View Full Version : R.I.P. Gary Gygax
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/03/04/obit.gygax.ap/index.html
Mook Jong
03-05-2008, 08:27 PM
Yeah, i hear he failed a fortitude save after being touched by a ghoul
actually, I'd a said someone might have cast 'Creeping Doom' on him.
or Baba Yaga finally caught up to him.
Mook Jong
03-05-2008, 08:32 PM
I hear he was actually hosting games up until january. btw your link is dead
Black Jack II
03-05-2008, 08:34 PM
He did not escape from the Temple of Elemental Evil.....R.I.P.
That dude gave me a lot of fun when I was a kid.
fixed link
In 2001 I sold all my D&D stuff as I had not really played in 5 or 6 years.
4 bank boxes full of stuff...a 1st edition printing of Fiend Folio as well as the remnants of a pink box and perhaps 90% of everything published regarding Ed Greenwood's 'Forgotten Realms' setting.
Got about $1700 for it on Ebay...i'd kill to have it all back now.
but, the only stuff I did keep were all the modules leading up to Q1-Queen of the Demonweb Pits:
T1-The Village of Hommlet
the much later published mega-module "Temple of Elemental Evil"
A1-A4 - The 'Slavers' series
G1-G3 - The Giants series
D1-D3 - The Drow Series
and Q1
I still would like to DM a party through all of that one day before I die.
Golden Spider
03-06-2008, 12:22 AM
D***, this has been bumming me out for like two days now. I haven't played in years, but I'll never forget those days.
I need to go buy a d-sumthin' 'er 'nother to commemorate his passage into the REALM OF THE DEAD.
~Thank You Mr. Gygax, wherever you are.
*Hey, I wonder if he could be found in the Mists of Ravenloft?!
Takuan
03-06-2008, 07:20 AM
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/03/04
"Rolling in his grave" XD
I never played DnD, but even so, he revolutionized RPGs and paved the way for tons and tons of creative concepts for games, period.
RIP!
Edit:
Last edited by Golden Spider : Today at 01:24 AM. Reason: failed my attack roll
LOL
golden arhat
03-06-2008, 07:26 AM
stopping people getting laid since 1974
i dont see why you are so sorry to see him go :p
Black Jack II
03-06-2008, 07:27 AM
D&D introduced me to what I consider to be the most well-crafted rpg in history....Call of Cthulu.
I had TONS of rpgs, from the most obscure to the most common, none of them would of had a chance without Gygax.
Man it has been a ZILLION years since I dm'd a game.
BruceSteveRoy
03-06-2008, 07:57 AM
call of cthulu was a classic but the best rpg ever is a tie between ninja burger and kobolds ate my baby. but yeah the dude definately spawned a genre of awesome gaming. i haven't played in like 12 years but i still have all my first edition books in my closet somewhere. its a shame to see him go. i guy i know asked me to help him develop an rpg and mr. gygax was brought on as a consultant to help us get it up and running and eventually published. it never took off bc the guy i was working with is a tool and refused to simplify it and it read like a college calculus book rather than a gaming manual. but whatever. gary gygax was a nice guy from my limited experience with him. its a shame and a huge loss.
GeneChing
03-06-2008, 10:17 AM
I wonder if I still have my original D&D stuff stored in a box somewhere in my parent's house. I'd Ebay that for a K in a flash. My lord. Where did that stuff go? I might even have some autographed stuff. Gotta find that stuff now. Mom probably through it out. :(
I played D&D with Gygax himself. I was into wargaming when D&D began - that was my junior high days - and Gygax was still going to conventions to DM. My first published articles were in D&D fanzines. It was a perfect beginning for what I do now... ;)
I still own a copy of the orginal box set, you know, the smaller booklets (8 1/2 x 5 1/2). I never played with that set, but purchased them when I had the chance when I was a kid, figured they'd be worth some money later. Now may be the time.
Haven't played a real RPG in years! I really enjoyed Traveller (original) by GDW and other GDW games (like Dark Conspiracy). Of course, D&D.
It was because of D&D that I got interested in Martial Arts. A friend of mine saw me pouring over the basic D&D rule book (old blue cover w/dragon) and we got together to play a few games of cource. My friend was also big into martial arts which rubbed off on me.
Wow......
Bob
Shaolinlueb
03-06-2008, 01:28 PM
you know how i know you guys dont have girlfriends? ;)
its sad he died. i remembered playing that game in 4th grade.
jow yeroc
03-06-2008, 02:30 PM
I don't know about you but i played D+D and still was a junior high pimp.:cool:
Yeah Gygax had a hell of a mind/imagination. I still have a bunch of dice, modules
and books like Monster Manual I, II, Fiend Folio, DM Guide, Players Hndbks,
Legends & Lore, Wilderness Survival Guide, Manual of the Planes, and a few
more i cant think of. Man, i haven't played since 85, 86. Was fun though and
opened me up to other RPG, and ideas in general. Those books were pretty
in depth. You could learn different mythologies and character traits, etc.
I played Traveller a little bit too, and Top Secret.
and, yea, D&D never stopped me from getting laid :cool:
dang, Gene, that's really telling on yourself. Which fantasy rags? Dragon?
GeneChing
03-06-2008, 05:50 PM
...I discovered fencing, girls, competition, other things, you know, after high school.
But in high school, I was into wargames, Napoleonics, that sort of thing. I loved military strategy. It got me to read Art of War and Machiavelli at an early age. I even founded a D&D club in high school. It was a bit of a scam. Clubs could do fundraisers. Freshman like to work at fundraisers. Fundraisers could pay for hotel rooms at D&D conventions. Freshmen couldn't go to stay overnight at conventions. Hmm, I wonder if I could implement that model here on the forum...
I also founded a philosophy club. We had this grandiose plan to take over student council by founding more clubs than there were political offices and thus usurping the vote. We got distracted however.
But back to Gygax. I can't remember where I was when I was in one of his games. In retrospect, it was odd - nerds of all ages. I was already into martial arts, which gave me a huge advantage when some D&D nerd brought out boffer swords or something. I remember Gygax was very serious about the game, almost uncomfortably so. Of course, he was at the height of something huge, and probably as famous then as he ever got really. It's sad that it never really paid out for him - he never really got the fame he deserved. D&D was the foundation of so many things. Who could have foreseen videogames today back then? Back then, it was pong, breakout and pacman.
I was listed in Dragon as a DM for a spell, but I only wrote for fanzines. The only one I can remember was called Alarums and Excursions, which was reproduced xerographically. Remember, this was long before email and the web. We had to do everything by post.
Wow, I just surfed and notice A&E is still going (http://thestarport.com/xeno/aande.html), still via photocopy even. Dang, talk about old school...
dang, you were sort of in the heart of it.
I think I played for the first time around 1976 or 1977. The kid who turned me on to it was in my Webelos pack as well as the "Science & Math" club at the middle school...Geeks 'r Us...He 'dm'd' me in my first encounter with a giant ant...which I lost...ant food... :)
like RFM, D&D got me into martial arts too. I had already wrestled for a year in 9th grade but one day I overheard the kid in the seat in front of me on the bus talking about playing the Avalon Hill version of "Starship Troopers" (and there's the callback to Heinlein ;) ) ...he'd never read ST or played D&D and I'd never even thought about doing 'hung gar' much less heard about it. He joined our D&D group and I joined his kung fu group...the rest is...um, ok, maybe it's not exactly history...
I hope his wife and children are somehow heartened by how many people he touched in his life.
cjurakpt
03-06-2008, 09:23 PM
man, I remember the first time I played D&D - ~'79 or so, back when I was a member of the (gulp) Children's Chorus at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC - the group consisted of me and a bunch of "city kids" (including this one guy who always wore a trench coat and combat boots...), playing backstage for hours at a time while we waited to go onstage (like for Carmen: 5 minutes of kid's chorus in the first act at ~8:20, then nothing until ~11:00 for Act IV - so a lot of time to kill); I remember buying the "blue box' and scouring over the rules on the train into NY (and missed my stop on the subway one time reading the rules for the "new" game, Top Secret, LOL); used to drag my mom or dad to Waterloo Games and salivate over the latest Dungeon Module (personal favorite: S1 - Tomb of Horrors - remember that Sphere of Annihilation at the end of the first corridor?); had the subscription to Dragon (remember "Phil & Dixie"? luv that Foglio guy - drew some of the funniest stuff I've ever seen); started a gaming club in HS as well, but nothing too sophisticated - seem to recall playing some Villains and Vigilantes there; played a bit in college but realized that actually practicing MA was a lot more interesting than talking about it, LOL; finally, unfortunately, got rid of all my stuff ~10 years ago in the midst of a "purge" of things relating to my teenage years, oh well, so it goes...
BTW, for fantasy and sci fi reading, I strongly recommend the two Stephen R. Donaldson series: "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" and "Journey Into Gap" for each of the respective genres (just thought I'd add that, since it's related to the whole D & D topic...)
heh, have you seen Foglio's recent stuff??? NSFW, so PM me for a link. ;)
Thomas didn't do anything but effing **** me off...w/o a doubt one of the weaniest excuses for a hero...hated it!!! I know, I know, arguably a far better example of fantasy 'litrature' than a lot of stuff out there but ****!...Thomas 'why me' Covenant....
cjurakpt
03-06-2008, 10:24 PM
heh, have you seen Foglio's recent stuff??? NSFW, so PM me for a link. ;)
actually, i found their new site here (http://www.studiofoglio.com/) - they are reprinting all the old Phil & Dixie stuff sequentially, plus a bunch of Buck Godot and Girl Genius (no XXXenophile though, if that's what you were referring to...)
Thomas didn't do anything but effing **** me off...w/o a doubt one of the weaniest excuses for a hero...hated it!!! I know, I know, arguably a far better example of fantasy 'litrature' than a lot of stuff out there but ****!...Thomas 'why me' Covenant....
well, admittedly the whole "I don't believe in this because it's what keeps me sane" schtick did wear a bit thin after a while, but I think the point was to generate him as an anti-hero, hence all the short comings; and it was always cool when he did finally cut loose w/the Wild Magic; the thing I found kinda lame was the thinly veiled rip-off of Tolkien's Rohirrim (sp?) vis a vis the Rannhyn (sp?) - I mean, at least come up with a name that's a little bit more different, right? (BTW, Donaldson is a big Shotokan practitioner, FYI...)
BruceSteveRoy
03-07-2008, 10:01 AM
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ultimate_game.png
actually, i found their new site here (http://www.studiofoglio.com/) - they are reprinting all the old Phil & Dixie stuff sequentially, plus a bunch of Buck Godot and Girl Genius (no XXXenophile though, if that's what you were referring to...)
yea, that was it...it's there on the website.
I was so shocked when I discovered that side of my Phil & Dixie creator...mortified even...
well, admittedly the whole "I don't believe in this because it's what keeps me sane" schtick did wear a bit thin after a while, but I think the point was to generate him as an anti-hero, hence all the short comings; and it was always cool when he did finally cut loose w/the Wild Magic; the thing I found kinda lame was the thinly veiled rip-off of Tolkien's Rohirrim (sp?) vis a vis the Rannhyn (sp?) - I mean, at least come up with a name that's a little bit more different, right? (BTW, Donaldson is a big Shotokan practitioner, FYI...)
ok, you've got your author like I've got mine. fair enough. I gave up on the series after the 3rd...weren't there like 6?
http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/ultimate_game.png
great find.
cjurakpt
03-08-2008, 10:37 AM
yea, that was it...it's there on the website.
I was so shocked when I discovered that side of my Phil & Dixie creator...mortified even...
really? i dunno - Buck Godot was always just this side of "R" rated, and I think all these guys are closet pornographers, LOL; I mean, you should try reading Ironwood by Bill Willingham (D&D illustrator; Elementals creator)...
ok, you've got your author like I've got mine. fair enough. I gave up on the series after the 3rd...weren't there like 6?
yup - FYI, I actually liked the second series much better than the first (and he's currently on book 2 of the third series now...)
really?
no...i'm trying a new thing here and i'm not using smilies any more.
i dunno - Buck Godot was always just this side of "R" rated, and I think all these guys are closet pornographers
who isn't...i mean, Yea, shame on them!
, LOL; I mean, you should try reading Ironwood by Bill Willingham (D&D illustrator; Elementals creator)...
thanks, i'll check it out
yup - FYI, I actually liked the second series much better than the first (and he's currently on book 2 of the third series now...)
noted. but, I doubt I'll give that a second chance, I REALLY hated that guy
cjurakpt
03-08-2008, 04:18 PM
noted. but, I doubt I'll give that a second chance, I REALLY hated that guy
don't get me wrong - I can totally see how Donaldson could really stick in yer craw (???) - he definitely has a very specific style of writing, and he doesn't make it easy for the reader, especially when it comes to length; one friend of mine some years ago who was totally into the whole fantasy / LARPing thing and whatnot, she tried it and couldn't get past like the 3rd chapter before bringing the book back to me in disgust, LOL...
BTW, is this new "thing" of yours derived from RD's way of using the quote function? ;)
don't get me wrong - I can totally see how Donaldson could really stick in yer craw (???)
what the hell was that???? An attempt at a southern drawl?
BTW, is this new "thing" of yours derived from RD's way of using the quote function? ;)
nope. just the observation that we are losing some ability to discern inflection in the written word. So, I've decided to put the onus on the reader to determine how I mean something I've written.
RD is, I think, just rather spastic on the keyboard.
SevenStar
03-10-2008, 08:46 AM
...But back to Gygax. I can't remember where I was when I was in one of his games. In retrospect, it was odd - nerds of all ages. I was already into martial arts, which gave me a huge advantage when some D&D nerd brought out boffer swords or something. I remember Gygax was very serious about the game, almost uncomfortably so.
Some people did get obsessed. When I was a kid, a guy in my city killed himself over the game. His character in the game got toasted by a dragon - the guy later killed himself by setting himself on fire. It was soon after that that I began to see the churches and such claiming d & d was satanic.
As for being a d & d nerd, I never had problems with the ladies. They all loved my +7 magic missile...
martialartspeon
03-10-2008, 12:16 PM
So **** sad. That man has influenced so many ****s like myself. Hard to imagine what I would be like without having played D&D for the first half of my life.
Some people did get obsessed. When I was a kid, a guy in my city killed himself over the game. His character in the game got toasted by a dragon - the guy later killed himself by setting himself on fire. It was soon after that that I began to see the churches and such claiming d & d was satanic.
As for being a d & d nerd, I never had problems with the ladies. They all loved my +7 magic missile...
yea, the church people hate D&D. I usually got them turned around a bit when I clarified that most of the time you play a good person killing demons, devils and other nefarious evildoers.
only +7?
I would just cast 'Giant Growth' and 'Permanency' and a variation on the 'Bigsby's ______ Hand" spells.
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