Once upon a time, I played Dungeons & Dragons. Hours were spent (wasted?) hunched over graph paper maps and filing cards devising dungeons. Certainly, my 'O' levels suffered. However, I remember with fondness the early conventions at Chelsea and Fulham Town Halls, chatting with Steve Jackson and Dave Livingstone before Games Workshop went commercial, long afternoons with friends until the unconscious symbolism of disappearing down tunnels in search of treasure dawned on my acne-ridden 15-year-old mind.
This book - Greyhawk - haunted my imagination and the cover in particular. The creature is a Beholder if my memory serves me right. It's not ridiculous, perhaps, to see some anticipation of my fascination with poetry - labyrinthine quests and spelling (see Robert Duncan for the double sense). And the wonderful world of elusive publications: Lee Gold's 'Alarums and Excursions' coming out of California, crudely photocopied, side stapled, full of typos; Hartley Patterson's 'News From Bree'.
Ironic, too, that my first students were far more impressed to hear that I was the creator of the Volt (a nasty little electrical beast with horns and prehensile tail) than any academic claims to fame. A salutary lesson in perspective.
So, yes, today I'm sad to hear that Gary Gygax has died - the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons. That name had a magic for me - the double 'g' the 'y' and 'x' - well, it was like a Word of Power in itself.
2 comments:
Hello, Mr Waffle. Where exactly does Duncan mention labyrinthine quests and spelling? ... All power to your iPod ...
The volt was one of my favorites. Thanks for popping by my blog, and making the connection.
Best to you, and thank you for your contribution to the game world. Pop back by anytime you want.
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