TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

robertsconley · Aug 24, 2006

I am long time gamer (since 1978) and first want to thanks for coming up with D&D which has consumed so much of free time.

My question is that I read that your original Greyhawk campaign was based on a map of North America. If so I am wondering how you arranged things, like where was the City of Greyhawk.

Thanks
Rob Conley

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

fusangite said:
Once again, Gary, I see intentionality where it might not have been. I have been assuming that you based a chunk of the cleric class's spell list on the miracles performed by St. Cuthbert in Bede's Life of Saint Cuthbert. The Create Water, Flame Strike spells and various other seemed to indicate you were, at some point, deriving the cleric spell list from actual medieval miracles. This I'm very glad to hear; people focus on the Fiend Folio as the mistaken text in AD&D but I have to say that Deities and Demigods is the book that ultimately caused me to take a long sabbatical from AD&D in the mid-80s.

No, the cleric spells were all made up from my imagination as things fitting for that class.

The Deities and Demigods book had plenty of flaws, but some make believe deities are generally necessary for a FRPG campaign methinks.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

MerricB said:
Heh. My explanation of Q1 is that it's a plot by Eclavdra to kill or weaken Lolth. Send a party of foolish surface-dwellers against the demon-spider and see what happens. Weaken her enough and perhaps the EEG can then take control...

Of course, I don't accord Lolth status as a deity, seeing her as a malign figure who has lured many disaffected elves away from their true gods; she's definitely slayable by groups of great power and intelligence. (Even if foolish enough to be tricked by Eclavdra).

D3 was the first module I ever bought. The GD series remains as a series I've yet to run or play. It's on my list of things to do, but there are lots of interesting things happening in my current campaign that spawn more adventures, of course!

Cheers!

Powerful evil entities are certainly on a par with deities. check any slid book of mythology, and that's evident. Their powers are generally destrictive, not creative, but that goes with the territory

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

gideon_thorne said:
And you'll have to put up with me and my folks as well.. bwah ah ah ah.

My pleasure of course!

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

robertsconley said:
I am long time gamer (since 1978) and first want to thanks for coming up with D&D which has consumed so much of free time.

My question is that I read that your original Greyhawk campaign was based on a map of North America. If so I am wondering how you arranged things, like where was the City of Greyhawk.

Thanks
Rob Conley

Yuppers. North America and the rest of the globe, in fact. the West coast was a land of dinosaurs and cave men... :lol:

Greyhawk was about where Chicago is, and Dyvers was located around where Milwaukee is.

Cheers,
Gary

Henry · Aug 24, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Yuppers. North America and the rest of the globe, in fact. the West coast was a land of dinosaurs and cave men... Greyhawk was about where Chicago is, and Dyvers was located around where Milwaukee is.

Cheers,
Gary

Just out of curiosity, was Dyvers in your world known for its cheeses and pilsners?

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

Henry said:
Just out of curiosity, was Dyvers in your world known for its cheeses and pilsners?

Heh, maybe...

But more so for its general antipathy for folks from Greyhawk.

And thank godness for New Glarus Brewing and their large selection of beer and ale worthy of that name, and not a "lite" in the whole mix!

Hooray,
Gary

Geoffrey · Aug 24, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Yuppers. North America and the rest of the globe, in fact. the West coast was a land of dinosaurs and cave men... Greyhawk was about where Chicago is, and Dyvers was located around where Milwaukee is.

Cheers,
Gary

While I really like both, I've always enjoyed your Aerth more than your Oerth. It sounds like Aerth is closer to your old home campaign world than is Oerth. How would you characterize your Lejendary Earth in comparison to Aerth and to Oerth?

Col_Pladoh · Aug 24, 2006

Geoffrey said:
While I really like both, I've always enjoyed your Aerth more than your Oerth. It sounds like Aerth is closer to your old home campaign world than is Oerth. How would you characterize your Lejendary Earth in comparison to Aerth and to Oerth?

the LE world setting is somewhere between Oerth (an incomplete globe) and Aerth, a fully finished one. Learth is closer to Aerth than Oerth, though. The continents are vaguely similat to earth's own, with antarctica to the immediate southwest of Learth's Australia, and considerable changes to all other land masses. Manygood sized islands are there so as to facilitate commerce.

Cheers,
Gary

robertsconley · Aug 24, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Yuppers. North America and the rest of the globe, in fact. the West coast was a land of dinosaurs and cave men... Greyhawk was about where Chicago is, and Dyvers was located around where Milwaukee is.

Cheers,
Gary

Thanks for the answer. Have you published this map anywhere or planning too. I understand that you would probably have to change some of the name due their appearance in WOG products. But it would interesting to see one of the original campaign map.

Thanks
Rob Conley

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

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