Get the Cleric R.I.P Gary Gygax

"In the recent past co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons Gary Gygax has worked with Troll Lord Games, a small tabletop RPG publisher. Their forums have up a post noting that Mr. Gygax has passed away. Gygax was known, along with Dave Arneson, as the Grandfather of Roleplaying."


This makes me sad.


Very sad, actually. I met and had a drink wit the man in my early 20's when I worked for a small game company in Kent named Wizards of the Coast. We flew out to Origins to make a name for ourselves, and I ended up in the green room drinkng with a few old men who were telling Game Mastering stories. Mr. Gygax was telling a story about how he had written the words "DEAD" in large red marker on peoples character sheets, and cackeling like Lum the Mad.

I liked him immeadiately.

We talked for a few hours about GMing, about traditional styles vs. the White Wolf Storytelling style, and why the hell THAC0 was even vaguely important. As the guy who always got the book from people saying RUN THIS, I felt it was a chance for me to listen and learn. He was a fun guy to drink with and he told me things that were just over the top (For the time). We argued about the benefits of Resurection vs non resurection, leveling differnces, Combative vs. reactionary game mastering, all sorts of things, but what he told me in those few nights of drinking,

What I remember the most,


"Kill the bastards."

I only spoke with him for a few nights, but what I'll always remember is this-

The Heros journey is what makes them a Hero, not just one victory.
The Demon never dies, even if it's only a memory.
The Dragon always wins. Always.

...and Kill the Bastards.


So my friends, raise a glass tonight, crack open your first edition PHB, and remember kindly the man who brought us dreams, adventure, treasure, and the heros only limited by our imagination.


RIP Gary Gygax. May St. Cuthbert speed you to your well deserved rest.


~Sean
A saddened GM.

It's a shame he's gone on, but I can't be truly "sad" at this point. It seems to me that Mr. Gygax had a decent run and was able to do what he loved with his life. He left a mark on the world and gave a lot of people a lot of good times. We should all have been so lucky when our time comes.

So while I wish I could have met him sometime and wish he had a few more years, I'm mostly glad for what he did with the time he had and what he gave all of us geeks to enjoy. Here's to Gary's life and the hope that wherever we all go, he's found a good group to roll with.

Mark