The Adventure Begins!
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 Gygax Memorial Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization founded by his widow, has worked for many years to get approval to build the memorial in Gary's hometown of Lake Geneva, WI. In 2024, during the 50th anniversary year of the game, the city fully granted the land for the memorial in Gary's favorite place, in his favorite park, and accepted the future donation of the memorial to the City of Lake Geneva.
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®. (See details below.)
Join Our Quest!
There are several ways you can join our quest: through our ongoing Kickstarter or through direct PayPal donations here on our website for the Complete Graysterne Castle, Paver Upgrades, High Level Donations, and Memorial Merchandise! These means of donation are fully described, below:
Kickstarter Campaign
Our Kickstarter to raise funds to build the memorial began on October 1st and successfully funded on October 31st for the basic stone elements. However, we need to continue fundraising for the bronze elements to fully realize the monument.
So, if you missed the Kickstarter, we are still accepting late pledges here:
Go to Gygax Memorial Game Table Kickstarter
Kickstarter Add-Ons and Upgrades
If you already pledged through the Kickstarter campaign but want the Complete Graysterne Castle add-on or want to upgrade to a higher level, you may do so by following the links provided below:
Complete Graysterne Castle Add-On
Standard Memorial Donations
If you wish to make a direct PayPal donation here on our website, you may do so by following the links provided below:
Standard Donations (Link Coming Soon)
Premium Memorial Donations
The maximum Kickstarter support level is limited to $10,000, however, if you wish to become a higher level donor, there are select levels available only here, directly through our Premium Donor Levels. To see what these higher reward levels offer, please click on link, below:
Memorial Merchandise
The Gygax Memorial fund has a number of great items you can purchase to show your support!
To purchase Gygax Memorial Merchandise follow this link, below:
Memorial Details
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 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®.
Our basic goal: 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.
Funded!
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.
On Our Way!
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 goal, our 3rd stretch goal is to have a 6x8 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.
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.)