TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Branduil said:

Hey Gary,

Wow, it feels strange to actually be talking to the forefather of D&D. It is most humble of you to take time to answer us mere gamers questions like this. I just wanted to say thanks.

I was wondering where some of the most classic aspects of D&D came from, and who came up with them. Was there one person who created most of the classic spells, like the Magic Missle? Also, what about the unique monsters, such as the Beholder?

Also, I realize this may be a touchy subject, so I'll understand if you don't want to answer, but have you played 3.0 at all? If so, what did you think?

Thanks for your time.

~Branduil

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Hi Branduil

I wrote 99% of the material in OA/D&D, so those questions are easy. Most of the classes, spells, and monsters are of my creation. Some exceptions are: Ranger based on Joe Fischer's work, the druid inspired as a class by Dennis Sustarre. The beholder was Terry Kuntz's critter.

Magic missile was inspired by a film, THE RAVEN, as was the shield spell

I played 3E quite a bit testing THE LOST CITY OF GAXMOOR, and it was fun. however, it is far too rules heavy for my general use in play, let along GMing and creating material. After decades of playing RPGs I have come to prefer rules-light systems that are skill based--just a matter of personal taste. I don't think people who love 3E are wrong, of course. RPGs are for fun and entertainment, not value judgement. Of course I hope lots of other gamers will enjoy playing the LA game more than 3E, as i dom but I ain't holding my breath

Cheers,
Gary

Cheers,
Gary

Howdy!

Col_Pladoh said:

I wrote 99% of the material in OA/D&D, so those questions are easy. Most of the classes, spells, and monsters are of my creation. Some exceptions are: Ranger based on Joe Fischer's work, the druid inspired as a class by Dennis Sustarre. The beholder was Terry Kuntz's critter.

Magic missile was inspired by a film, THE RAVEN, as was the shield spell

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How did you go about introducing these new classes when you created the game? Were Joe and Dennis in your campaign when they created them, or did they send them in to you for publication? How about the other classes added after the original 3?

Similarly, how did you go about introdicing new spells into your campaign?

Thanks!!

Mike

I'm champing at the bit for HALL OF MANY PANES.

Hi Mike

optimizer said:

Howdy!


How did you go about introducing these new classes when you created the game? Were Joe and Dennis in your campaign when they created them, or did they send them in to you for publication? How about the other classes added after the original 3?

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Joe Fischer played in my group, and he did an article in THE STRATEGIC REVIEW introducing the Ranger Class for the D&D game. From that I built the AD&D version. Dennis Sustarre was not a member, but he corresponded with me, and did a DRAGON Magazine piece on the Druid Class. (I had them as NPC "Monsters" in D&D before that.) From his material I crafted the new PC class.

I did the Thief, Assassin, Monk, Cavalier, Barbarian all by myself, as I'd done the three basic ones in OD&D. Same for the demi-humans. Tim Kask had a hand in creating the Bard class.

Most of the new material was introduced into my campaign first, then done in DRAGON as articles, then appeared in the PHB or UA.

Similarly, how did you go about introdicing new spells into your campaign?

Thanks!!

Mike

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Same way i handled new monsters--mainly in campaign play, then in modules, finally in books such as FF, MMIIm and UA. A while back I found some spells I'd not gotten into print, and those were posted on the old Unearthed Arcania website about three or so years back. Some were 1oth level mage psells, as I recall. I've lost the material now...

Welcome, of course!

Cheers,
Gary

Geoffrey said:

I'm champing at the bit for HALL OF MANY PANES.

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You and I both. My group is over half-way through the adventure now after about a year--but we miss about one session a month, probably have played only about 35 in the past year.

As far as I know Troll Lord Games still plans to have it ready for release this summer--August, or maybe in time for GenCon.

Steve or Davis, if you are reading this, please let us all know

Heh,
Gary

Greetings!

Did you make up named spells like Melf's Acid Arrow, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere and Mordenkainen's Disjunction () yourself, or did these come from player research?

I am also intrigued by the comment on "1oth level mage psells". Did you intend to publish these in, say, a second edition of AD&D, or even use them in your own campaign? Do so powerful spells have a place in the game... Especially in the hands of Player Characters?

Oh, and: when you designed the Castle Greyhawk dungeons, were there levels which were never found by players due to being hidden too well? I assume most larger levels had multiple ways in and out, with more hidden ones found only after extensive exploration...

Hi Melan

Melan said:

Greetings!

Did you make up named spells like Melf's Acid Arrow, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere and Mordenkainen's Disjunction () yourself, or did these come from player research?

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All of those spells I made up, usually to hono a PC in my campaign, or for the person who suggested the basis (Tasha was a little girl who sent me letters in crayon, Nystul an actual stage magician I mey through Len Lakofka.) Melf was a PC of son Luke, and "Otiluke" was a combination of a couple of his other PCs. He suggested the bases of both spells. No need to go into Mordenkainen and bigby, I trust

[OUOTE]I am also intrigued by the comment on "1oth level mage psells". Did you intend to publish these in, say, a second edition of AD&D, or even use them in your own campaign? Do so powerful spells have a place in the game... Especially in the hands of Player Characters?[/QUOTE]

I planned to test them in my campaign, and if they worked well introduce the new level of spells in a revised edition of AD&D I hoped to get to in the late 80s--I left notes for the revised edition at TSR, but those were not followed. The new spells were powerful, but not world-shattering, and if campaigns went on for many years I figured they would be useful--not to mention as material for DMs' potent NPCs... they were to fit into the expanded game with Mystic and Savant character classes, as well as the jester one. (Don't ask about that oinformation. It is all lost or proscribed by legal agreement.)

Oh, and: when you designed the Castle Greyhawk dungeons, were there levels which were never found by players due to being hidden too well? I assume most larger levels had multiple ways in and out, with more hidden ones found only after extensive exploration...

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Yes, in part. Rhere were several upper levels (out of about 35) where PCs had only partially explored, and a couple of lower "side" levels (out of some 12 or so) that had not been discovered. The same is true of two associated areas which were attained by magical transferrance from relatively out of the way places in the lower levels of the dungeons.

Cheers,
Gary

Hey Gary! I was just leafing through the latest Previews when I ran across an entry for Inner City Games Designs, which listed a module called A Challenge of Arms, written by you and Christopher Clark. I hadn't heard of this one before; I try to keep up on these threads, but the memory fades at times, so I apologize if it's been addressed somewhere above. Anyway, it looks cool; the listing says it's something of a universal system product. The cover they show looks very "old school," which I immediately liked. Looks like it will be the first in a trilogy. Anything you'd like to expound upon? I'm looking forward to it (and heck, it's cheap, too, at $11 for an 80 page module).

Hey gary,have you taken a look at third ed or "special eds'" edition of the oriental adventures or rokugan?

I am a bit vapid minded right now,so I don't quite have the specifics of what I wanna ask,although I will collect my thoughts and query tomorrow.How do you feel about it overall and did they change alot of your original ideas,like shugenja's and the shadowlands?

Thanks for the answers, Gary!