Talk:Gary Gygax

message: Thanks everyone who helped in any way, your effort was worth it.  :) I'm moving on to see what can be done with the Wizards of the Coast article. Join me there if you like, or join me wherever I end up after that. I'm taking this page off my watchlist now. :) BOZ (talk) 21:35, 29 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Moving on 

message: I haven't found a single source for citing the Futurama tribute.  Here's what I have so far; I welcome someone else to integrate them if you want. — Alan De Smet | Talk 04:24, 31 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Futurama citations 

message: Foreword (well, forward) Wayfarer:Infinity (isbn:0946455716) - 75.53.100.203 (talk) 23:05, 5 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Add'tl writings - indie 

message: Anyone think that this would be a reasonable article to work up to FA-class? I think that I can add in quite a few sources. -Drilnoth (talk) 16:24, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Count me in (as a participant, not reviewer) if you decide to go for it.  I've got little FA experience to contribute, but I'll do what I can. Jclemens (talk) 16:45, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Excellent! I'll get to work on finding some more citations, improving the prose where it's needed, checking image fair-use rationales, checking external links, etc. -Drilnoth (talk) 16:48, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Hey, allright. :) J, speaking of FA, we've got Ravenloft (D&D module) up for consideration, and we've also got Gen Con waiting for someone to take it on for GAN, if you might be interested. BOZ (talk) 17:28, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm going to work on trimming the various lists of works; I just finished up the list of D&D modules. If you think that any of the ones which I removed should be kept, please don't hesitate to add them back in. -Drilnoth (talk) 20:25, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

text: After being involved in the Ravenloft FA, I think it's safe to say that having all three of the fair-use images in this article probably won't pass. I think that we can probably do two; which should we remove? -Drilnoth (talk) 23:46, 15 December 2008 (UTC)

text: I was not aware of that; most interesting. -Drilnoth (talk) 01:14, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I guess Flint has a very tangential relationship to D&D, mostly through association with others. Not sure he should be on the D&D project though, but he should definitely be on WP bio. ;) BOZ (talk) 01:30, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: You have a point. -Drilnoth (talk) 01:35, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: I am going to momentarily nominate this for FA-class. -Drilnoth (talk) 22:13, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Oh well; at least now we have a nice list of things to work on before re-nomination. -Drilnoth (talk) 03:44, 27 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Yep! No oppose votes was a good thing, but no support votes was a bad thing. :) Like I said before, Dungeons & Dragons was nominated 5 times before it made FA-class. If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. BOZ (talk) 03:50, 27 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Featured? 

message: I've seen in various places that Chainmail was written in 1968 and in 1971. I know that it was published in 1971, but was wondering what date it was actually written, if anyone can help. Thanks! -Drilnoth (talk) 16:34, 14 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Another conflict is whether Gygax met Arneson at Gen Con 2 (per the reference in the article) or Gen Con 4 (per The Game Inventor's Guidebook. -Drilnoth (talk) 22:55, 18 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: That might be from the part of one interview where Arneson identifies the time he met Gygax - naturally, two different people remember events two different ways. We may just have to cut out the year if they conflict and say that "they met at Gencon" and leave it at that. BOZ (talk) 23:18, 18 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds good. -Drilnoth (talk) 23:40, 18 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: The reference in the Dave Arneson article says he met Gary at GenCon 1970. BOZ (talk) 04:39, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Conflicting accounts

message: I've removed the following section from the article because it doesn't really fit in anywhere, and it too short as its own section. It would probably be best located at Wiktionary.
Futurama writer Eric Kaplan mentioned in 2008 that he asked Gary Gygax if he, himself had created role-playing games. Kaplan recounts that Gygax "very modestly said No. As long as kids have been playing cops & robbers and cowboys & indians, they've been playing roleplaying games".Kaplan, Eric : "Bender's Game" DVD, Features: D&D&F (Dungeons & Dragons & Futurama), 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, 2008.
-Drilnoth (talk) 12:28, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Presumably you mean WikiQuote? I agree that for now there's not much point in that section. "Legacy" generally implies long-term effects. Chris Cunningham (not at work) - talk 12:39, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Yep; Wikiquote. My bad. -Drilnoth (talk) 12:43, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Legacy 

message: I want to find and include more information on this.  What is there is pretty minimal, and doesn't even concretely specify the year ('81 or '82) when this happened.  It sounds like Gygax himself is the only source on much of this, unfortunately. Jclemens (talk) 17:02, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: And who might you be? :) BOZ (talk) 20:50, 5 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Death Threats & Bodyguards 

message: Hey there. I've been working in some of the info from the "longbio" source. I'm not going to use everything from it, since some of it is info about his family and some of it simply doesn't belong in a bio. Some of it I may just post here on the talk page for the curious, but I'll have to use my judgment to avoid posting stuff that he would have preferred not to have up here.
It begins with a timeline, most of which was already in the article, so I just added the parts that weren't. If I added anything that seems too trivial, feel free to edit out. There are a couple of things that I have no idea how to work in:
1988-94	Creator/author under contract to Omega Helios Limited	
1995-on	Creator/author under contract to Trigee Enterprises Corporation
BOZ (talk) 21:56, 18 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds good! -Drilnoth (talk) 02:41, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

text: Cool. :) BOZ (talk) 04:28, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  LONG BIOGRAPHY 

message: WARRIORS OF MARS Game (Science Fantasy, with Brian Blume)
CODEX ERDE Search for the Lost City introductory adventure for THE LOST CITY OF GAXMOOR D20 adventure module (Ernie & Luke Gygax with David Moore) Troll Lord Games, 2002
THE LEJENDARY ADVENTURE™ PROJECT (current)		
Role-Playing Games, Accessories, & Adventure Scenarios:
ENCLAVE (Chris Clark), Adventure module editor, Hekaforge Productions, 2000
LEJENDARY ASTEROGUES Fantastical Science LA RPG Genre Expansion, currently (2005) being developed for publication in 2006 or thereafter
LEJENDARY ELDER WORLDS Core Rules and World Setting base for a Science Fiction Genre Expansion of the LA Game, currently (2005) being developed for publication in 2006 or thereafter
LEJENDARY WILD WEST Fantasy Western LA RPG Genre Expansion, currently (2005) being developed for publication in 2006 or thereafter
Pending Publication:
LEJENDARY EARTH World Setting, Parts 4-5 (coming in 2005-6), Hekaforge Productions
SHAMANISM & WITCHERY Core Rules expansion for the LA RPG, Troll Lord Games
TOME OF KNOWLEDGE Core Rules additions for the LA RPG, Troll Lord Games
MORE BEASTS OF LEJEND Core Rules additions for the LA RPG, Troll Lord Games
LEJENDARY PANTHEONS book of LE world Setting Deities for the LA FRPG, Troll Lord Games
KEY OF SAND Lejendary Earth sourcebook
MALEDICTED Lejendary Earth sourcebook
LEJENDARY PANTHEONS Lejendary Earth sourcebook(s)
WELL OF SHADOWS Lejendary Adventure/Lejendary Earth module
GENERIC and “D20 Open Game License” (* indicates+ LA Game) RPG WORKS
Gary Gygax’s Essential Places for the fantasy milieu, “Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds, Volume VIII”, Zane McCarthy  (to be released), Troll Lord Games, 2005
Gary Gygax’s Fantasy Fortifications for the fantasy milieu, “Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds, Volume X”, Robert A. Nolan (to be released), Troll Lord Games, 2005=6
Gary Gygax’s Fantastic Folk & Mythical Monsters for the fantasy milieu, “Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds, Volume XI”, Craig Peters (to be released), Troll Lord Games, 2005-6
Gary Gygax’s High Seas Fantasy for the fantasy milieu, “Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds, Volume XII”, Kelly Doherty (to be released), Troll Lord Games, 2006
Possibly several other books in the “Gygaxian Fantasy Worlds” series are slated for production in 2007-7, Gary Gygax series editor,
The Hermit*, dual-stat d20/LA game adventure module, Troll Lord Games, August 2002
Castle Wolfmoon* (Chris Clark with Gary Gygax) D20/LA game adventure module (to be released later by), Inner City Game Designs (spring-summer 2006)
Board Games
War of Empires (Science Fiction, authored with Tuillo Proni), privately produced and managed PBM-only Science Fiction wargame
Diplomacy® Game Variants (non-commercial game variants)
Conanomacy
Khanomacy
Rajomacy
Chess Game Variants
Various others in a work, 21st Century Chess Variants, that are available in electronic format on my website
Development
LANKHMAR (TSR) Fantasy Board Game — rules and playing board
Play Testing
(ask and I'll list them)
Alternate History:
Victorious German Arms, with Terry Stafford (T-K Graphics. 1973)
“Swords of Eternity” (Fantasy short story based on Fritz Leiber’s “Lankhmar” universe,  featuring Sheelba, Ningauble, Fafhrd, and the Gray Mouser—still unpublished.)
Articles Authored
Amateur and professional game and hobby publications (several dozen, including: The Avalon Hill GENERAL, DOMESDAY BOOK, CAMPAIGN, DRAGON, EL CONQUISTADOR, EUROPA, GREAT PLAINS GAME PLAYER'S NEWSLETTER, INTERNATIONAL WARGAMER, LA VIVANDIER, PANZERFAUST, TROLL, SHADIS, SPARTAN, SPARTAN INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY, WARGAMER'S DIGEST, WARGAMER'S NEWSLETTER.
Consultation for Computer and Paper Game Publishers
Various consulting work for computer game producers as to game content and interactive play elements, of which I am not at liberty to discuss the specific nature of the work or the companies for whom I did it. The same is true in regard to consulting work done for paper game publishers.
Computer Game Design
Of the score or so of designs and design proposals that have been developed, three were optioned—one fantasy and two science fiction games. All three, however, were not to see production for various reasons beyond the author’s control, including the sale of the production entity and cancellation of all projects not in full development in the case of the last such game Gygax authored.
The Lejendary Adventure Game as a Massively Multiplayer Persistent Online RPG
As of this date Dreams Interactive has been licensed to produce the LA MMPO RPG, and work is proceeding well.  
One can check into this at http://di.gamepoint.net/lejendary/en/index.php?page=about to see where things are currently at.  Gygax is intimately involved in the development of this game, and it promises to offer not only the best graphics ever seen in the medium, but also many new features to set it apart from all other similar online offerings.  Beta testing is expected to commence in late 2003.
BOZ (talk) 01:37, 19 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Creative Works

message: Most of the stuff in this section also came from "longbio", and here's some more that isn't currently in the article: 
SPECIAL AWARDS…
…in addition to being a Member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels:
1981  Origins Game Convention	Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame
1984  GAMES Magazine 	GAMES Hall of Fame
1994  GAMA	Game Manufacturers Association Honor of for long- 	term contribution to industry Service Award
2004 Origins Award	Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design Hall of Fame Honors
BOZ (talk) 02:11, 19 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Special Awards

message: PUBLIC SPEAKING APPEARANCES (not a comprehensive list - covers numerous appearances from 1980-2005; I'll post if you want to see)
ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION APPEARANCE
	Dexter’s Laboratory: Honorable mention of “Gygax” name for Dexter’s character
NEWS MEDIA COVERAGE
	Dozens of interviews in newspapers nationwide, and on various radio and television shows both local and national in scope.  Highlights include the following:  (It is impossible to list the appearances of articles or news stories about Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games, as they have appeared in the majority of newspapers in the country.)
Television
Entertainment Tonight
Livewire
PM Magazine
60 Minutes
Tom Snyder Show
National German Television
Radio (many shows* including)
Michael Jackson Show ABC Network
WJR Detroit
Stations in France and the United Kingdom
*Approximately one hundred radio interviews done in regard to role-playing and games, and some dozen for the “L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future” contest, the last of those in 1991.
Magazines
DRAGON
FORBES
GAMES
ICON
INC. Magazine
JEUX de CARTE (France)
MILWAUKEE Magazine
NEWSWEEK
PEOPLE
POLYHEDRON Newszine
SALON
TIME
US
Newspapers
Wall Street Journal (exclusive feature)
Most major metropolitan newspapers, including:
Chicago Tribune
Los Angeles Times
New York Times   
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
USA Today
Washington Post
Others in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, and Japan
Interviews have centered on creativity, authorship, computer games and entrepreneurial business, recently the history of the role-playing game, the effects of computer and online role-playing games, and the Lord of the Rings movie.
Two Mentions that fall into the “No Comment” Department
Trivial Pursuit (original version): Gary Gygax as the answer to a question therein.
Time Magazine, 24 November 2002: Gary Gygax as being influenced by the work of Tolkien.
SCHOLARLY COVERAGE
OXF0RD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
Entry of Gygax name under that for Dungeons & Dragons as of 13 March 2003:
“Dungeons and Dragons, n.
”A proprietary name for: a fantasy role-playing game set in an imaginary world based loosely on medieval myth, in which players' characters undertake (individual) quests at the direction of a player in the role of the Dungeon Master, who dictates the nature of their environment, the obstacles they are to overcome, etc.; abbreviated D & D. Also allusively: a situation or undertaking likened to a game of Dungeons and Dragons, esp. in involving a complex and unpredictable sequence of events, out of the control of the protagonist. 
”1974 E. G. GYGAX & D. ARENESON (title) Dungeons & Dragons: rules for fantastic medieval wargames campaigns playable with paper and pencil and miniature figures. 1979 N.Y. Times 8 Sept. 10/2 An elaborate version of a bizarre intellectual game called Dungeons and Dragons. 1982 London Rev. Bks. 30 Dec. 7/3 Dungeons and Dragons, with its whole spin-off family of Role-Playing Games, is much easier to categorise. 1987 New Yorker 20 Nov. 110/2 His Global Project reads like an elaborate boys' gamea revolutionaries' Dungeons and Dragons. 1991 Vanity Fair Dec. 90/1 He was slowly, then rapidly, sucked into a kind of covert-ops version of Dungeons & Dragons, with that memo as his guide and Michael Riconosciuto as his Dungeon Master. 1994 Etc. Montréal 15 Feb. 39/1 At the IFFM, beneath a long black leather coat.., Tarantino sports a goth-rock, dungeons-and-dragons type t-shirt, plus jeans and sneakers. 2001 Toronto Star (Electronic ed.) 9 Apr., Computer cousins to paper-and-pen games like Dungeons and Dragons, role-playing video games involve player-created characters moving through fantasy landscapes.”
BOZ (talk) 02:21, 19 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Miscellaneous

message: The rest of the "longbio" (about half of it) is taken up by various things, most of which I shouldn't really post here. :) Some of it may be OK to share, depending on what it is, but I'll be conservative as far as that goes. Included are information on his birthplace, parents, wife, children, grandchildren, religion, hobbies, interest in history, special likes, earliest memories, what he liked as a boy, radio programs, music, cooking, some grudging admissions, entertainment, some favorite books, some favorite films, jobs he's worked, favorite magazines, former residences, foreign countries he's visited, states he's missed, monumental historical events in his lifetime, and paranormal experiences. He also describes what it's like for him at work, and some other ambitions. Like I say, I won't post most of that here, but I'll consider some of it.
If I didn't mention it somewhere in this thread, and it hasn't already been in the article, then it's not in "LONGBIO". :) The end. ;) BOZ (talk) 02:30, 19 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sounds good! -Drilnoth (talk) 02:41, 19 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: Personal Facts & Stories

message: OK - from White Dwarf 14 (Aug/Sept 1979) article: White Dwarf Interviews Gary Gygax (pp 23-24) author Ian Livingstone. All points below sourced from this article. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 04:01, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Cool. :) BOZ (talk) 04:28, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: from WD 14 Interview

message: I've got access to ProQuest and EBSCOHost, and I've added a few of the refs that I found in appropriate places.  Good news on these is that they're all RS; bad news is that the online versions are not available to the general public.  I'd like feedback on whether what I've added is beneficial and, if so, what others would like sourced from those full-text news databases.  ProQuest has 114 articles on Gygax, EBSCOHost has 12. Jclemens (talk) 06:45, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Nice work! I'd say that anything currently using the LONGBIO as a ref should be replaced with a non-autobiographical source, if possible. The FAC also mentions lists some of the other not-quite-reliable sources that the article has; many of those have been dealt with already, but there's a few left. Thanks! -Drilnoth (talk) 13:18, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: OK, I've cited everything to other sources as I could.  What's left sourced to Longbio are essentially his childhood, early career, and  personal life. There are a couple of rather interesting obits that aren't currently cited, but I'm not sure they'll add anything special to what's already there. Jclemens (talk) 19:39, 21 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  What needs better citing? 

message: You know, I'm not sure about January 1976. A lot of details in a lot of sources seem to indicate that he died in 1975, with the formation of TSR Hobbies being in that year (some do conflict and give 1976). I also note that in the Social Security Death Index there is a Donald Kaye who seems a likely match and died in January 1975. Just saying, is all. :) BOZ (talk) 03:43, 25 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, Gygax says 75 in his 1979 interview in WD. I can't imagine him making that mistake then. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 03:50, 25 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Don Kaye's death 

message: Since I've done a lot of editing on this one, I probably can't do it myself, but any editors besides me think this GA is worthy of A-class? BOZ (talk) 23:14, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: There was a recent proposal somewhere (I forget) that not-listed FAC's should be considered for A class.  I, too, don't feel impartial enough to award it, since I would have claimed partial credit for the FA pass if we'd made it. :-) Jclemens (talk) 23:30, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Sure! Per the A-Class criteria, three people need to agree to make a GA into A-Class. -Drilnoth (talk) 23:33, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Rather than pat ourselves on the backs for a job well done, I'd rather see some more impartial editors comment - but maybe we all count as 1/3 of a vote so we only need 2 more.  ;) BOZ (talk) 23:38, 29 December 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Fair enough; I'll see if I can find a place to request additional input. -Drilnoth (talk) 21:42, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: D&D project talk page? ;) I think it is an assessment that can (and maybe should) be made by a specific WP project, I just think the three of us are too involved to make it alone. BOZ (talk) 23:58, 1 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  A-Class? 

message: Can we categorize Gygax as a Military Historian? He's a history enthusiast and it was this that inspired him to create war games, so could he be categorized under :Category:Military historians? Cooltrainer Hugh (talk) 20:03, 7 September 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: What qualifications would you need in order to classify him as such? 67.175.176.178 (talk) 03:49, 8 September 2009 (UTC)

text: I'm not aware of Gygax having authored any works about military history, having lectured on it, or generally having made the study of military history a key part of his life.  Being an enthusiast isn't enough, nor is making games about it. — Alan De Smet | Talk 22:50, 9 September 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  War historian 

message: I believe Gygax is more commonly known as "Gary Gygax" than "E. Gary Gygax," especially media coverage over the last decade or so.  Given that and , I believe "Gary Gygax" is the better article title.  Any reason it was moved to "E. Gary Gygax" instead? — Alan De Smet | Talk 03:45, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: Based my reading, Gygax used E. Gary with all TSR products, but I notice that on Journeys, Cyborg Commando, and Gord novels he dropped the first initial. I'd have zero objection if this were moved back to the Gary Gygax namespace. BusterD (talk) 14:48, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: "E. Gary Gygax" was certainly his pen name for *some* of his published work, but I don't know of anyone in the gaming world who commonly used the "E." when referring to him. Did a quick Google: the day after he died, the internet chatter was "Did you hear that Gary Gygax died?", not "Did you hear that E. Gary Gygax died?"For that reason, I would prefer to see the article moved back to "Gary Gygax" as per WP:COMMONNAME. Guinness323 (talk) 17:14, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: I did the boldness thing, moved per this discussion, and fixed six double redirects. Funny, there are scores of redirects to this pagespace, but only six to E. Gary. More fish for the kettle. BusterD (talk) 20:02, 14 May 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gary Gygax vs E. Gary Gygax 

message: This statement is problematic:
For the second edition of Chainmail, published in 1972, Gygax added a fantasy supplement to the rules.
The fantasy rules were present in both the 1st edition of Chainmail published by Guidon Games in 1971 and the 2nd edition published in 1972.  See The Acaeum.  An earlier version of the rules was published in the Domesday Book which was a photocopied newsletter with a circulation of no more than 80.  The Domesday Book rules did not have the fantasy supplement but they weren't called "Chainmail" either.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Grubbiv (talk • contribs) 20:43, 2 October 2011 (UTC)
thread_title: Chainmail

message: Why has nothing been said about his faith?
Just a quick google gives me this link
http://drchris.me/d20/?p=156
So the idea is well known, I don't see any good sources but still.
--68.13.181.181 (talk) 01:41, 28 November 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: "I don't see any good sources...." That's probably a key bit. Making claims about someone's faith without pretty solid evidence is pretty dangerous.  If you find some reliable sources about it, please include them! — Alan De Smet | Talk 05:53, 28 November 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: He has mentioned his feelings on sprituality before in interviews, but he does not really get into specifics. 129.33.19.254 (talk) 19:05, 28 November 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Chistianity  

message: I read a lot about it, and it was Dave Arneson that actually created the role-playing features in Dungeons and Dragons. Gygax contribution was much more on the "wargame rules" level, since both loved wargames. Actually, if there is a father for role-playing, it would be Arneson. 
The source cited in the article (a GameSpy interview) doesn't say that. It says Gygax is the father of DnD, and in other place it says DnD is the father of role-playing games. Actually, Gygax is the co-creator of DnD, and if DnD  is the father of role-playing games, then the dna in it came from Arneson.
I suggest to remove this phrase, since we cannot even say he is "one of the fathers". Arneson turn a wargame (like Chainmail) in a role-playing game (Blackmoor) first and alone.
Excuse the rant, that's because I see this mistake over and over. In the cited GameSpy interview, even Gygax recognizes that, in a twisted and indirect way:
"Even when you're playing miniatures, there's still some role-playing aspect. You'll pretend to be the commander of the group, and so forth. The one-to-one rules tended to make that aspect more prominent. It was Dave Arnenson, though, who started playing a Chainmail game where each of his players had just one figure on the table. That was the impetus for me (to put together what eventually became Dungeons & Dragons)"  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hexacorde (talk • contribs) 00:47, 6 February 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: I have corrected the claim to match the cited article. "GameSpy sits down with the father of Dungeons & Dragons...."  Who is the "real" father role-playing games will probably never be answered.  That Gygax has been called the father of D&D is certainly something we can verify. — Alan De Smet | Talk 06:36, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  "co"-father of DnD is ok, but father of role-playing games? 

message: There is a sourced section that suggests he moved to Clinton, Illinois, after separating from his first wife, but the source it links to mentions Frank Mentzer picking him up from his home in Clinton, Wisconsin, and as far as I can tell says nothing about either Illinois or a divorce. 174.31.154.207 (talk) 01:15, 12 February 2012 (UTC)
thread_title:  Clinton, Illinois? 

message: Just a subjective suggestion, but I find the main picture of Gygax to be distasteful. Surly we can locate a more dignified photo of the man to represent his article on our encyclopedia. Perhaps a photo like this one.--Nikoz78 (talk) 15:41, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text: The problem is that we need a free image. And why is this picture "distasteful"? 24.1.246.28 (talk) 17:20, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

text: It can't be that awful, dozens of news sites used the photograph in their announcements of Gygax's death.  Of course, they used it because it was photograph they could get, which is why we use it.  I'm not real happy with it myself.  I took the photograph, and almost immediately I realized it was only a so-so photograph.  But I'd already interrupted Gygax's conversation to request the photograph, and I didn't want to further interrupt.  I told myself, "No worries, I'll just try again next year."  :-/ So, yeah, if you can find a better photograph under a Wikipedia acceptable license, I'm all for replacing the lead photograph. — Alan De Smet | Talk 01:08, 4 November 2012 (UTC)
replies: text:  I don't know if I still have it, but there was one photo that Gary gave me upon request for a "better photo". It was removed a long time ago. I can see if I still have it. Email me, if it would be acceptable according to wiki licensing (since I am not up to date anymore). — K.Nevelsteen (talk) 08:14, 27 August 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Problem with main photo of Gygax 

message: The source most closely cited (#36 as of right now, http://books.google.com/books?id=8H8bzqj6S4sC&pg=PA62#v=onepage&q&f=false) for the claim that the game debuted at EasterCon (a UK science fiction convention, incidentally) 1973 says absolutely nothing about it, and if you Google the issue you will find lots of chatter ridiculing the idea that the game was available before 1974, "pre-release" form or not.  Certainly there is no citation for this claim, in any case, but I do not want to just take it out lest someone put it right back. 63.226.214.7 (talk) 11:13, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
replies: text: The source says "In 1973, Gygax collaborated with Don Kaye and Brian Blume ... The game appeared that same year at EasterCon. Pre-release copies were in circulation by the end of 1973, but the first commercial version of Dungeons & Dragons was published in January 1974", and this is attributed to Greg Costikyan. 129.33.19.254 (talk) 15:04, 31 January 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  Availability at EasterCon 1973 

message: I would like to propose :Image:Gary_Gyax_-_ModCon_1999_-_1.jpg for the main image for the article. The current main picture is just plain ugly!--K.Nevelsteen (talk) 08:30, 18 October 2013 (UTC)
thread_title:  [[:Image:Gary_Gyax_-_ModCon_1999_-_1.jpg]] 

message: Looks as though one of the users here has a highly proprietary  view of this article, even going to the point of undoing a grammatical revision that sought to bring clarity  to a muddy section.  This article is far too wordy, badly written and overly footnoted, needs all the help that one might sneak past the fierce guardian of this tripe a la mode de wiki.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.147.109.37 (talk) 20:20, 10 December 2014 (UTC)
thread_title:  My, my , my! 

message: Since his death in 2008, a convention, originally started quite small, as you might imagine, has been held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, USA, in his honor. This event takes place each March (dates do vary.) The latest one "Gary Con XI" was held at the Grand Geneva Resort and had thousands of attendees. It may sound silly, but I think this event should be mentioned in the "awards and honors" section of the article, considering the event is in Gary's honor (obviously), and is growing in size each year, and isn't a small, isolated, one-time (or few time) event. I will leave the addition/editing to someone better suited to the task. For reference the official website is https://garycon.com/ 2604:2D80:C003:8195:A531:2DBB:DA51:8473 (talk) 16:30, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't disagree with you. 8.37.179.254 (talk) 00:36, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gary Con addition to awards and honors section? 

message: The claim that Ernest Gygax was a violinist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is false.
To fact check this, I contacted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's archives—the Rosenthal Archives to confirm if Ernest Gygax was a member. The reply was:
"I see that it’s included (and footnoted) on Gary’s Wikipedia page, but unfortunately, we can find no record of a Ernest Gygax performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, either as a rostered member or a guest soloist. 
 
A complete list of our former musicians can be found on our website here: https://cso.org/globalassets/about/rosenthal-archives/pdfs/former_musicians.pdf
I then checked with the Chicago Federation of Musicians to see if he was a member there. He was not.
You are welcome to contact both to verify.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by Redsighthound (talk • contribs) 12:36, 16 March 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ernest Gygax not in Chicago Symphony Orchestra 

message: I found this article about Gail Gygax. I think it is an interesting perspective. I have not edited Gary's page for a long time though, perhaps someone else can incorporate it? Fantasy's Widow: The Fight Over The Legacy Of Dungeons & Dragons  --K.Nevelsteen (talk) 07:44, 28 August 2019 (UTC)
thread_title:  Reference about Gail Gygax 

message: His name is pronounced with a Z not a X sound. E.i. Gygaz.  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 60.241.28.46 (talk) 10:34, 2 June 2020 (UTC)
replies: text: Nope. Might want to talk to his sons (Luke and Ernie) about that. They clearly, and repeatedly, report the pronunciation as is phonetically used at the beginning of the article. 198.70.2.200 (talk) 13:19, 9 September 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: I've never heard anyone refer to him as "Guy-gaz." It is possible that other people with this last name do say it that way, but not this family. 208.47.202.254 (talk) 13:45, 9 September 2021 (UTC)
thread_title: Nope

message: The tale of infractions at the 1960 elections is told without any caveats. I checked the biography and Witwer includes the modifier "allegedly" at one point.
The original claim seems to be from a forum post which has either been deleted or moved. I tried to find it, going through the Wayback Machine, but found nothing.
enworld.org 2003–4. “Q&A with Gary Gygax—Part V.” Enworld.org. Retrieved from http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71486.
Even if the original is found I think the best solution would be to remove the section. If not then there should be some effort to soften the claim. Óli Gneisti (talk) 20:10, 6 July 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: I would agree with User:Óli Gneisti's assessment. This sort of detail might be appropriate in a full-length biographical book. I own Witmer, but don't think he's an authoritative biographer, merely an early one. This is excessive detail for an encyclopedia article on this non-political subject. BusterD (talk) 20:36, 6 July 2021 (UTC)
replies: text: I concur. I removed the section. Rray (talk) 22:52, 6 July 2021 (UTC)
thread_title:  1960 Presidential Election 

message: This article is very thin on the Gygax family, mentioning only the names of his wives and the number of children he had. But in recent years, some of his children have become prominent (and controversial) in the game industry.
Most visibly, Ernie Gygax Junior has co-founded a company under the name "TSR" (also the name of the original publisher of Dungeons and Dragons), a trademark also claimed by Wizards of the Coast (the Hasbro subsidiary the now owns D&D) and another game company. Ernie has been accused of incorporating bigoted beliefs.
Luke Gygax is among those critical of Ernie, and implies that he speaks for some or all of the other four Gygax siblings.
The game industry and community are divided into camps: pro-Ernie, anti-Ernie, and (probably the largest) not paying attention.
I found numerous articles on the family strife with a web search for "Ernie Gygax Jr", including this: TSR Games Distances Itself From Ernie G. Gygax Jr., the Owner of Another TSR Games.
I'm not sure the family members are Wikipedia-notable individually, but they may be collectively. Much of the conflict is covered in TSR, Inc., but maybe the people may deserve a collective article, or expanded mention in the Personal section of this article.
Discussion?
: — Steve98052 (talk) 00:53, 15 September 2022 (UTC)
replies: text: Is there enough independent RS commentary to cover this in an encyclopedic fashion? If not, let's simply leave it to the tabloids, or whatever the equivalent. Jclemens (talk) 02:18, 15 September 2022 (UTC)

text: We also have to consider Wikipedia:UNDUE. BOZ (talk) 02:37, 15 September 2022 (UTC)
thread_title:  Family and personal 

message: It might be worth looking at starting something for that book, but for reference in the meantime I did find one review:  BOZ (talk) 18:30, 23 December 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Empire of Imagination 

message: The claim about Gygax adhering to scientific racism was added to the Personal Life section by an anonymous editor on March 5th of this year, with the source provided being this PBS article which describes Gygax as "[believing] that different races of people were biologically distinct and capable of different things in life".
The PBS article, however, cites a source that does not support this claim — Dragon Issue #29, containing an entry of Gygax's From the Sorcerer’s Scroll column that concerns "race" as a game mechanic representing fantasy creatures (elves, dwarves, ogres, fairies, etc.) and makes zero comments on real-world "racial" groupings of human beings based on ethnicity or phenotype. 
Unless a better source in which Gygax makes such statements on the subject of real-world "racial" categorization can be found, this claim should be removed from the article. The statement that he believed women were naturally less inclined to enjoy role-playing games is supported with good evidence — the claim that he was a racist is not. SoarelTheHobbit (talk) 14:52, 3 April 2024 (UTC)
replies: text: Good enough for me. I was able to verify the Dragon 29 column said nothing that could be construed as referring to real world races vs. fantasy game races. Jclemens (talk) 07:17, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

text: In fact, the closing paragraph of that column argues strongly against Gygax as a real-world racist:  Certainly not insufficiently enlightened for late 1979. Jclemens (talk) 07:22, 4 April 2024 (UTC)

text: PBS article, posted by some terminally online nutcase, is factually incorrect. Very surprising. Let's please keep this cringy culture war BS off serious Wikipedia articles. 184.88.53.147 (talk) 04:34, 3 June 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  “[Believed] that different races of people were biologically distinct” — misleading and poorly sourced