TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Gray Mouser · Jul 22, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Actually, I made them [Valley Elves] up out of the elvish template and my vision of the Valley of the Mage. It seemed a good idea to have the elvesthere a good deal different from the rest...as were the Drow

Cheers,
Gary

I have always found the Valley of the Mage interesting, since I read about it in the WoG set. In fact, IIRC, I first came across it in a friend's copy of the old folio edition. Seeing as how you have nothing else going on and you are simplying whiling away the hours how about whipping up a quick version of the "Vale of the Arch-Mage" to be set away west from Dunfalcom and Yggsburgh for C&C?

Gray Mouser

Col_Pladoh · Jul 22, 2006

Gray Mouser said:
I have always found the Valley of the Mage interesting, since I read about it in the WoG set. In fact, IIRC, I first came across it in a friend's copy of the old folio edition. Seeing as how you have nothing else going on and you are simplying whiling away the hours how about whipping up a quick version of the "Vale of the Arch-Mage" to be set away west from Dunfalcom and Yggsburgh for C&C?

Gray Mouser

That'll happen about the same time WotC gives me the rights to the World of Greyhawk. I'll do something on the Sea of Dust and the Rift Canyon then too :lol:

Cheers,
Gary

seskis281 · Jul 22, 2006

Just curious with the above response - why are other Greyhawk names and concepts different from "Zagyg?"

And sorry about the mistake in b-days... thought yours was last week. Happy b-day again!

John Wright

Col_Pladoh · Jul 22, 2006

seskis281 said:
Just curious with the above response - why are other Greyhawk names and concepts different from "Zagyg?"

Sorry, but I dn;t understand that question.

I can say how they are the same...I made them all up :lol:

And sorry about the mistake in b-days... thought yours was last week. Happy b-day again!

John Wright

Ah, think nothing of it

Cheers,
Gary

terrainmonkey · Jul 22, 2006

Mr. Gygax--

long time reader, first time poster. first, praise which you have no doubt heard over the past 30 years about d&D. I was given a copy of the first ed boxed set with the three books, a set of dice, and the KOB adventure, when i hit my 13th birthday. here it is, 25 years later and i am still hooked. in that one moment i was turned into a DND geek forever. (God be praised!) i bought my son, now 14, a basic set for 3rd ed (sorry...) and he now wants to be a dungeon master like his dear old dad. so i've been teaching him every week, letting him run adventures for me and a few of his freinds, and showing him the ropes. he's catching on rather quickly. thanks for a perfect hobby that allows me to bond with my son.

now, a few questions: i recently bought the C&C rules, and the LA rule book basic boxed set. I have a pretty firm grasp on the rules, but have yet to start a game with my regular group of players. without going into specifice details, are there any good introductory adventures you can suggest for both systems that i could use for beginning characters? i have very little prep time, and would like to send Troll lord games any business i can. i used to run a game store before the vagaries of the economy and a less than principled partner made us close down, so i understand what it is like to run a gaming business. now, i work at least 60 hours a week and have little time to design my own adventures. i am beginning to lose confidence in the 3rd ed d&d rules and wish to find something different that has the same old school feel that i fell in love with 20 years ago.

again, thanks for many happy years in gaming. and if you are ever in the virginia beach area, let me know, you'll not need to get a hotel.

oh by the way, happy birthday!

seskis281 · Jul 22, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Sorry, but I dn;t understand that question.

Sorry - to clarify, if the Wizards hold the rights to Greyhawk and so using settings and names (as you indicated in the above post about the Valley of the Mage) isn't possible, what made the name "Zagyg" (which is certainly a major part of Greyhawk) different so that you can publish this wonderful new series?

If I'm prying I apologize, just curious because it would be cool to see some of the other Greyhawk material eek into CZ setting.

John

Orius · Jul 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
" Is chewing gum a scievce or an art? How about picking one's nose? tell those pretentious ones to be honest. "Let's Pretend" is a game, and nothing more.

Some of those really serious roleplayers would be truely offended by that statement, Gary. I salute you. :lol:

Some people really do take the games far too seriously.

Orius · Jul 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
This is not touchy but rather cabbage that's been chewed more than once. Still, I'll comment here. If you wish, refer readers of the thread in question to this one.

*shakes head* Some children have no idea of how much mythology and folklore have influenced the game. Yes, the Tolkien influence is there, but if anything, it seems was other designers in the early 80's that tended to strengthen the Tolkien influence (not that that is a bad thing, given that D&D can encompass a fairly broad take on fantasy).

Treebore · Jul 23, 2006

terrainmonkey said:
Mr. Gygax--

long time reader, first time poster. first, praise which you have no doubt heard over the past 30 years about d&D. I was given a copy of the first ed boxed set with the three books, a set of dice, and the KOB adventure, when i hit my 13th birthday. here it is, 25 years later and i am still hooked. in that one moment i was turned into a DND geek forever. (God be praised!) i bought my son, now 14, a basic set for 3rd ed (sorry...) and he now wants to be a dungeon master like his dear old dad. so i've been teaching him every week, letting him run adventures for me and a few of his freinds, and showing him the ropes. he's catching on rather quickly. thanks for a perfect hobby that allows me to bond with my son.

now, a few questions: i recently bought the C&C rules, and the LA rule book basic boxed set. I have a pretty firm grasp on the rules, but have yet to start a game with my regular group of players. without going into specifice details, are there any good introductory adventures you can suggest for both systems that i could use for beginning characters? i have very little prep time, and would like to send Troll lord games any business i can. i used to run a game store before the vagaries of the economy and a less than principled partner made us close down, so i understand what it is like to run a gaming business. now, i work at least 60 hours a week and have little time to design my own adventures. i am beginning to lose confidence in the 3rd ed d&d rules and wish to find something different that has the same old school feel that i fell in love with 20 years ago.

again, thanks for many happy years in gaming. and if you are ever in the virginia beach area, let me know, you'll not need to get a hotel.

oh by the way, happy birthday!

Since Gary does way more LA than C&C let me suggest the "A" series. Assault on Blacktooth Ridge has given me many "flashbacks" to Keep on the borderlands. If I ever get to run Assault again I am going to combine it with Borderlands.

As for LA, Gary is the expert and I am just checking it out myself.

riprock · Jul 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Howdy Riprock,

If you can relate the participation to career goals, improved chance for financial rewards, and/or possession of superior knowledge/performance excellence, the major bases will be covered.

Actually, approval/praise from you before the group is likely to be considered a reward by participants sincere in their desire.

Howdy Colonel, and thanks for the advice!
I think I need to motivate folks to seek the rewards -- both for convincing business customers to commit resources and for convincing gaming groups to really get emotionally involved in a game's goals and spirit. The two contexts are widely separated -- I can't talk in terms of heroism to businessmen, and I shouldn't talk in terms of market share to players taking the roles of paladins!

Your points on the major bases to cover are well taken. Next time, I've got to try to prepare materials that will make it clear that there are goals within their reach that are worth their effort to attain. A little more effort with my written evaluation forms might give participants a longer-lasting measure of approval/praise that they could show to their bosses when they want to ask for raises.

Speaking of salesmanship, I often think that the best DMs I've known would have made excellent salesmen -- they can "read" people and motivate them.

I think I read in Time magazine that you had a fair amount of sales experience, both with concrete products and abstract things like insurance. I've always suspected that the mathematics of insurance influenced the mathematics of AD&D, with considerations like the rarity of above-average strength, intelligence, etc. in a human population.

But beyond the math, salesmanship courses and books always tell us to use vivid mental images, often with lots of concrete details,colors, etc.

Col_Pladoh said:
I was nearly in my teens when I saw my first TV program. Growing up listening to radio dramas did encourage eye closing and imagination, as did my father's bedtime stories, my mother's reading aloud to me...

You definitely acquired a distinct writer's "voice" at some point -- people are still collecting your stuff for its vividness and vibrancy --possibly that's due to the influence of spoken stories. IMHO, AD&D most resembles tales in the vein of Clark Ashton Smith and Lovecraft and so on... full of sensory details and exotic words, but built on a weirder paradigm than the mundane world.

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Gray Mouser

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Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

seskis281

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Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

terrainmonkey

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seskis281

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Orius

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Orius

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Treebore

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riprock

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