| Lisa Smedman |
I never met Gary Gygax, even though I've worked as a freelance game designer and novelist for TSR/WOTC for two decades and been an RPG gamer for close to 30 years. But the wonderful creation he and Dave Arneson gave us shaped my life in more ways than just my career. I met my spouse thanks to gaming, and am passing on my love of RPGs and tabletop miniatures to our young son, who knows them as Mommy's "talking games" and "little people games" respectively. In Gary's memory, I placed my first, badly painted D&D (not yet AD&D) halfling figurine atop my computer monitor, together with a pale blue D6 from the Basic set (the kind you had to crayon in the numbers on). Dungeons & Dragons and roleplaying gaming have been the cornerstones of my life. Words can't begin to express their influence, or the joy they've given me. Truly the "monty haul" campaign of a lifetime. I urge all those who share this sentiment to grab a d20 in mourning black and place it atop their computer in memory of a creative genius and all the good times his game has given us.
Lisa Smedman
author, Forgotten Realms novels