Gary Gygax, father of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, died today.

I have always made fun of people like myself who  grew up geeking out in the basement talking about armor class, saving throws and hit points.  (And I always will.)   Still, the honest truth is that I owe a lot to that game.  Time spent as a dungeon master helped hone skills in acting, organization, management, and most of all storytelling.  I still remember a lesson learned at age 11 when my fellow players told me how much they enjoyed an adventure I’d written in which, while solving their main quest, they were chased by hooded assassins.  Conflict drives the audience’s engagement in a story, and subplot can control pacing.  Thanks, Gary.

I suggest we all observe a moment of silence.  Lasting 3d20 seconds.