"I would like the world to remember me as the guy who really enjoyed playing games and sharing his knowledge and his fun pastimes with everybody else." - E. Gary Gygax
I'm not eulogizing or anything to anyone. But, let's take a moment today and reflect in a positive way with respect to a man who has made such a big difference in all of our lives.
There are some good suggestions here: Jeff's Gameblog
I am finally going to build that Dragonchess board I've always wanted...
Ciao!
Grendelwulf
I just wanted to put a comment on Mr Gygax. It's a shame that I can't go to a book store and see his work on the shelves of book stores or hobby shops where it deserves to be, It's something I grew up seeing and in some ways miss, flipping through the latest release. Does anyone know the state of what has happened to Mr. Gygax's work? There must be a HUGE archive of unreleased work and or published work that needs to be back in publication *The original rule books* wouldn't the open game licence allow this? Last part is how does one respect the work of another without changing it so that it remains intact. Once the concept is out of the writers hands and into anothers it's no longer same concept. But what I really dislike is when the new writer decides to change the book and it looses it original concept. It's a lack of respect for the writers work. It's like some new writer taking Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five and turning it into a disney on ice musical. - So it goes
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame in some ways. One way I find enjoyment is actually hunting down various materials, articles, etc. Not unlike an adventure in itself.
ReplyDeleteTo paraphrase the Great Bard again,
"The play's the thing. Wherein [we'll] catch the conscience of the King."
It's how we keep the legacy alive. In all its permutations, through our own styles, which was the real point to playing games in the first place.
I have been lax in adding to my own Gygax Legendarium of original materials. It certainly could be difficult seeing a re-edited working of EGG's writings. It's a double-edged sword. Good and bad. Fine for the source they came from, but how much is truly 'original'.
I've given up the ghost on debating things beyond my control.
"It distracts from the NOW!" ;)
On a lighter note, somehow I do like the mental image of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five being turned into a Disney on Ice Musical...but only if its directed by Tim Burton.
Ciao!
Grendelwulf
I agree on the fun of discovery part. With the web and having an online resource you can find out lots of interesting information about and from the creators and past materials that were not easy to access. *just found a battered up copy of an old Fineous Fingers Treasury yesterday at a used book store* Things like that are just gems to find, maybe thats how the new generation of gamers are discovering his work.
ReplyDeleteI can't immagine how difficult its going to be to compile his work. It would be a very hard task on its own to keep it to his vision. But there must have been enough guidelines written down to have a direction mapped out.
Oddly enough Tim Burton could make that possible.. lol.. I had a flash in my head of the British soldiers singing "Hurrah the Yanks are here!" as a huge musical number.