TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Philotomy Jurament · Sep 23, 2006

I think evil humanoids with generally weaker individuals might tend to be lawful as a survival tool. So kobolds, goblins, and even orcs would tend towards lawful evil. Races with more powerful individuals have less need for group effort, and might tend to be more chaotic as a result (e.g. gnolls, bugbears, ogres, etc).

Col_Pladoh · Sep 23, 2006

airwalkrr said:
Actually, although I do not own the LA system, I have based some of the changes to my 1e/3e hybrid on ideas I have gatherered from it here, and on other forums, not to mention the LA website, which is kicking by the way.

I hope one day to pick up the system and give it a whirl, but first I must find time to read these rulebooks, and time is a valuable commodity for me. I am definitely intrigued though and either this or Castles & Crusades will be my next game system purchase, when I do, in fact, get around to actually purchasing a new system.

How well I can relate to time being the most precious resource!

While the LA game is not an open source, we do encourage using it for inspiration in designing your own systems, and we particularlt push the use of the monetary system therein. Permission to use it is easily obtained

While the C&C game is similar to most other class-based RPG, I am quite certain that you will find the LA game is really quite different. I have used a new patois in it so as to encourage the participant to have the new mindset...something even I have to work at now and then because of my long immersion in D&D.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Sep 23, 2006

airwalkrr said:
This brings up an interesting question for me. Where did you get your inspriation for various humanoid races? Specifically orcs and goblins. We all know Tolkien used them extensively, but particularly on the alignment issue, what was your inspiration? Many old school gamers often argue for the LE alignment of orcs, but there are those who say they should be CE. I find myself on the fence on this issue. I like to think of my orcs as being very Tolkienesque and Turrosh Mak (as the paradigm for orcs in my campaign) certainly seems to be an organized and regimented kind of despot. But the wild feral nature of orcish combat often depicted in novels and movies does lend itself to making the CE argument worth considering. So I am often conflicted in wondering whether Mak should be a true paradigm, or rather an exception (and an exceptional exception at that!) to the rules.

Basically, I used my extensive background of reading history, military history, folklore, fairy tales, mythology, SF, horror, and fantasy fiction to envisage humanoid races that would be interesting in the fantasy workd of the D&D game.

Lawful Evil means that the particular race is organized, cooperative within its own boundaries, and capable of training and discipline. Those are the principle qualities in regards to the aplication of the LE alignment. the rest is mainly window dressing--the deities, social organization, heirarchy, dress, etc.

CE forces do not advance in formation but atack in a wild mass. think of LE as somethink akin to the Roman Legion, CE as the swarm of screaming barbarians, and NE as something in betwee,

Cheers,
Gary

Ron · Sep 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
[...]
[T]hink of LE as somethink akin to the Roman Legion, CE as the swarm of screaming barbarians, and NE as something in betwee,[sic]

Cheers,
Gary

I am pretty sure the Romans and the Barbarians have significantly different opinions regarding their own armies.

Mark CMG · Sep 23, 2006

Ron said:
I am pretty sure the Romans and the Barbarians have significantly different opinions regarding their own armies.

I guess the most obvious being that barbarians is a term used about others?

Col_Pladoh · Sep 23, 2006

Ron said:
I am pretty sure the Romans and the Barbarians have significantly different opinions regarding their own armies.

Which has absolutely no bearing on the relative organizational skills of the groups under consideration for an example of "Lawful" as opposed to "Chaoric" as presented above...and which examples are historically accurate

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Sep 23, 2006

Mark CMG said:
I guess the most obvious being that barbarians is a term used about others?

Pardon, but I veiw this as a silly quibble over semantics.

Let's cut our the cultiral relativism crap when discussing historical actualities, eh? The Romans were hightly trained and organized, the tribes on the fringe of their empire were not. They were, in fact, barbaric in regards their pollity, society, organizational skills, and technology, assuming that barbaric means primitive in comparison to another culture.

Cheers,
Gary

Mark CMG · Sep 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Pardon, but I veiw this as a silly quibble over semantics.

Alternately, one could view it as a humorous quip as it was intended. Touchy, today, Poppa G?

They say that the sense of humor is the second thing to go . . .

Col_Pladoh · Sep 23, 2006

Mark CMG said:
Alternately, one could view it as a humorous quip as it was intended. Touchy, today, Poppa G?

They say that the sense of humor is the second thing to go . . .

Pfui!

As your "quip" was posted immediately following Ron's:

I am pretty sure the Romans and the Barbarians have significantly different opinions regarding their own armies.

It seemed something less than humorous, rather more akin to a seconding of the questionable observation.

As for lacking or losing a sense of humor, I put up with all this, don't I?

Gary

Mark CMG · Sep 23, 2006

Col_Pladoh said:
Pfui!

As your "quip" was posted immediately following Ron's: (insert quote here - ed)

It seemed something less than humorous, rather more akin to a seconding of the questionable observation.

Naturally, the humorous quip about how they refer to themselves follows a line about how they refer to themselves. It would otherwise be non sequiturious, if I may wax Gygaxian. So, as I said, it was a humorous quip. If you cannot take me at my word . . .

Col_Pladoh said:
As for lacking or losing a sense of humor, I put up with all this, don't I?

Gary

You have some better days than others, it would seem, as do we all.

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Philotomy Jurament

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Ron

Explorer

Mark CMG

Creative Mountain Games

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Mark CMG

Creative Mountain Games

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Mark CMG

Creative Mountain Games

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