GU Comics by: Woody Hearn

As many of you already know, co-creator of D&D and arguably one of the fathers of modern fantasy, Gary Gygax, passed away in his Wisconsin home yesterday afternoon at age of 69.
Source: Wired [ more info ]

I spent most of yesterday trying to come up with just the right sentiment then spent most of last night trying getting the charicature just right. See, to memorialize Gary Gygax and the worlds he helped foster, I felt it only appropriate if the tribute was equal parts adventure, saddness, and humor. That is what D&D is to me.

My teen years were spent playing in Gygax's system. My friend and I would stay up until the wee hours of the morning sitting around a table strewn corner to corner with paper and dice, rolling initiative, calculating THAC0, making a fantasy worlds all our own. In that way I feel somewhat attached to the gaming legend that was Gary Gygax. I'm sure I'm not alone. Like Mike Mearls, the lead developer working on the next edition of D&D said in the cited article, "He was like the cool uncle that every gamer had".

I wish I could honor Gary's memory by gathering all my friends around the table again. Maybe not to toss dice or roll characters, but to tell stories of the adventures we had, the jokes we told, and the miraculous rolls that somehow managed to save us all. But, we're all scattered about the country now. So, I'll tell Taks the stories again. I'm sure she wouldn't mind hearing them for th 800th time. **grins**

Thanks for the memories Mr. Gygax. If there are more adventures to be had, I hope you roll twenties.

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