Ernie Gygax Jr.—son of Gary Gygax , and an early playtester of what wouldbecomeDungeons & Dragons — has passed away after combat wellness problems . The word was substantiate by Gygax Jr. ’s comrade , Luke , onFacebook .
Gygax Jr. was perhaps easily known for his own contribution to earlyDungeons & Dragonsas part of his character as a playtester for hisfather ’s early iterationsof what would become the biggest tabletop roleplaying game on the major planet . Among several early mechanically skillful contributions toD&D‘s systems , Gygax Jr. bestow the fibre of Tenser toD&D‘s lore : his first player character reference , a Wizard ( and an anagram of “ Ernest ” ) , Tenser would go on to a prominent part of the mankind of Greyhawk , a powerful archmage and frequent ally of Bigby and Mordenkainen . Several spells still in use in the latest looping ofD&D , like “ Tenser ’s Floating Disk ” and “ Tenser ’s Transformation ” were named after the reference .
Gygax was the first director of the Dungeon Hobby Shop in Lake Geneva , Wisconsin , and later on in life publishedGygax Magazine , a short - live periodical alongside his brother Luke , as part of a revived TSR in 2012 . Gygax Jr. departed the revive TSR with the cloture ofGygax Magazinefollowing effectual conflict with Gail Gygax , Gary Gygax ’s 2nd married woman , and would go on to help stick out the founding of athirdcompany also named TSR , alongside Justin LaNasa and Stephen Dinehart , in 2021 .
An illustration of a Red Wizard using Tenser’s Floating Disk, the spell named for Ernie Gygax Jr.’s originalDungeons & Dragonsplaytest character, in the 2024 edition of thePlayer’s Handbook.© Ralph Horsley/Wizards of the Coast
At the metre , Gygax Jr.came under firefor several public appearance to encourage the third TSR — itself already in difference of opinion with the second TSR over repurposing of the ship’s company ’s name — where he made disparage racist and transphobic remarks and decried Wizards of the Coasts ’ ownership ofDungeons & Dragons , accusing the publisher of kowtowing to pressure as it tried to address the plot ’s historic relationshipto racial stereotype . The second TSR , managed by Jayson Elliot , publicly distanced itself from Gygax Jr. and the third TSR , ultimately change its name to Solarian Games , and Gygax Jr. left social media after publish an apology to the backlash .
“ He always made time for vernal gamers and encouraged them . He treated them as gamers who could figure out a direction through the challenges and he did n’t pull any punches , ” Luke Gygax wrote in an extensive protection on Facebook . “ Likely the first metre these youthful mass had a chance to interact on equal footing with grownup ( or older teens anyway ) . Those young folks have a go at it the biz and would come in and talk and game with Ernie often . He kept that open and friendly demeanor all through his life . ”
Gygax Jr. is hold up by his married woman Donna , who he get hitched with last year , his brother Luke , and three sisters , Elise , Heidi , and Cindy .
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