TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Tewligan · Apr 6, 2003

I'm curious as to how hard it was to sell the idea of mixing fantasy into historical wargaming to your group way back when you were first developing Chainmail and, later, D&D. I would imagine that some of the more die-hard wargamers of the time would be a little leery of throwing wizards and orcs into the mix, and even more reluctant to trade a field full of armies for a dungeon full of adventurers. Was there a lot of nay-saying and footdragging, or was everyone enthusiastic from the start?

Col_Pladoh · Apr 6, 2003

Tewligan said:
I'm curious as to how hard it was to sell the idea of mixing fantasy into historical wargaming to your group way back when you were first developing Chainmail and, later, D&D. I would imagine that some of the more die-hard wargamers of the time would be a little leery of throwing wizards and orcs into the mix, and even more reluctant to trade a field full of armies for a dungeon full of adventurers. Was there a lot of nay-saying and footdragging, or was everyone enthusiastic from the start?

The reception of fantasy elements in the medieval tabletop wargame was incredibly enthusiastic by about 90% of the old group. Lee Tucker dismissed it, and me. Mike Reese and Jeff Perren were not captivated by giants hurling boulders and dragons breathing fire and lightning bolts, not did wizards with spells, heroes and superheroes with magic armor and swords prove compelling to them.

That said, the Chainmail fantasy games soon were drawing crowds to the basement sand table where but a handful of wargamers once played

It got so crowded that we had to turn gamers away unless they were regulars--no room around the table.

When I wrote up a fantasy battle report for Don Featherstone's Wargamer's Newsletter ("The Battle of the Brown Hills"), one reader commented in a later issue that I should forget fantasy and do more interesting games such as his Balkan Wars ones...

That sort of criticism has never daunted me

Cheerio,
Gary

MerricB · Apr 7, 2003

G'day Gary!

When I wrote up a fantasy battle report for Don Featherstone's Wargamer's Newsletter ("The Battle of the Brown Hills"), one reader commented in a later issue that I should forget fantasy and do more interesting games such as his Balkan Wars ones...

Perhaps you should have done so... and attributed the loss of a battalion to "the elves in the hills".

Wow! Thread the third!

It seems like only... well, a couple of years ago, really... that you were first keeping us guessing as to the true identity of Col_Pladoh.

Gary, I do have one request of you:

Over the past few years (and more for your poor players), you've created a large number of mysteries, such as the Great Stone Face, and the Jeweled Running Man... I know you don't want to reveal the truth of these matters prematurely, but could you please write down the explanations and get them sealed in a bank vault or similar in case of your untimely end before someone does solve them?

Hmm... you might want to add something like "to be destroyed, unopened, in case of death by foul play", because I can just see a few angry D&D historians wanting the solutions to these things rampaging towards your house...

Cheers!

S'mon · Apr 7, 2003

Just want to say that I'd be very interested in acquiring Gygax-written supplements on both Oerth-ish barbarian Norse realms, and Sea of Death/Sea of Dust-type realms: I have both in my campaign world so even if I didn't use for Greyhawk they'd fit great!

I think generic supplements that could (but didn't have to be) used for Oerth or any other particular world would be the way to go. A "Castle Zagyg" scenario that could be (but might not be) Castle Greyhawk would also be nice, especially if it was a multi-dimensional edifice, with ideas on/links to alternate versions in alternate worlds - ie it might be known as Castle Greyhawk on one world, Castle Zagig on another, Zagy's Pile on yet another... see where I'm going?

Ideally permission from WoTC to use a few WoTC TM'd words (eg Greyhawk) in passing would be nice, but not vital to the enterprise.

-Simon

Eternalknight · Apr 7, 2003

Col_Pladoh said:
Likely two large continents would have been added. The nearest would house cultures akin to the Indian, Burmese, Indonesian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese. Another would likely have been the location of African-type cultures, including the Egyptian. A Lemurian culture would have been based off the Central and South American cultures of the Aztec-Mayay-Inca sort.

Did you ever think of doing much on Australian Aboriginie mythology? It seems to be a greatly untapped resource in RPG's.

tleilaxu · Apr 7, 2003

hello!

what foreign countries have you been to?

Alzrius · Apr 7, 2003

If I'm asking a question that has been asked before, feel free to brush me aside: I keep meaning to read through the older threads of your Q&A, but never seem to get around to it.

What did you think of Ed Greenwood's Forgotten Realms when you saw it, compared to your own World of Greyhawk?

MerricB · Apr 7, 2003

Eternalknight said:
Did you ever think of doing much on Australian Aboriginie mythology? It seems to be a greatly untapped resource in RPG's.

The only game supplement I know of dealing with Australia is a supplement for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/After the Bomb by Palladium. Weird, eh?

Actually, I can possibly think of one or two others...

Cheers!

Col_Pladoh · Apr 7, 2003

MerricB said:
G'day Gary!

[snippage]

Over the past few years (and more for your poor players), you've created a large number of mysteries, such as the Great Stone Face, and the Jeweled Running Man... I know you don't want to reveal the truth of these matters prematurely, but could you please write down the explanations and get them sealed in a bank vault or similar in case of your untimely end before someone does solve them?

Hmm... you might want to add something like "to be destroyed, unopened, in case of death by foul play", because I can just see a few angry D&D historians wanting the solutions to these things rampaging towards your house...

Cheers!

Hi Merrick!

That's a thought. Of course some possible explanation will be given in the "Zagig's Castle" work...if that ever comes into being. Of course I never planned to give the actual information I based things like you mention above for my campaign--at least not obviously. the very best part of mysteries is keeping them that. This can be done by offering multiple options for the Dm for the "Disappearing Jeweled Man," the instant evoker of greed in my group of PCs, and the "Great Stone Face," something as enigmatic as Stonehenge.

Of course even as I give a choice of explanations for those things I wil have to include new, unanswered riddles--or at lease highlight some previously unknown ones there in the mazes below the castle.

Life is full of unanswered questions, and I believe that the RPG would should be the same

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Apr 7, 2003

S'mon,

Managing a generic line of sumc supplemental material might be possible is it was kicked off by "Zagig's Castle," and that and follow on modules were successful sales-wise.

Indeed, the castle might have many names in its manifestations on parallel worlds... Dunfalcon springs to mind as one

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Tewligan

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

MerricB

Eternal Optimist

S'mon

Legend

Eternalknight

First Post

tleilaxu

First Post

Alzrius

The EN World kitten

MerricB

Eternal Optimist

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

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