TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

nerfherder · Feb 13, 2005

Hi Gary,

It's good to see you posting regularly again - I hope your health continues to improve.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for inventing the hobby that has given me so much joy over the past 24 years. I really can't over-emphasize this enough.

Secondly, have you heard that you are #37 in this month's SFX magazine's list of top 50 greatest SF pioneers "the 50 men and women who have done most to shape the SF & fantasy landscape into what it is today"? To give you some context, wou were pipped to the #36 position by Bram Stoker, and came 4 positions higher than William Gibson.

In case you somehow missed this piece

here it is:

Why?
Roll 2dy, multiply it by ten million and you'll have the number of adolescent lives which have been enriched by Gary Gygax's handiwork - and the number of people beaten up for being "nerdy twats". When it emerged in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons must have bewildered many a traditional board-gamer. There was no final square here; no finite end. The rulebook was simply a loose template for the imagination of the players and their abiding Dungeon Master. Some bailed out when Advanced Dungeons & Dragons came along in 1979 and sorted the anally-retentive men from the boys, but the change in the world's axis had been made. Thinking was now encouraged, even if it meant you didn't get laid.

Finest Moment
The Gelatinous Cube, which slithered around with the bones of its victims visibly hanging inside it. We like the Gelatinous Cube.

Did you know?
Gygax's present-day interests include "bird-watching, fishing, walking and pyrotechnics". Okay there Gaz...

Cheers,
Liam

Krieg · Feb 13, 2005

Gary, it has been very generous of you to go out of your way and donate your time and effort towards answering the barrage of questions we have peppered you with over the past couple of years. This is probably a bit late in coming but...

Is there anything we as a community can do for you to return the favor?

If there is don't hesitate to ask.

Gray Mouser · Feb 13, 2005

Hey Gary, just thought I'd post a more on topic question for you

Have there been any classes that you did not personally have PC's for? From what I have read you seemed to favor M-U's (Mordenkainen, Bigby), Fighters (Yrag), and Clerics (Riggby). I've never heard mention that one of your PC's was a thief (except for a Gnome Illusionist-Thief). Did you ever play a Paladin, Assassin or one of the Unearthed Arcana classes (Cavalier, Barbarian, Thief-Acrobat)?

Also, any thoughts on a favored class? Personally, I prefer Magic-Users but as I get older have a soft spot for straight up Fighters developing, and have always liked Thieves, a la Cugel and my namesake

In fact, my first ever PC was a thief who met his demise in The Keep on the Borderlands

Gray Mouser

PS
Sashimi? I've had it a few times. Quite good but I love sushi!

Col_Pladoh · Feb 13, 2005

nerfherder said:
Hi Gary,

It's good to see you posting regularly again - I hope your health continues to improve.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for inventing the hobby that has given me so much joy over the past 24 years. I really can't over-emphasize this enough.

Howdy Nerfherder,

It is an honor to get such an accolade.

Secondly, have you heard that you are #37 in this month's SFX magazine's list of top 50 greatest SF pioneers "the 50 men and women who have done most to shape the SF & fantasy landscape into what it is today"? To give you some context, wou were pipped to the #36 position by Bram Stoker, and came 4 positions higher than William Gibson.

...

Cheers,
Liam

Whoa! That blows me away. Thanks, and I have not seen the zine, so this is a complete surprise to me. I'll have to go get a copy and see the exaulted company I am in. Meantime, ming passing alont who the top few are?

Ciao,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Feb 13, 2005

Krieg said:
Gary, it has been very generous of you to go out of your way and donate your time and effort towards answering the barrage of questions we have peppered you with over the past couple of years. This is probably a bit late in coming but...

Is there anything we as a community can do for you to return the favor?

If there is don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks, Krieg

I haven't been kidding at all when I have said it is my pleasure to post here, much like chatting with fellows. thanks to all of you for providing such a great forum and such a great community!

Best wishes,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Feb 13, 2005

Gray Mouser said:
Hey Gary, just thought I'd post a more on topic question for you

Have there been any classes that you did not personally have PC's for? From what I have read you seemed to favor M-U's (Mordenkainen, Bigby), Fighters (Yrag), and Clerics (Riggby). I've never heard mention that one of your PC's was a thief (except for a Gnome Illusionist-Thief). Did you ever play a Paladin, Assassin or one of the Unearthed Arcana classes (Cavalier, Barbarian, Thief-Acrobat)?

I've played all the demi-human races, so I've had characters in most classes, but as multi-classes ones. I had a great half-orc cleric/assassin, but he got wasted at third level or so. I did have a monk character for a short time too. Never played a paladin.

I have played a straight barbarian PC but no cavalier or thief-acrobat. By the time those classes got solidified, I had precious little gaming time...

You should see my Metamorphosis Alpha PCs--all either PSH or human mutant. the one with triple life leech is great fun when his "brothers" (Ernie's and Luke's similar PCs) are with him. there aren't even any vermin alive in an area after that trio hes been operating :lol:

Also, any thoughts on a favored class? Personally, I prefer Magic-Users but as I get older have a soft spot for straight up Fighters developing, and have always liked Thieves, a la Cugel and my namesake In fact, my first ever PC was a thief who met his demise in The Keep on the Borderlands

Gray Mouser

PS
Sashimi? I've had it a few times. Quite good but I love sushi!

Actually, I can usually have a good time playing just about any sort of character. The more complex ones, though, such as an m-u in AD&D, require in-depth rules knowledge. Thus they are reserved for game systems I know well and played only when I am in top form. Otherwise, the less complex sorts, such as a fighter, serve well indeed.

While I love sashimi, I don't care much for suchi because the rice and seaweed detract from the seafood IMO. My wife Gail agrees with you...

Cheerio,
Gary

nerfherder · Feb 13, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
Howdy Nerfherder,

Whoa! That blows me away. Thanks, and I have not seen the zine, so this is a complete surprise to me. I'll have to go get a copy and see the exaulted company I am in. Meantime, ming passing alont who the top few are?

Ciao,
Gary

No problem Gary,

The magazine is called SFX, and the edition is March, number 128 (with the new Dr Who on the cover). I'm pretty sure you can get it in the US, but if not I'd be surprised if the editor, Dave Golder (sfx@futurenet.co.uk) couldn't sort out getting a copy to you.

OK, the list is:
50 - Mary Shelley
49 - George A Romero
48 - Michael Moorcock
47 - Ray Harryhausen
46 - David Lynch
45 - Neil Gaiman
44 - Fritz Lang
43 - Pat Mills
42 - Bob Kane
41 - William Gibson
40 - Jules Verne
39 - Ridley Scott
38 - Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
37 - Gary Gygax
36 - Bram Stoker
35 - Stephen King
34 - John Wyndham
33 - Terry Pratchett
32 - Nick Landau
31 - JM Straczynski
30 - Sam Raimi
29 - Russell T Davies
28 - Peter Jackson
27 - Isaac Asimov
26 - John Carpenter
25 - JK Rowling
24 - Jack Kirby
23 - Stan Winston
22 - M Night Shyamalan
21 - Arthur C Clarke
20 - Douglas Adams
19 - James Cameron
18 - The Wachowskis
17 - Osamu Tezuka
16 - HR Giger
15 - Sydney Newman
14 - Joss Whedon
13 - Stanley Kubrick
12 - JRR Tolkien
11 - Philip K Dick
10 - Tim Burton
9 - Gerry Anderson
8 - Terry Nation
7 - Chris Carter
6 - Ed Catmull & Steve Jobs
5 - Stan Lee
4 - Steven Spielberg
3 - Gene Roddenberry
2 - HG Wells
1 - George Lucas

Cheers,
Liam

Col_Pladoh · Feb 13, 2005

nerfherder said:
No problem Gary,

The magazine is called SFX, and the edition is March, number 128 (with the new Dr Who on the cover). I'm pretty sure you can get it in the US, but if not I'd be surprised if the editor, Dave Golder (sfx@futurenet.co.uk) couldn't sort out getting a copy to you.

thanks, and I will indeed look around here in the USA for a copy.

The list is indeed exaulted, by and large. Just for grins I've indicated the few persons on it that I know or have met:

48 - Michael Moorcock
27 - Isaac Asimov
24 - Jack Kirby
5 - Stan Lee

Cheers,
Liam[/QUOTE]

Of course I would drop some names, add others. A pair of rather glaring omission IMO are the names of Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft.

Cheers,
Gary

eyebeams · Feb 13, 2005

Hi Gary,

It's great to read about the rules you're using in your personal D&D game (and in fact, I hope some enterprising fellow with web skills I don't have compiles them -- I'd like to try them out!).

My question is: How do you handle non-theiving, non-combat tasks? Do characters have an AD&D style trade profession, or has it just not come up?

Geoffrey · Feb 13, 2005

Gary, I've noticed that Lejendary Adventure avatars start off more powerful than do AD&D characters, and the avatars don't accumulate as much power over time as do AD&D characters. How would the orders in LA, which all have 12 ranks, compare in terms of power to AD&D character levels? For example:

12th rank avatars roughly equal X-level AD&D characters
11th rank avatars roughly equal y-level AD&D characters
etc.

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

nerfherder

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Krieg

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Gray Mouser

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Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

nerfherder

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Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

eyebeams

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Geoffrey

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