Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. had a house fire and lost all of his possessions

Benoist · February 17, 2013, 08:41:29 PM

I consulted with the RPG Pundit before posting this and he suggested this would get the most visibility on the Main RPG forum.

Ernest "Ernie" Gary Gygax Jr. had a house fire today at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He, his room mate Scott and his dog are all okay, but they both lost all of their possessions in the fire.

Efforts are being made to bring some kind of relief to Ernie. To quote:

Quote from: Luke GygaxWell the good news is Ernie and his roommate escaped the fire that destroyed their quarters this morning. The bad news is that they could not save any of their personal effects. Ernie is currently not working and on disability (deteriorating knees forced him out of his job at Abbott Labs). So this is a tough time to lose possessions, let alone all the irreplaceable games and memorabilia that he had in the house. Keep him in your thoughts. I will see if he is willing to ask for help (paypal or something) to get him through this challenging time.

There's been a Facebook page set up to centralize all the information about this and how things are being set up and how we can help.

The direct link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ernie-Gygax-Fire-Relief/188873261236363

EDIT: The Ernie Relief Trust Fund has now been set up. See the page here: http://gygaxmagazine.com/auctions-for-ernie/

EDIT: The PayPal link was incorrect initially. It has been corrected. It is ErniesTrust@gygaxmagazine.com Thanks for all of your support.

Piestrio · February 17, 2013, 08:49:44 PM

That is seriously a bummer

Votan · February 17, 2013, 08:54:25 PM

Quote from: Piestrio;629281That is seriously a bummer

I am especially happy to hear all people and pets survived. Still, that is a very tough thing to have happen at any time in one's life, let alone when dealing with a disability.

JeremyR · February 17, 2013, 09:46:45 PM

That is tough. I pretty much lost all my possessions (except what I could carry) about 20 years ago myself.

thedungeondelver · February 17, 2013, 09:58:09 PM

How awful. I wish I could do something to help.

Benoist · February 17, 2013, 10:11:15 PM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;629302How awful. I wish I could do something to help.

Spread the word around. Let people know about it. When we have something like a paypal emergency fund setup or whatnot, then people who know about it will be able to throw a few coppers into it. You will have helped big time.

ICFTI · February 17, 2013, 11:14:45 PM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;629302How awful. I wish I could do something to help.

ditto. if i weren't living from paycheck to paycheck myself i would happily chip in to help. if i lost all of my stuff in a fire i would be similarly screwed as far as replacement goes, so i can identify.

Opaopajr · February 18, 2013, 01:14:07 AM

Sad. If only I was in a position to help monetarily; can't spare enough for a module lately. I will keep them in my thoughts.

jibbajibba · February 18, 2013, 01:32:08 AM

not being harsh but didn't Mr Gygax have home insurance?

No one was hurt so the rest is only stuff.

Yes some of his father's stuff will of course have a personal value but gamers sending him money won't fix that and his fire insurance will replace the fridge TV and Xbox so ...

Monkey Boy · February 18, 2013, 02:15:33 AM

Quote from: jibbajibba;629334not being harsh but didn't Mr Gygax have home insurance?

No one was hurt so the rest is only stuff.

Yes some of his father's stuff will of course have a personal value but gamers sending him money won't fix that and his fire insurance will replace the fridge TV and Xbox so ...

My thoughts too. But I dont know how it works in the US. Maybe insurance is a much rarer thing than in AUS?

Mistwell · February 18, 2013, 01:42:22 PM

Quote from: Monkey Boy;629340My thoughts too. But I dont know how it works in the US. Maybe insurance is a much rarer thing than in AUS?

Naw, it's common. In fact, if you have a mortgage, it's required. The problem may be the exclusions.

I had a flood a couple years back, and was only then informed that comic books were excluded from my coverage. I would not be surprised if other collectibles are excluded as well. So, it's possible some of his more valuable items are excluded. So they would cover the $800 big screen TV, but perhaps not the $50K in D&D memorabilia.

SJBenoist · February 18, 2013, 02:15:49 PM

I suppose it depends on if it was really his house, or if he was renting.

Renters insurance is, in many areas, unreasonably expensive. My wife and I looked at it ~6 years back, and quickly realized the highest premium we were willing to pay wouldn't cover more than maybe the living room.

At any rate, I hope he didn't lose too much that is really irreplaceable, both for himself and for the hobby.

arminius · February 18, 2013, 03:18:31 PM

It doesn't cost anything to talk to a good independent insurance agent. Dunno how hard it is to find a good one; found mine through a co-worker's recommendation years and never had to look around again. Anyway, I think my renter's insurance is reasonable not only to protect against loss of valuables but also incalculable losses such as liability if someone somehow was injured in my home.

I've heard "don't insure want you can afford to lose" but I think if you have a collection which could be part of your nest-egg, it's worth insuring.

Not to blame Ernie by any means, my sympathies go out to him and I hope those who can afford to do so will help even if it's just in a small way.

Mistwell · February 18, 2013, 06:48:53 PM

For what it is worth, if you are a AAA member, they usually offer very reasonable renters insurance rates, and can also usually refer you out to a private insurer for specialty items.

Silverlion · February 18, 2013, 09:18:29 PM

Man, I'm so sorry for his losses.