While everyone was expecting the demise of Hillary Clinton’s political career yesterday… one half of the creation team behind the revolutionary Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game failed the most critical saving throw of them all.  Gary Gygax passed away at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at the age of 69.

This saddens me a bit for a few reasons.  First, I was an avid D&D player during my teen years.  The game itself led me to my beloved DragonLance setting and other such games such as BattleTech, and harbored my love of all things miniature.  I must have easily had over 200 multi-colored, multi-sided dice in velvet drawstring bags.  Most importantly though, it helped me develop my crazy imagination while at the same time taught me theories on strategic thinking, and THAT is something I do use in everyday life.  Just as an interesting sub-point, the first version of D&D was printed in 1974… the same year I was born.

Secondly, I actually met Gary one year at GenCon, which is the convention he started back in 1967.  I actually met him in 1997, which was the same year that the company he had founded, TSR, was bought by Wizards of the Coast off the strength of their flagship game Magic: The Gathering.  For someone who was a legend, he was a really cool and down to earth guy… in a weird Santa kinda way.  I was impressed with not only his demeanor, but his apparent love for all things gaming. 

Although he may have been a bit quirky and eccentric, he served as an inspiration and example of the power of the imagination.  No one could ask for a better legacy in my opinion.

Good journey Gary.