Gary Gygax Memorial Game Table for Dungeons & Dragons Fans

Roll for Initiative! 

Help us to build the ultimate memorial gaming table for the fans of Dungeons & Dragons®, dedicated to Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the game, in the place where it was written and published, his hometown of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

The popularity of the game Dungeons & Dragons® has swept the world, becoming part of the very fabric of our popular culture. Over 50 million people have played the game worldwide, but the game's influence is much greater than that. Whether you play role-playing games, board games, computer games, phone app games, or engage in social media platforms, the language of D&D® is all around us. Experience points, leveling-up, saving throws, hit points, armor class, NPC, to name just a few. We have no problems identifying with magic-users, fireballs, red, green, and blue dragons and the rest!

The game surged in popularity in the late 1970s and early 80s and then again starting in 2014 and nearing a crescendo in 2020 with the onset of Covid-19. Players of the game and new players discovered that playing the game remotely, using video conference platforms, allowed groups of people to share in the fun, imaginative game, and most of all be together despite being physically apart. For a lot of us this game got us through a really difficult time in human history.

People just don't say, "this game saved my life" or "this game changed my life" but players of the Dungeons & Dragons® game do. Whether isolated in small towns across the world, socially isolated in grade school or high school, or physically isolated from peer groups, the game allowed us to go beyond our world and to share in the imaginative worlds created while playing the game. They also formed deep friendships that would last a lifetime and gathered their children and families to share in the joy of the game. Generations of players have been created, and those players have in turn become the creative fabric of our society today. Writers, film makers, artists, and game designers that were born from the creativity and imagination of the game are now sharing that spark with novels, cartoons, comics, film, television, board games, computer games, role-playing games, and entrepreneurial enterprises.

Indeed, the skills of leadership, tactics, problem solving, planning, resource management, and team dynamics learned through Dungeons & Dragons® have created a new generation of leaders. The benefits of the game go even beyond that, encouraging excellence in math, reading, and writing and being used by talented and gifted programs around the world. The game has positive developmental and health benefits as well, being used for occupational therapy, positive reinforcement in at-risk-youth programs, rehabilitation in detention facilities and prisons, and even leading to mental well being, having shown reduced suicide rates among players as compared to the general population. Because with this D&D® everyone has a seat at the table.

But did you know this game didn't exist for the world to enjoy until 1974? Think of it, the 50 million players, all the creative works and games and the industries that followed, none of it would exist. And the co-designers of this game did it right here in the United States of America, one of them, Gary Gygax, writing and publishing D&D® in the little town of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was an out-of-work, insurance underwriter, cobbling shoes and getting by on food stamps and risking it all to publish a game that no other publisher believed in.

Gary Gygax believed in the power of games to transcend age, gender, ethnicity, culture, language, religion, and class. Even as a child, that power drew him to games like chess, cribbage, mahjong, and others. But all those games were based on competition. In a millennia of game design, a thousand years of human history, few had broken this paradigm of us vs. them, victory or defeat. The purpose of games were to win, and losing meant failure.

But for the first time in thousands of years, D&D® gives us something different. It’s a game whose only boundary is the imagination of everyone sitting around the table playing it. Where shared imagination is the reward.

So if you have ever faced a red dragon, made a death save, thrown a fireball, or rolled a natural 20 to save the day; if the game Dungeons & Dragons® helped you and your friends stay together and laugh and create unforgettable stories you will retell for years; if the game helped you through a difficult time, gave you a sense of belonging, forged lifelong friendships, or helped build a career that has made your life complete; if you want to say thank you to Gary Gygax for all the joy the game has given you; here is your chance.

Join us in building the ultimate game table for the fans of Dungeons & Dragons®, dedicated to the game's co-creator in the place where the game was born, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Project Location and Design

The Site: The memorial will be located in Gary's favorite spot in Library Park, a place he had personally chosen if there were ever to be a memorial to him. The park is along the picturesque shores of beautiful Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and provides a breathtaking view of the park and the lake. This is the place where Gary would read books and imagine world's beyond our own. Where he would dream of becoming a best selling fantasy author and living in Stone Manor, a mansion across the lake. A dream he would make a reality in the mid-1980s.

The Memorial: The monument will be a stone table with stone benches along either side and a statue of Gary Gygax seated on a Dungeons & Dragons®-themed throne at one end. Atop the table will be a bronze map of the first dungeon level ever drawn for the game by Gary in 1973. The map will be keyed and scaled for use with miniatures and Gary's original key will be available on our website. We will also host keys created by other Dungeon Masters so that players may return year after year to play new adventures each time they visit. Dungeon Masters will be able to sit next to Gary and roll their dice off of Gary's hand as he helps them run their game of Dungeons & Dragons®.

Reward Tiers

We're on a quest, seeking a legendary Dungeons & Dragons® artifact! Won't you join us?

There is rumored to be an artifact of great power, sought by Dungeons & Dragons® adventurers throughout the lands, a table that holds magic for all that gather around it--the Gygax Memorial Table! We are seeking adventurers of all levels to join us on this epic quest! Choose your level and gather your treasure!

The reward tiers are set-up like a dungeon delve, the higher level you choose, the higher level of adventurer title you get, and the deeper into the dungeon you go!

Level Progression Table:

Explanation of Rewards:

There are 4 basic rewards:

1) Gygaxian Wall of Honor

All adventurers will be listed by level-title on the Gygaxian Wall of Honor on the Gygax Memorial Fund website, according to their level of giving:

2) Gygaxian Scroll of Honor

Also, adventurers of all levels will receive a PDF of their official Gygaxian Scroll of Honor with their name & title according to their level of giving. Adventurers can even pool their treasure to get the name of their group entered onto the lists. Have your scribe (your printer or copier machine) print it off and hang it proudly in your adventurer's game hall or trophy room!

3) Graysterne Castle Mini-Mega Dungeon

Additionally, all levels of adventurers will receive a PDF of cumulative levels of Graysterne Castle, an all new, mini-level mega-dungeon! As your level of giving increases you get progressively deeper and deeper levels of the dungeon! Of course, you can choose the Complete Graysterne Castle add on at any level and get the entire 18-level dungeon!

Each level is its own adventure and 2-4 pages long (not all pages shown below). The levels appear on graph paper with a hand written map and key for the level. This Any-Edition Dungeon, usable with any edition of the game, is an original, old school, adventure created by game designer, Paul Stormberg. It is written without stat-blocks, just like Gary Gygax's original dungeon keys in the 1970s!

Graysterne Castle Introduction

In a time before magic waned, the Earl of Walworth, a chivalrous lord by the name of Graysterne, along with his ally and friend, the wizard, Zayodek, kept watch over the lands in their domain. The pair built a small keep near the shores of Lake Evangé. Within the keep was a manor house for Lord Graysterne and a wizard's tower for Zayodek.

Hidden within the place was rumored to be an artifact of great power, The Table of Gygax, a stone table purported to be able to create magic for all who gather around it!

After a time, Lord Graysterne was wed to a beautiful and skilled, fire-haired warrior, Lady Armay. Theirs was the great romance of the age. But it was not to last.

For more than a decade the lands of Walworth prospered and were happy. Then, one midnight, fifty years ago, the moon shown blood red and then turned black, plunging the land into total darkness. The next morn the sun rose but Graysterne Castle was found to be deserted. No sign of struggle or even flight from the place was discovered. It was as if Lord Graysterne, Lady Armay, the Wizard Zayodek, and all their servants had vanished.

After the Night of the Scarlet Moon, the lands of Walworth were no longer safe. Monsters began to roam the back roads and attack travelers and remote villages. As the years passed these attacks and raids became more brazen and the monsters more terrible. The locations of their lairs are unknown and their numbers are ever increasing. Recently, dragons have been seen circling the skies above Walworth, although from whence they fly is a mystery.

Most terrible of all, an evil curse has fallen upon the peoples of the land, where even the dead find no rest. Graves near the village of Littleford are found empty, dug from within, their occupants wandered off as undead, never to be seen again!

Lately, strange lights have be seen at night in the ruins of Graysterne Castle. The people fear something even more evil is on the rise. Perhaps this is the place to meet the threat and break the curse that lies upon the land?

Even now, a small band of heroes gathers before the gates of Graysterne Castle...

4) Gygaxian Walk of Honor

At name-level, Warrior of Gygax level or higher, starting at $250 or more, you will have your name engraved in stone! Your name, your group's name, or the name of someone you choose will be engraved on one of the granite pavers to be placed at the base of the memorial around the table and benches. These Gygaxian Walk of Honor stones are numbered 1 through 1,285 and will be assigned by level and precedence of pledge. The earlier and higher you pledge the lower your number and closer you will be to the head of the table and Gary's statue.The standard 4 x 8 inch pavers allow for 3 lines of 13 characters (letters in all caps, numbers, spaces, dashes, and ampersands) while the "Epic" pavers are 4 x 12 inch and allow for 3 lines of 20 characters each. Make sure you get enough space for what you want to have engraved but don't worry about your final wording, we won't ask for that until after we have completed this adventure! (There are some examples below.)

Mock-up of 4 x 8 inch standard pavers and engraving style:

Mock-up of 4 x 12, Epic Pavers and engraving style:

Funding Goals

Our basic goal is to raise $150,000 to create and install the stone and foundational elements of the monument: the stone table, benches, and pavers, and concrete foundations, apron, and connecting sidewalk. Should our project be funded, we should be able to get the above elements created, installed, and in place by Dragon Days™, October 3rd-4th, 2026 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Our 1st stretch goal: Should we meet the basic goal, our 1st stretch goal is to have a bronze, D&D®-themed, Dungeon Master's throne created and installed at one end of the table. To achieve this goal, we will need to hit $250k.

Our 2nd stretch goal: Should we meet the previous stretch goal, our 2nd stretch goal is to have a bronze statue of Gary Gygax seated upon the D&D®-themed Dungeon Master's throne at one end of the table. To achieve this goal we will need to hit $500k.

Our 3rd stretch goal: Should we meet the previous stretch goal, our 3rd stretch goal is to have a bronze treasure chest and guardian dragon wrapped around the base of the D&D®-themed Dungeon Master's throne. To achieve this goal we will need to hit $700k.

Our 4th stretch goal: Should we meet the previous goal, our 4th stretch goal is to have a 5 x 7 foot bronze map of Gary's first dungeon level created and installed on top of the stone table. To achieve this goal, we will need to hit $925k.

Only the stone elements will be completed by the October 2026 date. The bronze elements, all together will take about 2-3 years to accomplish. However, fans will be able to visit and play on the completed stone table until the bronze elements are installed. 

Project Costs

The cost for this monument is significant. It is a major installation that will require 13-14 tons of Barre granite, 1/2 ton of black granite, and 2-3 tons of bronze to complete. For just the material cost alone, that would amount to $180,000. Of course, none of this includes the shipping, carving, engraving the pavers, and polishing of the stone, the artistry of the sculptor, nor the process of multiple scale sculpts at increasing scales until the full scale model is reached. Most of the cost of the bronze elements are for the artistry and time required to execute the process through its multiple stages. Indeed, the bronze pieces will take the sculptor 2-3 years to complete and a team of a half dozen people to help him with the process. Think of it this way, the Mona Lisa is just a few pennies worth of paint and a couple dollars for the canvas and frame but the completed work is priceless because of the artist.

The goals we have set for fundraising reflect hiring an internationally acclaimed sculptor who could handle the unique challenges of this monument. Many sculptors who gave us lower bids said they could not handle the size and challenges of the low relief, 5 x 7 foot bronze map. Many of them only wanted to do the statue of Gary, the throne, and the dragon. The top sculptors of course wanted the prestige of doing the whole concept and having their name associated with it. So for them, it was all or nothing.

Another requirement we had was that the sculptor must be a portrait sculptor. There are many, many sculptors who are fabulous at creating sculptures of what is in their mind's eye or abstract representation of people and things. But when it comes to capturing an real life person in bronze, you must have the most talented and sought after artist you can find. Otherwise, you might get a "Scary Lucy" statue or the goofy Statue of Ronaldo. Look them up and you will see what I mean. You pay for what you get.

There were certainly many bids from lesser known artists but we weren't looking for the cheapest option to memorialize Gary but the absolute best we could find as far as skill, artistry, experience, ability, and facility. That does not come cheap but it will be absolutely amazing when complete!

So too, the stone was carefully selected. There was a variety of stone from around the world and even locally in Wisconsin. Stone from India and China were cheaper but had high shipping costs and dramatically escalating tariffs. The stone from around the United States was more expensive but had lower shipping costs. Ultimately, we sought out the absolutely best stone from the United States, Barre granite, from Vermont. This stone is highly regarded by sculptors for outdoor monuments due to its fine grain, beauty, durability, and superior weather resistance--and you can imagine the weather in Wisconsin at the edge of a vast lake is pretty harsh! These qualities make it the "gold standard" for monuments. But, again, it does not come cheap. However, it will be the absolute best we can do to honor Gary's legacy and make sure this table will be around for generations of gamers to enjoy.

So we are shooting for the stars. We are selecting the absolute best artist, sculptor, and craftsman. We are choosing the finest materials that will be beautiful forever. We are choosing to make a work of art to celebrate a cultural phenomena that changed the world and the man who believed it could.

Your charitable contribution may be tax deductible!

While a portion of your donation is delivered to Kickstarter as a fee for their services, the remainder of your donations are deductible as charitable contributions to the Gygax Memorial Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization. As such, every donor will receive a thank-you email indicating the portion of their charitable donation that went to our non-profit entity, the Gygax Memorial Fund, Inc. (Please refer to your individual tax advisor to determine deductibility of your donation.)

Who's Running this Campaign?

This campaign is being run by the President of the Gygax Memorial Fund, Paul Stormberg, along with a team of dedicated friends, fans of Gary, and RPG industry professionals. 

Under his direction, the Gygax Memorial Fund has successfully implemented several initiatives in Gary's hometown of Lake Geneva, including:

• a proclamation of Gary Gygax Day on Gary's birthday
• dedicating Gary Gygax Park Bench in Gary's name
• laying the Gen Con Founder's Stone at Horticultural Hall
• dedicating the Appendix N Alcove at the local public library
• donating the Gygax Memorial Sand Table to 330 Center St.—The Birthplace of D&D
• creating the Adventurer's Map of Lake Geneva, a walking tour map of historical sites relating to Gary Gygax and D&D
• establishing the Dragon Days™ Fantasy Festival (www.dragondays.org)
• opening The Wizard of Lake Geneva™ exhibit at the local museum

These initiatives were part of a two year campaign by the Gygax Memorial Fund, seeking community engagement in recognizing the accomplishments and legacy of Gary Gygax and his contributions to the City of Lake Geneva and the world. After two years of efforts, the city of Lake Geneva Board of Park Commissioners, Planning Commission, and City Council gave unanimous approval of the memorial and its location in Library Park, an emerald park along the picturesque shores of Lake Geneva, that is the jewel of the city.

Now that the location has been approved, Paul has been charged with raising the funds necessary to build the memorial.

Paul is also one of the world's top collectors of RPG® history and memorabilia. Over the last three decades, Paul's company, The Collector's Trove, has become the world's most successful RPG auction house, featuring the collections of role-playing game (RPG) industry designers, artists, and insiders, including Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson! As a result, he is an expert in the history of TSR, D&D, and the RPG industry. Owing to this unmatched perspective and access to thousands of archival images and materials he has been integral to numerous digital, print, film, and audio projects including his most recent podcast, When We Were Wizards and docu-series, The Great Kingdom.

Paul has also been a collaborator on projects involving the works of Gary Gygax and Gary's own co-Dungeon Master for Greyhawk Castle, Rob Kuntz (TLB Games and Legends of Roleplaying). 

Paul has played in Gary's original Greyhawk Castle, with Gary as the Dungeon Master, and in El Raja Key Castle, as run by Gary's Greyhawk Castle co-DM, Rob Kuntz. And as an auctioneer, curator, and consultant Paul has studied both original manuscripts and has run many of these dungeon levels at 330 Center St--The Birthplace of D&D where Gary ran these adventures for the first time in the 1970s. 

Indeed, Paul is the only person living to have seen all of Gary's original Greyhawk Castle! His experience with Gary and Rob's play styles and access to their original materials makes him the ultimate old school DM!

Paul makes appearances at game conventions throughout the US as a guest speaker. He established Legends of Wargaming, an ongoing program run at Gary Con and other conventions that focuses on the early days of gaming. As part of these events, he presents museum-quality exhibits on the history of gaming. These displays receive hundreds of visitors each year and have been featured in video blogs, photo journals, and digital media outlets.

Professionally, Paul has contributed to print and digital RPG magazines and was a researcher for the design team that won a Golden ENnie in 2005 for a 4-part World of Greyhawk map that appeared in Dungeon magazine. He designed, wrote, and edited the El Raja Key Archive, a historical treatise on the RPG artifacts of Rob Kuntz, a founding player and designer of D&D. He created the Adventurer's Map of Lake Geneva, a walking tour map featuring the important historical locations of Gary Gygax's life and the creation of D&D. In addition, Paul founded the Legends of Roleplaying publishing house, working with legendary game designers to create all new fantasy adventures featured each year at Gary Con, in the largest old school AD&D tourney in the world, also founded by Paul. The Legends of Roleplaying Tourney is the most popular event at Gary Con, drawing in 144 or more players each year.

Paul personally knew Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson for years as a fan, exchanging correspondence and chatting over the phone. Gary even gave Paul a nickname, 'Stormbeard', after he mis-typed his name in an email, and ever after greeted him as such.Paul (left in white shirt) plays a game of Chainmail with Gary Gygax, his son, Ernie Gygax, and Chainmail co-author, Jeff Perren in 2006.

Special Thanks

The Gygax Memorial Fund, Inc., would like offer our gratitude and thanks to everyone who helped make this Kickstarter possible: Gail Gygax, Gary's widow, who strove for so many years to make this project a reality often at the cost of her own health; her sister, Dianne Carpenter, who suggested we have a table as the monument and faithfully stood by her sister, Gary's children, who have supported our initiatives that helped us get us the location Gary wanted in Library Park: his youngest son Alex Gygax, who cut the silver cord for the Gygax Memorial Park Bench dedication on the first ever Gary Gygax Day, his daughter Heidi Garland Gygax, who cut the silver cord on our Dragon Days™ Fantasy Festival opening ceremony, his son Luke Gygax who spoke at our grand opening of The Wizard of Lake Geneva™ museum exhibit about his father, and Gary's late, eldest son, Ernie Gygax, who despite being terminally ill and having just recently fallen, with bloodied, bandaged knees, showed up for his father, to cut the silver cord, officially opening our Throne of Reading and Appendix N Alcove, at the Lake Geneva Public Library, a section containing the books Gary felt inspirational to the creation of D&D.

We must also thank Gary's hometown, the City of Lake Geneva, a truly magical place where the game of D&D was born. Special thanks to former Mayor Charlene Klein, aldermen Mary Jo Fessenmaier, Peg Esposito, Linda Frame, Board of Parks President, Cindy Fueredi, for all of their kind support and advice and enthusiasm for this project. Thank you to the members of VISIT Lake Geneva, President Stephanie Klett and staff, including: Deanna Goodwin, Christi Hunter, Kellie Carper, and the rest of their team for being great cheerleaders and promoters.

Most of all we'd like to thank the current Mayor Todd Krause, for being so generous with his time, his kindness toward Gary's widow, making the enduring proclamation of Gary Gygax Day in Lake Geneva, overseeing the final approval of the memorial, and his patience with our always enthusiastic but occasionally chaotic, Dragon Days™ Fantasy Festival planning. All of you are a credit to your beautiful jewel of a town, the City of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Also, thank you to the past and present creative team who helped put ideas into action, images, video, and art: artists from Gary's original company, TSR--Harry Quinn (his lovely color art above), Jeff Easley, and Larry Elmore, sculptors Gerald P. Sawyer, Mike Martino, James Nance, and Stefan Pokorny, photographers and videographers, Elsie Stormberg, Mark Valleskey, and Andrew Pascal, writers and contributors, Adam Turner and Andrew Pascal, technical assistant and web designer, Kevin Maurice, and sage advice and encouragement from all of the above!

Thank you to Peter Adkison and the Gen Con gaming convention, Wizards of the Coast, and Hasbro for you generous contributions to our early fund raising.

Finally, our deepest thank you to Gary's fans, the gamers who love the game he created, who donated to the Gygax Memorial Fund in its nascent stages. You made it possible for us to get here and will receive commensurate rewards to the Kickstarter donors. You are why Gary's legacy lives!

(D&D® and Dungeons & Dragons® are registered trademarks of Hasbro subsidiary, Wizards of the Coast, and are used here without permission but used only in the context of the historical events and culturally significant accomplishments of Gary Gygax. In the interests of disclosure, Wizards of the Coast is one of the Gygax Memorial Fund's corporate donors.)