Author Topic: Gygax is dead, long live Gygax.  (Read 12086 times)

Heradel

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on: March 05, 2008, 06:33:18 AM


It'll probably be a rare member here that hasn't thrown a d20 more than a few times, or at least played games that descended from the D&D system (Baldur's gate I miss you so). And we owe those nights and days of basement joy and anguish to him, so goodbye and thanks for all the dice.

I Twitter. I also occasionally blog on the Escape Pod blog, which if you're here you shouldn't have much trouble finding.


birdless

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Reply #1 on: March 05, 2008, 07:05:26 PM
Oh wow, I hadn't heard. Thanks for the post.

moment of silence -> :-X



Darwinist

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Reply #2 on: March 05, 2008, 07:36:51 PM
I was reading a story about him in today's St. Paul, MN newspaper.  Even though his health was failing he still had groups of people meeting weekly at his Lake Geneva, WI home playing D&D.   

For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.    -  Carl Sagan


Ocicat

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Reply #3 on: March 05, 2008, 11:24:39 PM
It's hard to think of what the worlds of Gaming and Fantasy would be like if it wasn't for this man.  Regardless of if you like his actual work (ie, first edition AD&D) you've been touched by something that resulted from it.  Essentially all roleplaying games, and RPG style computer games.  For good or ill, there would be no World of Warcraft without Gygax.  But more than that, the very longevity of the fantasy genre and it's persistent tropes - they have been propped up and kept alive by fantasy gaming.  Sure, he stole from Tolkien, Leiber, Howard, Vance, and many other authors, but D&D turned Wizards, Dragons, and Elves from something featured in a few books and into a world you could explore and be a part of.   In the process inspiring thousands more books...

PodCastle would never exist were it not for Gygax.  Here's to his legacy!



CammoBlammo

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Reply #4 on: March 06, 2008, 04:45:15 AM
PodCastle will never exist were it not for Gygax.  Here's to his legacy!

There, fixed it for you  :D



Rachel Swirsky

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Reply #5 on: March 06, 2008, 02:15:20 PM
'Scuse me, Cammo?



Russell Nash

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Reply #6 on: March 06, 2008, 07:57:00 PM
Of course here comes your mod with the appropriate NPR links.

All Things Considered: A conversation with a friend of Gygax's

Morning Edition: A clip from an old interveiw with Gygax.



Thaurismunths

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Reply #7 on: March 06, 2008, 10:22:32 PM
Gygax died at age 69, a critical success if ever there were.


'Scuse me, Cammo?
I'm pretty sure he meant to imply that as Podcastle has yet to air (wire?) and episode, it isn't so much a podcast as a podcast-to-be.

How do you fight a bully that can un-make history?


CammoBlammo

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Reply #8 on: March 06, 2008, 10:32:33 PM
'Scuse me, Cammo?

Hee hee!

Of course, we could say that PodCastle was just waiting for the passing of Mr Gygax. But that'd be, well, wrong.

Could make for a good story though.



gelee

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Reply #9 on: March 06, 2008, 11:02:31 PM
I don't think I would have made it through highschool without his work.



bad_andy

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Reply #10 on: March 10, 2008, 05:13:00 AM
Pourin' out a bag of holding for my dead hommie.



Russell Nash

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Reply #11 on: March 10, 2008, 07:34:21 PM
More NPR:

NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me has a segment each week where they ask someone famous questions about stuff they know nothing about.  It's a three question multiple choice quiz.  This week they had the secretary of education and the quiz was about Gygax/D&D.  The host of the show is a big fan. 

To hear just this segment go here and then go down to the segment titled "Not My Job".



Rachel Swirsky

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Reply #12 on: March 10, 2008, 09:25:26 PM
Quote
I'm pretty sure he meant to imply that as Podcastle has yet to air (wire?) and episode, it isn't so much a podcast as a podcast-to-be.

Ah, okay. I read him as saying PodCastle won't ever exist. Believe me, I've been doing a lot of work that says otherwise. ;-)

Quote
NPR's Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me has a segment each week where they ask someone famous questions about stuff they know nothing about.  It's a three question multiple choice quiz.  This week they had the secretary of education and the quiz was about Gygax/D&D.

Thanks for the link, Russell!



CammoBlammo

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Reply #13 on: March 10, 2008, 10:19:50 PM
Ah, okay. I read him as saying PodCastle won't ever exist. Believe me, I've been doing a lot of work that says otherwise. ;-)

Sorry if I caused any offence. My intention was to point out that Podcastle would never have the chance to never exist if not for Gary Gygax. Since he did what he did, Podcastle does have the chance to never exist, which thanks to the work of palimpsest and friends, it won't be taking.

If nothing else, we can see why double negatives are best avoided in the (mainstream) English language.

I somehow feel a little disappointed that we've lost a running joke around here (the meme, not the podcast!). Over at Slashdot there's been a joke for years about Duke Nukem Forever, a game that's been promised forever but has never materialised. If Slashdot runs a story about the eventual heat death of the universe, you can be sure DNF will figure prominently in the discussion.

Of course, I'm happy to lose the meme if it means getting the podcast.



birdless

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Reply #14 on: March 10, 2008, 10:49:57 PM
Sorry if I caused any offence. My intention was to point out that Podcastle would never have the chance to never exist if not for Gary Gygax. Since he did what he did, Podcastle does have the chance to never exist, which thanks to the work of palimpsest and friends, it won't be taking.

If nothing else, we can see why double negatives are best avoided in the (mainstream) English language.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Hilarious.<-period



Rachel Swirsky

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Reply #15 on: March 11, 2008, 02:33:37 AM
Quote
Of course, I'm happy to lose the meme if it means getting the podcast.

Well, at the very least, if you turn out to be disappointed in the podcast, you can always mock us by saying you'd rather have the meme back. ;-)



stePH

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Reply #16 on: March 12, 2008, 02:07:12 AM
I somehow feel a little disappointed that we've lost a running joke around here (the meme, not the podcast!). Over at Slashdot there's been a joke for years about Duke Nukem Forever, a game that's been promised forever but has never materialised.
Yeah, it's also been called "Duke Nukem Not-Ever". 

"Nerdcore is like playing Halo while getting a blow-job from Hello Kitty."
-- some guy interviewed in Nerdcore Rising


Russell Nash

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Reply #17 on: March 17, 2008, 09:23:54 PM