Gygax is dead?

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:17 pm

On another forum, someone was saying Gary Gygax died at his home.

Me being the suspicious bastard I am, I immediately checked around.

His wikipedia page lists him as dying today, some other message boards are saying he's dead...

I'm willing to concede that it may not be a hoax.

Fwib · Post by **Fwib** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:00 pm

Various stories found by Google News - didn't check to see if they had a common source: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=u ... earch+News

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:04 pm

According to the Star Tribune, yes, Gary Gygax has died. Today, tuesday morning, he died at age 69 in his home at Lake Geneva.

the article

Apparently he'd been suffering health problems for years, I'm surprised we hadn't heard about it, he seem the type to whine and feel entitled because he's sick.

JonSetanta · Post by **JonSetanta** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:19 pm

He should have watched his weight.
And had just a bit more exercise.
And.. well... not played games so much in dark basements.

But yes, this is truly a dark day for nerds everywhere.
Let his passing be a lesson to everyone favoring Rockstar and WoW over a bicycle and water.

Crissa · Post by **Crissa** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:33 pm

Rockstar is a pretty aerobic game, honestly. And 69 is pretty good for someone of his era; that's six years short of what is expected for a male born today in the US.

There's also no evidence than people within the general range of 'overweight' and 'obese' actually live shorter lives.

-Crissa

JonSetanta · Post by **JonSetanta** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:53 pm

No... Rockstar the drink.

Aktariel · Post by **Aktariel** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:58 pm

Crissa at [unixtime wrote:1204662793[/unixtime]]There's also no evidence than people within the general range of 'overweight' and 'obese' actually live shorter lives.

Really? I find that to be quite untrue. Overweightness and obesity do not "directly" lead to earlier death, no, but they do lead to things such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and others, that are responsible for death.

Leress · Post by **Leress** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:14 pm

Aktariel at [unixtime wrote:1204664292[/unixtime]]
Crissa at [unixtime wrote:1204662793[/unixtime]]There's also no evidence than people within the general range of 'overweight' and 'obese' actually live shorter lives.

Really? I find that to be quite untrue. Overweightness and obesity do not "directly" lead to earlier death, no, but they do lead to things such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and others, that are responsible for death.

It increases the chances of getting those conditions it doesn't lead to them.

Talisman · Post by **Talisman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:39 pm

Hail and farewell, Gary!
I didn't always (often) agree with your opinions, but you founded the hobby of RPGs, and for that I thank you.

*raises mug*

JonSetanta · Post by **JonSetanta** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:45 pm

Hey, you know what?
I'll roll a d20 in his honor right now.

Aktariel · Post by **Aktariel** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:45 pm

Cheers. I'll drink to that.

And I'll raise one on my father's behalf as well, who played the original you created so long ago.

Bigode · Post by **Bigode** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:17 pm

Dark day my arse. Maybe now someone will remember Dave Arneson, if he outlives Gygax by a couple years. Not to mention the possibility that D&D might not've been creation of either ...

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:43 pm

Talisman at [unixtime wrote:1204666799[/unixtime]]Hail and farewell, Gary!
I didn't always (often) agree with your opinions, but you founded the hobby of RPGs, and for that I thank you.

*raises mug*

this is my view, he may have been a bad dm (by todays standards), but he helped create D&D, so, we have that to thank him for.

Actually, Bigode, Arneson's been getting recognized pretty well lately, but yeah, that was one of my thoughts.

Lago_AM3P · Post by **Lago_AM3P** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:04 am

Hooray for thievery and frivolous lawsuits!

If you lie and steal and harass enough, you'll get remembered as the beloved pioneer of a signature nerd hobby!

Pour out those drinks and stop congratulating this douchenozzle.

SunTzuWarmaster · Post by **SunTzuWarmaster** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:53 am

Yea, Arneson is teaching the classes up over here and occasionally stops by the local Sci-Fi City.

Shame about Gygax though.

Bigode · Post by **Bigode** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:57 am

Lago_AM3P at [unixtime wrote:1204675441[/unixtime]]Hooray for thievery and frivolous lawsuits!

If you lie and steal and harass enough, you'll get remembered as the beloved pioneer of a signature nerd hobby!

Pour out those drinks and stop congratulating this douchenozzle.

No, bring the drinks to cheer!

Captain_Bleach · Post by **Captain_Bleach** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:16 am

Lago_AM3P at [unixtime wrote:1204675441[/unixtime]]Hooray for thievery and frivolous lawsuits!

If you lie and steal and harass enough, you'll get remembered as the beloved pioneer of a signature nerd hobby!

Pour out those drinks and stop congratulating this douchenozzle.

We're mourning. If we were congratulating his death, then we'd hate Gygax.

Absentminded_Wizard · Post by **Absentminded_Wizard** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:51 am

Bigode at [unixtime wrote:1204669025[/unixtime]]Dark day my arse. Maybe now someone will remember Dave Arneson, if he outlives Gygax by a couple years. Not to mention the possibility that D&D might not've been creation of either ...

Info? I haven't heard that one before. I'd heard that Arneson really designed over 90% of the original rules and Gygax just added really confusing things like alignment and the idea that law and good are somehow inextricably linked.

I'd also heard that some of the rules were lifted from other games (for example, the concept of AC was supposedly taken from a wargame of 19th-Century naval warfare), but that's pretty much par for the course in the industry.

As for Gygax's role in the hobby, it's kind of complex. On the one hand, he put his name on basically another guy's set of rules that he typed up and tried to screw Arneson out of royalties. He also advocated a style of DMing that apparently worked for him and his friends when they were all swilling beer and eating pretzels but is disastrous when applied to less close-knit groups. OTOH, he popularized D&D and helped spawn the pencil-and-paper RPG industry. I wonder whether Dave Arneson would ever have founded a company and put the game on the market, since he seemed to be the classic hobbyist making up rules for his own private gaming group. Would any of us have heard of D&D if not for Gygax? It's an open question. So there's plenty to praise and damn him for.

Lago_AM3P · Post by **Lago_AM3P** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:10 am

Would any of us have heard of D&D if not for Gygax? It's an open question. So there's plenty to praise and damn him for.

The prototype from which D&D spawned already existed, so we still would've had pencil and paper fantasy gaming at one point.

Also, the latest Order of the Stick comic makes me wanna barf. Pandering FTW!

IT'S OVER, THE PLAGARIST WON.

Anyone got any ideas I could steal? I feel like getting someone else's money and credit and then having a cadre of nerds justify my thievery. Trusting in your friends and your own work is for losers.

Draco_Argentum · Post by **Draco_Argentum** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:27 am

Bill Gates pulled that trick better, you should ask him for suggestions, Lago.

Count Arioch the 28th · Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:59 pm

Godammit Draco, I was going to say that.

Captain_Bleach · Post by **Captain_Bleach** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:43 pm

Lago_AM3P at [unixtime wrote:1204704614[/unixtime]]

Anyone got any ideas I could steal? I feel like getting someone else's money and credit and then having a cadre of nerds justify my thievery. Trusting in your friends and your own work is for losers.

Being original is a thing of the past. Everybody's copying everyone else nowadays. I felt sick when I saw Orcs mentioned in a Japanese Fantasy Anime.

norms29 · Post by **norms29** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:28 am

say what you want about his honesty, but I still think we owe him some respect.

I now suggest we have 1d6+4 moments of silence in his memory

JonSetanta · Post by **JonSetanta** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:49 am

I just failed my Mourn Check.

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:51 am

Wow, this if fucking viral. Its in every damn webcomic or column I read, even the non-gaming ones.

In other news, some monkey put up a 'request for a dedication' up on Enworlds 4e news page, and one of the Wizard's monkeys has agreed to stick one in the PH. Which is apparently all the excuse the 'naysayers' needed to cave in to buying it. And of course, anyone scoffing at this 'kind gesture' (we can sell more units!) is immediately jumped on by the mods.
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t ... br][br]Its worth a giggle, though... or its stomach wrenching pandering. Whichever.

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