News Flash Gygax

1. News Flash Gygax

   #1

   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_en_ot/obit_gygax
   
   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," 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.
   
   Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

2. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #2

   Rest in Peace, Double G.
   ... when you find yourself lost, just ask... WWGGD?

3. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #3

   There is an empty chair,
   at the table this day.
   A hallowed place where,
   a friend once played.
   The roll of his dice,
   my ears long to hear.
   Or perhaps it would suffice,
   if he should suddenly appear.
   With character sheet in hand,
   and a bag of Cheeze-doodles to share.
   All his friends would stand,
   as he sat in the empty chair.
   I hear his voice a-callin’,
   and it ties my heart in a knot.
   For he cries, “Though a comrade has fallen,
   You must play for those who cannot.”
   We conquered worlds on the run,
   he and I in the name of fun.
   And as others may come and go,
   I make both both friend and foe.
   But what I long for most,
   is our past now long a ghost.
   
   -Jolly Blackburn, Eulogy For A Gamer

4. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #4

   From Penny Arcade:
   [img width=318 height=400]http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2008/20080304.jpg
   Requiescat in Pace

5. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #5

   ...Apparently he rolled poorly on his save vs death.

6. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #6

   Link from Kassil in shoutbox
   
   http://www.unclemonsterface.com/MP3s/ThankYouGaryGygax.mp3

7. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #7

   And another link:
   
   http://xkcd.com/393/

8. Re: News Flash Gygax /Arneson

   #8

   Another sad passing. Somewhere, somehow, you know that Gary and Dave are rolling up characters right now at least. Salut.
   
   http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090410/ap_on_en_ot/obit_dave_arneson

9. Re: News Flash Gygax

   #9

   This makes me feel old and sad. It makes me look twenty years back to my teens and laughter and dice and all that innocense and talk about Gygax and Arneson.

Citadel Tavern · All categories · Guildhall