Slog - Comments on Gary Gygax, RIP http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip Copyright 2008 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:00:44 -0800 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:16:31 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by elenchos Gygax taught a whole generation to gratuitously add the Latin abbreviations et al, ie and eg to everything they write, including shopping lists and their own signatures.

]]> elenchos http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955855 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955855 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:07:39 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Where would Harry Potter be without Gary Gygax?

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955890 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955890 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:20:57 -0800 Comment by josh bomb I am in shock, Owlbears across the globe are crying, none of us ever imagined Gary Gygax could have failed his saving throw.

+5 RIP

]]> josh bomb http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955902 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955902 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:25:44 -0800 Comment by Judah When I was 4, a trucker who lived with me and my dad taught me to play the original Chainmail rules for gaming with lead figures. Then a few years later I got into the original Basic set -- then Expert and so on.

Dude had a huge impact on my life, mostly surprisingly good, considering what a douche he was.

Ah well.

]]> Judah http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955905 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955905 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:27:22 -0800 Comment by wisepunk Goodnight, Funnyman.

]]> wisepunk http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955910 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955910 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:28:41 -0800 Comment by nabob Raise Dead! Somebody cast Raise Dead!...

]]> nabob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955912 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955912 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:29:22 -0800 Comment by Westside forever Farewell to a true original. Haven't played in 20 years or so, but I still crack open my Player's Handbook once in a while. Gave me something great to do with my mates until if figured out how to talk to girls.

]]> Westside forever http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955939 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955939 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:38:50 -0800 Comment by pgreyy Brett Favre retires.

Gary Gygax dies.

It's a sad, sad day in Dairyland.

pg--(Cheesehead, born & bred)

]]> pgreyy http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955941 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955941 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:39:36 -0800 Comment by Providence Shit, there's never a high-level cleric around when you really, really need one.

A big chunk of our generation's imagination died today. I think I'll go get drunk on mead and start a bar fight with half orcs.

RIP Gary.

]]> Providence http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955943 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955943 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:40:18 -0800 Comment by nabob Gary Gygax saved my whole family from freezing, that one winter when my mother burned all of my D&D books...

]]> nabob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955957 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955957 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:46:59 -0800 Comment by nabob Gary Gygax saved my whole family from freezing, that one winter when my mother burned all of my D&D books...

]]> nabob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955960 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955960 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:47:37 -0800 Comment by nabob Oops. Too much coffee today.

]]> nabob http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955976 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955976 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:53:07 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle (aside)

He actually was a nice guy in person. And a great guy to have on gaming panels. I still have some signed copies of games from him.

He'll be missed.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955979 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955979 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:53:41 -0800 Comment by Morgan Good night, sweet wizard.

]]> Morgan http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955989 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955989 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:55:55 -0800 Comment by Beguine Oh, sad.
Safe voyage.

]]> Beguine http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955995 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c955995 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:59:14 -0800 Comment by Sven Damn this day Gary botched his Save vs. Death. I'm going to have a few drinks in memory and look over some old books.

]]> Sven http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956015 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956015 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:10:24 -0800 Comment by Fnarf I couldn't care less about D&D, but I think it's cool that he invented polyhedral dice (other than six, that is). According to Troll Lord Games, quoted in Boing Boing, "I found sets of the five platonic solids for sale in a school supply catalog back in 1972".
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/03/04/dungeons-dragons-cre.html

]]> Fnarf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956030 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956030 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:17:58 -0800 Comment by Joh This man had a more profound, over-arcing and powerful influence on pop culture than anyone who has died in many many years.

He will never get credit for it, but without gygax, we wouldn't have george lucas, stephen colbert or neil gaiman.

]]> Joh http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956036 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956036 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:21:12 -0800 Comment by trent moorman I played D&D one time. My friend said he knew how to play. My character was a thief. I had like 4 hit points.

3 rolls into the game there was a lake with a fisherman sitting in front of the lake. I killed him. Turns out the fisherman was frikking Zeus. I got 10,000 hit points and an armada - after 3 rolls of playing.

I was invincible that day. Till my brother told me it was bullshit.

RIP, Gary.

]]> trent moorman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956037 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956037 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:21:49 -0800 Comment by Toby Hm. Even aftere I figured out how to talk to girls, I still played games like D&D. I just got some of those girls to play with me. :)

]]> Toby http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956065 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956065 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 13:39:12 -0800 Comment by bobcat Mind Flayers and Drows celebrate... those elusive bastards.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks was my favorite AD&D module. I used to spend hours reading them at Waldenbooks

]]> bobcat http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956119 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956119 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:17:48 -0800 Comment by Colton Man, that must have been an Epic drop. When they posting teh lewts?

]]> Colton http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956136 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956136 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:26:45 -0800 Comment by Chris McCann Paul La Farge did a great piece on Gygax in The Believer a while back.

http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=article_lafarge

]]> Chris McCann http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956144 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956144 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:29:21 -0800 Comment by Wolf Geek.

without gygax, we wouldn't have george lucas, stephen colbert or neil gaiman.

That's a risk I'd have been willing to take.

]]> Wolf http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956189 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956189 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:52:24 -0800 Comment by Paulus I used to sit alone, reading the campaigns and pretending to play, because none of my friends were into it.

viva Black Pudding!

]]> Paulus http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956215 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956215 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:10:20 -0800 Comment by Joh @24

I don't mind being a geek.

Gygax, while being a bit of a tool on the few occasions I met him, created something that would chnage the lives of millions upon millions of people. He leaves a pretty good legacy behind.

]]> Joh http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956219 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956219 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:11:58 -0800 Comment by Jim The game genre he created led me to my longest term group of friends. It gave us a reason to get together through decades. The gaming culture that rose around D&D lead to me having a variety of jobs, bought me a car and paid for a nine week European vacation. Most importantly it gave me a wife and kids.

Rest in peace E.G.G.

]]> Jim http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956361 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c956361 History Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:56:30 -0800 Comment by Anonymous Tard I remember turning to Punk rock in the hopes that it would save my social life from the nerd-dom D&D had brought me to. Other teenagers do stop laughing at you quite as much when you spike your hair and draw lots of skulls on things, but I found that singing the praises of the Circle Jerks and the Butthole Surfers didn't really get me laid any better than the chromatic dragons and the rare and valuable magic items did. But it did give me good tunes to roll up new characters by.

It's good to know that punk rock worked out for someone else though.

RIP Gary.

]]> Anonymous Tard http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c958428 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/03/gary_gygax_rip#c958428 History Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:16:31 -0800