Dungeons & Dragons creator dies
Gary Gygax passes away aged 69.
Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax has passed away.
He was 69 and suffering from bad health, according to the Associated Press, and died on Tuesday morning at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
The original Dungeons & Dragons rulebook was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. It let tabletop gamers become a fantasy character and embark on an adventure laid out by the Dungeon Master who adhered to his or her interpretation of the rules.
Experience was awarded for killing enemies and performing tasks, allowing you to level up your character and learn skills, spells and feats (special abilities). The underlying mechanics of the game were handled by dice rolls.
Dungeons & Dragons has since gone on to inspire countless videogames like Planescape: Torment, Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate and so forth.
It has also undergone several rule revisions and is now eagerly progressing towards a fourth edition that will launch in May this year.
Our hats off to to you, Gary Gygax. Wizard hats.