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Fritz
Dec 22, 2012 21:10:54 GMT -6
Post by Ghul on Dec 22, 2012 21:10:54 GMT -6
Hi Rob, From the awesome picture here, I was wondering if you could share with us how it was to have met Fritz Leiber. I know you were young, but it must have been quite a trip. Cheers, Jeff T.
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rjkuntz
Level 5 Thaumaturgist
Pioneer of OD&D
Posts: 345
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Fritz
Dec 22, 2012 22:05:57 GMT -6
Post by rjkuntz on Dec 22, 2012 22:05:57 GMT -6
Hi Rob, From the awesome picture here, I was wondering if you could share with us how it was to have met Fritz Leiber. I know you were young, but it must have been quite a trip. Cheers, Jeff T. Hmm. This could get long so I will highlight it. Fritz was a gentleman as was his counterpart, Harry O. Fischer. I was the Convention Chair for that Gencon. My primary "escort duty" was with MAR Barker with Bill Hoyt in attendance. EGG spent his time with Fritz and Harry. But, as we had just released his boardgame that I helped co-design, I got to introduce Fritz for the presentation. As I was aware that it was nothing like he or Harry had created with cork and toothpicks in their basement game, I wasn't too surprised that he didn't know how to react to it all. But he was cool if a bit, seemingly, confused about what to say regarding a game just thrust into his hands. Next was dinner with Fritz and the staff and other guests at the Gargoyle Restaurant, which is where we had held the Strategist's Club banquet I had officiated (with Miss Wisconsin in attendance of all people). I sat next to Fritz during the dinner which through extended drinks and talk lasted about three hours. He autographed some books I had brought. I will talk more about that in a minute. Then we adjourned to Gary's office at Williams & Marshall. I went downstairs to fetch them each a copy of Gods, Demigods and Heroes. They were very attentive about the book's description and asked me several questions about it. This was more their league, and not games, something they could both latch onto as their bearing was in literature (and Shakespeare for Fritz, in particular). This reproduced the disconnect I had felt earlier in the L. Board Game presentation, but I was overwhelmed by their attention to GD&H none-the-less. Fritz and Harry were just two fine people, Jeff. There's all of that fandom type thing of being in awe and such, and yes, I fell victim to that, but since I was in Convention mode (3 hours a day sleep for each day tops, which Is why I look a little bedraggled in that picture, in fact), I was able to cut through a lot of that through sheer energy and movement. I let Fritz talk as much as he wanted after asking a question, but really just let him experience the good will being shared by all regarding his visit and Harry's. Gary arranged for the Yerke's Observatory (at William's Bay, around the lake) to be opened on Sunday of the convention, just so Fritz could see the main refractor there. The people at the observatory were very familiar with his work, in fact, so EGG stated afterward, and that influenced the matter up front. Well, I guess I went long, anyway. Rob
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Fritz
Dec 23, 2012 7:40:11 GMT -6
Post by Ghul on Dec 23, 2012 7:40:11 GMT -6
Thanks for sharing, Rob. Much appreciated.
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