TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

BOZ · Mar 23, 2005

true! there are no exuses now.

Col_Pladoh · Mar 23, 2005

Zudrak said:
Gary,

Did you happen to catch the show "Icons" on X-Play last night? It airs on the G4 / Tech TV channel, if you have it. Last night's featured icon was Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, it is hard to report all of D&D's history in 30 minutes (less commercial time), but I thought it was a nice presentation of the story. They avoided a lot of the messier moments in the history, but it was well-done. Being X-Play, they related the paper and pencil game to its computer spin-offs, starting with "Pool of Radiance" and moved up to the present.

I was pleasantly surprised to see them focus on the beginnings of RPG's by shooting some footage of Lake Geneva (it looked icy cold in the film they shot) and showing pictures of yourself and Dave Arneson.

Zudrak

Blast!

Yes, we have the X-Play show on the G4/Tech TV channel here, but i seldom check it as I want to avoid getting too interested in playing computer games or I'll get NO work done at all, not even the couple of hours a day I now manage. Thanks for the precis; it seems as if they did a better than average job of it.

It is cold here in Lake Geneva, the lake is still iced over and there are fishermen out there. No cars though, and if we get a week of above-freezing night temperatures and a strong wind the ice will break up. Happens around the end of March first week of April.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Mar 23, 2005

Gentlegamer said:
And this differs in what way from that of Bin Laden?

How about 100%, as bin Laden is wholly political

Heh,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Mar 23, 2005

Krieg said:
Psst....they have those on computers now.

Indeed, and those I have accessed are pituful in their content. My own thesaurus has hand-written additions I have made over the years, and both of my main dictionalries are unexpurgated, one from 1910 the other from 1930. New words can be picked up in any current collegiate dictionary

Cheers,
Gary

Zudrak · Mar 23, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
Yes, we have the X-Play show on the G4/Tech TV channel here, but i seldom check it as I want to avoid getting too interested in playing computer games or I'll get NO work done at all, not even the couple of hours a day I now manage. Thanks for the precis; it seems as if they did a better than average job of it.

I made a New Year's resolution to focus more on the pencil and paper gaming by cutting down on the computer and console games (a fairly easy resolution to keep, I have found to my surprise). It is more stimulating to work on D&D/C&C paper "work" than to hold a controller and press buttons. X-Play is always a fun half-hour, though. I think I liked it better when it was "Extended Play", just because the host (Adam) seemed less bitter back then, before he was teamed up with Morgan. Just my $.02. Icons is hit or miss. If I am not intrigued by the topic, I change the channel or find something else to do.

It is cold here in Lake Geneva, the lake is still iced over and there are fishermen out there. No cars though, and if we get a week of above-freezing night temperatures and a strong wind the ice will break up. Happens around the end of March first week of April.

That sounds like I could enjoy living there. I would love the idea of being able to play ice hockey whenever I wanted between December and March. Is there a lot of hockey played on the lakes? Maybe I could even learn to improve my skating. Ha!

So, Gary, I imagine you do not mind the winter weather so much, or else you would have moved to a sunnier locale. Is this a correct deduction?

On the gaming front, when you write your works and there is art or illustrations to be placed in the work, how much say do you have when it comes to the final product? Do you direct the artist at all? Has this changed much today from how you did things when you were at TSR? (Remember! Peter B lurks here sometimes!)

gideon_thorne · Mar 23, 2005

(Remember! Peter B lurks here sometimes!)

*amused* Peter B's got no problem with specific direction. He even encourages it. But he also is able to work almost entirely without it as is the case most often.

MrFilthyIke · Mar 23, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
Indeed, and those I have accessed are pituful in their content. My own thesaurus has hand-written additions I have made over the years, and both of my main dictionalries are unexpurgated, one from 1910 the other from 1930.

The geek-fu of using a hand-made Thesarus know no limit!

My respect for you is now tripled.

Zudrak · Mar 23, 2005

gideon_thorne said:
*amused* Peter B's got no problem with specific direction. He even encourages it. But he also is able to work almost entirely without it as is the case most often.

I figured, having read your posts on a few boards that you have more or less been given free reign to express yourself as you please. But I know that some authors have very set ideas in mind and attempt to get their artist(s) to convey those ideas to their own satisfaction.

In a roundabout way, I guess I was asking Gary if he was more of a hands-on or hands-off supervisor.

Gray Mouser · Mar 23, 2005

Gary, I was just rereading the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story "Bazaar of the Bizzare" and was wondering if the fight with the iron statue was an inspiration for the iron golem. I know the clay golem comes from Jewish mythology (and the flesh golem seems to be somewhat a take on Frankenstein's monster) but the iron statue armed with a sword and with breath weapon (albeit, not poisonous gas) seems quite similar to the foe Fafhrd faced.

Thanks in advance.

Gray Mouser

Storm Raven · Mar 23, 2005

Col_Pladoh said:
Not so, as the Drow have no political agenda, do not desire to do more than enslave, pillage, loot, and send sacrificial victims to Lolth.

But, isn't that just a political agenda?

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

BOZ

Creature Cataloguer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Zudrak

Explorer

gideon_thorne

First Post

MrFilthyIke

First Post

Zudrak

Explorer

Gray Mouser

First Post

Storm Raven

First Post

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