Goodbye, Mr. Gygax

…RIP

So I get home just a few minutes ago and the first thing I see on my Friends List is that E. Gary Gygax, half of the duo that created Dungeons & Dragons, has died.

I met Gary twice. The first time was at my very first GenCon, when I got on an elevator in the Hyatt and found myself face to face with him. Now, I’ve never been a slobbering D&D fanboy, but I was still a bit taken aback. I introduced myself and told him I really liked D&D. He shook my hand, thanked me for the compliment and then got off on his floor. I felt rather cool.

The second time I met him was again at GenCon, but 4-5 years later. I was at a party and more than a bit tipsy. I was regaling a couple of fellow gamers with a recap of a TOON game and when I paused to take a drink, a voice next to me says “Ah, TOON, really fun game there.” I turn and see Mr. G standing there. I thanked him and for a couple of minutes we discussed how D&D games could sometimes become near TOONish. Then some younger TSR types came and began chatting him up, so I wandered off to get another drink.

Thank you for co-inventing the hobby I love, Mr. Gygax.