Long live the Geek

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, died yesterday, and the world of geekery mourns.

It's been a long time since I've done any gaming. My introducting to RPGs came around 1990, when I got into a Rolemaster game shortly after becoming entrenched with a group of geeks who changed my life in countless ways. Until that point, my perception of gamers was that they were another breed, different from the rest of us and not in good ways. I've learned a thing or two since then.

The first character I played was a thief. She was wily and enthusiastic, with a penchant for the ridiculous. After creating her, my first roll in a game situation was one I expect I'll remember for a good long while. I was attempting to steal someone's underwear, while it was on his body (really, in context, it made sense). The 2d10 hit the table and I deflated as they settled on two zeroes. Damn. I groaned, then got a little confused as my fellow gamers cheered and told me nice job. But, I rolled a big fat nuthin', I said. Oh no no, they corrected me, quite the contrary - my double zero was perfect. I stole those underwear without my victim even being aware of it! What a nice way to start my first campaign.

In subsequent years, I played more Rolemaster, and got into a few Vampire games (with Cowboy, no less, who might no longer admit he ever gamed, but some of us know the truth). I never tried other systems, though I suspect there are games out there now that I'd probably enjoy had I the motivation to seek them out. RPGs led me to games like Illuminati and other offerings from Steve Jackson Games, and Talisman. Oh, the long weekends spent holed up at a friend's place in marathon sessions of Talisman!

Enough of that stroll down memory lane. Gaming might have lost an icon yesterday, but Gygax has left behind an impressive legacy and that is a very cool thing indeed.