TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Gray Mouser · Jun 23, 2006

Oops, looks like I was a little overzealous and reposted just as Gary was answering my questions. Sorry, Colonel!

And, of course, thanks for your input. It will be most helpful as this is really the first time that players in my campaign have invested in henchmen and hirelings!

Gray Mouser

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

Flexor the Mighty! said:
Hi Gary! Just wanted to say I finally started reading City of Hawks, and just 10 pages into it I am reminded how much I enjoy your D&D related fiction. Your descriptions of Greyhawk City are wonderful for my game and the planar politics of the Gord novels is what I base mine on when I run the Greyhawk campaign. I used Vuron in my last campaign as he tried to use some friendly help to start the Paladin of the group down the path to corruption.

Howdy Flexor!

Perhaps you recall me mentioning illustrated novel versions of the Gord books. Sadly, the state of the market in the US for comics and illustrated novels flushed that deal. I mention this becase the illustrator for the initial episode to introduce the story used City of Hawks as his basis, and the depiction of the boat with infant Gord in it approaching the looming walls of the city in the storm was just great in my opinion. The producer and illustrator had it nailed as far as I was concerned, so I was doubly whammied when things went south.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

Gray Mouser said:
Sheesh, even when Gary goes back to answer the skipped posts I get left out! A repost is in order, I think

Your post about me missing your other post appeared just after I replied to the post you said I had ignored

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

Gray Mouser said:
Oops, looks like I was a little overzealous and reposted just as Gary was answering my questions. Sorry, Colonel!

And, of course, thanks for your input. It will be most helpful as this is really the first time that players in my campaign have invested in henchmen and hirelings!

Gray Mouser

Yuppers,

Remember, I am a Columbus Method typist, as it were...discover and land!

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

John Drake said:
Hmm, I had no idea about that, since I always thought the little forward you wrote in it was quite complimentary. In addition to what JRT asked, why did he get the job of doing that module? Iirc, it was something about things resembling (at that time) ToEE too much, and, if memory serves, you saw some of the work he was doing and gave it a green light. I'd check the module, but I don't have it handy at the moment. Of course, I'm generalising and glossing over the details as I have heard, so I don't mean to be offensive in any way. Thanks Gary, as always, very much appreciated!

Aloha,

Check my post responding to JRT's message for details of how Dave S. became involved in the projct.

Of course I was a total company man, so I would never disparage the work of another that was to go into production. While I was most disappointed in the material, I desired neither to denigrate Dave's effort or publically question Brian's acumen in regards creative selection. Thus the forward as written.

There was a link between the Drow modules and the ToEE, mainly in my head, and after QI came out I rather lost interest in developing the former, as the EEG was not released from hia banishment to a distant star (ala Set). I would have devised some other scenario to accomplish that, only the Drow and Lolth were not to be emulated in a hurry, and I ran oput of time to make the attempt, so Frank badgered me into having him complete the ToEE.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

JohnRTroy said:
At least Gail still (hopefully) needed and feeded you when you were 64.

Bah! She uses my weight and health ot avoid cooking what I wish her to feed me...steak & kidney pie, standing rib roast of beef, breaded veal kidney chops, mixed sausage grill, wiener schnitzel, peach cobbler, rhubarb pie, cream brule, that sort of thing

Cheers,
Gary

Flexor the Mighty! · Jun 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Howdy Flexor!

Perhaps you recall me mentioning illustrated novel versions of the Gord books. Sadly, the state of the market in the US for comics and illustrated novels flushed that deal. I mention this becase the illustrator for the initial episode to introduce the story used City of Hawks as his basis, and the depiction of the boat with infant Gord in it approaching the looming walls of the city in the storm was just great in my opinion. The producer and illustrator had it nailed as far as I was concerned, so I was doubly whammied when things went south.

Cheers,
Gary

I was going to ask you about the progress on those...well that just sucks. I was really pumped about those when you mentioned them last year or so.

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

Flexor the Mighty! said:
I was going to ask you about the progress on those...well that just sucks. I was really pumped about those when you mentioned them last year or so.

Me too

Broken Halos was gpoing to be the publishing entity, and I began to suspect the worst when the release date kept getting pushed back further and further. I do not blame them, of course. It is the state of the market...amd likely because of a single distributor.

Cheers,
Gary

Deuce Traveler · Jun 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Okay,

But as I read your assessment, the game would have to move from a FRPG genre to what is virtually a comic book superhero type to manage the transition.

A game based on slaying deities is sure to become tedious in short order, is it not?

Cheers,
Gary

Not really. When I mentioned the word 'immortal' would have to be redefined, I meant using it as a farmer might, not as a referee. To the characters, an extremely powerful villian may seem god-like but actually be mortal. Sort of how the natives of the island saw King Kong as a god, but he was killable.

If one were to make dragons extremely rare in a fantasy game, an elder dragon could easily be considered an immortal god by the local population. The battle between such a villian and the heroes would be epic, but winnable.

I wasn't really talking about taking a villian and making him a super-villian. I meant more like trying to see the fantasy world through the eyes of normal mortals and incorporating that feeling into the descriptions of a game. If a peasant is distrustful of a wizard who can cast a spell and charm anyone, and fears a wizard who can throw fireballs into the masses of an enemy, he and his kin is going to see a evil lich who can stop time and kill with a gesture akin to an immortal god.

Col_Pladoh · Jun 23, 2006

Deuce Traveler said:
Not really. When I mentioned the word 'immortal' would have to be redefined, I meant using it as a farmer might, not as a referee. To the characters, an extremely powerful villian may seem god-like but actually be mortal. Sort of how the natives of the island saw King Kong as a god, but he was killable.

If one were to make dragons extremely rare in a fantasy game, an elder dragon could easily be considered an immortal god by the local population. The battle between such a villian and the heroes would be epic, but winnable.

I wasn't really talking about taking a villian and making him a super-villian. I meant more like trying to see the fantasy world through the eyes of normal mortals and incorporating that feeling into the descriptions of a game. If a peasant is distrustful of a wizard who can cast a spell and charm anyone, and fears a wizard who can throw fireballs into the masses of an enemy, he and his kin is going to see a evil lich who can stop time and kill with a gesture akin to an immortal god.

Well sure,

But what you set forth is actually quite different from the original scheme, a campaign in which the PCs aim was to slay deities, not what ordnary yokels might consider as such :lol:

Fantasy deities create things, move mountains, sink continents, and are generally quite untouchable by mortals. even the Genie of the Lamp is quite unkillable, albeit he can be duped :uhoh:

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Gray Mouser

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Flexor the Mighty!

18/100 Strength!

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Deuce Traveler

Adventurer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

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