RIP Gary Gygax (1938-2008)

I just received word via the mailing list for Oxford's RPG Society that Gary Gygax has died. Go here for Gygax's wikipedia entry.) This is sad but unsurprising given that he has had heart problems. As many of you know, Gygax was the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, which is provided myriad hours of pleasure over the years for me (and for many others, obviously).

Update: Anyway, I'm feeling kind of sad from this just because this is someone who played such a huge role in something that is very dear to me. Not that I have any right to be sad---I'm just a fan and not family or friends---but D & D is a very important part of whom I am. (Nerds everywhere are in mourning, pretty much.) I have a copy of the 1st edition "Unearthed Arcana" (written by Gygax) that I inherited many years after it came out. I never read it cover to cover, and I suddenly have the urge to do so. This book was one of the revolutionary ones for D & D---among other things, it marks the first appearance of the spell "Tasha's Uncontrollable Hideous Laughter" which my kenderish sorceror used to great effect in a 3rd edition campaign.

Update 2: Zifnab has an extremely eloquent post about Gygax's passing to which I want to link here. He expressed things much better than I was able to above, and if you're someone who has shared these types of experiences playing D & D, then I highly recommend that you read it.