This is the multi-year Q&A sessions held by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax here at EN World, beginning in 2002 and running up until his sad pasing in 2008. Gary's username in the thread below is Col_Pladoh, and his first post in this long thread is Post #39.
TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax
This is the multi-year Q&A sessions held by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax here at EN World, beginning in 2002 and running up until his sad pasing in 2008. Gary's username in the thread below is Col_Pladoh, and his first post in this long thread is Post #39.
Archade
Azer Paladin
Interesting...
So, O Great Sage, you are telling me basically the art of a good DM is "wing that mother"? Good to know I've been doing it right all along...
Here's a question for you. Obviously the current state of the halfling is a long running issue, as is indicated from early dragon magazines til today. Can you (legally) discuss the evolution from the hobbit to the halfling of at least AD&D, and your speculation of the current status of the hobbit?
Personally, I think the halflings of today more resemble the Kender from the Dragonlance fiction, or those wacky little guys from the movie Willow, far more than anyone living at Bag End. Anything you can share here?
Archade
So, O Great Sage, you are telling me basically the art of a good DM is "wing that mother"? Good to know I've been doing it right all along...
Here's a question for you. Obviously the current state of the halfling is a long running issue, as is indicated from early dragon magazines til today. Can you (legally) discuss the evolution from the hobbit to the halfling of at least AD&D, and your speculation of the current status of the hobbit?
Personally, I think the halflings of today more resemble the Kender from the Dragonlance fiction, or those wacky little guys from the movie Willow, far more than anyone living at Bag End. Anything you can share here?
Archade
Re: Re: D&D cartoon & nostalgia
Don't... I get a save vs. traps?
I have seen adult-oriented anime (Japanese cartoons, and no I am not refering specifically to the hentai sort) but in the US, the great majority of cartoons seem to be aimed at kids. Those cartoons who are not are usually erotic ones; I cannot remember any real American adult-themed non-erotic cartoon. When/where would yours have been aired?
CAN I SEE IT?!!!
Now THAT's a bad script. The start was promising but the ending is a mess. Please rewrite it NOW.
Who's got the rights on the series, now? Hasbro? Marvel?
Col_Pladoh said:
Don't... I get a save vs. traps?
I have seen adult-oriented anime (Japanese cartoons, and no I am not refering specifically to the hentai sort) but in the US, the great majority of cartoons seem to be aimed at kids. Those cartoons who are not are usually erotic ones; I cannot remember any real American adult-themed non-erotic cartoon. When/where would yours have been aired?
CAN I SEE IT?!!!
Originally posted by Col_Pladoh Of course the TSR financial crisis of 1984 then occurred, so I had to hasten back to Lake Geneva. That put all projects on hold. Then I lost the stock fight. When it was learned that I was no longer involved, that ended the new cartoon series, and the other projects too. What a wretched result
Now THAT's a bad script. The start was promising but the ending is a mess. Please rewrite it NOW.
Who's got the rights on the series, now? Hasbro? Marvel?
G'day, Gary!
Glad to hear that thieves & demi-humans have always been popular. (Hang on a moment, am I glad about the thieves?)
And once again, thank you muchly for your time spent answering our questions.
What project that you're working on or have recently completed that you're currently most excited about?
Cheers!
Glad to hear that thieves & demi-humans have always been popular. (Hang on a moment, am I glad about the thieves?
)And once again, thank you muchly for your time spent answering our questions.
What project that you're working on or have recently completed that you're currently most excited about?
Cheers!
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
Re: Interesting...
When I included "hobbits" in the D&D game it was tp attract the many JRRT fans, of course. Note I couldn't resist punning when I dias something like" While this race has small place in the game...
Anyway, when the Saul Zaents Division of Elan Merchandizing came down on TSR about it, the only difference was the name change, "halfling" replacing the old English "hobbit." To get even, I then divided hobbits into separate sub-species that somehow resembled creatures known as "hobbits" as described by another author. Whatever changes have occurred since are not of my doing, and it is best that those who made them comment further
BTW, I have played a couple of halfling PCs, althougn not for any considerable period to time. The one I would most enjoy playing (OAD&D) currently is the gnome illusionist thief I created some few years back but have had precious little opportunity to play...
(Rathe, if you're reading this post, when you coming up to Lake Geneva and DMing for us again?!)
Cheerio,
Gary
Archade said:
When I included "hobbits" in the D&D game it was tp attract the many JRRT fans, of course. Note I couldn't resist punning when I dias something like" While this race has small place in the game...
Anyway, when the Saul Zaents Division of Elan Merchandizing came down on TSR about it, the only difference was the name change, "halfling" replacing the old English "hobbit." To get even, I then divided hobbits into separate sub-species that somehow resembled creatures known as "hobbits" as described by another author. Whatever changes have occurred since are not of my doing, and it is best that those who made them comment further
BTW, I have played a couple of halfling PCs, althougn not for any considerable period to time. The one I would most enjoy playing (OAD&D) currently is the gnome illusionist thief I created some few years back but have had precious little opportunity to play...
(Rathe, if you're reading this post, when you coming up to Lake Geneva and DMing for us again?!)
Cheerio,
Gary
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
Re: Re: Re: D&D cartoon & nostalgia
Old Typos & Dyslexia Coming at You again!
Whoa, and in reading my last post I saw I has spelled a word backwards. I must look at the keys before I tap them
Anyway, moving along...
Heh, and you read the post, so you failed your save.
Sorry, but Marvel got the new script back after I heartily approved it. I believe the original show's script that I had in DDEC files are now either in WotCs archives or else lost.
By "adult" I was referring to a target audience of above age 12, not "adult" adult The show would have been more mature, more akin to a Spiderman or Barman cartoon, than to the original D&D presentation, that's all.
I believe that the agreement says that the D&D Cartoon Show property is joontly owned, so that would now be Hasbro and Marvel.
Cover it well enough?
Ciao,
Gary
Old Typos & Dyslexia Coming at You again!
Whoa, and in reading my last post I saw I has spelled a word backwards. I must look at the keys before I tap them
Anyway, moving along...
Hikaru said:
Don't... I get a save vs. traps?
I have seen adult-oriented anime (Japanese cartoons, and no I am not refering specifically to the hentai sort) but in the US, the great majority of cartoons seem to be aimed at kids. Those cartoons who are not are usually erotic ones; I cannot remember any real American adult-themed non-erotic cartoon. When/where would yours have been aired?
CAN I SEE IT?!!!
Now THAT's a bad script. The start was promising but the ending is a mess. Please rewrite it NOW.
Who's got the rights on the series, now? Hasbro? Marvel?
Heh, and you read the post, so you failed your save.
Sorry, but Marvel got the new script back after I heartily approved it. I believe the original show's script that I had in DDEC files are now either in WotCs archives or else lost.
By "adult" I was referring to a target audience of above age 12, not "adult" adult
The show would have been more mature, more akin to a Spiderman or Barman cartoon, than to the original D&D presentation, that's all.I believe that the agreement says that the D&D Cartoon Show property is joontly owned, so that would now be Hasbro and Marvel.
Cover it well enough?
Ciao,
Gary
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
MerricB said:G'day, Gary!
Glad to hear that thieves & demi-humans have always been popular. (Hang on a moment, am I glad about the thieves?
And once again, thank you muchly for your time spent answering our questions.
What project that you're working on or have recently completed that you're currently most excited about?
Cheers!
Welcome, MerricB
Posting here a few times a day is a good break from other work, so I am still having fun, thanks to you all here!
As a matter of fact, I just turned over a big folder with about 30 files in it to the good folks at Troll Lord. When it is edited and laid out, illos in place, it will be the third book in the "Gygaxian" fantasy worlds series, the reference/sourcebooks of generic nature, but with both D20 and LA game specific information included therein. It deals with everyday life in a fantasy world, and I have as a working title EVERYDAY LIFE.
Technology, socio-economic class, and gorvernment organization are the key things in it as far as I am concerned. It is a sort of a who, what, when, where, why, and how treatment of the culture and society of a fantasy wprld of basically European extraction. that's the common basis for most settings, of course. such information being common knowledge to a great extent here and in Europe.
I am particularly interested in how my discussion of the role of the ecclesiastics in a deity-active world will be received by the grognards of RPGing...
Heh,
Gary
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
I don't have any questions, Gary, I just want to say thank you.
I can't imagine what my life would have been like without that crazy game I stumbled over back in the 70's. Sure, it's just a game, but you could say the same thing about bowling.
Wait a minute, that's not what I meant...
Seriously, though, thanks. You and everyone else involved did a good thing. I've had a lot of happy times as a result of your hard work.
I can't imagine what my life would have been like without that crazy game I stumbled over back in the 70's. Sure, it's just a game, but you could say the same thing about bowling.
Wait a minute, that's not what I meant...
Seriously, though, thanks. You and everyone else involved did a good thing. I've had a lot of happy times as a result of your hard work.
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
barsoomcore said:
Aargh! Cut to the quick, I am!
And seriously here, you are welcome. I am well pleased that my wife has not had time to become involved in RPGs. Not only does that give me time off with the gang, but it saves me from having to put up with her avid game play. I won't usually play hearts with Gail, nor will son Ernie, as she is too vicious a player and shoots the moon far too often. She is just about the only one I kknow who will play as tenaciously as I do in railroad games too. Speaking of which, son Alex wins about 90% of those no matter how hard his parents try to wrest victory for themselves.
Cheerio,
Gary
Re: Re: Re: Re: D&D cartoon & nostalgia
Oh. You cheated, that should have been a save vs. spells.
Can't you send ninjas there to get it back?
Didn't you share the script with anyone else who may have kept a copy?
But that would have been niiice. (Where is the crying emoticon?)
Jointly owned by Hasbro and Marvel?! It is definitely dead. (Where is the crying emoticon again?)
Alas.
Col_Pladoh said:
Oh. You cheated, that should have been a save vs. spells.
Can't you send ninjas there to get it back?
Didn't you share the script with anyone else who may have kept a copy?
Originally posted by Col_Pladoh By "adult" I was referring to a target audience of above age 12, not "adult" adult
But that would have been niiice. (Where is the crying emoticon?)
Jointly owned by Hasbro and Marvel?!
It is definitely dead. (Where is the crying emoticon again?)Alas.
Last edited:
Mr. Gygax,
This question has been nagging me for years.
As a kid, I had a collection of little plastic monsters. They were very cheaply made, five and dime toys. They looked like no standard kind of creatures. Just weird little thingies.
Several years ago, out of the blue, I realized that a few of these monsters I had in the seventies looked just like the first Monster Manual pictures of the Rust Monster and Bullete. There may have been others, but the plastic toys are lost to history and I can't recall.
My question is this: since the monsters have no obvious inspiration in folklore, they would seem to be purely imaginative in design. But it seems nearly impossible to me that two totally different, purely imaginative designs would look so similar.
Had you seen the toys before those monsters were written?
Thank you,
Kapture
This question has been nagging me for years.
As a kid, I had a collection of little plastic monsters. They were very cheaply made, five and dime toys. They looked like no standard kind of creatures. Just weird little thingies.
Several years ago, out of the blue, I realized that a few of these monsters I had in the seventies looked just like the first Monster Manual pictures of the Rust Monster and Bullete. There may have been others, but the plastic toys are lost to history and I can't recall.
My question is this: since the monsters have no obvious inspiration in folklore, they would seem to be purely imaginative in design. But it seems nearly impossible to me that two totally different, purely imaginative designs would look so similar.
Had you seen the toys before those monsters were written?
Thank you,
Kapture
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