The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

[scrivener]

Troll Lord Games, which publishes Gygax's games, announced today that the writer of Dungeons & Dragons has died.

Known as the inventor of the role-playing game, Gygax was also a novelist and was still creating games as recently as ten years ago, according to his bio on Wikipedia.

I've always been a big fan of D&D, even though I was never hardcore. For a time in high school, friends and I played another of Gygax's creations, Boot Hill, the RPG set in the Old West. That was my favorite RPG ever.

So toss a few percentile dice in Gygax's memory today. 43 or lower means he got your message.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

Very sad to hear of Gygax's passing.

For anyone who did not play D&D (we sometimes joked by calling it Doodoo & Diarrhea), it would be hard to describe his genius. Imagine a game where you played a character in a world as vast and imaginative as JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. But he was much more than a game designer, of which there are thousands of 'em. Gygax was one of the handful who opened up a whole new genre of games. And his creation would inspire countless other RPG games, both of the dice/tabletop and computer variety.

I had 2 seperate groups of friends who were into D&D when I was growing up. But one thing all us local D&Ders had in common, if you were around in the early 1980s. Going to the old Legionnaire store, which used to be above the Midas Muffler shop on Dillingham. Besides being a D&D heaven, they also sold tons of other boxed games. And later, Apple II/PC software of classics like Zork, Wizardry, and Ultima.

I have to admit that after I got my first Apple II+, I sorta abandoned D&D. It was all too easy at the time to be mesmirized by the technology of games like Wizardry, where the computer handled the role of "dungeon master" and did all the combat calculations for you. But looking back on it all, I know this to be the undisputable truth. No computer (no matter how sophisticated it may be in terms of its multimedia capability, memory, and computing power) could ever come close to offering the same kind of gaming experience that a skilled and imaginative human DM could.

So toss a few percentile dice in Gygax's memory today. 43 or lower means he got your message.

Even better, let's get a high level Cleric in and try to resurrect him. If we're not successful, one thing is for sure. His spirit and legacy will forever live on.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

D&D is why I gave up dating geeks and went for mokes.

[Random]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

D&D is why I gave up dating geeks and went for mokes.

Dude, I know some mokes who are geeks. You'd be fortunate (and rich) if you can land one with both traits.

As for me, I never fit in with the populars. I tried, but I realize I'm just pretending. D&D was and is my outlet.

[Random]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

Even better, let's get a high level Cleric in and try to resurrect him. If we're not successful, one thing is for sure. His spirit and legacy will forever live on.

FWIW, maybe God called him to Heaven so Gary can be the Dungeon Master and He can role-play for awhile.

[Frankie's Market]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

Dude, I know some mokes who are geeks.

Yep, those traits are definitely not mutually exclusive these days. My friend manages a nightclub, and he says that his bouncers keep talking about PS3 game strategies all night.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

Dude, I know some mokes who are geeks. You'd be fortunate (and rich) if you can land one with both traits.

I am resisting the urge to share personal and vivid anecdotes here; suffice to say, I know the breed well.

[sinjin]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

I am resisting the urge to share personal and vivid anecdotes here; suffice to say, I know the breed well.

See now I thought D&D fans rarely got a chance to breed.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

…and Sin checks the Queen…

[Walkoff Balk]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

There's a funny episode of The Sarah Silverman Program where she's saved at an abortion clinic by Dungeons & Dragrons enthusiasts in their medieval costumes, charging in slow motion after a Braveheart speech.

[AlohaKine]

Re: The DM is Dead: Rest in Peace, Gary Gygax, Writer of D&D

When I was a kid, I used to do his advanced D&D stuff. When video game roll playing came of age, I left to do that.