I got the word that Gary Gygax had passed away today and it hurt. I started RPGs with the old, Erol Otus red box basic D&D set. As a classic, shy geeky person, it opened up new worlds for me in more ways than one. A huge number of my friends have also been roleplayers and I met them through gaming. I've spent countless hours immersed in RPGs or just reading the rules and imagining games and characters. And he had such a huge impact, not just on the RPG industry, which D&D made possible, but computer games and fantasy novels too. Fantasy games on both console and computer have a huge D&D influence and the success of so many AD&D novel tie-ins had publishers lining up to do more fantasy stuff. Sure, lots of hackwork, but would A Song of Ice and Fire have been possible otherwise? Not sure.
It's some comfort that while he is gone, those contributions are not and continue to influence other creators far and wide.
"You open the Pearly Gates. Inside is a 10' by 10' room with an orc guarding a chest. What do you do?"
It's some comfort that while he is gone, those contributions are not and continue to influence other creators far and wide.
"You open the Pearly Gates. Inside is a 10' by 10' room with an orc guarding a chest. What do you do?"