Ernest Gary Gygax

Many people have at least one hero: They could be models of success like Arnold Schwarzenegger, of scientific learning like Einstein, an idol for millions of persons, or simply our parents. So, why choose a 69 year old person, who was never president, a rock star or Nobel Prize winner? Simply because in September 2006, when I was on the road to the shopping center, my bus was 40 minutes late. It is like I noticed a library in Lyon center, who sold old books, near 70’s and before. By searching the books, I discovered an old fantasy book, with a slightly fatigued flashy red cover, called Dungeons & Dragons, and written by Gary Gygax.

Gygax ... Who is that?

Ernest Gary Gygax was born on 07/27/1938 in Chicago, Illinois. He was early interested on science fiction literature, as famous as Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien), Conan the Conqueror (Robert E. Howard) or other Jack Vance novels. But his interest was quickly transformed into passion, and with some friends he began when he was 10 to play wargames with little figurines, and to visit the old Chicago sanatorium by imagining murder stories and psychopath criminal tales.

His passion allowed him to create many SF novels, but for me, Gary deserves to belong in the fantasy gods’ great pantheon, for resurrecting the old role-playing tradition.

Uuh ... role-playing? What else?

Role-playing games consist in the kind of games which can be played simply with a sheet of paper and a pen (and also strange multi-sided dice ...) : you only use your imagination to create a fantastic world!

Players embody a character in an imaginary universe: a medieval world with dragons, trolls and powerful wizards, a modern world with aliens, robots and spaceships, or world of darkness, with vampires and terrible monsters (for example ...) which is created and controlled by a Dungeon master.

Finally, role-playing games consist in a form of theater (a player must play his role!), and also a mix between games and "a book in which you are the hero."

And Gary in all of this?

Of course mister Gygax is directly concerned by RPGs: he was the first man to formalise, promulgate and publish role-playing games, with Dungeons and Dragons (Yah ... the big logo) also called D&D, which was first published in 1974 by Gary’s company: Tactical Studies Rules (TSR inc.) Since, Dungeons & Dragons has never arrested developing: now hundreds and hundreds D&D books and supplements were published (in June, D&D will celebrate it 4th edition, for 34 years of roleplay ...), and lots of other video games were inspired by it.

Dungeons and Dragons became my first passion, and keeps a great place (and many hours gaming ...): for me D&D remains the game that we can play all night with friends, around a table (with chips and beer ...).

That’s why I want to thank Gary Gygax, thanks for all of these hours of pleasure: YOU are my hero ...

Gary Gygax, who suffered from an incurable cardiac aneurysm, died in his place of residence at the age of 69.

May the dice be favorable to you in paradise ...