Friday, June 22, 2012

Who is Lord Grey?

As a moderator on the very ancient Shade's LARPlist I rediscovered this guy who posted there. I really hope he is healthy and well and I can get a correspondence with him. There I was in contact with an Old School Master and didn't even realize! Does anyone know who Lord Grey is? I emailed him minutes ago and await a response.
His last post on Shade's was in 2008.

I am Lord Grey. I have been since before the beginning. I was there at the creation. I belonged to the "Castle & Crusade Society" of the International Federation of Wargaming lo these many, many years ago. It was through the auspices of the C&C Society that the two Charismatic leaders of Mid-west USA wargaming, David Lance Arneson and Gary Gygax began to cross-pollinate the ideas for the original Dungeons & Dragons. I knew both fellows, and they both knew me.

I was playing RPG before the publication of D&D back in 1973. I have a first edition, first-printing of the original rules. I was playing back when the rules were new or the rules did not exist and we had to think for our selves And if you search the printed scenarios by David Lance Arneson himself, you may, if your eyes are sharp and your wits are keen, find me as an NPC, but as I know where the bodies are burried, the description may not be deemed as flattering.

Along the way of life I also met the inventors of Ars Magica, one of the pair was Mark Rein Hagen -- inventor of the Vampire universe. The pair enjoyed what I was able to bring to Ars Magica, and took my own invented character into their pack of pre-generated NPC for use at conventions, et cetera. By the way, Jonathan Tweed, the other of the Ars Magica duo, is now the chief editor for AD&D.

There was the time as I stood in line for a major war game convention near San Fransico, when I outlined for some fellows from the Seattle area
an idea for a game based upon decks of collectable trading cards. I wonder what ever happend to those guys?

Much have I studied as to the varieties of cultures, their folkways and their ken. But I feel as if I know nothing. There is so much out there.

I have studied Physics and Metaphysics, the Psychological and the Parapsychological. I have loved playing Call of Cthulu, though I think I am one of the few players who could actualy quality, in real life, to represent themselves as a Detective, a Journalist, a Soldier, a Diliatante, a Novelist, or a Parapsychologist. I once played a Novelist who ... well, that is a tale for another time.

I was trained by the US Army in aspects of Military Intelligence and Psychological Warfare. When I served the policy was to NOT torture, but to use other methods to ellicite information form our sources. In a sense it was LARPing for real.

A wise philosopher once said that a man must now his own limitations. I know I am not a good game master. I have done some, and the reports in feedback say that the innovaitons introduced by this writer, tha care to details and description of scene, rendered that which I presented as the acme of the RPG experience. But such effort is taxing.

My health now fails. Said but true. I fear the shadow of death approaches and life now grows slow and painful. But as the abilities of the body diminish, some aspects of the mind stay lucid, as long as I can remain focused.

My ill-health keeps me isolated, apart, and thus I do not LARP hardly at all any more. And the LARP I do is of the sort of limited actual combat, more of the sort where the mind is the tool of choice.

I would love to play, if asked, but can not promise to be able to get my self to your location. But if you can transport me, this Soul is willing even if the Body threatens to fail.

Forgive me if I remain semi-obscured. Let me go back to the healling slumber -- may sleep refesh you. Keep FIGHTING as long as you can. We will meet in Vahalla.

Is that the sound of battle in the distance? I think I hear the horns calling me. Help me to stand and hand me a sword!

5 comments:

  1. Now here's a man whose brains should be picked for further insights into the dawn of our hobby. I hope he's willing to share his memories with someone.

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  2. I wonder who this Lord Grey guy is? His last post was in 2008 on Shade's.

    I have posted a few post trying to find out who he is to much mockery and loss of face as I posted his intro from Shade's and had no idea the OSR community would hold it at such scoff.

    That was not the intent. If you are around Lord Grey I did not know your rather telling post would be responded too in that way.

    I only wanted to find out the story of Lord Grey and what it was like all those years ago in the Dawn of Role Playing Games.

    Hopefully he is still around to tell his tell as he spoke of failing health in his introduce yourself post on Shade's.

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  3. Don't judge the community by a couple of individuals EW. Matt "Mythmere" Finch is indeed bipolar and doesn't hide the fact. He would've made the comment because he knows what it's like to suffer that illness and how it affects him.

    As for the two unfortunate comments that followed, you'll notice that both members have only been with the forum for several weeks and therefore can't be said to represent the OD&D Discussion community.

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  4. Yes you are right David. Let me officially correct myself and say "some of the OSR community" but not all.

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  5. I hadn't realised you'd also posted at DF. Now I understand your anger. Sadly you got the standard DF replies, which is why I never post there anymore nor hardly ever even bother reading it.

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