/roll-dice1-sides20; R.i.P. Gary Gygax

I wrote up a brief, rushed obituary of Gary Gygax over at Den of Geek, seeing as how he passed away today at age 69. I’m tired, so I don’t think it’s the best work I could’ve done, but it’s one of those situations where a great man and key lynchpin in geek culture must be memorialized. Short notice, but then again when is anyone ever prepared for any death?

I wasn’t a huge, huge D&D player, though I was a D&D player. It doesn’t really matter, though, as without Gary Gygax, the RPG as we know it would not have existed. Basically every commonplace idea in modern RPGs, be they tabletop, miniature, or video game, comes from D&D. The man invented hit points, for Christ’s sake!

Anyway, Godspeed Gary, and thank you for creating the games to which I sacrificed most of my high school and college years to. Without your creation, and those you inspired, I might’ve had to go out on the weekends or at nights in my formative years (yes, I’m only 26, but it’s kind of late to start that shit now). That means I would’ve had to talk to women, that means I would’ve had to learn how to relate to the opposite sex, which means I would’ve somehow gotten laid, and God knows how that would’ve turned out for the world.

So thanks, Gary, for protecting the world from my unborn children. You truly are a paladin of alignment lawful/good.

Tags: AD&D, D&D, dungeons & dragons, Eulogies, gary gygax, lejendary adventures, obituaries