Wargames

During the 1960s, Gygax worked as an insurance underwriter1 in Lake Geneva.2 In 1966, Gygax co-founded the International Federation of Wargamers (IFW) with Bill Speer and Scott Duncan.34 The IFW was comprised of several wargaming clubs, which served to promote interest in gaming the medieval period of history in particular, and provided a forum for international wargamers.5 In 1967, Gygax organized a 20-person gaming meet in the basement of his home; Gary would later refer to this event as "Gen Con 0."6 In 1968, Gygax rented Lake Geneva's vine-covered Horticultural Hall for $50 to hold the first Lake Geneva Convention, also known as the Gen Con gaming convention for short.7 Gen Con is now one of North America's largest annual hobby-game gatherings,8 and the place where Gygax met Dave Arneson.9

I'm very fond of the Medieval period, the Dark Ages in particular. We started playing in the period because I had found appropriate miniatures. I started devising rules where what the plastic figure was wearing was what he had. If he had a shield and no armor, then he just has a shield. Shields and half-armor = half-armor rules; full-armor figure = full armor rules. I did rules for weapons as well.10

Together with Don Kaye, Mike Reese, and Leon Tucker, Gygax created a military miniatures society, Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association (LGTSA), with its first headquarters in Gygax's basement.11 In 1969, Gygax founded the Castle & Crusade Society chapter of the IFW.12 Gary left the insurance business and became a shoe repairman to make more time for pursuing his interest in game development.13 In 1970, he began working as editor-in-chief at Guidon Games, a publisher of wargames,14 for which he produced the board games Alexander the Great and Dunkirk in 1971. In 1968, Gygax and Jeff Perren wrote Chainmail, a miniatures wargame that simulated medieval-era tactical combat,15 and it was published in 1971. Gygax also collaborated with Dave Arneson on the naval wargame Don't Give Up the Ship!.

For the second edition of Chainmail published in 1972, Gygax added a Fantasy Supplement to the rules. These included warriors who were monsters of non-human races, drawn from the works of Tolkien and other sources. He also included rules for individual heroic characters, including wizards. For the last he included ten spells that could be used to affect a battle, including lightning bolts, fireballs, and so forth. Dave Arneson adopted the modified rules for his fantasy Blackmoor campaign. While visiting Lake Geneva in 1972, Arneson ran his fantasy game using the new rules, and Gygax immediately saw the potential of role-playing games.16

Developed with Arneson's help from his modified version of Chainmail for his Blackmoor campaign, Gygax wrote "The Fantasy Game", the role-playing game (RPG) that became Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).17 The rules for simulating magic were inspired by the works of fantasy author Jack Vance, and the system as a whole drew upon the work of authors as Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, and Fritz Leiber. In 1973, Gygax quit his day job and attempted to publish the game through Avalon Hill, who turned down his offer.18

• 1. Staff (2008-03-05). "Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax dies at 69; mapped out role-playing game in 1974", International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on 12 October 2008.
• 2. Tinsman, Brian (2002). The Game Inventor's Guidebook. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-552-7.
• 3. Fannon, Sean Patrick (1999). The Fantasy Roleplaying Gamer's Bible (2nd ed.) Obsidian Studios. ISBN 0-9674429-0-7.
• 4. "The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved on 2005-08-20.
• 5. Parker, Laura (2008-03-07). "Gary Gygax: Founding father of fantasy computer games and co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons", The Guardian. Retrieved on 7 October 2008.
• 6. Gen Con Indy 2007 Program Book. Gen Con LLC.
• 7. Kushner, David. "Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax". Wired.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-16.
• 8. Miller II, Stanley A. (August 3, 2002). "Gen gone: Next year, gamers will be draggin' their tales to Indiana prairie", Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 17 December 2008.
• 9. King, Brad; Borland, John (2003). Dungeons & Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Chic to Geek. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-222888-1.
• 10. Rausch, Allen. "Gary Gygax Interview - Part I (page 2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment, Inc.. Archived from the original on 2008-10-04. Retrieved on 2005-01-03.
• 11. "Gary Gygax", The Economist (March 13, 2008). Retrieved on 7 October 2008.
• 12. "Welcome to the Castles & Crusades Society". Castles & Crusades Society. Retrieved on 19 December 2008.
• 13. Sullivan, Patricia (March 5, 2008). "E. Gary Gygax; Co-Creator Of Dungeons & Dragons", Washington Post. Retrieved on 17 October 2008.
• 14. Gygax, Gary. Long Biography of E(rnest) Gary Gygax (revision 6-05), ©2005
• 15. Winter, Steve; Johson, Harold; Adkison, Peter; Stark, Ed; Archer, Peter; additional contributions by numerous others (October 2004). 30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons. Wizards of the Coast. ISBN 0-7869-3498-0.
• 16. Schick, Lawrence (1991). Heroic Worlds: A History and Guide to Role-Playing Games. Prometheus Books. ISBN 0-87975-653-5.
• 17. "Dungeons & Dragons FAQ". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-03. Retrieved on 2008-10-03.
• 18. Sacco, Ciro Alessandro. "The Ultimate Interview with Gary Gygax". thekyngdoms.com. Retrieved on 2008-10-24.