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Gary Gygax (1938-2008)
If you're reading this on this website, you don't need me to tell you who Gary Gygax is, or to list all of his amazing accomplishments. In fact, it's not hyperbole to say that, if it weren't for Gary, you wouldn't be reading this, and this website would not exist. I had been introduced to Dungeons & Dragons through the original boxed set, but I did not own it. When I went to the bookstore to buy my own copy, the only D&D product they had was the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. I remember that day like it was yesterday, even though it was thirty years ago. I was babysitting my nephew, which was a cinch job because he was very little and slept all day. So I spent that Saturday afternoon reading my new book and was awestruck. I can still reclaim that feeling just by opening up that book today. That Dungeon Master's Guide was arcane, complex, and wonderfully imaginative. It was immersive and sophisticated and inspiring. I didn't realize it at the time, because I had no context for it, but it was pure Gary. From that day forward, I knew that being a DM was for me. Soon after, I started a game that I'll never forget. I owe all my oldest friends to that game. It sustained me all through high school and set me upon the path of being a game designer myself. Eventually, I ended up at TSR, the company Gary helped start, working on the game he co-created. It was a thrilling time. But even better, I met a wonderful editor there named Sue and we fell in love. Our wedding, with its castle-shaped cake, was attended largely by our coworkers and friends from TSR. While working on 3rd Edition D&D, perhaps one of my proudest moments was when we received feedback from Gary on our new version of his game. He said nice things, and in particular praised the Dungeon Master's Guide with warm, generous words. I felt as though my life had just completed some sort of important arc. To this day, it meant more than I can express, because in some way I am still, and always will be, that ten-year-old boy lost in the intricacies and wonder of Gary's DMG. Unlike many people I know, I cannot say that today I have lost a friend. Those who can, however, speak of a man of great wit, warmth, and fun. Gary and I met a few times, but always in a professional context. He was always good to me, when a lesser man would have scoffed and belittled the young upstart that I was. He held the door open for me and for other RPG designers who came after him. He beckoned us in with a nod and a knowing smile. I sincerely wish I had known Gary the person better. But I knew Gary the game designer very well. Early in my career, as a young intern at Iron Crown Enterprises, I remember saying, "Shouldn't we all be giving back to Gary Gygax on some level?" It seemed to me that every person playing any roleplaying game owed the man some thanks, and surely the people making their living on it owed him more than that. I was, of course, told that I was being silly and naive, and perhaps I was. But that doesn't mean I wasn't also right. (I was glad, years later at Wizards of the Coast, that the company worked things out financially with Gary. Although I don't know the details, it meant that on some level, some portion of my work's proceeds was going to the man who started it all.) But more than that, I have decided to make a contribution in Gary's name to a literacy charity (Firstbook) to help inspire young readers the way he inspired me. In addition to my friends and career, I am indebted to Gary for my love of words, particularly old words. I owe him for my sense of wonder and love of all things imaginative. With his help, I have traveled to unknown lands. I have created unknown lands. The hours of fun, escape, and wonder given to me by Gary's work add up to weeks, probably months. I couldn't possibly come up with a complete list, but I am compelled to mention at least Vault of the Drow, Tomb of Horrors, Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl, Village of Hommlet, Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. . . the list is made up of awe-inspiring titles that roll off any gamer's tongue like familiar friends. So. Much. Fun. As gamers, we sometimes fall into the trap of taking something that means so much to us personally -- like the very rules of the game we play each week -- and forgetting that someone actually labored over that creation. I think it just seems too big for us to take in. Do we all realize the monumental nature of what Gary Gygax helped create? It wasn't just another game, it was an entirely new pastime enjoyed by millions. An entirely new category of game (and, if you boil them down to their essence, there are only a handful of such categories). The foundation of his creations gave new life to fantasy fiction and spawned computer gaming as we know it. It's difficult to fully grasp all the ramifications of his work in our lives. We are lessened by Gary Gygax's absence, but we are all the better for his creativity, his generosity, and his hard work. Thanks, Gary.
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