Not I
Ken _________________ Gygax is to Gaming what Kirby was to comics
Alas poor Elric I was a thousand times more evil than you
WWBYD What would Brigham Young do ?
http://www.geocities.com/J_Elric_Smith/Index.html
Not to sounds overly harsh, but it sounds like the capitalization on a dead man. Either he's a real fan, or a real opportunist.
If it was something like Gary Gygax: A Life In Letters or some kind of book between the correspondence to give people that didn't know him some insight into his thoughts and gaming ideas or playing methods or something that would be an interesting read.
Not to interested in someone putting the Monster Manual in the shredder and playing that poem magnet game with the scraps.
(bitchy rant over ) _________________ "If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up."
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson
That's exactly what I was wondering. I don't know the purpose behind it. I'm certainly not trying to advertise it, but am curious about it just the same.
I mean, I can just read Gygaxian Cant in the Gygax books I have - what does this Sakkis person offer? Poetry based on Gygaxian Cant?
You may be very right ucpap! _________________ Vegetarian: An Indian word for 'lousy hunter.'
I never had the opportunity to speak to Gary at all, and it's something that I really am kicking myself for. Not even a thanks for turning my life around, a thanks for teaching me the love of reading, thinking, learning, creating, imagining and all the other things that came about from reading Basic D&D when I was 6, AD&D when I was 10 and Mythus when I was 13, and LA when I was 29. If anything comes out about Gary, I would want it to be something that would appeal to those that knew him, personally or only through the screen or those that never got a chance to know him and would want to. Spencer gave me some nice anecdotes, as did Jon, but it's not the same as if I'd gotten a personal email or answer on the forum to a question or observation or playing LA at his game table. _________________ "If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up."
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Hunter S. Thompson
No, it's not the same. I'm kicking myself for a few things - but I was lucky. While I had been in touch with him through email for years and years - (possibly before the graphical Internet?), it wasn't until about a year (probably less) before his passing that I actually truly thanked him for all he meant to me. I don't know if that conversation meant more to me or him. Probably me.
I enjoyed many years of emailing back and forth, talking on his gaming mailing list, and then various forums. We even worked together on some LA expansion ideas.
He was such a truly authentic nice guy.
I'd really like to get to know Jon better. I'll have to email him to see if he'll stop in here, but I've never seen him as much of a forum hopper. Spencer hasn't been back to the forums in awhile. He can stir things up a bit I had hoped he'd hang around us a bit here, but I'm sure he's a busy man. On that note, I haven't seen Jerry for a bit either.
I'd love to meet Rob Kuntz as well. It's really wild gaining an understanding of how these original GMs ran their games.
Y'know what's ironic. I first contacted Gary, not for RPGs, but about a Diplomacy variant (Conan's world) he had created. Once I started communicating with him - he was so generous of his time - I couldn't stop!
One would just naturally grow to love the man. He once described himself to me as a cantankerous ol' hippy, but he was so much more than that - and even more so because he kept things down to earth. He talked to you like just another friend. _________________ Vegetarian: An Indian word for 'lousy hunter.'
the tradition of Dungeons & Dragons, that cross between improvisational theater and light bondage,
Light bondage? Wha-a-at?
Quote:
In Gary Gygax, John Sakkis brings bohemia back to its roots in its parents’ basement in this monster manual of beings malevolent and benign.
Monster manual of beings malevolent and benign? Who writes this stuff?
Quote:
Like an umber hulk, this book is a strange hybrid of disparate parts—snippets of language pulled from the game, from popular culture and from Sakkis’ subconscious. Like an umber hulk, this book will hold you rapt with its four terrible eyes.
Ugh. More like a mind flayer. My brain has been jellified now.
Okay, I am not into poetry all that much. But, did you read the sample poem? Oh, c'mon. At first, I thought he was just into making some money. But after reading the poem, he probably means it as a sincere homage. To me, its just not a very good one. But, I am biased -- not being a poetry afficianado.
I, too, have had an all too brief experience with emailing Gary and even Rob. But in some ways, it was some of the most meaningful because of the paths they cleared for me to follow and enjoy.
Okay, I am not into poetry all that much. But, did you read the sample poem? Oh, c'mon. At first, I thought he was just into making some money. But after reading the poem, he probably means it as a sincere homage. To me, its just not a very good one. But, I am biased -- not being a poetry afficianado.
Whether he means it as sincere homage or quick cash, I can't say. But as a poetry lover (from Poe to Shakespeare to Chaucer to Maya Angelou to Robert Frost and everything else in between) I can agree with you that it is not very good...at all...not even a little...seems like he is a grade school teacher who had his students all write a poem and then he published them under his own name...
Course, that's just my opinion.
_________________ "I drained the soul of a monk once. It tased like chocolate" ~Richard, Looking for Group
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 10:38 am Post subject: Gary Gygax by John Sakkis
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I had hoped he'd hang around us a bit here, but I'm sure he's a busy man. On that note, I haven't seen Jerry for a bit either.
