I am deeply saddened by the news that Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, passed away last night, apparently from heart failure. See: http://www.freeyabb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4373&mforum=trolllordgames

D&D is a game I have enjoyed since my childhood. With some brief time off for a few years, I have played it almost continuously since Junior High School. The game brought be a great deal of joy, friendship, knowledge (both useless and useful) and honing of skills like reading, writing, imagination, and mathematics which have served me well in many other fields. If not for what I learned in D&D, I would have done worse in my SATs, and hence worse in my LSATs, and perhaps not have become an attorney. In my darkest moments in life I have been able to engage my imagination and dream of fantastical worlds which Gary helped create, and those thoughts were always a comfort to me.

I owe a debt of gratitude to this great man, who continued to chat with his fans (including me) on message boards for the past several years, up until a few days ago. He was always open to any question or comment or criticism, always friendly and helpful, and went out of his way to make sure people continued to enjoy the game he helped create. He helped many people become game creators in their own right, and worked on a collective history of role playing games that continues to be written with each new generation.

A fitting eulogy I read was originally from Knights of the Dinner Table #11. Here's to you Gary.

The Empty Chair
Eulogy for a Gamer

There is an empty chair,
at the table this day.
A hallowed place where,
a friend once played.
The roll of his dice,
my ears long to hear.
Or perhaps it would suffice,
if he should suddenly appear.
With character sheet in hand,
and a bag of Cheeze-doodles to share.
All his friends would stand,
as he sat in the empty chair.
I hear his voice a-callin’,
and it ties my heart in a knot.
For he cries, “Though a comrade has fallen,
You must play for those who cannot.”
We conquered worlds on the run,
he and I in the name of fun.
And as others may come and go,
I make both both friend and foe.
But what I long for most,
is our past now long a ghost.