Whistling in the Dark

Wormy really was one of the best fantasy comics, like, ever. Wasn't it?

Yes.

I so wanted that collection, but Trampier just stopped.

Hmmm.

I REQUEST AND REQUIRE A WEBSNARK ON WORMY.


CU

Here via mephron.

fossilapostle talked about how he met amazonblonde through gaming - there wouldn't be their two daughters, who even at 6 and 8 are gamers, without Gary. I've known a lot of gamer couples over the years, in a way, Gary was the godfather for an entire generation of gamers.

I'd add that I was also pleased to see the good and the bad. I got started in gaming when I was 10, back in '77 with MicroGames Chitin:I, then GEV and soon after OGRE. I was kind of annoyed that all the cool pocket games kept getting less shelf space for that 'Dungeons and Dragons' stuff. Then I picked up Gamma World, and it blew my fragile little mind.

Edited at 2008-03-06 06:06 pm (UTC)

I'm also surprised at the depth of my reaction. I have put it down to the fact that those years were pivotal in what I do professionally, some of the life decisions I've made, and the people I've gotten to know in the last 28 years since being introduced to D&D.

And yes, WORMY was wonderful. CROSSWORLDS gives me some of that same feeling.

Personally, I liked Fineous Fingers.

Let's not forget Yamara either. Fea the elf, aka PHEAA - PA Higher Education Assistance Agency, who both start out good then rapidly turned evil still cracks me up.

*The creators went to college in PA, and when you're in school PHEAA is all sweetness and light, but man... they started calling me graduation day and wanting me to have my loans replayed. They were like loan sharks, but relentless.

I was glad to see the whole of Gygax. I was always a bit... Hm. Not put-off by him, but somewhere between that and proper respect, I suppose. The whole of the man, not pretending he didn't have his off-putting sides once, made me much more respectful, if that makes sense. It seems that he grew gained levels. O:>

*chuckle* It makes perfect sense to me, actually. Reconciling the temperamental stories with the "Father of Gaming" stuff... requires both, really.

Well spoken. I, for one, appreciate that you included the good with the bad. I think it makes the memories stronger.

Besides, would it really be appropriate to remember a seminal geek without remembering that he sometimes bungled human interactions?

Highlighting the bad makes the good all the better. I remember Gary coming into the D&D Open HQ at GenCon when 3E was premiering and apologizing that the last two rounds weren't done (Each round was a brand new mod, so 9 slots = 9 modules) because he and the authors were stuck on a finishing point. Or the other times through the years when GenCon was in Milwaukee where he'd just wander in during a slot, talk to whoever was there, and wander out.

I also remember the argument he had in the hallway near the Living City Interactive one year with Ed Greenwood. It wasn't loud, but everyone nearby heard it.

Without Gary, I'd have a very different life. I would be less socially adjusted, less able to control the urge to throttle stupid people, and far more likely to never have met the people I know now. (I might also have gotten a bit more action in HS, but hey, there's a tradeoff for everything.) I also wouldn't have the most awesome memory of my younger days (Having my cleric/assassin teach the party a lesson for abandoning my former character (A paladin) to die. TPK by the half-elf FTW!)

So, I understand the feeling of loss. Anyone who hasn't burned out on D&D will.

Without D&D, I literally wouldn't have ment most of the people I know now. Including my fiancee. I didn't meet her through gaming, but I met her through friends I made while working at the hobby shop and gamed with. So.

I'm glad you included the good and bad about Gary too.