TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

francisca · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
It is good to learn that diversity remains active in the ranks of D&Ders

He's not alone. Tonight is the 3rd meeting of my new AD&D/Greyhawk. A good time is being had by all.

Col_Pladoh · Jan 31, 2005

francisca said:
He's not alone. Tonight is the 3rd meeting of my new AD&D/Greyhawk. A good time is being had by all.

Well...

I urged that Wizards retain AD&D and OD&D even as they went into the super-heroic new version of the game. I am cnvinced that their not doing so was an error, just as divesting themselves of the magazine publishing and GenCon were not wise steps for a hobby game publisherm and that the OGL and D20 licenses were even more ill-conceived in regards maintaining a vital and consumer-oriented operation.

Cheers,
Gary

jester47 · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
Heh, Aaron... I was once almost 5'11" but I am down about an inch now that I am an old fart sure am balding, and the remaining hair is in a pony tail.

Almost 5'11"! Wow, you looked a lot shorter in Futurama! (which was the first depiction of you that I ever saw, I think). In the occasional "gamer with the Gygax" gencon photo found on the internet I imagined you closer to 5'8" than 5'10"! Those must have been some tall fans!

that there was any cartoon show was quite a feather in the cap of the D&D game. That it was somewhat too juvenille--Bobby and Uni, the magic items that propped up the team--was not much to my liking. That would have been changed in a spinoff that had been agreed to by CBS, Marvel, and D&D Entertainment. The final episode for the original show had been written, the intro to the new show done and okayed by me,....

Its odd, I read the script for the last episode and it was very close to the one I had imagined.

I used to go to the Marvel building about once a month--was there a lot before the cartoon show got going, so who knows what inspiration the animators took from that?

Cheers,
Gary

Well, I guess I am just saying its odd that my childhood image of the guy that was the main force behind D&D was fairly spot on given that it was fairly composite.

Aaron

Breakdaddy · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
...and that the OGL and D20 licenses were even more ill-conceived in regards maintaining a vital and consumer-oriented operation.

I must respectfully disagree with this one little tidbit as, without the OGL, I would not now be enjoying my biweekly games of C&C.

On a different note, I plan to drop by Troll Lord HQ sometime this week and pick up a copy of your LA boxed set if Steve will indulge me in a quick visit (busy cat that he is).

Estlor · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
All worked well, though, and things are in fine shape now--save for the 100-200 SPAM emails I get daily. My Delete action is well exercised and very quick these days

Cheers,
Gary

Someone must have taken the Sudden Delete Spam metamagic feat.

Wait, they didn't have that back in 1e, did they? So what did the old Grognards do? Roleplay? What's that??? :uhoh:

Gray Mouser · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
I suppose there was more merit than one would at first assume in P.T. Barnum's observation, "There's one born every minute."

There's no chance that Francois will reply to emails, and he threatens to assail me if I happen to reveal his addy. I'd urge him to publish his Orientsl material, but that would be done in French, so precious little help to us here...

Cheers,
Gary

Hmmm, well if he ever needs a French-English translator let me know. I'm a little slow but am fairly accurate.

Gray Mouser

loki44 · Jan 31, 2005

ancient history

Col_Pladoh said:
I never read the Arduin Groimoire in toto, but from those parts I did peruse I must confess I held in in no esteem...especially the part about baby fat.

Since we're asking about older systems and game worlds.....
Just wondering what you thought about the old Judges Guild stuff and what Necromancer's doing with the Wilderlands now. Do you have any contact with Bob Bledsaw? Have you 2 ever gamed together? I've heard the Judges Guild side regarding their old relationship with TSR, wondering if you can shed any light on that ancient history.

loki44

Krieg · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
That it was somewhat too juvenille--Bobby and Uni, the magic items that propped up the team--was not much to my liking.

There's an editorial on 3.x in there somewhere.

Col_Pladoh said:
I suppose there was more merit than one would at first assume in P.T. Barnum's observation, "There's one born every minute."

On a serious note, if he were wrong then we wouldn't be deluged with 100+ SPAM emails a day.

There's no chance that Francois will reply to emails, and he threatens to assail me if I happen to reveal his addy. I'd urge him to publish his Orientsl material, but that would be done in French, so precious little help to us here...

Cheers,
Gary

Well I wasn't looking for a means to bug the poor man, just a bit of wishful thinking.

Surely there is a bilingual game company in France that could help him publish his work.

Gray Mouser · Jan 31, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
'Mouser, it would be perfect if your actual anme were Harry Fischer

Heh, sorry, no luck. I am pretty short, however, at least that's what people who are abnoramally tall tell me and used to do a bit of fencing

It's funny though, Lords of Quarmal is probably my favorite Gray Mouser and Fafhrd story and was partially written by Fischer (he's responsible for 10,000 words of it I guess, never did a word count but that seems to be a good chunk).

Didn't you meet Fritz Leiber at one point? I seem to remember hearing about that. Ever meet Fischer? In all honsety I know little about the man, myself (except that he was even shorter than me, anyway).

Anyway, while I was never loath to proliferate critters in my campaign, none that you mention were ever much outside the realm in which they were introduced. Of course. the vast labyrinth of the underdark means that drow and the rest might pop up in any subterranean place. I really liked mind flayers as the disguised evil manipulators of mankind, so they appeared in several places in my campaign.

Cheerio,
Gary

OK, now that is an interesting bit about the mind flayers, Colonel! Any chance of you sharing a few stories along those lines? Were they in Castle Greyhawk or some other locale? Which PC's confronted them and what were the results? BTW, given you disllike for psionics in 1e did you change their abilities at all or run them as written (I am assuming you were their originator, unlike for some other monsters)?

BTW, as for prizes for the write like Gygax contest, you'll have to ask over on that thread (I am loath even to give it a try!). Who knows, perhaps an autographed 1e Dunegon Master's Guide is in your future!

Gray Mouser

Col_Pladoh · Jan 31, 2005

jester47 said:
...

Its odd, I read the script for the last episode and it was very close to the one I had imagined.

...

Aaron

Michael Reaves did a truly splendid bit of writing on that episode that was to conclude the D&D Cartoon Show, and it is a shame it never was produced.

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

francisca

I got dice older than you.

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

jester47

First Post

Breakdaddy

First Post

Estlor

Explorer

Gray Mouser

First Post

loki44

Explorer

Krieg

First Post

Gray Mouser

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

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