Comment Godspeed Gary (Score 1) 512
As I read the news about Gary Gygax today at my desk in work, I was surprised to find myself getting a little choked up. I abandoned D&D in my "adult life" and haven't played in twenty or so years, but hearing about Gary sent me back all those years. From the late 70s through the mid 80s a group of my friends played together as we moved from junior high to high school, eventually petering off as we all separated for college.
Despite the proclamations of latter day geeks these days that playing D&D was (or is) cool & great for so many reasons, playing D&D was most certainly not cool back in the day. Particularly bad if potential or current girlfriends got wise to our gaming proclivities. So we kept our sessions clandestine. For us D&D was both uncool & cool at the same time.
All those hours in class idled away thinking about how to construct the next adventure, money blown skulking in joints like the Compleat Strategist, eyes strained poring over the latest issue of Dragon, ultimately culminating in a late night game session powered by coca cola and nachos and accompanied by lewd & raucous commentary - these were some of the best times of my youth - and Gary Gygax helped bring them into existence.
The irony (to me now) was that we didn't even like Gary Gygax. We'd read those original softcover and then hardcover books that pretty much dripped with Gygaxian lore & wisdom, and say "Oh my god, Gygax is such a pompous load." We'd laugh, secure in the knowledge that although we played this incredibly geeky game, we were no Gygax-es --- that guy was the consummate geeky load.
But the truth is we were Gygax and he was us. All these years later I think quite differently about Gygax & am grateful that he made the creative effort he did. Simply put, he gave us something to do that was creative & socially-engaging at a point in our lives when we needed it.
I ventured into the closet tonight and dug out my old hardcover books to take a spin down memory lane. Despite the goofy artwork, the various goofy game mechanics and wacky sounding game material (the Apparatus of Kwalish? just who was Kwalish anyway?), I can still see the appeal of the game.
Lastly, a note to aspiring young gamers, don't let anyone spill bong water on your Fiend Folio --- it will still smell like bong water 20 years later...
Despite the proclamations of latter day geeks these days that playing D&D was (or is) cool & great for so many reasons, playing D&D was most certainly not cool back in the day. Particularly bad if potential or current girlfriends got wise to our gaming proclivities. So we kept our sessions clandestine. For us D&D was both uncool & cool at the same time.
All those hours in class idled away thinking about how to construct the next adventure, money blown skulking in joints like the Compleat Strategist, eyes strained poring over the latest issue of Dragon, ultimately culminating in a late night game session powered by coca cola and nachos and accompanied by lewd & raucous commentary - these were some of the best times of my youth - and Gary Gygax helped bring them into existence.
The irony (to me now) was that we didn't even like Gary Gygax. We'd read those original softcover and then hardcover books that pretty much dripped with Gygaxian lore & wisdom, and say "Oh my god, Gygax is such a pompous load." We'd laugh, secure in the knowledge that although we played this incredibly geeky game, we were no Gygax-es --- that guy was the consummate geeky load.
But the truth is we were Gygax and he was us. All these years later I think quite differently about Gygax & am grateful that he made the creative effort he did. Simply put, he gave us something to do that was creative & socially-engaging at a point in our lives when we needed it.
I ventured into the closet tonight and dug out my old hardcover books to take a spin down memory lane. Despite the goofy artwork, the various goofy game mechanics and wacky sounding game material (the Apparatus of Kwalish? just who was Kwalish anyway?), I can still see the appeal of the game.
Lastly, a note to aspiring young gamers, don't let anyone spill bong water on your Fiend Folio --- it will still smell like bong water 20 years later...
