TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh · May 20, 2006

Nathan P. Mahney said:
Hi Gary,

I've just been reading some old issues of The Dragon, and getting into the serialised novel The Gnome Cache, only to find that it disappears into the ether, unfinished! Assuming that you are the Garrison Ernst to which the tale is credited (who else could it be with such an idiosyncratic style?), what happened to the rest of the story? Why didn't it appear in The Dragon? How does it relate to Oerth - official or not? And, why were those giant toad riding folk chasing that dwarf? So many unanswered questions!

- Nathan P. Mahney -

Howdy!

Garrison Ernst, a/k/a Ernst Grimbold here.

Tim Kask didn't like the story of the Gnome Cache, so he dropped it. No biggie as far as I was concerned. the yarn was only my second attempt at writing a novel, and I wasn'f all that happy with what I had produced. The story was loosely based on the world of Greyhawk, but the adventures were not drawn from any actual play of D&D.

The giant toads are the steeds of the followers of Wastri, the Hopping Prophet, certainly of Oerth and the pantheon of the Flanaess.

As for the conclusion, I can not recall where I had the tale headed, and the ms. for the story is missing--possiblly buried amongst stored documents here, otherwise truly lost.

Cheers,
Gary

Orius · May 21, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
According to experts,. most of the computer games of fnatasy and like sort borrow at least something from the A/D&D game.

Well, I was specifically talking about the various games that were based in D&D game worlds, and emulated as much of the rules as possible (less in the earlier days, much closer to the book these days). Games from the original Pool of Radience to the Baldur's Gate series (best D&D computer game ever, I might add), up to Neverwinter Nights. There've been a few here and there that have somewhat poorer reputations, but the great games overshadow them.

Certainly RPGs and MMOs do borrow lots of fundamental concepts from D&D though. Probably the most often used are Hit Points. Almost every game I've played has them in some form or other.

Col_Pladoh · May 21, 2006

Hi Orius,

Can't quibbke with what you state above...although I suspect there are those who will not agree that the the Baldur's Gate series is the best ever

Cheers,
Gary

tylerthehobo · May 21, 2006

All hail the return of Gord the Rogue

Hiya, Gary,

I just wanted to drop an "Attaboy!" your way, after reading the new Gord the Rogue story that was released with K.R. Bourgoine in the pages of the Dragon 30th Anniversary issue. Great stuff! I hope we'll be seeing more of our favorite rogue of Greyhawk? I think before the server crashed and we lost some of this thread you had commented that there was a potential for more stories, and also possibly an omnibus of the Gord books - that still sound plausible? (Or am I completely misremembering the thread?

)

Col_Pladoh · May 21, 2006

tylerthehobo said:
Hiya, Gary,

I just wanted to drop an "Attaboy!" your way, after reading the new Gord the Rogue story that was released with K.R. Bourgoine in the pages of the Dragon 30th Anniversary issue. Great stuff! I hope we'll be seeing more of our favorite rogue of Greyhawk? I think before the server crashed and we lost some of this thread you had commented that there was a potential for more stories, and also possibly an omnibus of the Gord books - that still sound plausible? (Or am I completely misremembering the thread? )

Good Afternoon

Thanks for the good words. Indeed. K.R. Bourgoine and I are going to discuss springboards for further Gord the Rogue short stories at the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention, 9 - 11 June. the next semi-planned tale is one where Chert joins Gord in his adventures.

Troll Lord Games is in process of readying to publish the seven Gorn novels in hardback. If a sufficient number of short stories are written hereafter, likely they'll be compiled with s few new ones and "At Moonset Blackcat Comes" to make an eighth volume.

Cheers,
Gary

haakon1 · May 21, 2006

Orius said:
Certainly RPGs and MMOs do borrow lots of fundamental concepts from D&D though. Probably the most often used are Hit Points. Almost every game I've played has them in some form or other.

Last night after our game we went out to dinner . . . one of my friends told me in the computer gaming magazine "Penny Arcade", they had a cartoon about a computer gamer telling his friend: "This new D&D Online is like totally stealing ideas from World of Warcraft Online. How can they get away with copying elves and dwarves and all?" :lol:

Contrarian · May 22, 2006

Gray Mouser said:
That's what I thought, too. Upon closer inspection, however, I was unable to see any reference to such in the text.

You're remembering the "From the Sorceror's Scroll" column in Dragon issue 75. The article's text is virtually identical to the MMII "Devils" section, but one paragraph (the one explaining who's a pit fiend and who's female) appears to have been dropped when it was put into MMII.

Dragon 75 also has Part 1 of Ed Greenwood's article about the Nine Hells. There's a lot of Hell in that issue. Made quite an impression on me back in the day. I set my first extraplanar adventure in the Nine Hells.

Crothian · May 22, 2006

Hello Gary, I hope things are still going well for you.

In the Hall of the Fire Giants King was there any particular reason for placing King Snurre near the beginning of the module? I'm running it for a group that had never played it before and they were caught by suprise at that and inquired about it. I figured the best answers is to go to the source. The giant series of modules is very good and even 25 years later it is a great experince to share with people. Thank you for that.

Col_Pladoh · May 22, 2006

haakon1 said:
Last night after our game we went out to dinner . . . one of my friends told me in the computer gaming magazine "Penny Arcade", they had a cartoon about a computer gamer telling his friend: "This new D&D Online is like totally stealing ideas from World of Warcraft Online. How can they get away with copying elves and dwarves and all?"

I had a young female editor from a major NY publisher that was on the same panel as I at a con ask me how I could steal dwarves from Tolkien. I said:

"Young lady, I'll have you know that I stole my dwarves from the same source the professor did, Norse mythology!"

Tha audience laughed heartily, and she was basically silent thereafter.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · May 22, 2006

Crothian said:
Hello Gary, I hope things are still going well for you.

In the Hall of the Fire Giants King was there any particular reason for placing King Snurre near the beginning of the module? I'm running it for a group that had never played it before and they were caught by suprise at that and inquired about it. I figured the best answers is to go to the source. The giant series of modules is very good and even 25 years later it is a great experince to share with people. Thank you for that.

It has been almost 30 years since I wrote that adventure, but...

Thinking back I most likely did it so as to offer a really major challenge to the adventuring party early on. While I didn't mention it, when I DMed the scenario I had King Snurre move to another area and set up an ambush with his flunkies when the PCs returned loaded for bear to get him. I recall Jim Ward's PC used a magic jar spell to take over the queen, and the party were nost eager to get poor little Obmi :lol:

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Orius

Legend

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

tylerthehobo

Explorer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

haakon1

Hero

Contrarian

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Crothian

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

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