Dave Arneson

Dave Arneson, the other creator of D&D, the one that didn't guest star in Futurama, also passed away last week. Those who knew him have praised his kindness and humility: Warren Spector called him "one of the Good Guys". Dave, and the changes he brought to gaming, will never be forgotten.

Here's an interview that Gamasutra ran after his death. Nice to see that d20s were originally chosen because Dave was bad at maths. In Dave's eyes, the most important part of game design? "Game mechanics. Making a balanced game."

No Resurrections

Gary Gygax died today, at 69. He's responsible for a huge section of modern gaming, for new ideas and for paradigms we now take as a given - levelling and XP, polyhedral dice. His influence cannot be understated.

UPDATE: Penny Arcade, bang on the nail as ever.