TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

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This is the multi-year Q&A sessions held by D&D co-creator Gary Gygax here at EN World, beginning in 2002 and running up until his sad pasing in 2008. Gary's username in the thread below is Col_Pladoh, and his first post in this long thread is Post #39.

Gary_Gygax_Gen_Con_2007.jpg
 
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G

Gray Mouser

First Post
Hey Colonel, I have a question regarding awarding Experience Points in 1e AD&D. If a PC gains a reward of, say, freeing a captive from a dungeon, instead of actually looting the treasure from a monster's lair does said PC gain Experience for it? So, if a party frees a cpative merchant from a hobgoblin lair and the merchant, upon safe return to town, gives the PC group some gold and (for example) a magic dagger, would the party accrue experience for this, or just for the treasure taken directly from the lair itself?

Thanks in advance.

Gray Mouser
 

Col_Pladoh

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax
Gray Mouser said:
Hey Colonel, I have a question regarding awarding Experience Points in 1e AD&D. If a PC gains a reward of, say, freeing a captive from a dungeon, instead of actually looting the treasure from a monster's lair does said PC gain Experience for it? So, if a party frees a cpative merchant from a hobgoblin lair and the merchant, upon safe return to town, gives the PC group some gold and (for example) a magic dagger, would the party accrue experience for this, or just for the treasure taken directly from the lair itself?

Thanks in advance.

Gray Mouser
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Howdy 'Mouser,

Indeed, I always allowed XPs for freeing captives, receiving rewards. The former count as their level in classed NPC, or as their estimated level in their occupation. A sage, for example, would count as a cleric of anywhere from 5th to 12th level, I opine. Rewards gained for doing the right thing also count as XPs on a gp for XP basis, magical ones included.

Cheers,
Gary
 

G

Gray Mouser

First Post
Thanks for the answer, Gary. Awarding experience points for actually freeing captives is also very interesting. While I had considered awarding experience points for treasure received as a reward I had not considered giving out any for freeing said captive inthe first place!

Gray Mouser
 

Col_Pladoh

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax
Gray Mouser said:
Thanks for the answer, Gary. Awarding experience points for actually freeing captives is also very interesting. While I had considered awarding experience points for treasure received as a reward I had not considered giving out any for freeing said captive inthe first place!

Gray Mouser
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;)

As I mentioned, freeing captves is at least as beneficial as killing adversaries, so that is the justification for an XP award. The logic is in the same vein as awarding them for the casting of a spell that aids the party even though it doesn't necessarily harm any of its opponents or gain treasure.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Xyxox

Xyxox

Hero
Hello Mr. Gygax,

I feel like I'm corresponding with an old friend, having started my gaming hobby about thirty years ago.

My question is related to the original Unearthed Arcana book. I'd like to know how much creative input you had with that product?
 
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Col_Pladoh

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax
Xyxox said:
Hello Mr. Gygax,

I feel like I'm corresponding with an old friend, having started my gaming hobby about thirty years ago.

My question is related to the original Unearthed Arcana book. I'd like to know how much creative input you had with that product?
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Howdy,

Only about 99% od the UA book was my work... Much of it apeared as articles in Dragon magazine before I collected the material and put it into a ms. form for publication.

:lol:
Cheers,
Gary
 

Xyxox

Xyxox

Hero
Col_Pladoh said:
Howdy,

Only about 99% od the UA book was my work... Much of it apeared as articles in Dragon magazine before I collected the material and put it into a ms. form for publication.

:lol:
Cheers,
Gary
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That's what I thought! To me, AD&D was all about four books, the MM, PHB, DMG, and UA!

UA was absolutely the best supplement for any game I ever saw!
 

Col_Pladoh

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax
Xyxox said:
That's what I thought! To me, AD&D was all about four books, the MM, PHB, DMG, and UA!

UA was absolutely the best supplement for any game I ever saw!
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Heh...

Thanks for the good words.

The contents of the US work were pointing the AD&D game participants towards my vision for a revised version of the game. (No, I do not discuss what the whole of that would have beemn that being a useless excercise and time-waster :lol: )

Cheers,
Gary
 

Thulcondar

Thulcondar

First Post
Witches in Greyhawk

Mr. Gygax,

I'm back with another question, and again apologies if you've covered this somewhere else.

How do (did?) you view "witches" in Greyhawk? I am aware of the "witch" character class which appeared in the early days of The Dragon, but it seems to me that you've given witches a bit more status than a mere character class in your writings.

I'm thinking specifically of Iggwilv, of course, who is variously known as the Witch-Queen, Greatest of Witches, etc. as well as the denizens of Grimalkinsham in your Gord story, "Revel in Rel Mord". In the latter work, witches as a group seem on a par with Hags and Annises... and universally old, powerful, and ugly to boot. That seems to imply they are inhabitants of the lower planes just as are the hags, but then again it doesn't sound completely convincing, as one of the witches is said to be the Baronness of the good thorp of Grimalkinsham, implying a human origin.

I don't recall seeing anything from you in the Sorceror's Scroll to the effect that a class of witches was in the works a la the doomed-to-obscurity Mountebank. Any insights you might have on the subject, specific or general, would be most welcome. The scanty evidence is contradictory on the surface, but that has been the case before, and it usually turns out that you have had some holistic intent in your mind that, once explained, neatly ties together the disparate threads.

My thanks for taking the time to listen to the query of a fan since the age of 12.
 
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