TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh · Aug 25, 2006

ColonelHardisson said:
Yeah, I understand what you mean. I was just ruminating.

I guess my reaction to Q1 was much like the assessment of it in that Wikipedia article. The whole nature of the Abyss as portrayed in the end encounter just seemed rather coo-coo, almost light-hearted. Considering the nature of the place, I'd have expected the Abyss to have been more hellish, for lack of a better word. Some of the tangential stuff - Maldev, the plane with the last refuge of good, a dwarven stronghold, about to fall; a world completely overrun by vampires, etc. - seemed a lot more menacing than where the PCs finally beard Lolth in her lair. The end occurring on a mechanical spider that could have the PCs encounter floating smiley faces or flower petals showering out of nowhere just seemed like a strange way to end it. If I ever get a chance to run it again, I'll have to borrow some of your ideas to replace the end gambit.

I have no problem with Queen of the Spiders, the GDQ collection, being ranked at the top of greatest modules. But that's due more to the strength of the Giants and Drow modules, as well as the side treks in Q1, than to Q1 itself. The direction you had intended would have been a cool way to wrap it up.

About all I can add is that Lolth is meant to be a horrific demoness, smething worse that the creepiest of arachnids, and her domain was meant to be one of shadows and webs and all manner of nasty lurkers waiting to pounce. the maze was fine, but all the rest, expecially the mechanical stuff, was not at all what I planned. (That will teach me to be tied up with business and unable to spend much time in creative work.)

Cheers,
Gary

Geoffrey · Aug 25, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
The hard SF...will be introduced in the Lejendary Elder Worlds and its companion setting modules that will take the participants through the galaxy.

Now that sounds promising. I'd like to take LA and thoroughly blend it with LEW to come up with a galactic setting chock full of both magic and high technology: wizards in robotic armor fighting cybernetically-enhanced dragons with fleets of dwarven starships full of dwarven footmen armed with laser rifles with battle-axe blades on the bottom of the bores, etc. A pull-out all the stops kind of setting.

What with around 100,000,000,000 stars in a medium-sized galaxy, there could be Elven empires of millions of systems, etc. The very scope of such a setting is breathtaking.

Anson Caralya · Aug 25, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Sorry, but not a chance.

Sorry...I haven't the time to spend rehashing something that is long gone from my purview. So many new projects to work on, so little time :\

Cheers,
Gary

Fair enough! Thanks as always for the quick replies! Although I may kick the next poodle I see, just because.

If you happen to open Dungeon #139 to take in Rob K's latest Maure Castle work, I hope you enjoy my "Requiem of the Shadow Serpent" while you're there! It's an understatement to say that your work was my inspiration for adventure writing.

haakon1 · Aug 26, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
I really don't like gambling, but playing poker with a group of friends and associates is enjoyable aslong as the stakes are such that even the big loser for the night is not out more than he would normally spend on a night's entertainment.

Agreed. I actually hate gambling, but if my friends insist on poker, I'll play. Very carefully, except when I want to go to sleep -- then I go all in.

seskis281 · Aug 26, 2006

I love playing poker and no limit.... but only for fun (play money online).... real gambling? Not so much....

John

Melkor · Aug 26, 2006

Hi Gary,

I know your spare time is limited these days, but I thought I would ask:

Are you still involved in a Lejendary Adventures campaign ? If so, are you running or playing it ?

What about Castles & Crusades ? Did you have a chance to play the system before you began writing on the first installment of Castle Zagyg ? What about since then ?

Thanks, as always, for your time.

Col_Pladoh · Aug 27, 2006

Geoffrey said:
Now that sounds promising. I'd like to take LA and thoroughly blend it with LEW to come up with a galactic setting chock full of both magic and high technology: wizards in robotic armor fighting cybernetically-enhanced dragons with fleets of dwarven starships full of dwarven footmen armed with laser rifles with battle-axe blades on the bottom of the bores, etc. A pull-out all the stops kind of setting.

What with around 100,000,000,000 stars in a medium-sized galaxy, there could be Elven empires of millions of systems, etc. The very scope of such a setting is breathtaking.

Well, that is ambitious, and you might well want to use the LAD and forthcming LEW games as well as Jim Ward's Metamorphisis Alpha RPG for details and inspiration.

There should be an ezine covering all the LA game genres out pretty soon, BTW. I'll mention it here somewhere for sure when it is launched.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Aug 27, 2006

seskis281 said:
I love playing poker and no limit.... but only for fun (play money online).... real gambling? Not so much....

John

Unless there is some reasonably meaningful wager at stake, poker isn't really poker. There is no bluffing and raises don't mean much of anything...

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Aug 27, 2006

Melkor said:
Hi Gary,

I know your spare time is limited these days, but I thought I would ask:

Are you still involved in a Lejendary Adventures campaign ? If so, are you running or playing it ?

As I was always the LM, I suspended it for a time. We play boardgames or Jim Ward GMs his latest and excellent version of the Metamorphosis Alpha RPG for us.

When the crush of editing and direction and other things slackens, I plan to return to the LA game campaign, then move the party's Avatars into the LAR game universe for a time if appropriate. We left off with the team on a sea voyage after completing the Fish for Breakfast module and some side adventures I winged. since then I have been working on a final polish of the LAR rules as well as a host ot other projects including the CZ castle and dungeons.

What about Castles & Crusades ? Did you have a chance to play the system before you began writing on the first installment of Castle Zagyg ? What about since then ?

Thanks, as always, for your time.

Yes, we played a version of C&C, one that included the rules that are in the CZY, Vol. I book. Again, due to work load I have not had time to devise more material for the players--no sense in rehashing the material in the book, but that will be changing in regard to new stuff to test in the coming months.

Of course there will be new LA game material then as well, so I'll have to pick up the GM reins again... :uhoh:

Cheers,
Gary

Gray Mouser · Aug 31, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Somehow I don't believe that was done by the veteran OAD&D audience, for I have received far too many comments panning the Q1 module and it is worth noting that the rating was given for the module combining its predacessors, G 1-3 and D 1-3, not just Q1.

If the Abyss is a maze design on a towel, I am at a loss, completely overwhealmed

Cheers,
Gary

What? Something on wikipedia being inaccurate? I'm shocked! Shocked, I say!

Gray Mouser

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Geoffrey

First Post

Anson Caralya

First Post

haakon1

Hero

seskis281

First Post

Melkor

Explorer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Gray Mouser

First Post

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