Gary Gygax, co-creator of the incredibly influential Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games, died yesterday at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at age 69.
Almost everyone who's ever played an RPG, be it with dice, a mouse, or a controller, owes a debt of gratitude to Gygax, who helped create many of the conventions we now take for granted, such as leveling up, stat-boosting gear, and, of course, the Dungeon Master.
Gygax created the original D&D in 1974 with Dave Arneson as a product of Tactical Studies Rules, which later became TSR. The popularity of the pen-and-paper version of D&D has waxed and waned over the years, but its status as a pillar of the gaming community has never wavered.
Honor Gygax's memory however you feel is appropriate. Roll for initiative. Attack the darkness. As for me, I'll be watching some episodes of the Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series. Yes, of course it's crap, but I love it, just the same. I never could decide which I wanted more, though, Sheila's cloak or Hank's bow.
