Dungeons & Dragons Co-Creator Dies

Gary Gygax Helped Spawn Role-Playing Game With Iconic 20-Sided Die

(AP)  Gary Gygax, who co-created the fantasy game Dungeons & Dragons and helped start the role-playing phenomenon, died Tuesday morning at his Wisconsin home. He was 69.

He had been suffering from health problems for several years, including an abdominal aneurysm, said his wife, Gail Gygax.

Gygax and Dave Arneson developed Dungeons & Dragons in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game known for its oddly shaped dice became a hit, particularly among teenage boys, and eventually was turned into video games, books and movies.

Gygax always enjoyed hearing from the game's legion of devoted fans, many of whom would stop by the family's home in Lake Geneva, about 55 miles southwest of Milwaukee, his wife said. Despite his declining health, he hosted weekly games of Dungeons & Dragons as recently as January, she said.

"It really meant a lot to him to hear from people from over the years about how he helped them become a doctor, a lawyer, a policeman, what he gave them," Gygax said. "He really enjoyed that."

Dungeons & Dragons players create fictional characters and carry out their adventures with the help of complicated rules. The quintessential nerd pastime, it spawned a wealth of copycat games and later inspired a whole genre of computer games that is still growing in popularity.

Funeral arrangements are pending. Besides his wife, Gygax is survived by six children.

[cyberus-2009]

A true visionary .. sorry to see him go.

I have great memories of playing Worlds of Greyhawk (D&Ds predecessor) which was printed on copy paper stapled in the middle sideways and sold in a ziplock bag, and great times playing D&D in the barracks whilst stationed in Germany in the early 80''s.

[rf35]

Computer D&D is a favorite pastime of mine at home. The original Neverwinter Nights is my all-time favorite game.

[klingon69]

Hmmm, guess he didn''t make his saving throw.