The Passing of the Dungeon Master

I read in an article on Wired today that Gary Gygax, the so-called 'Father of D&D', has passed away.

A sad event indeed. For those who are unaware, Gary Gygax created the Dungeons & Dragons game in a collaboration with Dave Arneson in 1974. He is credited with giving birth to the roleplaying game (RPG) as a genre. To hobbyists and gamers all over the world, he is the first Dungeon Master.

As a game, D&D (and its more complex sibling AD&D) have served to provide yours truly with hours of escapist fun. Both as a pen-and-paper RPG and as a computer RPG, the game has provided a framework for amazing adventures, fantastic quests, and bloody battles. I've always felt that RPGs provided a limitless venue for the imagination. "In your own mind, there is no special effects budget!"

And so, as a tribute to Dungeon Master Gary Gygax, let us lift our glasses in a toast. May he rest in peace.