Michael’s Blog

Gary Gygax passed away a few days ago from (to me) unknown causes, likely complications of his aortal aneurysm; he’s known to have been suffering from a number of health problems. You probably wouldn’t know who he is, though you would probably know his creations…

Gary Gygax was none other than the creator of the tabletop role-playing game in general, and Dungeons & Dragons in particular. A miniature wargame enthusiast, enjoying medieval or dark ages games in particular, he and friend Jeff Perren created Chainmail in 1971, a medieval tabletop wargame that would later include fantasy elements such as spellcasting. Three years later, Gygax and Dave Arneson created Dungeons & Dragons, based on the Chainmail rules and in part its setting.

The impact D&D has had on modern gaming is almost indescribable. In addition to the widespread popularity of D&D itself, there are uncountable D&D-like role-playing games that followed in its footsteps. Many systems took the step to the computer world, and a large portion of today’s PC and video games owe a great deal to Gygax and D&D, directly or indirectly. From straight D&D-like games like Rogue, MUDs, and those games set directly in a D&D universe—like the Baldur’s Gate series—to games merely inspired by and based on the same basic principles, or incorporating RPG-like elements, we owe a lot to the existence of D&D.