Topic: R.I.P. Gary Gygax (Read 15466 times)

Alex C · « **on:** 04 Mar 2008, 11:13 »

Just thought I'd throw this in here since it's become the general repository for all things nerdy, although technically D&D is communicated through books. Gary Gygax finally failed his Saving Throw vs. Death at the ripe age of 69. He had a good run and without him I wouldn't have spent so much time pondering THAC0, tossing d20s and thinking up new ways of killing my players for next week. Thanks Gary.

CardinalFang · « **Reply #1 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 11:27 »

RIP Gary.

So should his tombstone be shaped like a 20 sided die?

Edit: You know this is more of an affect on me than I would've thought. Damn. I started playing back in the old days. Like '79-80.

Surgoshan · « **Reply #2 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 11:29 »

Nope. The original player's handbook, bordered with the platonic solids.

CardinalFang · « **Reply #3 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 11:40 »

Better! But maybe it should be from the original small box set. Maybe showing the covers of the first three books.

This is the box set I'm referring to. I bought it back in 1979 I think.

supersheep · « **Reply #4 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 11:51 »

I remember when I was about seven or eight, finding a book on Dungeons and Dragons at my grandparents' house, spending an entire weekend reading it, and then being given the old Basic set. I'd been interested in wargames for a while, but this was my first introduction to RPGs. THe perfect thing for a kid who had probably read Lord of the Rings about five times by then, maybe started reading the Silmarillon. Gary Gygax is one of the reasons I love being a nerd, and he's a name I will always remember.

KvP · « **Reply #5 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 12:04 »

Let's have 1d6 minutes of silence for our old pal Gary. Finally hit -10 hit points.

Teh Geek Lord · « **Reply #6 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 12:57 »

Who was this guy and what did he create?

jeph · « **Reply #7 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 13:10 »

Okay it is official, Teh Geek Lord is a troll

thegreatbuddha · « **Reply #8 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 13:19 »

I don't play anymore, but I followed the hobby for years. Mr. Gygax's work was for me, like many others, a gateway to new worlds and fantastical places. He will be missed.

Teh Geek Lord · « **Reply #9 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 13:52 »

Quote from: jeph on 04 Mar 2008, 13:10

Okay it is official, Teh Geek Lord is a troll

What did I do? I'm really not trying to be offensive, I really don't know who this guy was.

est · « **Reply #10 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 14:14 »

Maybe you should read the thread? I know basically nothing about D&D but a quick wiki search confirms my suspicion that he co-created it.

Teh Geek Lord · « **Reply #11 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 14:32 »

oh, sorry D&D wasn't mentioned until the edit. I didn't re-read the first post when I asked the question, either way I feel like a dumbass now.

0bsessions · « **Reply #12 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 14:41 »

The edit that was a good hour and forty five minutes before you asked. Nice try, though.

supersheep · « **Reply #13 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 15:36 »

Quote from: Anyways on 04 Mar 2008, 12:01

five times at age 7-8? Man, I was still reading The Hard(l)y Boys at that point.

Maybe not five times, but I know I had read it a couple of times by the time I was in second class (so before I was eight).

LordNagash · « **Reply #14 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 15:40 »

It is always a shame to lose such creative individuals.

bryanthelion · « **Reply #15 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 16:29 »

I played DnD today, I was sitting with Kelsey (Nezumi Shaman who also went down -10 hitpoints today) at the library. Sara's mother, who works at the library (I play with Sara), comes up to us with a CNN article printed out.

It was about Gary Gygax

ackblom12 · « **Reply #16 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 17:01 »

I disagreed with the man on so many things over the last 19 years I've played D&D, but it's still a great loss to the tabletop world and I'm greatly saddened by it.

...

On the other hand I can't help but think he failing his Fortitude vs. Heart Failure save. I may be a bad person.

thepugs · « **Reply #17 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 17:14 »

He will be missed. He's left behind quite a legacy.

Narr · « **Reply #18 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 17:50 »

http://wkbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=7963395

Short news article confirming it.

I am saddened. Old-school D&D will always live with me. RIP Mr. Gygax.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #19 on:** 04 Mar 2008, 18:07 »

He is gaming with the saints now. On the bright side, plenty of people willing to be clerics up there.

JJXB · « **Reply #20 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 05:18 »

not a fan of d&d but without it, some of the best pc rpg's wouldn't exist so RIP gary.

doombilly · « **Reply #21 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 07:49 »

Quote from: CardinalFang on 04 Mar 2008, 11:27

RIP Gary.

So should his tombstone be shaped like a 20 sided die?

Edit: You know this is more of an affect on me than I would've thought. Damn. I started playing back in the old days. Like '79-80.

me too. Like '78 I think for me.

pilsner · « **Reply #22 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 13:12 »

I somehow can't comprehend that GG has departed for the outer planes. Someone get me 13th level cleric, please.

dalconnsuch · « **Reply #23 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 17:05 »

yesterday my band played a show and i did a tribute for gary gygax by throwing 20 d20's into the audience of like (ironically) 20 people

we'll miss you gygax, father of the modern nerd, me especially

Surgoshan · « **Reply #24 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 20:23 »

Eric Burns of Websnark posted a tribute. What speaks most to Burns' depth of feeling is that, in a normally immaculate blog, he posted a multitude of grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Martok · « **Reply #25 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 21:56 »

Thanks for the memories, Gary. Partially because of you, I've spent many happy hours with my friends playing D&D, and I'm grateful for that.

May you roll all 20's in the afterlife.

Catfish_Man · « **Reply #26 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 22:55 »

Surgoshan · « **Reply #27 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 23:15 »

EGG's in a newly created 8th heaven. For Lawful Awesome characters.

Lawful because you *know* he loved rules.

Narr · « **Reply #28 on:** 05 Mar 2008, 23:31 »

Order of the Stick tribute to Gygax.

Surgoshan · « **Reply #29 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 00:05 »

Quote from: Teh Geek Lord on 04 Mar 2008, 12:57

Who was this guy and what did he create?

Okay, let's assume you're not a troll, but instead a dumbass.

In the future, when people start mourning a death, try googling it. If you don't come up with the name, assume it's the death of a local member and therefore incredibly personal to the community.

If you do come up with the name, it's obviously someone public enough that a large portion of the community will feel a sense of loss.

In either case, shut the fuck up. Either say nothing or just mouth platitudes.

Sheesh. My father's sister told him that was someone like you at my mother's funeral.

Spluff · « **Reply #30 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 02:12 »

Damn, RIP. He left a huge legacy in the world.

CardinalFang · « **Reply #31 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 04:53 »

Quote from: Surgoshan on 05 Mar 2008, 20:23

Eric Burns of Websnark posted a tribute. What speaks most to Burns' depth of feeling is that, in a normally immaculate blog, he posted a multitude of grammatical and spelling mistakes.

Thanks for linking that. I hadn't checked out Websnark in a while. That was an excellent read.
I had no idea that a) There was a Gamemaster's Day and b) It's March 4th the day EGG died.

dalconnsuch · « **Reply #32 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 06:26 »

the geek lord is a haXX0R

you a geek? I'M NOT A GEEK and i know who gary gygax is

you should be shamed

SHAMED

*pee noises*

doombilly · « **Reply #33 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 07:10 »

saving throw, missed.

DonInKansas · « **Reply #34 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 07:54 »

I have the urge to start up a collection to buy 5,000 gp of diamond dust.

RIP Mr Gygax.

Fletch · « **Reply #35 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 08:46 »

Rolling in his grave.
R.I.P.

vegeto18 · « **Reply #36 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 11:49 »

the man be rolling die in the heaven planes now.

Surgoshan · « **Reply #37 on:** 06 Mar 2008, 23:31 »

xkcd for the win.

cwoolard · « **Reply #38 on:** 07 Mar 2008, 00:41 »

Seconded. Best tribute comic so far.

Switchblade · « **Reply #39 on:** 07 Mar 2008, 02:17 »

He's roleing in his grave as we speak.

I play DnD to this day. We had a moment of silence at the last game.

doombilly · « **Reply #40 on:** 07 Mar 2008, 04:39 »

Quote from: Surgoshan on 06 Mar 2008, 23:31

xkcd for the win.

you beat me to it!

linkstarwind1 · « **Reply #41 on:** 07 Mar 2008, 11:18 »

Despite being an avid RPG fan for years, I can't say I was ever into the tabletop DnD that much. However I do know how much Gary influenced a culture I've been proud to be a part of, so to see him pass is really a horrible thing. My boyfriend (far more of a tabletop geek) was distraught though, understandably.

RIP, Gary, and thanks for being so damn brilliant.

Note- xkcd and Order of the Stick both have great tributes =)

Homma_Caboola · « **Reply #42 on:** 08 Mar 2008, 19:44 »

Gary Gygax is more then just the co-author of the original D&D before TSR shanked him.

IE : Gary was voted out of his own company but the F*wits at TSR, and then recognised by Wizards.

Gary Gygax is the founder of the entire RPG Genre, without which our Gaming experience would be considerably poorer.

Surgoshan · « **Reply #43 on:** 08 Mar 2008, 20:10 »

Actually, what he did was transform a previously existing game style into something far more immersive and, IMO, better. There was tabletop wargaming prior to D&D, but it was pushing around soldiers, rolling dice and, in essence, pretending to be General Patton, or Grant, or the Duke of Wellington. Basically, it was Warhammer 40k without the scifi.

Gygax's genius was to reduce the scale, making it more or less one on one, and set it in a sword & sorcery universe. He then had to work really hard to develop rules to balance it.

Homma_Caboola · « **Reply #44 on:** 08 Mar 2008, 21:41 »

Ohh I know he turned war gaming into a RPG. But all the rpg's out there are based on or inspired by d&d, without gygax there would not have been any Shadowrun, GRPS, Call of Cthulu, Magic the Gathering. The modern RPG era would either not have kicked off, or taken a considerably longer time of it, and most likely poorer then what it has been. Fantasy books would not have been as richly detailed, I know Raymond E. Feist's entire book franchise came out of d&d. (it's on the dedication of the first 3 books and the rest make mention of his friday night d&d crew.)

cwoolard · « **Reply #45 on:** 09 Mar 2008, 11:01 »

Maybe Steve Jackson, or the GDW crew would have come up with something RPG-like out of their various wargaming projects, but it would have happened later, and the hobby would have originally leaned more towards SF than heroic fantasy.

We owe Gary a great deal.

doombilly · « **Reply #46 on:** 09 Mar 2008, 11:07 »

Quote from: Surgoshan on 08 Mar 2008, 20:10

Actually, what he did was transform a previously existing game style into something far more immersive and, IMO, better. There was tabletop wargaming prior to D&D, but it was pushing around soldiers, rolling dice and, in essence, pretending to be General Patton, or Grant, or the Duke of Wellington. Basically, it was Warhammer 40k without the scifi.

Gygax's genius was to reduce the scale, making it more or less one on one, and set it in a sword & sorcery universe. He then had to work really hard to develop rules to balance it.

Ima hella geek because I had Tractics as well as D&D.

CardinalFang · « **Reply #47 on:** 09 Mar 2008, 14:53 »

I wish I knew what happened to my Tractics rules.
Probably lost in the great Storage Flood of '94.

doombilly · « **Reply #48 on:** 10 Mar 2008, 07:38 »

Quote from: CardinalFang on 09 Mar 2008, 14:53

I wish I knew what happened to my Tractics rules.
Probably lost in the great Storage Flood of '94.

heh, I think I dumpstered all my miniatures while in college.

Also:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09rogers.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

KvP · « **Reply #49 on:** 11 Mar 2008, 23:11 »

Slate pulls a late hatchet job.

Gist: If you like D&D, you are a morally base person!

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: R.I.P. Gary Gygax (Read 15466 times)

LordNagash

ackblom12

thepugs

Narr

dalconnsuch

Narr

dalconnsuch

Fletch

vegeto18

cwoolard

linkstarwind1

Homma_Caboola

Homma_Caboola

cwoolard