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At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: TwilightOdyssey on March 05, 2008, 04:40:09 PM

Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on March 05, 2008, 04:40:09 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/05gygax.html?ref=arts
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Jonny on March 05, 2008, 04:42:08 PM
Too many people dying.. :(
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Davey on March 05, 2008, 04:50:55 PM
they're not dying. they're going home

RIP
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: blue on March 05, 2008, 04:52:20 PM
just saw that a while ago, sad.  i haven't played in quite a while, but in the late 80's and early 90's many weekends were lost to AD&D!  damn, we were geeks!
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Kilby on March 05, 2008, 06:29:40 PM
I never really took to AD&D (preferred the Basic / original version)

However D&D did cause Runequest & Call of Cthulhu to be created, so I owe him a big thank you
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: indysmith on March 05, 2008, 07:14:35 PM
Quote from: Jonny
Too many people dying.. :(

Not meaning to be disrespectful at all, but I've very seldom heard of any of the people that are proclaimed to have died on this forum... Everyone dies; if we all read obituaries and posted all the deaths of random people who's names we recognized, this forum would be full of 'em.

I've never actually played dungeons and dragons; I'm definitely up for a game though! In his honour!
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: sambo on March 05, 2008, 07:26:17 PM
Quote from: indysmith

Not meaning to be disrespectful at all, but I've very seldom heard of any of the people that are proclaimed to have died on this forum... Everyone dies; if we all read obituaries and posted all the deaths of random people who's names we recognized, this forum would be full of 'em.

I've never actually played dungeons and dragons; I'm definitely up for a game though! In his honour!


Yeah I would have to agree. Not saying that people dying shouldn't be duly noted, but there does seem to be an ever-increasing number of death threads.

It's the anniversary of Stalin's death today anyway- far more historically significant than Dungeons and Dragons, I'm sure you'll agree.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on March 05, 2008, 07:35:59 PM
Just because your life wasn't touched by, say, Jeff Healey or Gary Gygax, doesn't invalidate the intent of the thread. "Historical significance" has no bearing here, hence why I will still post a Criss Oliva memorial thread on the anniversary of his death.

I had nothing to add to the Healey thread, so I opted not to post. To post a negative comment here is unseemly and reeks of post whoring. The old adage, if you have nothing nice to say etc etc, springs to mind.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: sambo on March 05, 2008, 08:12:03 PM
Even if "post whoring" was in fact a real act, I still wouldn't have been guilty of committing it.

Also, I did not claim that the intent of the thread was 'invalid'.

I was just offering my opinion in regards to putting things in perspective. "Historical significance" DOES have bearing here (in my opinion) otherwise why doesn't everyone list the names of every person they've ever known to die?

My point wasn't meant to be disrespectful, and I don't think it was. I am not taking anything away from the guy or anyone who indeed did have their lives "touched" by him or anyone else for that matter.

Why are you so unwilling to let me voice my opinion?
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Elliot on March 05, 2008, 09:08:40 PM
Tis a great shame - Even today I was looking at my collection of original 70 and 80s TSR products (as I was consigning them to the loft) - Gotta love that Erol Otus early stuff (S1 Tomb of Horrors being my fave).
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on March 05, 2008, 09:15:56 PM
Quote from: Elliot
Tis a great shame - Even today I was looking at my collection of original 70 and 80s TSR products (as I was consigning them to the loft) - Gotta love that Erol Otus early stuff (S1 Tomb of Horrors being my fave).

Ravenloft was bigger than the biggest thing ever when I was very young.

A good friend of mine runs a 1st Edition only AD&D group in Finland. They actually understand the complete melee system from 1E! lol
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Elliot on March 05, 2008, 09:18:34 PM
I loved that one too, although a bit later than the early stuff -  I played an adaptation of it recently on Neverwinter Nights.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: TwilightOdyssey on March 05, 2008, 09:20:21 PM
Heh, you beat me to it -- I was going to say that Castle Ravenloft was during the peak years for D&D, not an early module.

But those early- mid 80s games ... Boot Hill, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, AD&D. They were really of a different age, and will never be repeated.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: gingataff on March 05, 2008, 09:36:00 PM
I too dabbled in a bit of D&D (or was it AD&D?) back in the day, it was very much part of the culture of the time. I remember seeing Gary in an episode of Futurama a while back too.
As has been stated, his legacy is huge. Let's all role a D12 in his honour!
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Bird on March 05, 2008, 09:41:09 PM
Quote from: TwilightOdyssey
Heh, you beat me to it -- I was going to say that Castle Ravenloft was during the peak years for D&D, not an early module.

But those early- mid 80s games ... Boot Hill, Star Frontiers, Gamma World, AD&D. They were really of a different age, and will never be repeated.

Star Frontier   :lol:  I'd completely forgotten about that one. Cool game.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: ailean on March 05, 2008, 10:40:40 PM
I started with 2nd Ed AD&D, moved on to Middle Earth from there, but yeah I own a debt of thanks to Gary Gygax.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Kilby on March 05, 2008, 11:04:15 PM
Quote from: ailean
I started with 2nd Ed AD&D, moved on to Middle Earth from there, but yeah I own a debt of thanks to Gary Gygax.


I used to play Middle Earth a lot too and forgot about it thanks for reminding me

As for the number of death announcements recently I'd like to add a couple of points.

Though pretty unknown these days he was somebody who to a certain extent walked away from the stardom thing. He could have been at least as influencial as SRV but put music ahead of show business. I commented cos I had totally forgotten about him for several years but heard that he was due to play on the Jools Holland show in a couple of months. I was in the process of trying to aquire a ticket for that show through some media contacts that I still have


As for Gary Gygax, for children of the 70s & 80s he had a huge (and direct) influence. After those years he influenced almost every computer / console game that had any sort of a coherent story because the story telling & use of stats where decended from D&D

Considering the interests of the folks around here both of these deats are worth a mention (if not always a comment)
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Elliot on March 05, 2008, 11:04:17 PM
Never liked Star Frontiers, too hammy. Gamma World was a good post holocaust sci-fantasy game.  IMO Traveller was the bomb sci-fi RPG wise.
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Bird on March 05, 2008, 11:11:41 PM
Which sci-fi roleplaying game had the booklets in black?
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Elliot on March 06, 2008, 08:02:03 AM
Traveller
Title: GARY GYGAX dies at age 69
Post by: Sailor Charon on March 06, 2008, 10:52:40 AM
Sigh...
Thanks Gary, you filled so many afternoons of my youth. If you don't get to heaven, then you'll find that +5 Holy Avenger very useful... :)