Tuesday, March 04, 2008

don't mourn the death, celebrate the life

Things You Can Do To Keep Gygax's Memory Alive
  • Play some OD&D or 1st edition AD&D, or one of the other games Gary created.
  • Adapt one of his modules to whatever fantasy system you are using nowadays. B2 The Keep on the Borderlands is a particularly good choice for "serious" role-players, if you focus on all the intrigues surrounding the various factions of humanoids in the Caves of Chaos.
  • Name your next pet Gary, Gygax, or Mordenkainen. (I am not taking any responsibilty if you name your next kid Gygax or Mordenkainen. You're on your own on that one.)
  • Build that Dragonchess set you've been meaning to construct ever since you read about it in issue #100 of Dragon.
  • Players: Specialize in an oddball polearm, swear "by Gygax's beard", play a cleric of Zagig.
  • DMs: drop the Ring of Gaxx into your setting, sprinkle some scrolls of Mordenkainen-brand spells about your dungeon, use a rust monster or a bulette.
  • Write that module or game or whatever that you've been meaning to get around to. Submit it for publication or publish it yourself.
  • Keep a sharp eye out for the next weird little game that might become a breakout hit, spawning cartoons, films, comic books, novels and countless imitators.
  • Tell the hobgoblins "It's okay, Gary sent us!"
  • Crack open your 1st edition DMG and just luxuriate in the unmistakeable Gygax prose.
  • Send a letter or e-mail to another game designer thanking them before it's too late.
  • Introduce someone else to the fun that is this crazy little hobby.
  • Game like there's no tomorrow.

10 comments:

  1. My friend Marty used to favor the gaming group with live readings of Gygaxian prose ... I could go for one of those right now.

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  2. Jeff: On Zack's Favorite Person List

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  3. Anonymous5:57 PM

    The 1981 Basic D&D + Keep on the Borderlands game I am going to be running this Saturday has just been designated a double memorial.

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  4. The first piece of Gygax prose I ever laid my eyes on was an article in the first issue of my first subscription to Avalon Hill's _The General_ magazine. E.Gary wrote a very nice strategy article on the AH game Stalingrad. Yep, he did those hex-and-chit games as well, and wrote about them very well...

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  5. A good list, Jeff. Thanks. I've been feeling pretty blue. Honestly, I'm still feeling pretty blue, but this helps.

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  6. Good list! D&D had wandered off into the periphery of my radar screen for some time until I ran across your blog and your Cinder notes. Since that time, I'd been doing a lot of work and research to see if I could muster up starting a new campaign. It reminded me of just how important EGG was in my life at a surprisingly appropriate time.

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  7. Anonymous11:27 PM

    Beautiful.

    Just Beautiful.

    -Zulgyan

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  8. Thanks Jeff, that's a wonderful list of memorial activities.

    March 4th should become E.G.G. day for us RPG geeks.

    I shall dedicate my next game to the man

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  9. Anonymous7:27 AM

    Great List! I am going to run Dungeonland for my group this weekend in his honor

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