RIP Gary Gygax

Jax

Forum Goddess
Feb 11, 2002
9,052
281
83
San Jose, CA
For the D&D fans here..

Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons creator, dies

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- 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.
 
I heard about this about an hour or so ago. Bummer.
I played D&D frequently as a young teen, and I know others here as well that played or still play.
I am still a geek at heart, and still actually play a little D&D with my kid. Gives me an excuse to buy the figures to paint, or the pre-painted collectible ones they have now, as well as any cool dice I happen to see.
Once a geek, always a geek. :)

R.I.P. Gary G. You played a big part in my childhood, and will be missed.

Robby
 
Last time I played with Koelling I had a blast. It was to bad we could not of kept getting together 1 night a week.

I use to play forever in the 70's , my friend actually took a college class and was a awesome DM.

I created a world where music lyrics opened doors and a place called Xanadu etc all based on bands songs and places , I would send people on journeys where musicail knowledge would either make you succesful or you would die, we had so much fun , the misty mountains , I had the red queen and black queen , the seven seas of rye, brings back memories ...

RIP GG.
 
So sad. He was a very generous man too. I met him at a fantasy convention called DragonCon in Atlanta one year. I had him autograph a couple of my 1st Edition Handbooks(Player's Handbook and the Unearthed Arcana).

Thanks for the years of fun you brought to me and millions of others, GG.
 
His game provided me an opportunity to come out of my shell and learn to interact within a group. People who know me now wouldn't believe how shy I was. From 1977 to 1986 I give Gary total credit for giving me some of the greatest memories. I heard the news yesterday morning and felt horrible for most of the day.
 
Take it easy Steve, I think you can still play the game. I remember when the guy who invented Chess died, it was heartwrenching. Wait, that was over 2000 years ago, nevermind. Now when the dude who invented Scattergories dies, watch the F out...
 
One time we went to Rockville park and played in a cave, made a fire and hiked all over at night it was awesome