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  1. #1
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Sad Day for Closet Geeks Everywhere...



    Original Dungeon Master dies
    1:33PM Wednesday March 05, 2008



    Dungeons & Dragons dice and co-creator Gary Gygax. Photo / Alan De Smet



    Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax has died.

    The 69-year-old had been suffering from health problems for some time, Associated Press reports. He died at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
    Gygax and Dave Arneson created the hugely popular game in 1974, and are considered the pioneers of the now-massive fantasy role playing genre.

    Dungeons & Dragons players create medieval characters which go on imaginary adventures in the fantasy realm, as a Dungeon Master controls the game and tells the story as it unfolds, driven by rolls of strangely-shaped dice.

    There are 4,6,8,12,20 and two 10-sided dice in a D&D game.

    It became a massive hit in the geek world, and saw numerous imitators like RuneQuest and Traveller.

    D&D also spawned advanced versions, numerous editions, collections of miniatures that players could customise and computer games.

    Gygax' wife Gail told CNN that her husband hosted weekly games of D&D until January. She said he was always happy to hear from fans of the cult classic game

    "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 told the network, "he really enjoyed that."
    - NZ HERALD STAFF
    I remember playing this with a group of mates at boarding school.

  2. #2
    Thailand Expat
    rawlins's Avatar
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    ^ I never took you as being the boarding school type Ant...

    I tried this game once.... But there were too many sides to the dice... A dice should stop at 6.

  3. #3
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rawlins
    I never took you as being the boarding school type Ant...
    Catholic school at that.
    Quote Originally Posted by rawlins
    I tried this game once.... But there were too many sides to the dice... A dice should stop at 6
    Yeah I never really understood that part of it either. And I used to cheat. But hey, it was fun!

  4. #4
    Thailand Expat Texpat's Avatar
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    Sorta like another cult that never made much sense to me -- Rocky Horror.

    They both look like fun in retrospect.

  5. #5
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat
    Rocky Horror
    As in the film/musical?

    Written by a New Zealander don'tcha know.

    [Edit]

    Or not. Turns out he was the producer and was Australian.

  6. #6
    bkkmadness
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    Remember the dice with 50 or so sides, just a ball it was.

  7. #7
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    Thanks for posting, and glad to see the courageous admitting/boasting of their D&D roots.

    In lieu of an official memorium, I will add:

    I started playing D&D in 1975 while in high school. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson had hosted an event at a gamestore in San Francisco, which got my group of friends started.

    Within a year, every non-religious three-day weekend saw a D&D convention, somewhere in the Bay Area. Great opportunities to play in games run by "professional" DMs, including awards! [At one DunDraCon, I won the 'prestigious' honor of "Best Roleplaying", prize being a lapel button created by Erol Otus. Also, I was invited to DM a comeptition game at the next convention].

    One of the local "big guys" was David Hargrave, who created the Arduin rule system. This caught on like wildfire by 78-79 when I was in University, and allowed me to 'convert' many of my fraternity brothers to RPGs.

    Dave H. was a local, and a sort of older brother/cool uncle figure to many. Especially his 'Nam stories.

    I vaguely recall somethig about copyright infringement threats/suits between Dave H. and GygaxArneson, and we showed our loyalty by supporting Dave H and Arduin. That ended our affiliation with Gygax.

    Erol Otus, who did much of the artwork for the Arduin rulebooks, was in Berkeley by that time, and a semi-regular member of our extended gaming group. [I remember thinking of him as Charles Darwin because Erol was double-majoring in Biology and Art]

    Until the late 80s/early 90s, the gaming group would play perhaps once a month. Then many in the group discovered wine / Coke / greed, none of which appealed to me, and so a few of us drifted off and focused on computer RPGs.

    I've used some of my old miniatures when playing with my sons (risky, as these old minis were high-lead content), and now have them started on WarHammer Quest, which is a fun/easy boardgame RPG playable by the young.

    I exchanged some PMs with Chitown and gang about their current D&D activities. Nice to see there is interest in Thailand. Maybe I will try to sell my first-edition dog-eared rulebooks to you wealthy expats

  8. #8
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    Little Chuchok's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    Catholic school at that.
    You're a dirty left footer????!!!!

    I knew that there was something very,very wrong with you....

    Strewth,bloody tykes are everywhere.

  9. #9
    bkkmadness
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    I've used some of my old miniatures when playing with my sons (risky, as these old minis were high-lead content), and now have them started on WarHammer Quest, which is a fun/easy boardgame RPG playable by the young.
    My brother was into the gaming side of it, but I used to collect the miniatures since I was 10 yrs old and found a shop in Barking that sold them. These were the old lead 'Prince August' made figures before I think warhammer come along and monopolised the market.

    Soon after I bought a little figure mold, melted down lumps of lead over the gas stove at home and made them myself to sell to kids at school. Not a bad enterprise to be starting in primary school, some kids were paying 2 quid a figure that I made for 20 p. I was a better business man at 11 than I am now.

    Felt the searing pain of hot liquid lead on my fingers a few times though, ouch!

    Did anybody read 'White Dwarf' magazine?

  10. #10
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    Yup, 'White Dwarf', and 'The General' for wargaming.

    Issues of White Dwarf sell regularly on Ebay.

    My original (bought 1975) 20-sided die is now so worn out that it basically is useful as a small ball.

    And I remember the pain the first time (sadly, there *were* more times) I stepped barefoot on a 4-sided die.

    I purchased WarHammer Quest on ebay just a few months ago, as it is the only fantasy RPG that does not require a DM, and is played as a team. Something nice for a dad and sons to do on cold California winter evenings!

    My boys are getting the hang of visualizing in their heads the 'action' happening on the board. And the youngest enjoys jumping off his chair and running around the room hacking giant rats and bats. Hopefully this will not be held against me at the next Child Custody hearing.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    Catholic school at that.
    You're a dirty left footer????!!!!

    I knew that there was something very,very wrong with you....

    Strewth,bloody tykes are everywhere.
    Oi, don't knock Catholic school!

    Best way to learn Latin, Sister Charles Bronson to keep your antics down, and you get a chance to dress up as a female during school plays!

  12. #12
    bkkmadness
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    I stepped barefoot on a 4-sided die.
    hahaha, yes I have that memory too.

    My boys are getting the hang of visualizing in their heads the 'action' happening on the board. And the youngest enjoys jumping off his chair and running around the room hacking giant rats and bats. Hopefully this will not be held against me at the next Child Custody hearing.
    Gotta be better than them sitting them in front of a playstation for 5 hours straight.

    I remember my brother went to a place in the UK, some caves somewhere where people actually played RPG for 'real'. Can't remember where it was now though.

  13. #13
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    There's a farm nearby that plants a multi-acre(!!!) corn maze each year SWANK FARMS - Corn Maze, Pumpkin Patch and Farm Fresh Produce at SwankFarms.com, kids and grownups love it. At night it is used as a "haunted maze" attraction.

    For this year, I am working with the owners to plan some sort of 'live' D&D and/or paintball activity.

    A bit dry on ideas though, so all suggestions appreciated! [Just keep American Liability lawsuit concerns in mind though]

  14. #14
    たのむよ。
    The Gentleman Scamp's Avatar
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    Sad Day for Closet Geeks Everywhere...
    We'll cheer you up mate.

  15. #15
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok
    You're a dirty left footer????!!!!
    Nah, not me. Just attended the school for the edumackashun.

  16. #16
    Thailand Expat
    Little Chuchok's Avatar
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    ^They only let in dirty rat bastard left footer Tykes into a Micky Doolin School.....


    Say it ain't so Ant,say it ain't so.......

  17. #17
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok
    They only let in dirty rat bastard left footer Tykes into a Micky Doolin School.....
    They may have been lead to believe that I was a good Catholic lad during the interview and application process. Is that a sin?

    Up your neck of the woods actually, sure you'll know it, Pakuranga way.

  18. #18
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    Little Chuchok's Avatar
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    So you really come from Auckland Ant...Hmmmmmm?

    Fcuking catholic jaffa!!!!

  19. #19
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok
    So you really come from Auckland Ant...Hmmmmmm?

    Fcuking catholic jaffa!!!!
    Those there are fighting words!

    I'm not a Jaffa, I merely had the misfortune of going to school there.

  20. #20
    This is not my avatar
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    What do they do, record hinge types and different types of door handles and shelving?

  21. #21
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Well that's very odd, all this talk had me reminiscing so I Googled the school and it's listed as Presbyterian.

    I distinctly recall going for mass (or was it 'chapel'?). Not likely the school has changed so either way I'm mistaken.

    Still on the brightside at least that means my eternal soul's safe again.

  22. #22
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson
    What do they do, record hinge types and different types of door handles and shelving?
    Sorry NR you've lost me there - does who record what?

  23. #23
    R.I.P.
    DrB0b's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Little Chuchok View Post
    So you really come from Auckland Ant...Hmmmmmm?

    Fcuking catholic jaffa!!!!

    Hmm, where I come from a catholic jaffa would be a deeply confused person, probably have to kneecap himself just to cope with the contradictions.

  24. #24
    R.I.P.
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    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson
    What do they do, record hinge types and different types of door handles and shelving?
    Sorry NR you've lost me there - does who record what?
    Closet geeks, obviously

  25. #25
    My kind of town
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    I do some D&D gaming here in Bangkok if anyone is interested. We have a group of about 45 guys and one girl that play. The different groups meet 2 or 3 different days a week.

    I have all the books, dice and a few miniatures. Between all of us that game we have hundreds of books, miniatures, dice and mods.

    PM me if interested.

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