Pen and paper roleplaying pioneer Gary Gygax is dead

by Daniel Whitcomb Mar 4th 2008 at 10:00PM

Gary Gygax, who has long been attributed as the father of Pen and Paper roleplay gaming via the co-creation of the classic Dungeons and Dragons system alongside David Arneson, died this morning at his home in Wisconsin of an apparent heart attack.

We here at WoW Insider would like to pay tribute to him, and recognize his contributions to our gaming lives. Even if the World of Warcraft is not a pen and paper game, pen and paper games were where many of us first gathered with friends to slay dragons, orcs, and all kinds of creatures, and a good number of us who now play games like World of Warcraft first cut our teeth on gaming with a six sided die. The same can be said for many game designers, I'm sure, and it is probably fair to say that we might not even have MMORPGs to play without PnP for the genre to spring from. I myself will have my weekly pen and paper game this Thursday, and even if the system we use isn't Dungeons and Dragons, I'll be rolling in his memory.

Among some of the most memorable quotes from the impromptu message board eulogies I've heard was from someone who said, "He's in chaotic good heaven now." Another said, "As long as people gather around a table to roll dice and slay dragons, Gary Gygax won't be truly dead."

I couldn't say it better myself. Godspeed, Mr. Gygax. May your memory live on.

Tags: Gary-Gygax, Gygax, pen-and-paper, roleplaying

Filed under: Virtual selves, News items

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

Scorp Mar 4th 2008 10:06PM

RIP :(

Old School Gamer Mar 5th 2008 1:46PM

I can only hope that the millions of WoW addicts around the world will take a minute to reflect upon how profoundly his contributions shaped not only MMORPGs, but every conceivable manifestation of fantasy gaming.

It actually hurts that I'll never have the chance to thank him in person.

On November 1, 1973, E. Gary Gygax wrote these words... and changed the world:

"These rules are strictly fantasy. Those wargamers who lack imagination, those who don't care for Burroughs' 'Martian Adventures' where John Carter is groping through black pits, who feel no thrill upon reading Howard's 'Conan' saga, who do not enjoy the 'de Camp & Pratt' fantasies or Fritz Leiber's 'Fafhrd and Gray Mouser' pitting their swords against evil sorceries will not be likely to find 'DUNGEONS & DRAGONS' to their taste. But those whose imaginations know no bounds will find that these rules are the answer to their prayers. With this last bit of advice we invite you to read on and enjoy a 'world' where the fantastic is fact and magic really works!"

...and the fact that you're even reading this proves that the magic DID work.

Rest in peace, Dungeon Master...

George M. Mar 4th 2008 10:09PM

There should be a quest giver named Gygax in WoTLK!

Xeren Mar 4th 2008 11:08PM

second that

Fyxie Mar 5th 2008 12:07AM

Most definitely. That would be awesome!

Mattarias Mar 4th 2008 10:10PM

To the Hall of Heroes, indeed. Hail Gygax, may your druid friends not reincarnate you as a squirrel.

jesper Mar 4th 2008 10:10PM

/salute Mr. Gygax

kr3wman Mar 4th 2008 10:14PM

I'm changing my Battle Shout Macro"

"For Lothar!"

to

"For Gygax! eat some natural 20s, B@#$%!"

Scelerat Mar 4th 2008 10:17PM

It's always a shame to see a great man fail his final saving throw...

z4nd4r Mar 5th 2008 1:09AM

Everyone fails their last one...

jbodar Mar 5th 2008 4:43PM

@z4nd4r

Untrue. Jesus saved and took half damage.

SaintStryfe Mar 4th 2008 10:17PM

Damn fine human. He made our industry. Without him, RPG-style games would be generally inaccessible to the uninitiated. Gygax opened up RPG games to the masses with his fun, arguable yet simple pen-and-paper rules. He is directly responsible for games like Everquest, WoW and Final Fantasy. His terms are still used, and for every person to down his work ::cough::JackChick::cough:: dozens of more pick up dice.

Aces to him. He left the world a better place as a result of his work, and will be remembered for it.

WoofABC Mar 5th 2008 12:11AM

May he rest in Peace. He did create an entire world for some of us who grew up in the proper time frame. I didn't come into D&D until the 2nd edition books were out, but just reading the Fiend Folio, Dieties and Demigods, Monster Manual, and the Player and DM Handbooks was in its own ways as much fun as time spent in-game.

He took his magic system, curiously, from Jack Vance's system as depicted in his Dying Earth stories (and maybe others, none come to mind though), in what I have read was an effort to use a magic system unlike any reality-based occult beliefs.

SaintStryfe Mar 5th 2008 12:25AM

While alive for it, I didn't play in any serious way until college, when I was playing 3rd Edition. I was president of the college's RPG club (The FORGE), and I still have it on my resume (President, Vice President and Treasuer of a 50+ member social organization requiring budgeting and marketing skills) to this day.

Even the oldbies in our group would tell us says of AD&D, and some back even further. It was a real special part of a lot of lifetimes, and I think a lot of us long-time gamers could go back to individual characters we loved, even fondly thinking of character death.

I remember once being forced on trial when my party-mate was found stealing, and when found, killing guards, and when I was honest on the stand. The PC was executed and I was haunted by a new ghostly apparition angry with me for telling the truth. Eventually he took over the body of our party's Moriarty and we had an epic fight, where I sacrificed myself to save my SO (who was also my RL SO. I don't mind saying, that was a fun night despite the loss of a character I invested 12 levels of time into, if you catch my drift.)

Happy memories despite the saddness. Gary gets to take 20 into the history books as one of the people who helped influence my life, along with my Uncle, my parents, and several teachers. I smile happily and wish peace to his family, and I hope they know how happy he made a lot of us.