Ernest Gary Gygax: his legacy of adventures and storytelling

An elf, a warrior, A mage and a thief enter a dungeon....

It sounds like an introduction to what might be a really bad joke, but it's a scenario that has played out countless times over the course of the past 43 years, at its core it's what Dungeons & Dragons is all about.

As Role-playing games go Dungeons & Dragons is basically the grandfather of them all, with most RPG's being able to trace their roots back, at least in part to D&D.

You begin by creating a player-character (PC), you define this character by picking your name, race, gender, class, attributes and abilities - then the fun REALLY begins as your Dungeon Master (DM) leads you and your fellow players on a grand adventure!

Because at its core Dungeons & Dragons is all about the adventure and the storytelling!

However had it not been for E. Gary Gygax, who is widely considered the father of D&D, then Role-players the world over would not have the benefit of traveling to multiple mystical lands, raiding and looting various dungeons, doing battle with fearsome creatures, and welding artifacts with powers beyond their wildest imaginations!

As a gamer at heart Gygax had been an avid war-gamer and creator of multiple war-gaming organizations throughout the 1960's - as well as the founder of the Gen Con Gaming Convention.  As a game designer Gygax helped create Chainmail, a medieval miniatures war-game in 1971.  Two years later Gygax would co-found Tactical Studies Rules (TSR)  with childhood friend Don Kaye, and would co-create Dungeons & Dragons: First Edition with game designer Dave Arneson the following year.

That same year Gygax would found The Dragon, a magazine designed to further promote the newly created D&D gaming system.  Four years later Gygax would begin working on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, an update to the D&D gaming system which would include pre-packaged adventure modules giving Dungeon Masters a rough script to lead their adventures with.

Gygax would leave TSR in 1985 over issues with the companies new majority owner, but he would continue to develop games such as Dangerous Journeys and Lejendary Adventure independently up until his death in March of 2008.

Had it not been for the passion and dedication that Gary Gygax had for his craft, many a friendship may not have been forged - So on what would have been his 79th birthday, the small team that is CanGeek Games and Collectables would like to say thank you sir, and may you dine with the Gods this eve.