STICKY: Favorite Gary Stories

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Donal, Mar 25, 2009.

  1. kaskoid

    kaskoid Chevalier

    Got together with Luke at GenCon--Thursday will be especially special.

    I'm thinking of a huge micro-armor, WWII East Front game on the sand-table. Any tankers?
     
  2. Emperor Xan

    Emperor Xan Troubadour


    Game wise, or as an actual profession? :)
     
  3. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member

    Richard you were a CDAT! If I can squeeze in Tim's game I will have to match up my (rusty) infantry skills vs you.

    Hail O' Hail O' Infantry
    Queen of battle follow me
    The Infantry life is the life for me
    O' nothing in this world is free
     
  4. kaskoid

    kaskoid Chevalier

    Both.
     
  5. Emperor Xan

    Emperor Xan Troubadour

    I was a M1 Abrams Armor Crewman.
     
  6. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member

    A Computerized Dumb Ass Tanker (CDAT) :p
     
  7. Emperor Xan

    Emperor Xan Troubadour

    Hey now, I'm a slimevillain these days. :lol:
     
  8. the keeper

    the keeper Spellbinder

    SANDTABLE?! HOLY CRAP!!!!
     
  9. kaskoid

    kaskoid Chevalier

    Let us start a sand table thread.
     
  10. Mythusmage

    Mythusmage Level 0 Character

    I have no stories to tell, I only met the man twice, and both times at Gen Con.

    Got to sit on a panel with him, and Dave Newton and his then wife; asked about a supplement on herbs for Mythus, which the Newtons said they'd get right on.

    Gary did tell me a little secret. Seems that as the house expert on Mythus for GDW whatever rulings I made on the game would overrule his rulings. My thought on hearing that was, "Cool, I get to overrule Gary Gygax."
     
  11. scottenkainen

    scottenkainen Level 0 Character

    I've got one.

    Gary was holding an auction of some of his gaming collection and I won one of his Gamma World modules. Via e-mail, he asked for my shipping address and I responded, since I lived less than 4 hours away, if I could just drive up and get it from him. My sister, who hadn't gamed with me in years, came with because she knew the route to Lake Geneva better and wanted to meet a celebrity. Gary let us into his sitting room and we all sat around in big chairs, surrounded by cats, and he regaled us with tales of California and launching the D&D cartoon for what seemed like hours. Best auction bonus ever.
     
  12. rossik

    rossik Footpad

  13. Aaezil

    Aaezil Level 0 Character

    Hey guys!

    Great Gary stories, I think its awesome that such happy memories continue to be shared.

    The only memory I have of Gary is back at the original Game Guild in Lake Geneva, Ernie (Jr.) was running one of his weekly D&D campaigns ( I was just a wee lad at the time ), and enter the room Gary Gygax carrying a chest into the game room, sets it down and opens it up and inside are pages and pages of maps and notes, just an incredible amount of intricate work and it sparked my young mind, in the coming years I decided to start playing D&D with the help of my older brother Ted, and of course Ernie, and even today when I play this memory still sticks with me.

    -Aaezil
     
  14. Buttmonkey

    Buttmonkey Troubadour

    I only "met" Gary once. It was at one of the Lake Geneva Gaming Conventions (I think in 2007). I went up with my dad (who introduced me to AD&D waaaay back in the day when I was in elementary school). I knew from early perusal of gaming fora that Gary would almost certainly be in attendance. I was pretty geeked to finally meet The Man. I still remember pointing and whispering to my dad, "There he is! It's Gary!" I also still remember my embarassment when I later discovered I was actually pointing at Tom Wham. I eventually figured out which of the attendees was Gary, but I never worked up the nerve to introduce myself. I did exchange some message board posts with him in the coming years, but he passed before I had a chance to meet him again.
     
  15. kaskoid

    kaskoid Chevalier

    Gary would have thought that was hilarious.
     
  16. Melf

    Melf Administrator Staff Member


    LOL. That is pretty funny. Tom was likely dressed in overalls and a conductor's hat. I think he wears that to all conventions. Dad was a huge fan of rail road games, so I am sure he wouldn't have been offended in the slightest.
     
  17. Loraxe

    Loraxe Level 0 Character

    Gary and me.

    Hello Luke and everyone else! Good to see all of you!

    I knew Gary from the mid seventies. We would vacation with family and friends in the Lake Geneva area. Over the years I stopped back and, of course, seemed to run into Gary at most every Convention that I went to. Later I became a dealer in role playing/gaming stuff and spent quite a few evenings having in depth discussions with him. It was at Mid Summer Revel, I believe, where I first got to roll the bones with you Luke.

    There are a good many stories about Gary that I can add, but, for starters, my beginnings with gaming.

    I had played monotony and other games of course, but gaming with my friends and being taught new games by Gary was different. He got to your level. Never spoke down to you. He was a master of taking the complex topics and breaking them down for his specific audience and making things more easily understood. What I remember was being a nervous, awkward, and probably annoying kid and learning that it was Okay. We took our new games home and every time we went back to Geneva we would stop by and game, especially on rainy days. We would see what was new and give our feedback and take away the newest games or modules. He was such a huge fan of ALL gaming and taught me, us, so very much. I don't want to sound too corny but he truly was like a father to many, or, in the least, a big brother or uncle. He was our guide and teacher. Ironically, of the many things he taught us, gaming might be counted among the least.

    His legacy, that will be lasting, is generations of higher functioning gaming geeks that are a beautiful side effect of playing a fantastic game. Over my years as a dealer and player, I have met and gamed with thousands of folks whose lives, whose very beings, were changed forever on a fundamental level by playing Dungeons and Dragons. Hearing from them, or better, from their parents has been a remarkable life experience. And now we are in an age where grandparents role-play D&D with their grand kids. What a long way we have come. Luke, your father was one of the most amazing men I have ever met.

    I feel blessed to have known him. He was my friend and hero.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. francisca

    francisca Troubadour

    Sorry for the thread necromancy, but when I read smokin's post, it jarred a memory loose.
    During the LGGC days, I took the bus tour of the old TSR haunts, with Gary narrating along the way. He was also giving the bus driver directions, and we wound our way back and forth all over town.

    Later, when I was sitting next to him, I said, "After that bus tour, with all the twists and turns, your dungeon maps make more sense to me." He smiled, chuckled, winked,and said, "Yes, I suppose they do." He then went on to explain how he guided the tour so that the sights were seen in chronological order.....
     
  19. grodog

    grodog Troubadour

    I took one of those tours, it was good :D
     
  20. kaskoid

    kaskoid Chevalier

    I give those tours for special friends. Just ask smokin'.
     

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