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Matthew
2008-03-04, 11:59 AM
Sad news: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4373&mforum=trolllordgames

Keld Denar
2008-03-04, 12:07 PM
This is indeed sad to hear. My condolances go out to his family and friends. He was the pioneer for the hobby.

JadedDM
2008-03-04, 12:13 PM
Holy crap, dude! Is this a joke? Please tell me this is a very bad joke! :smallfrown:

hamlet
2008-03-04, 12:17 PM
Appears to be true, and yes, very sad.

Wish I could've shaken the fellow's hand.

Methabroax
2008-03-04, 12:20 PM
Heartbreaker. Gary Gygax gave birth to the very best games ever. He will be missed.

Methabroax

Soups
2008-03-04, 12:26 PM
Aye, I just came from fark.com. Gary has had such an influence on almost everyone, weather it be through D&D our setting up how video games in the future would be influenced. I take today as my duty to spread the word among all my social news websites.

SoD
2008-03-04, 12:27 PM
Rest in peace Gary.

I've played DnD for near three years now, and never had a single thought about the guy who created it...even looking at the thread title, the name meant nothing to me. But...wow. A guy who I never knew...yet he did so much for me. A guy I never knew, but I will mourn his death.

I never knew your name until today, but you've done so much for me. For that, Gary Gygax, I thank you.

Rest in Peace.

Gamemaster
2008-03-04, 12:28 PM
RIP, Gary. RIP.

Thane of Fife
2008-03-04, 12:30 PM
:smallfrown:

He will be missed.

Morty
2008-03-04, 12:31 PM
Oh man. I've never played any D&D older than 3.5 edition, but it's still sad to hear that the creator of such a great RPG is dead.

Pronounceable
2008-03-04, 12:42 PM
Up until this moment, I hadn't noticed that I actually LIKED the guy. Damn...

Rad
2008-03-04, 12:56 PM
:smallfrown: Addio Gary! RIP

I think I'll think much more about him now every time I see his name on the cover of my 1st ed. books.

SamTheCleric
2008-03-04, 12:58 PM
... Close Wounds? ... Delay Death?

...Animate Dead?

Come on, someone's gotta get him back in the game. :smalleek:

KIDS
2008-03-04, 12:59 PM
Very sad event, my condolences to his family and his friends. He will be missed.

Swordguy
2008-03-04, 01:05 PM
I met him at GenCon in 1986, when my uncle (Jon Pickens, a TSR editor) introduced me. I was 6. I made a point to seek him out and talk to him at every GenCon I attended after that. He remembered me, and was always interested in how I was growing up.

I'll miss you Gary.

/anyone have a diamond worth at least 10,000 gp?

nepphi
2008-03-04, 01:10 PM
Sorry man, but you know Gygax is enjoying the True Awesome alignment afterlife, where he's got every game design tool he could ever want.

Lyinginbedmon
2008-03-04, 01:10 PM
I'm going to need a lot more than a post on an Internet forum, by just about anyone, to believe that the Dice God has lost his ranks

streakster
2008-03-04, 01:15 PM
Godspeed, Mr. Gygax. Godspeed.

Swordguy
2008-03-04, 01:15 PM
Legit news source:
http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=7963395

Illiterate Scribe
2008-03-04, 01:18 PM
We need a d100 table full of weird, idiosyncratic and downright bizarre objects to give as condolences. Seems fitting, really. :smallfrown:

Yeril
2008-03-04, 01:34 PM
Here are some dice and a fresh character sheet Mr. Gygax, 4d6, pick the best 3.

in other news.. Wow :smallfrown: .

drudo
2008-03-04, 01:52 PM
Nothing on earth stays forever
but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again
you're gone to the home of the brave

Farewell Gary :smallfrown:

Talya
2008-03-04, 01:58 PM
This was something that Gary had to do.

It was in preparation for the release of 4th edition, so he can roll over in his grave.


Just kidding. RIP Gary.

Baxbart
2008-03-04, 02:02 PM
Goodnight Mr Gygax - You were, in a way, a father to us all, and you will be sorely missed.

kamikasei
2008-03-04, 02:03 PM
That's a shame.

Hypothetical
2008-03-04, 02:09 PM
Rest in Peace (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_en_ot/obit_gygax)

Zincorium
2008-03-04, 02:09 PM
Just...yeah. Gygax's work and it's derivatives pretty much made my childhood worth going through.

I just hope that he actually knew how much he was appreciated while he was still alive. He's an icon, and deserves every bit of the quirky sort of fame he got and more.

nagora
2008-03-04, 02:15 PM
I just hope that he actually knew how much he was appreciated while he was still alive.

He did, I think. He was also very approachable and friendly, to the point that when I posted a question about population figures in Yggsburgh the other day and didn't get an answer back quickly, I was worried. Sadly, I was right to be so, and the question will now go forever unanswered.

SerroMaroo
2008-03-04, 02:15 PM
Rough year for fantasy. First Robert Jordan, and now Gary Gygax.

nobodylovesyou4
2008-03-04, 02:16 PM
odd, i was just thinking today what it would be like when he died.... i guess now i know. definitely sad.

Snadgeros
2008-03-04, 02:21 PM
He's comparing notes with Tolkien in the great tabletop in the sky now.:smallfrown:

sikyon
2008-03-04, 02:31 PM
Tis a sad day indeed. Farewell, sweet prince.

Jack Zander
2008-03-04, 02:35 PM
DnD 4th Edition killed him.

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-04, 02:45 PM
Ooh... Dark times. Dark times indeed.

Rest in peace, Master Gygax.

BeefontheBone
2008-03-04, 02:45 PM
Anyone want to play Dungeons and Dragons for the next quadrillion years?

Sad news indeed.

Azerian Kelimon
2008-03-04, 02:49 PM
I was just listening to some music, and found this lyrics by Marillion. Seem oddly appropiate, don't they? Someone else will come up with something better, but here it goes:

Oh I remember Toronto when Mylo went down
And we sat and we cried on the phone
I never felt so alone
He was the first of our own
Some of us go down in a blaze of obscurity
Some of us go down in a haze of publicity
The price of infamy, the edge of insanity

Another holiday inn, another temporary home
And an interviewer threatened me with a microphone
talk to me, wont you tell me your stories.

So I talked about conscience and I talked about pain
And he looked out the window and it started to rain
I thought maybe Ive already gone crazy
So I reached for a bottle and he reached for the door
And I picked up the sleeping pills crushed on the floor
Inviting me to a casual obscenity

Snowfall
2008-03-04, 02:53 PM
Awww, Gary....

whitemane
2008-03-04, 02:54 PM
I found out about 30 minutes ago, and I still feel numb. I remember when I first started playing in 1982 when I was 12 years old. I remember holding fast to my D&D books when that big hysteria regarding D&D and churches denouncing it was was popular. I remember my father wanting to buy my books from me so he could destroy them, and me steadfastly refusing, telling him that he didn't understand and it wasn't what everyone said. I remember writing a letter to the editor of the local paper denouncing an article that was critical of D&D and saying that the people that denounced D&D had never actually seen a game of it being played. I remember getting hate mail because of that letter to the editor.

It's 25 years later, and D&D has been with me longer than most of the friends in my life. When I joined the Air Force and moved to a new city, I didn't have any friends in the area, but all I had to do to find new friends was post a "gaming group wanted" notice in the local gaming store. I truly believe that D&D has helped make me a better person, and a more critical thinker.

Mr. Gygax, you have made a difference in my life, and the lives of countless others. You have left your mark on the world, and in the hearts of millions. May God bless you and watch over your family.

YPU
2008-03-04, 03:03 PM
It is good to see that the wizards site has taken the time to commemorate Gary Gygax, one of the ultimate paragons of dungeon masters. I suppose that wherever he is now he is happy to know the game he helped create will keep on being played and evolving for ages to come.

FatherMalkav
2008-03-04, 03:03 PM
Wow, this is a blow. RIP Mr. Gygax.

Ironically I finished my documentary on gaming today. Now I'll add a dedication to his memory.

Hyozo
2008-03-04, 03:25 PM
None can deny that he was a great and influential man. :smallfrown:

The_Shaman
2008-03-04, 03:31 PM
I wish I could say something fitting of the man, but I doubt I ever could.... He was an incredible figure and a man who will sorely be missed by all the people whose lives he touched. Few men have done more than Gary Gygax to change the way we dream - and through all those dreams, I believe, the way we live. For the better.

Farewell, Dungeon Master. Rest in peace, and thank you for all you've done for us.

Jayngfet
2008-03-04, 03:50 PM
man, you see this stuff and go cold inside, if I could cry I would, but the tears refuse to flow...

Madmal
2008-03-04, 04:05 PM
((whoa....and there's already 2 other threads about Gary...))

horseboy
2008-03-04, 04:36 PM
Wow, I can't even express coherently my grief. :smallfrown:

The_Werebear
2008-03-04, 04:38 PM
Quick, someone cast Plane Shift so we can kidnap him from Celestia.

That really is sad. I have already talked a bit with my gaming group, we are going to try and work out a brief tribute ceremony before we game.

longtooth878
2008-03-04, 04:41 PM
I have met him just a few times at Gen con (Milwaukee) and had dinner with him once. It was great to talk to him and pick his brain. I lost touch with him after the Con moved to Indy. I will definitely mourn him for d12 days (most likely longer than that).:smalleek: :smallfrown: :sigh:

Innis Cabal
2008-03-04, 04:41 PM
Its a shame, a god has died today

Ossian
2008-03-04, 04:41 PM
The G's work has had an impact on my life, no point in trying to deny that.
I owe G. a lot, and hope he is happy now. Farewell Gary.

O.

Glyde
2008-03-04, 04:47 PM
Nothing on earth stays forever
but none of your deeds were in vain
Deep in our hearts you will live again
you're gone to the home of the brave

Farewell Gary :smallfrown:


Every solemn moment I will treasure inside
even though it's hard to understand
that a silent wind can blow that candle out
taking everything leaving the pain far behind

sbarrie
2008-03-04, 05:17 PM
I never met him, and that makes me very sad.

Sebastian
2008-03-04, 05:23 PM
Sorry man, but you know Gygax is enjoying the True Awesome alignment afterlife, where he's got every game design tool he could ever want.

Game design tools? The man is creating real worlds by now. :)

It is a sad news for many, the influence of Gygax and of his works cannot be overstated, he fanned the imagination and creativity of thousands and thousands of persons. How many writers, game designers, artists and more become what they are because were inspired by one of his games, or one of the many games whose creations he directly or indirectly inspired? tTo not mention the joy he brought to millions of people. Gygax is dead, but not forgotten and if is true that a man lives as long as the memories of him, he truly is become an immortal.

Game on.

SteveMB
2008-03-04, 05:25 PM
Let us observe a moment of silence (10' radius).

Farmer42
2008-03-04, 05:33 PM
Tennyson-

"I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when
Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vest the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart
Much have I seen and known; cities of men
And manners, climates, councils, governments,
Myself not least, but honoured of them all;
And drunk delight of battle with my peers;
Far on the ringing plains of windy Troy.
I am part of all that I have met;
Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough
Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades
For ever and for ever when I move.
How dull it is to pause, to make an end,
To rust unburnished, not to shine in use!
As though to breath were life. Life piled on life
Were all to little, and of one to me
Little remains: but every hour is saved
From that eternal silence, something more,
A bringer of new things; and vile it were
For some three suns to store and hoard myself,
And this gray spirit yearning in desire
To follow knowledge like a sinking star,
Beyond the utmost bound of human thought."

smart thog
2008-03-04, 05:35 PM
Rough year for fantasy. First Robert Jordan, and now Gary Gygax.

Not to mention Dragon and Dungeon.


R.I.P. Gary, may you enjoy the NG afterlife.



Now lets go out into the world and make Gary proud of us the only way we know how. Gaming and Laughing!

AKA_Bait
2008-03-04, 05:48 PM
That... sucks. I'm gonna go reread Tomb of Horrors...

Iku Rex
2008-03-04, 05:49 PM
This makes me [rolls dice] sad. :smallfrown:

Overlord
2008-03-04, 05:53 PM
I'm very sad to hear that he passed away. He was an awesome guy, and he helped invent one of my favorite hobbies. He will most certainly be missed.

You know, there ought to be a huge memorial event in his honor at this year's GenCon.

Orzel
2008-03-04, 05:54 PM
RIP Mr Gygax.
I shall slay many goblins in your honor.

EvilJames
2008-03-04, 05:56 PM
Tolkien and Jordon are waiting for their dungeon master. I here Shakespeare is thinking of rolling a bard.

Ashes
2008-03-04, 05:59 PM
RIP Mr. Gygax. And thanks for the game. We appreciate it.

kamikasei
2008-03-04, 06:07 PM
Tolkien and Jordon are waiting for their dungeon master. I here Shakespeare is thinking of rolling a bard.

They're in for a shock when their character's three-hundred-page backstory with eight invented languages and civilizations goes down the tubes without a save halfway through the third room.

AlterForm
2008-03-04, 06:12 PM
*Removes his hat*

How terrible.

We must play on, in his name!

Fitzclowningham
2008-03-04, 06:15 PM
All the best, Gary. Thank you for the thousands of hours of fun and fascination, especially the giant-drow-Lolth bit. Hope you had fun.

Collin152
2008-03-04, 06:21 PM
In pace requiescat.

Lord Tataraus
2008-03-04, 06:28 PM
I guess god was getting bored, he needed a good Dungeon Master.

Game on, Gary, Game on.

Vaynor
2008-03-04, 06:29 PM
Legit news source:
http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=7963395

"1 of the best-selling games ever." :smallannoyed:

Not a legit source in my opinion.. :smalltongue:

Brauron
2008-03-04, 07:00 PM
Good Night, sweet prince, and may a flight of Planetars sing thee to thy rest.


Some friends and I, as soon as we heard, decided to honor him tonight. We're playing original, 1st edition D&D. I've never played it before, but...it fits. Once the session's over, we're burying a set of dice and spending the rest of the night trading D&D stories.

It just...hurts...that I never got a chance to meet him, never got a chance to thank him...

Sturmjaeger
2008-03-04, 07:02 PM
Goodbye, Mr. Gygax, and thank you for all the fond memories.

Blaznak
2008-03-04, 07:03 PM
I was very sad to hear about the loss of Gary from the gaming world.

I met him at Gencon in 1980 and saw him off and on for most of the years after that. He was always a nice guy and a gentlemen.

Back then, the Gencons were held at Kenosha Wisconsin at the University. You could sit in the cafeteria and drink beer and eat pizza. I remember sitting there with my friends when Gary walked in so we invited him to the table. He had a piece of pizza and a beer with a bunch of gamers he didn't know and just was a nice guy to talk to.

Sigh.

Its amazing to think how D&D really changed so much stuff. It was a perfect meeting of D&D, Computers, Gaming in general, etc.

Well, 'nuff said.

Later!

Rutee
2008-03-04, 07:06 PM
They're in for a shock when their character's three-hundred-page backstory with eight invented languages and civilizations goes down the tubes without a save halfway through the third room.

I hate to say it, but the amusement from this quote was the most amount of emotion I got at this announcement. Oh well.

Drago
2008-03-04, 07:10 PM
The Day the D&D Died

Today a great mind has died,
That is always sad.
Today a legend has past into myth,
Bards are singing it already.
Today the pain is great and deep,
For the mind has given me much.
This day dungeons lie empty.
This day dragons stand unchallenged.
For who remains to slay evil,
when all the heroes mourn.

But I,
I will not weep,
not as long as we remember,
not as long as we all play,
only when you are forgotten,
only when your legacy lies dead,
shall I weep.
For as long as we remember,
For as long as we all play,
You shall live on in each of our minds,
And be cherished in our hearts.

Rest in peace Gary Gygax, you shall be long remembered and always missed.

I guess I may also weep,
when you legacy lies desecrated,
by 4th edition.:smalltongue:

My only regret is is never meeting him, never thanking him, and maybe, one day, that last paragraph.

Matthew
2008-03-04, 07:15 PM
I hate to say it, but the amusement from this quote was the most amount of emotion I got at this announcement. Oh well.

Perhaps, then, you might have considered not saying it? :smallamused:

WNxArrakis
2008-03-04, 07:25 PM
Oh wow. This is just... *rolls* terrible.

Anyone know how to split the XP of a demi-god?

Collin152
2008-03-04, 07:28 PM
Oh wow. This is just... *rolls* terrible.

Anyone know how to split the XP of a demi-god?

I know. We all lose 500 XP.

lumberofdabeast
2008-03-04, 07:51 PM
/anyone have a diamond worth at least 10,000 gp?

Wouldn't work. He died of natural causes, when his time was up.

Without Dungeons and Dragons, I'd probably be even more of an isolated shut-in than I already am. DnD club was my first real extracurricular activity, and I kept going back to it for a full year after I graduated. It's because of my fond memories of gaming with my friends that I have aspirations of becoming an actor some day, and it's because of those that I feel I'm a decent writer now, when I actually do write things. I, like so many others here, owe Gary Gygax a debt that I will never be able to repay, save by living up to his memory and gaming on.

Kompera
2008-03-04, 07:53 PM
Gary, I've played every version of your game, and a great many games based on your pioneering. I can't begin to calculate the hours of fun I've had due to your creations and inspirations. Thank you, and rest in peace.

Grynning
2008-03-04, 07:54 PM
For once, I can't think of a clever quip.
I post only to add my name to the many who have had their lives improved by Gary's writing. I will say my goodbyes now.

Thank you, sir. When the world so often seems dull, ordinary, and bleak, you gave us one worth living in. My friends and I will remember you, and speak of you as a hero.

And, fittingly, I must go, because tonight, is game night. We play in your honor.

Jayngfet
2008-03-04, 08:19 PM
well, my world has a half finished backstory, and I have been needing a name for the great hero that halved a continent with a single blow, from whose inspiration many adventurers take, who died and sleeps in the necropolis of heroes.


Gary is a good name for the paladin with a celestial pegasus right?

Collin152
2008-03-04, 08:23 PM
well, my world has a half finished backstory, and I have been needing a name for the great hero that halved a continent with a single blow, from whose inspiration many adventurers take, who died and sleeps in the necropolis of heroes.


Gary is a good name for the paladin with a celestial pegasus right?

Or G'Ri. It's pronounced exactly the same, but isn't as obvious.

Naihal
2008-03-04, 08:23 PM
Rest in peace, Gary. I take my headband of intellect +6 of to your wonderful genius and creativity.

Jayngfet
2008-03-04, 08:27 PM
Or G'Ri. It's pronounced exactly the same, but isn't as obvious.

just as good, I wonder if he'll mind being one of the worlds only known half orcs in about 50,000 years(the only other one thats a definate is an orphan from a gang in the mold of tantalus from FFIX)

Thamir
2008-03-04, 08:51 PM
Rough year for fantasy. First Robert Jordan, and now Gary Gygax.

And I thought 4e would be the worst thing to happen to the hobby this year. He will live on in our hearts and Core Rulebooks:smallfrown:

Admiral Squish
2008-03-04, 09:03 PM
Sir. I never met you. I never saw your face. It was less than a year ago that I first heard your name. I hardly cared, then. Some old fogey from the days of yore. But now, I understand. Gary, sir, I will remember your name. I will mark this date forevermore, to honor your passing. You've made us all better, as people and munchkins. Thank you.

SofS
2008-03-04, 09:04 PM
Alignment languages, races as classes, name level, saving vs. death ray, potion miscibility: obselete artifacts or the ingredients of a rather interesting childhood? All I know is that it was fun then and it's fun now.

Who knows if any of us would be doing this if it weren't for a few guys cooking it all up back in the old days? I'd like to think that other systems would have come about, but one can never know that.

His seems like a life well-lived. He was personable and industrious to the end. May all of us who desire that have such luck.

Lupy
2008-03-04, 09:09 PM
Thank you Wizards

Thanks Wizards (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/welcome)

AslanCross
2008-03-04, 09:12 PM
GG, Mr. G.G. Even though I'm only a newcomer to D&D, I owe you the hours of fun I had with my students and Creative Writing club members, whom I otherwise wouldn't know what to do with.

Mando Knight
2008-03-04, 09:16 PM
I think Rich said (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0536.html) much of what we here have to offer...

Gary Gygax didn't really die, he just fumbled a Plane Shift spell, which, according to what he rolled on his Arcane Spellcasting failure table, caused his soul to plane shift, but leave his body behind, which then suffered a heart attack.:smallwink:

gnomas
2008-03-04, 09:21 PM
:smallfrown: wow...thank you for all your work Gary Gygax, thank you.

R.I.P

Collin152
2008-03-04, 09:22 PM
Rich really managed to get that together quickly.
He's so kind.

Yahzi
2008-03-04, 09:27 PM
So long... and thanks for all the dice!

:frown:

AKA_Bait
2008-03-04, 09:30 PM
Rich really managed to get that together quickly.
He's so kind.

Yeah, the strip is a fitting tribute. I hope WotC finds a way to do one and yes, I have seen the paragraph on the D&D site.

xmolder
2008-03-04, 09:33 PM
This is... A huge blow. I gotta' say. I thought the lolcat was a bad joke, too...

I declare tomorrow a day of mourning for Gary Gygax. Spend time with your fellow gamers, roll a new class, and slay the hell out of an Ancient Red Dragon. I know I will.

My sincerest condolences to his family and those that knew him best, as well as to all of my fellow players who played, either those who grew up with a d20 in their hand or if they just played in their first pre-built.

Cyclone231
2008-03-04, 09:33 PM
In honor of him, I rolled a dice on the chart contained on page 192 of the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide.

89: Haughty courtesan.

Good night, sweet prince.

lacesmcawesome
2008-03-04, 09:39 PM
Gary Gygax-

You have no idea how much you did for me, indirectly. You have brought me closer to family, friends, strangers, and you have helped me achieve dreams I never thought I could.

I had always wanted to meet you. I always took it for granted that you would be alive for me to shake your hand or give you a hug or maybe even roll a d20 with you to decide who got the last mountain dew.

Rest in peace.
I love you as much as it is possible for one stranger to love another, though are you truly a stranger? I think not.

I never got a chance to play 1st edition. I might look into that.

Matthew
2008-03-04, 09:40 PM
Yeah, the strip is a fitting tribute. I hope WotC finds a way to do one and yes, I have seen the paragraph on the D&D site.

Indeed. The response to his death has been (almost) universally admirable and moving.

FreiSchultz
2008-03-04, 09:45 PM
Holy catfish!
I've neverbeen able to get a game together due to the literal neck of the woods I live in, but I had fun rolling up and mapping dungeons. And the very hobby he started is often the only thing that gets my imagination going nowadays.

He will be missed.

wingover gimble
2008-03-05, 12:41 AM
May your gaming sessions be grand in heaven. I personally am missing tomorrows school and my gaming group in town is missing school and work to game in memory of this grand hero who defied so many Christian (No offense when i say this to those who game and are) bible bangers. Even when they told him it was wrong and evil he still played on and rolled up characters. May this hero who has been a impact so greatly upon my life have the best convention in the Heavens and all nerds and geeks be able to get in Admission Free. RIP Gary Gygax:smallfrown: .

Talic
2008-03-05, 12:48 AM
Paying my respects. I've gotten a lot of enjoyment from this game over the years. It's only right to honor and respect the man for the good thing he gave us, and focus on that positive. D&D was a vision, and this man was one of the pioneers of that vision.

Dervag
2008-03-05, 12:59 AM
I hope he has a happy afterlife. But before he has a happy afterlife, he should go through one campaign run by some divinely engineered super-DM who is to Gygax as Gygax was to ordinary people. A campaign full of bewildering death traps that even Gary Gygax can only see coming in hindsight. Of anagrams, puns, complicated mechanics, and if at all possible, cosine-sided dice.

The object of this is not to punish him, for he merits no punishment. It's just that he deserves the experience of being DMed by a true Gygaxian, just as Groucho Marx deserved a Groucho Marx to cheer him up.*

*And, sadly, could never have one.

Sir Giacomo
2008-03-05, 01:07 AM
This is truly sad. I have never met him. But without much ado one could say that this particular game created a lot of fun for me.

Just trying to remember from the first D&D edition, what really is still there from his original innovation (in terms of rules, not the complete RPG concept without which we'd never even have this forum and great comic...)

- the use of odd dice, all the range from d4-d20
- the wizard class (with d4 hit points)
- 3d6 ability stat range
- the concept of levels (and experience points)
- d20 being used for to hit in combat
- the high fantasy medieval setting as default campaign
- gold piece unit as numerator for currency
- the concept of saving throws
- magic missile (although I'm not sure whether the range is changed, plus the concept of Spell Resistance is new)
- bag of holding item (though not sure whether the holding capacity has not changed)

Ach, can't think of more to say.

- Giacomo

Zynex
2008-03-05, 01:08 AM
I never knew Mr. Gygax, not for a good portion of my tenure in this plane. Nonetheless, even if I am continents away, I appreciated what he had brought upon this existence, a medium to which amazing feats could be accomplished, slaying mythical dragons, braving dungeons Indiana Jones style, brandishing blades at lightning speed and conjuring flames from seeming nothingness.

His stay in this mortal coil was swift but his legacy will be fonded over for a good long time. I could not have generated my characters and witness them grow in stories were it not for his works.

Rest in Peace Mr. Gygax, this is the only medium i know i can imply my mourning of his passing on. :smallfrown:

Farmer42
2008-03-05, 01:09 AM
Penny Arcade has a nice tribute up.

Atticus Bleak
2008-03-05, 01:11 AM
..."With my sword raised high, I salute you. With my glass in hand, I toast you. With my head bowed in respect, I mourn you. You will be missed." I think Gary had an effect on us all, in some way, and I don't think any one of us can convey how much this hurts, but Gary, we, the players, salute you now, as you join the ranks of the heroes you spawned, smiling down on us from the higher planes. May God, and the gods, smile on you, Gary Gygax, as generations of gamers have before. Rest in Peace, Ernest Gary Gygax...I hope you have fun DMing in Heaven...save a place in the party for me?

-Atticus Bleak, bard, fan, player.

We'll miss you, Gary!

Ascension
2008-03-05, 01:17 AM
My goodness... He was one of those folks I always thought was somehow immortal... It always hurts to be reminded that even the greatest have to die.

Rest in peace, Gary Gygax... you will be missed.

I'll try to talk my father into joining me for a quick round of Boot Hill tomorrow in memoriam...

Danin
2008-03-05, 01:28 AM
Mr. Gygax, sir,

I never knew you. I never spoke to you.

I never shook your hand or saw you in passing.

We never shared a drink, a laugh or a sigh.

I never went to a convention to hear you speak.

I never met your adoring fans.

I've never played the game you created, for AD&D was before my time.

I only know of a THACO table because of Baldur's Gate two.

The Tomb of Horrors still remains unexplored by me, spoken only of in fear.

I never understood forgetting spells you had just cast.

I never stopped to think about what you did.

Yet, despite all this, you've done more for me than I think you could have realized.

You helped me to create worlds and peoples.

You flooded my imagination with new ideas, fed the spark and fueled the fire of creativity.

You've introduced me to friends and helped forge stronger bonds with those I had.

You've introduced me to a passion for writing and the arts.

You granted my best friend a measure of joy while he succumbed to cancer.

Your world allowed me to escape this one long enough to lick my wounds and steel my resolve.

You introduced me to a world of myth and magic, joy and tears, dungeons and dragons.

Mr. Gygax, sir, you have helped to shape my life. You have given me more than you could ever know. I may never meet you in person, never shake your hand or tell you these words, but I know that from wherever you are you know how truly appreciative millions of people are for what you have started. May your family find strength in this hour of sadness and your soul find peace and eternal life.

Game on Mr. Gygax, game on.

Miles Invictus
2008-03-05, 01:37 AM
Though I never met Gary, I respect him for creating a great game. He shall be missed.

shadowdemon_lord
2008-03-05, 01:42 AM
Wow, I never thought about Gygax until I saw that he'd failed his final saving throw earlier today. Even then I didn't quite grasp what it meant, it wasn't till I read Rich's OoTS comic strip in tribute that it was driven home to me what had just happened. The sheer magnitude of what this guy was, what he did. 13 Years of my life I've understood one iteration or another of D&D, 13 out of 19. I knew how to read a D&D character sheet before I even knew how to read. This man created a game that has given me years of enjoyment and good times.

R.I.P. Gary Gygax, for you have truly acheived immortality. For even if D&D should somehow die, the genre of table top gaming will live on forever.

Zeal
2008-03-05, 01:50 AM
A man of his calibre and influence will be sorely missed. A pity he didn't get a saving throw.

Bobnik
2008-03-05, 01:59 AM
"For a word to be heard, there must be silence. Before and after."
Ursula K LeGuin

Never met the guy, and I've only been playing for 18 months. But just what he started, who he inspired..... We will not forget.

All of my decisions tomorrow will rolled for on some chart.

Half-blood
2008-03-05, 02:02 AM
The quasi-funny part: Well I think its fitting with no saving throw, considering tomb of horrors :smallbiggrin:

The serious part.
All hail Lord Gygax. The Great dungeon master!
Would he have never been born. I would have never laid my first blow.
I would have never cast my first spell. nor burned my first character sheet
Hadn't it been For Lord Gygax. My life would be as bleak and droll
as AD 2300 in chrono trigger. should he have never been born.
well...My fate, among others wouldn't have ever seen
the great spark of ingenuity that shapes me to this day.

ALL HAIL LORD GYGAX! MAY HIS NAME NEVER BE UNSUNG!

Krimm_Blackleaf
2008-03-05, 02:30 AM
Here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74241)'s my tribute.

Shiyuan
2008-03-05, 02:51 AM
[Reposted from OOTS Thread]

I haven't posted here in some years, but I am now compelled to say one final goodbye to a man I have never met, but hope to meet in the next life...



Mr. Gygax, it is thanks to you that I can laughingly reminisce with friends about how the inebriated and very belligerent looking Severus Gaius got mowed down by town guardsmen after he attempted to yell, "I mean you no harm," while throwing up his arms, forgetting that he was still holding two bastard swords, one of them flaming.

Or how the doughty 7th level fighter Methos Kiam's epic tale ended with a failed a DC 9 jump skill check (TWICE, DM tried to be nice) because his player was a horrific munchkin (now reformed).



Mr. Gygax, it is thanks to you that I can tell with pride the tale of Grigory Breznivich, brave dwarven warrior amongst a band of magicians and rogues. Grigory Breznivich, a dwarf banished from his own clan for a single act of cowardice in his untested youth.

Of how when a vicious behir struck at his clan's hold, he returned with his friends to defend the clan's kin left unprotected by the warriors who were off to claim a dragon's treasure.

Of how when the monster slaughtered his companions, Grigory tearfully bade goodbye to his loyal war donkey and handed his cherished warhammer to his only remaining friend, the human mage Vikar the Resplendent.

Of how he then drew his short sword and ran headlong into the gaping maw of the behir to strike at its softer innards from within. He slew it with his last pain-ridden breath, muttering about the unreliability of magic to the very end.

Of how as the years went by, heroic tales of a humble wandering warrior named Vikar the Hammer and his war donkey began to be told over hearth fires and in tavern halls.



Mr Gygax, it is thanks to you that in the years lost to the mist of maturity, a man now calling himself Shiyuan on a web forum survived the heavy handed reign of a step-father.

A step-father who laughed as he beat his step-son into bloody tears, and once broke the child's nose for trying to protect its beloved friend, a dog named Chestnut.

A step-father who rained verbal abuse as much as his fists, constantly reminding the child that it was not a "real American," like him with his European surname, just some "Chinese brat destined to be a white man's pencil pusher or accountant." How it didn't matter that the child was born in America and lived there all its young life, "because America's always gonna' be a white land for white men."

A step-father who's only saving grace was his ignorance of the life-saving nature of books and fantasy. Of the thousand worlds within a boy's mind that bolstered and healed him every day as he faced a real world that battered and assailed him.



Mr. Gygax, it is thanks to you that this young boy managed to claw his way out from the darkness of hate and ignorance that threatened to consume him. It is thanks to you that in the worlds traveled through by this wayward son, he saw that right and wrong could exist, that a moral heart could save the lives of the innocent or even the depraved. It is thanks to you that he grew into a confident, resilient man, ever ready with a helping hand and firm of moral principle.



Mr. Gygax, it is thanks to you that I am alive. Thank you for bringing me this far; I hope in the world beyond, your travels brings to the companionship of an ever muttering dwarf and his plodding donkey companion. I hope in the world beyond, you meet a happy little Lhasa Apso with a penchant for chasing lantern archons; may she bring you as much joy and friendship as she brought me.

Goodbye.


Excerpt of “Hear You Me” by Jimmy Eat World:

“There's no one in town I know
You gave us someplace to go
I never said thank you for that
Thought I might get one more chance

What would you think of me now?
So lucky
So strong
So proud
I Never said thank you for that
Now I'll never have a chance

May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads the sleepless go
May angels lead you in “

Artanis
2008-03-05, 03:05 AM
RIP, Mr. Gygax

Corinthus
2008-03-05, 04:13 AM
Gygax failed his last Fortitude Save?

Very well. Please volentarily fail your will saves for this.
*Casts Spell of Morning*
Players, let us each sacrifice a die unto him, such that he may take their spirits with him to act as his servants.

DM's (In true Gygaxian style), let us sacrifice some characters in his name.

d-dave
2008-03-05, 07:13 AM
At some point, we all have to go. I would simply like to express my thanks to the man who gave us all a greater gift than he could ever realize in his life. We all have D&D to thank for many things including friends, laughs and good times.

For me personally, D&D helped me through those tough years transitioning between a child and a teenager. They inspired me to read more, to become an over all better writer, and to learn everything I could. Without all the years of playing, reading and writing about D&D, I wouldn't be who I am.

Thank you Gary Gygax for the gift of inspiration. Through this simple game, many of us have become inspired to be better than who we are. Or that might just be me.

The best we thing we can do to honor Gary is to continue to play his game and have fun. Its what he would want anyway.

Primal Fury
2008-03-05, 09:21 AM
i know not what to say about this... i knew about him, but...
good bye, Gary Gygax, God-King of all things D&D.

Oh Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen, and down the mountain side
The summer's gone, and all the flowers are dying
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny boy, oh Danny boy, I love you so.

And if you come, when all the flowers are dying
And I am dead, as dead I well may be
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an "Ave" there for me.

And I shall hear, tho' soft you tread above me
And all my dreams will warm and sweeter be
If you'll not fail to tell me that you love me
I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

I'll simply sleep in peace until you come to me.

:frown:

Swooper
2008-03-05, 06:10 PM
This was something that Gary had to do.

It was in preparation for the release of 4th edition, so he can roll over in his grave.


Just kidding. RIP Gary.
Hah, the old bugger is probably already rolling in his grave. Dice, I mean. ^^

May he roll in peace.

/salute.

Jayngfet
2008-03-05, 08:33 PM
none of this (http://www.woot.com/Blog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryId=4118)

Lupy
2008-03-05, 08:49 PM
The Day the D&D Died

Today a great mind has died,
That is always sad.
Today a legend has past into myth,
Bards are singing it already.
Today the pain is great and deep,
For the mind has given me much.
This day dungeons lie empty.
This day dragons stand unchallenged.
For who remains to slay evil,
when all the heroes mourn.

But I,
I will not weep,
not as long as we remember,
not as long as we all play,
only when you are forgotten,
only when your legacy lies dead,
shall I weep.
For as long as we remember,
For as long as we all play,
You shall live on in each of our minds,
And be cherished in our hearts.

Rest in peace Gary Gygax, you shall be long remembered and always missed.

I guess I may also weep,
when you legacy lies desecrated,
by 4th edition.:smalltongue:

My only regret is is never meeting him, never thanking him, and maybe, one day, that last paragraph.

But I,
I will weep,
and though I will remeber,
I have always wept,
when a great man died...

Lupy
2008-03-05, 08:52 PM
Yesterday,
A great man died,
a man near to mighty Tolkien,
from him come all the heros,
from him come all the dragons,
somewhere mages stain books with tears,
fighters swords clatter to the floor,
paladins pray to weeping gods,
and this bard, has tears on his guitar.

Raistlin and Drizzt,
got together,
with all the other heros,
and while the archmage wept,
they carried the first hero to heaven,
and Tolkien said to him:
"I forgive you for the Hobbits."

I can only say, if I feel this sadness for his passing, thank Jesus I wasn't there when Tolkien died...

I bet right now, Gary, Tolkien, Shakespear, Homer, and Jesus are up there asking who has to use the bad d20...

Fawsto
2008-03-05, 09:01 PM
And to think we owe so much to someone most of us even talked to...

Sad, Gary, sad... You were someone that could have lived 1000 years and still be missed when dead.

From up there, bless our dice and character sheets.

LibraryOgre
2008-03-05, 10:57 PM
Here are some dice and a fresh character sheet Mr. Gygax, 4d6, pick the best 3.

in other news.. Wow :smallfrown: .

**** that noise... Gary gets to use Method V from page 74 of Unearthed Arcana.

I'm running Village of Hommlet on Saturday for my Systems Failure group.


Visitation is on Saturday, March 8 at 11 AM at:

Haase Derrick Lockwood Funeral Home
800 Park Drive
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
(282) 248-2031

A Funeral Service will follow at 2:00 PM, also at the Haase Derrick Lockwood Funeral Home.

In the evening, there will be an informal gathering to remember Gary with food and beverage. Time and location to be determined.

More details as we figure them out.

Thanks.
Kerry


I know a lot of people want to contact the Gygax family and send their regards and well wishes. I am afraid that his regular email account, which he used for business might become too overwhelmed with letters of condolences that the family will have a hard time sorting out all his business affairs at a later time.

With that in mind I have created a separate email account that I will hand over to Gail, Gary's wife, when I talk again with her tomorrow.

The email address to send any personal messages to the family is: [email protected]

Pass around the word.

Kerry

CindyKay
2008-03-05, 11:17 PM
To All of You Who Have Never Known a World without D&D:

I've been playing D&D since 1977, and last August I got to meet and talk to Gary Gygax. We only got to talk for a little while, but it was awe-inspiring to finally get to meet him. Once every 10 or 15 years I get to meet someone who has quite literally changed my world -- Kurt Vonnegut, Bobby Vee, Keanu Reeves, and Gary Gygax. (I still want to meet Bill Gates.)

I grew up pre-D&D, and learned to play in college in 1977. Pre-D&D all we geeks did was read science fiction (there wasn't much fantasy fiction back then either). It's my theory that D&D has influenced the writing of fantasy fiction and changed the world for my generation (and yours) as much as J.K. Rowling has changed the world for your generation.

My first husband and I got to know each other playing D&D in grad school. My sons and I played D&D as they were growing up -- our D&D games were a way for us to bond, and a great way for me to get to know their friends who came to our house for several hours once a week to eat and game and talk. We still play D&D once a month with a group of their old friends and some new ones. My older son comes home from university in order to play.

Anyway, I'm sure Gary Gygax would be pleased to know that you are all planning to play Tomb of Horrors. Here's to Gary -- gone but not forgotten.

~Cindy

Meat Shield
2008-03-05, 11:38 PM
I so do not have the eloquence that some of the others have shown in this thread, nor the wit to make a quip on this subject. I will simply say via con dios, and thanks for letting us all sit in at your game.

My group is going to have a moment at the start of our session Friday. And I have officially named my little dragon mascot (that sits in front of me every session) Gary.

raistlin807
2008-03-06, 01:43 AM
I actually corresponded with him once or twice years ago and I think it says a lot about him that he was still passing knowledge and experience to younger generations with no thought for profit. To Mr. Gygax...you were a personal hero, a teacher and above all else a master story teller.

The world is a sadder place without you

Kioran
2008-03-06, 02:18 AM
Sometimes, words elude me. Words I´d use to express the sorrow I felt for the passing of a man I never knew, knew perhaps through his works. Thus, having no words, I bow my head.

Rest in peace Gary.

Jayngfet
2008-03-06, 02:55 AM
a thought I got from the wow forums



how the hell does Jack Chick outlive the origional dm!?!

themightybiggun
2008-03-06, 03:14 AM
how the hell does Jack Chick outlive the origional dm!?!

Ah, now we see who actually made a deal with the devil...

nagora
2008-03-06, 04:32 AM
(I still want to meet Bill Gates.)


Give him a punch in the face from me if you ever do.

Gary gave the world a new thing; Gates took a new thing and ruined it for 20 years to line his own pockets.

Dallas-Dakota
2008-03-06, 04:38 AM
Yesterday,
A great man died,
a man near to mighty Tolkien,
from him come all the heros,
from him come all the dragons,
somewhere mages stain books with tears,
fighters swords clatter to the floor,
paladins pray to weeping gods,
and this bard, has tears on his guitar.

Raistlin and Drizzt,
got together,
with all the other heros,
and while the archmage wept,
they carried the first hero to heaven,
and Tolkien said to him:
"I forgive you for the Hobbits."

I can only say, if I feel this sadness for his passing, thank Jesus I wasn't there when Tolkien died...

I bet right now, Gary, Tolkien, Shakespear and Jesus are up there asking who has to use the bad d20...

My thoughts are your thoughts... Great minds think alike....
I completely agree....

Shademan
2008-03-06, 05:18 AM
*puts hand at heart*
ÅÅÅÅ-HEEEEEEI!
*lifts tankard of mead*
to a great man with a even greater imaginenation....
*sniff*

Jimbob
2008-03-06, 07:44 AM
A sad day for all D&D players and DM's all over the world. RIP Gary

PlatinumJester
2008-03-06, 09:32 AM
R.I.P. dude.
You're the one person whose body I refuse to loot.

Person_Man
2008-03-06, 10:00 AM
Don't worry, its just his first step in becoming a Lich.


He'll rightly be remembered with Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkien, and the other giants of the field.

Caractacus
2008-03-06, 11:52 AM
If I recall correctly, I started playing in about 1983. I got the Basic set (and later Expert, Companion and Master though I never played most of them) and graduated up to Advanced. Even today, Advanced is *real* D&D to me.

I have a copy of the blue paperback rules from, I think, 1978, and most of my metal miniatures are so old you had to glue the weapons on them when you got them home.

I have The World of Greyhawk and many other elements of the earliest games in existence. Strange maps and bits and pieces that I got way back when.

I don't play any more - I bought Second Edition, but never played it - but I owe my interest in role-playing and the fact that I own about twenty such games (including other classics I swear I will return to, like Runequest and Traveller) to him and Dave Arneson.

I made many, many friends through my gaming and, whatever controversies there have been, he and his work have certainly exerted a positive effect upon the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world.

Thanks, Gary. Hope when you reroll your stats they come up good...

Renx
2008-03-06, 12:52 PM
So long... and thanks for all the dice!

This is now my favourite quote ever.

Subotei
2008-03-06, 05:47 PM
I never knew him, but I can't imagine how different my life would've been without him. Raise your glasses.

LibraryOgre
2008-03-07, 12:18 AM
how the hell does Jack Chick outlive the origional dm!?!

If you had a choice, who would you rather have come and stay with you?

Kunanaki
2008-03-07, 01:46 AM
I miss him. I wonder how Dave Arneson will respond, he was my teacher in the college I go to. They never reconciled about the D&D accolades thing.

Jayngfet
2008-03-07, 02:12 AM
If you had a choice, who would you rather have come and stay with you?

Depends, how much violence and snark can I use?

Cuddly
2008-03-07, 02:25 AM
Don't worry, its just his first step in becoming a Lich.


He'll rightly be remembered with Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkien, and the other giants of the field.

Even if his writing was terrible.

Ossian
2008-03-07, 05:07 AM
Tonight we were supposed to run a commemorative dungeon crawl. Old core 2nd D&D rules. No house rules invented by us. Too bad 2 players have other significant halves that won't let them join. But they will be with us for a beer tonight. As agreed, I am carring a D4. We roll 1d4+1 and observe the minutes of silence it will set.

Farewell

ALOR
2008-03-07, 09:39 AM
RIP Mr Gygax, thanks for the hours of fun your brainchild has provided me and my friends.

osyluth
2008-03-08, 12:09 AM
Rolls a d20 in his memory...18. May that be what you roll for Wisdom on your next incarnation.

CockroachTeaParty
2008-03-08, 01:32 AM
Before my session with me mates in Real Life today, I told everyone we would be holding 1d20 seconds of silence in the late Mr. Gygax's honor. I stood up, took my favorite d20, and rolled. No joke, it landed right on the 20.

Sure, seconds aren't as profound as minutes, but we had a game to play. I think Gygax's presence was in that room, and he no doubt approved.

I also gave everyone a free action point to do something extra epic in his name. A good session all around. Thanks again Gary.

isawa jape
2008-03-08, 07:29 PM
Rest in peace Mr. Gygax, you will be remembered for your contribution to the imagination of generations

The_Snark
2008-03-08, 08:38 PM
I never met him personally, nor did I know much about him. From what I've heard since he died, though, he was a cheerful guy who was easy to get along with, who happened to share an activity he liked with many, many other people.

Cheers, Mr. Gygax. *clinks glass*

Lyinginbedmon
2008-03-09, 06:39 AM
Robert Jordan wrote popular but verbose books
Heith Ledger appeared in a few films that amazed millions

Ernest Gary Gygax changed the course of the 20th Century.

Words alone cannot describe how he changed my life alone.
http://www.remembercomic.co.uk/SpecOcc/In%20true%20memoriam.png

LibraryOgre
2008-03-09, 06:58 AM
Our own personal GaryCon (http://rpg-crank.livejournal.com/21368.html)

Note: Some of the words in that blog would be censored if posted here. However, the general content would not be.