Steve Chenault of Troll Lord Games has just given word on the Troll Lord forums that original D&D publisher and co-creator Gary Gygax has died in his home, last night or this morning. Details are still sketchy and the forum site is not loading so well at the moment, but here you are. We’ll get you more when we can.
Update: CNet has more. It confirms heart problems as the cause of death; Gygax mentioned an inoperable heart condition in a 2006 interview. He is survived by his wife, six children, and seven grandchildren, as well as by all of us whose lives have been shaped in some way by his creation. He will be missed.
I was sitting in the back room of my Game Store, eating lunch and reading Mr. Gygax’s Wikipedia article, when it hit me like a freight train that without his work…I wouldn’t be sitting in the back of my game store. I vividly remember 3rd grade, sitting at recess (every recess) playing D&D for the short periods we had. We couldn’t get enough. I suppose in a greater sense, I still haven’t.
Thank you Gary Gygax. You sure did do an awful lot for us.
This man gave me something long ago, a “role playing game” I picked up in a small novelty store. 25 years since I have identified myself as a gamer.
Dungeons and Dragons carried me through my early years. I was small, with a troubled home life, and was constantly fighting a cold. DnD was my outlet and a way to make new friends wherever my constantly moving mother would take us. I became an advid reader, writer, actor, and martial artist, all of which were influenced by my times spent with friends playing the game.
After my life bottemed out in ’99 I put my life back together and started to design RPGs and boardgames. On a whim I sent Gary a fan email and he replied with kindness and encouragement. I still have the email printed and stored with my DnD stuff.
You will be truly missed Gary Gygax. Find quick flight on whatever plane you find yourself on 😉
Rest in peace, Gary. You’ll be missed.
Let’s all have a mid-week D&D game to celebrate his life.
As a way of honoring Gary Gygax we will have a “Gary Con†across the globe this weekend.
Get your old gaming friends together, or invite some new players to join you for a game. We’ll all play either Dungeons & Dragons, or some other game but with a classic D&D type dungeon in it.
This is a global event for new and old fans of Gary’s game to get together, roll some dice, and have some fun. If you’re on Facebook, we’ve setup an event page for Gary Con 2008: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=11208127045
I don’t know if this is old news but some MIT students erected a giant d20 as a tribute to Gary Gygax
http://www.news.com/8301-13772_3-9903140-52.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5