TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Tuzenbach · May 14, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Heh...

Would I were so astute :\

About the best I can claim is to have recognized in 1978 that computer games were going to be important in the future, and urge my fellows at TSR to get the company into the field immediately. That was done, but not logically, and soon TSR was out of the field even as computer fantasy games were becoming really popular.

Cheers,
Gary

So basically, Al Gore can boast about inventing The Internet while Gary Gygax cannot. 'Tis a sad world, indeed!

Phanboy · May 14, 2006

Hi Gary, I'm trying to figure out the origins of the saving throw. How did this mechanic come about, and Where did the name come from, I get the saving part, but why throw, and not roll?
Thanks!

Orius · May 14, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
About the best I can claim is to have recognized in 1978 that computer games were going to be important in the future, and urge my fellows at TSR to get the company into the field immediately. That was done, but not logically, and soon TSR was out of the field even as computer fantasy games were becoming really popular.

At least on the bright side, there've been a number of good computer games over the years that have been based on D&D and AD&D. Perhaps not as good, but it's proven to be a good license, even if occasional bombs came out of it.

Orius · May 14, 2006

haakon1 said:
We were drunk the first time we played it, and we all had a blast -- learning the rules was not hard, plus we invented new ones, like a 50% chance of falling off a balcony everytime you were shot on a second story.

All Western RPGs should have such a rule...it happens in the movies all the time!

There were more PC deaths that night than ever -- I think it took about 3 minutes to make a new one.

The most memorable player death was the Chinaman kung-fu laundryman/ninja/deadeye gunfighter in black pajamas and a ten-gallon-hat being crushed with a player piano down the stairs by the evil Eastern banker/pimp/beer magnate, C. Montgomery Coors, as the whore with a heart of gold screamed in horror, and many, many, many shots rang out in the night.

Sounds like fun!

Col_Pladoh · May 14, 2006

haakon1 said:
I'll bite . . . what's a opinicus?

Sounds like an opinionated quasit to me: Smite Evil time!

(Opps, I think that's 3.x rules . . . it blends to together after 20 years of AD&D and 5 years of 3e.)

The opinicus is a chimerical creature that is part cameland not particularly fearsome. Check your dictionary, as most will have a description of it. The critter was used in some heraldry, as was the peryton,, a similar chimerical beast, I velieve.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · May 14, 2006

haakon1 said:
That reminds me of a pre-crash topic . . . Boot Hill. I think I asked naively if you wrote it.

I should just look it up, I know, but my Boot Hill materials are in NY State, and I'm in WA State. :\

Boot Hill was a whole lot of fun for me and my friends, in the original and 2nd edition. ...

In the first edition campaign of BH I usually played the Mexican rancher and bandit Quinto Villa Lobos with a gang of four compadres--I converted 10 Airfix figurines so as to have the five characters in foot and mounted form, cmplete with sombreros and a couple wth ponchos.

When the second edition was being prepared I played ruthless rancher, Mr. G of the Rockin' G spread, I eventually had over 40 hands, a hired fast gun, an Indian tracker, and several Mexican vaccaros who bought cattle south of the border and saw to it that my half-iinterest in three border cantinas was properly repaid. The whiskey flowed freely for all my boys as I built and operated a distillery and eventually ran a stage line too so as to move my whiskey around to the ehole area.

:lol:

Gary

Col_Pladoh · May 14, 2006

Tuzenbach said:
So basically, Al Gore can boast about inventing The Internet while Gary Gygax cannot. 'Tis a sad world, indeed!

Life is so unfair...

Cheerio,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · May 14, 2006

Phanboy said:
Hi Gary, I'm trying to figure out the origins of the saving throw. How did this mechanic come about, and Where did the name come from, I get the saving part, but why throw, and not roll?
Thanks!

It is a term taken directly from military miniatures gaming. Some rules allowed potential kills to be saved in case some number were rolled on a d6, and everyone called that "saves" or "saving throws."

Cheerio,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · May 14, 2006

Orius said:
At least on the bright side, there've been a number of good computer games over the years that have been based on D&D and AD&D. Perhaps not as good, but it's proven to be a good license, even if occasional bombs came out of it.

According to experts,. most of the computer games of fnatasy and like sort borrow at least something from the A/D&D game.

That's is why I am mentioned as being so influential in computer gaming

Cheers,
Gary

Tuzenbach · May 14, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
The opinicus is a chimerical creature that is part cameland not particularly fearsome. Check your dictionary, as most will have a description of it. The critter was used in some heraldry, as was the peryton,, a similar chimerical beast, I velieve.

Cheers,
Gary

Actually, this particular beast made it into the 1E Monster Manual II. Whether or not any DM actually used it is anybody's guess!

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Tuzenbach

First Post

Phanboy

First Post

Orius

Legend

Orius

Legend

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Tuzenbach

First Post

Similar Threads

Related Articles

Latest threads

AD6_gamerati_skyscraper

Recent & Upcoming Releases