"A Very Sad Day -- We'ved Lost Greg Novak" Topic

Greg Novak has passed away. He had open heart surgery in January and was recovering well, but died suddenly today.
I've known Greg since about 1974, and he refereed the first convention historical miniatures game I ever played in (a Rev War game using Scruby 15's, I think)has passed away. Yesterday I got an email from him to set up a game day -- he was running a Victorian colonial campaign game set in the South China Sea and I'd just entered playing Teddy Roosevelt on sabatical from the Spanish American War. Just a couple weeks ago he posted on this site some pictures of his new Rich Houston ships which featured prominently in the campaign.

An enormously creative gamer right up to the last, he is entirely irreplaceable.

Very sorry to hear this news. Greg Novack has been a presence in our hobby for so many years. My condolences to you, and Greg's family and friends.

I have known Greg a long time, mainly through convention games and his prolific writings. He had an excellent sense of humor, a quick wit and was always very willing to share his knowledge and experience with anyone who was the least bit interested, whether he knew them well or not. His games and rules always showed a great deal of imagination and reflected his enthusiasm for history and gaming. He was a teacher and a gentleman and he will truly be missed.

This is devastating. He got me into the C-U gaming community :(

Oh my goodness.

A very sad news. His "Over The Top" sparked my decades-long interest in wargaming WWI. I met him on a couple of occasions at Historicon, and he was always very friendly, and his gentle irony was immediately apparent. To his family and friends, my most sincere condolences.
Adolfo

He was indeed a gentleman, and incredibly generous with his knowledge.

Genuinely upset to hear about this, and sincerest condolences to those dear to him.

RIP.

Mournful news indeed.

:(

This is very sad to hear. Please accept my deepest condolences for his family and friends. I never met him but thoroughly enjoyed his work at GDW, particularly his material while editor for the Command Post Quarterly. RIP.

I just posted my thoughts on the Obits board. I am very sad this evening.

Very tragic news. Like others, I only knew him through the quality of his work for GDW. He will be missed.

just the other day I was reading something under his byline…travel well to the eternal gaming table where ever it is.

Frank, I'm just sick. Russ

Thats very sad news . Greg's work was always top class … he will be missed but will live eternally in the stuff he wrote .

Very sad surprise. So very sorry to hear. I have a few of his works from when I wore a younger mans clothes & always thought of him as the measure of quality.

Our thought to Greg & his all dearest. Very greatly missed.

This is terrible news. What a great loss to the gaming community and hobby. My thoughts to his family and friends.
Rob

I talked with him a couple of times via telephone back in the '90s. He was definitely an erudite gentleman who really cared about our hobby. As a matter of fact, I still have a copy of the Freikorps 15 campaign booklet that he authored about the Spanish-American War, which he personally mailed to me.

This is hard news. Thank you, Frank, for informing us.

I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences to his family and friends.

Oh no. I am totally at a loss. Can't believe this. I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

Very sad. I still have my battered old copy of "Over the Top". R.I.P. Greg.

Wow, that is truly sad. I enjoyed meeting him and playing in his VnB game years ago. I just received his AWI books in the mail. His knowledge will thankfully be here with us for a long time.

My deepest sympathies.

A terrible loss.

I live on the other side of the country and am only a TMP handle to him. He heard me lamenting on the boards after my twins were born about my lack of funds for purchasing references for the AWI. I received a PM asking for my address, about three days later he sent me both volumes of his AWI orbats as a gift. Very kind.

That's so, so sad.

No. I am truly at a loss for words. A terrible morning.

Sad news, sad news.

Terrible news. His site was inspiring. His work, wonderful.

My condolences to his family.

Eric

Very sad. Our prayers to his family.

Greg Novak and Frank Chadwick put on a game that produced some of the happiest memories of my life. Greg inspired my love of AWI.

I would like to imagine that he is teach H.G. Wells a thing or too about gaming with toy soldiers.

As a tribute….perhaps those who knew him best could update his biography at BGG to reflect his accomplishments:

link

Godspeed.

This is very sad news. My condolences to his family and friends.

sad news, my condolences to his family :(

Hard news

Condolences

That really stinks. I can remember corresponding with him back in the old CPQ days. My condolences to his family and friends.

Doug

My Condolences as well. I never knew him personally but his games have given me many hours of enjoyement.

Farewell Greg and thanks.

My condolences to his family and friends. I had the pleasure of meeting him at an early Advance the Colors in Dayton years ago. He helped us run The Race to Tunis mini campaign for Command Decision. His influence on the hobby was profound. He will be missed.

I became Greg's Facebook friend last year-oddly enough, but beyond that I didn't know him personally. I did know his work however. I cut my teeth playing Fire and Steel Napoleonics and his AWI OOB's are probably my most-used resources. We're really going to miss you Greg.

I too knew Greg mainly from Command Post Quarterly. He was always encouraging and always had advice on improving my work. In hindsight, he helped me hone the skills that allowed me to succeed in life.

I had several opportunities to game with Greg mostly at various HMGS conventions. Greg always had fun, educational games that taught you history and tactics. I remember his Corrigidor '42 game at Historicon back in the 90′s as a fun, obscure battle.

Though many of us knew him as a gamer, Greg was a tireless educator and advocate for education working as a teacher, a union representative or most recently as a school board member. Greg lived up to the notion of "pay it forward". His was a stellar example of how to live a rich and rewarding life.

Right now I have a stack of Greg's work sitting on the desk next to me. Volley and Bayonet, CPQ and a Great Plains War scenario from Courier VIII, #6 (which also features an article from Rudy Nelson, RIP).

I'll miss Greg as a friend and a writer. May he rest in peace.

I'm gonna go get drunk and re-read some of Greg's works.

Ray Garbee

Condolences.

Very sad. His work inspired me.

A great loss. Greg was a brilliant and innovative game designer. My favorite is the Medicine Points mechanism from She Wore a Yellow Ribbon. The only Plains War rules I've ever seen that makes the Indians act like Indians without pages of special rules and exceptions to exceptions.

Condolences and sympathy to Greg's family and friends. I had met the man years ago and he was a true gentleman and scholar – a man's librarian.

RIP, Greg. I never met the man, though I have read many of his works & heard his name ever since I began in the hobby. It is truly a sad day indeed.
Peter

This is truely a very great loss to our community. What a wonderful, generous and brilliant man he was. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
I will always remember the games he ran and how he inspired me to expand my gaming through the few times we had personal contact. Please let us not have the memory of his deeds pass with him.
Greg Principato

A great loss. His work was an inspiration to so many in our hobby. My condolences to his friends and family.