewer systems.) For those who cross several geek categories, Gygax had a pretty amusing cameo on Futurama along with Gore and Nichelle Nichols.

It seems too young, but he strikes me as one of the few who really enjoyed what he did for a living and was rewarded for it.

Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dies at 69

By EMILY FREDRIX | Associated Press Writer

2:39 PM CST, March 4, 2008

MILWAUKEE - Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gail Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential geek pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that's still growing in popularity.

Born Ernest Gary Gygax, he grew up in Chicago and moved to Lake Geneva at the age of 8. Gygax's father, a Swiss immigrant who played violin in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, read fantasy books to his only son and hooked him on the genre, Gail Gygax said.

Gygax dropped out of high school but took anthropology classes at the University of Chicago for a while, she said. He was working as an insurance underwriter in the 1960s, when he began playing war-themed board games.

But Gygax wanted to create a game that involved more fantasy. To free up time to work on that, he left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman, she said.

Gygax also was a prolific writer and wrote dozens of fantasy books, including the Greyhawk series of adventure novels.

Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax's passing. The beauty of the game is that it's never quite the same, he said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

Edited March 4, 2008 by ejp626

[Randy Twizzle]

Gary Sandelin, 32, a Manhattan attorney, said his weekly Dungeons & Dragons game will be a bit sadder on Wednesday night because of Gygax's passing.

He's a scary looking guy. I wouldn't want to be chased through the sewers (or whatever it is D&D players do) by him.

[Free For All]

running around through the sewer systems

And to think I've been doing this all these years just for the sheer fun of it. Are you telling me it's part of a game, too? Awesome!

[analogak]

gary, your silver cord has been cut and you are now adrift on the astral plane. beware of ygorl, the slaad lord and any stray vrocks you might encounter on your journeys.

[Jim Alfredson]

[analogak]

i pulled out my manual of the planes for some light reading in honor of mr gygax and was made fun of by the young woman who came by later and saw it on my desk.

also i have mentioned his passing to a number of my peers and all of then say "who?" i thought everyone played a little D and D. i guess i was weird....

[Jim Alfredson]

I played a little D&D back in the day. I still do occasionally, in the form of games like Guild Wars on the computer.

[Jim Alfredson]

i pulled out my manual of the planes for some light reading in honor of mr gygax and was made fun of by the young woman who came by later and saw it on my desk.

You should've cast Level 16 Confusion on her.