TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Flexor the Mighty! · Feb 14, 2007

Col_Pladoh said:
Howdy,

I have done only a few local, magazine, and documentary interviews the past year--with another documentary slated for the spring. I am not much interested in traveling to make some studio appearance.

I usually watch little of so-called Prime Time TV. The exception is 24. Otherwise I;ll watch a movie, or someting on the History, Military, Science, several Discovery, or National Geographic Channelsl or football, boxing, of UFC matches...unless my wife is fed up with my selections and demands the Travel or HGTV channel, or some antiques program be switched on

Cheers,
Gary

A UFC fan? Cool! That's my favorite combat sport.

Col_Pladoh · Feb 14, 2007

RigaMortus2 said:
I figured you for a 24 fan... Although I am not (never got into 24 myself). But I am surprised you didn't mention HEROES...

I didn't pick it up from the beginning, so Heroes is too choppy for me to follow now. I have watched several episodes and found them relatively entertaining.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Feb 14, 2007

dcas said:
...
A paladin would not have our modern notions of the death penalty. . . .

What do you mean by "our"? Some of us are not nancy boys...or the like :lol:

Cheers,
Gary

dcas · Feb 14, 2007

Col_Pladoh said:
What do you mean by "our"? Some of us are not nancy boys...or the like

Heh, well, I wasn't really including myself in that, either.

dcas · Feb 14, 2007

Col_Pladoh said:
And how was the "twisting" managed? Seems that the popping out of cocoons is as good an answer as any to this untreated question. There is no question about there being mom, pop, sis, and junior orcs in JRRT's work.

Yes, the good Professor (thankfully) left many questions about the breeding of orcs unanswered. Certain characters in the books put forth theories, but we never know whether these theories are their own or those of the narrator! It really adds to the sense of mystery (the movies unfortunately don't have any mystery about them :\).

BTW is elves are so siperior to humans, as they are in JRRT's world, why would mixing in humans with once-elven orcs make a superior breed. Logically in the Middle Earth milieu, the offspring of the two would be inferior to pure orcs, not superior Urok-hai.

Corrupted elves wouldn't necessarily be superior to men.

The Uruk-hai seemed to have the best features of orcs (superior physical strength and endurance, the ability to see in the dark) combined with some superior human qualities (being able to travel by day). JRRT did grapple with the question of whether or not orcs were truly able to reason. The answer from LOTR seems to be an unqualified yes, however (Ugluk, the leader of the Uruk-hai, is very intelligent and even has a sense of humor!).

Col_Pladoh · Feb 14, 2007

dcas said:
Heh, well, I wasn't really including myself in that, either.

Then cut out the seeming concern for PC speech and, worse, PC thinking! Attempts at mind control should be exposed and rejected vigorously

Cheers,

Gary

Col_Pladoh · Feb 14, 2007

dcas said:
...
Corrupted elves wouldn't necessarily be superior to men. The Uruk-hai seemed to have the best features of orcs (superior physical strength and endurance, the ability to see in the dark) combined with some superior human qualities (being able to travel by day). JRRT did grapple with the question of whether or not orcs were truly able to reason. The answer from LOTR seems to be an unqualified yes, however (Ugluk, the leader of the Uruk-hai, is very intelligent and even has a sense of humor!).

Sorry, but that reasoning doesn't follow. Either elves are superior even in corrupted form, or else they are not superior in any way in regards to using them for hybridization. Corrupting orcs by adding the human strain to them would be the only result possible if orcs are corrupt elves. Making orcs by corrupring elves, the orcs inferior to the elves, it follows that adding men would corrupt human strain, so that the outsome would be an inferior orc, just as the original orcs were inferior to elves.

Gary

Napftor · Feb 14, 2007

Cheers to your continued good health, Gary. Glad to see you around again.

My question concerns the owlbear. Where did the inspiration come from for this monster?

thedungeondelver · Feb 14, 2007

Now y'all don't make me break out the maad Punet Square and go Mendel on ya!

Geoffrey · Feb 14, 2007

On television: Over a year ago we got rid of our cable and never bothered to hook up an antenna. Consequently our TV has become a "movie machine", capable of showing only three things:

1. DVDs
2. videos
3. snow

We've never come even close to missing having TV. The swill they serve up on there is truly awful.

On paladins: I definitely like violent paladins. Remember that in Rob Kuntz's first Maze module one of the PCs is assumed to be a paladin on a mission to assassinate the king! (Puts me in mind of Aquinas's and the Jesuit's justification of killing unjust kings.) My favorite model for a paladin is R. E. Howard's Solomon Kane. No Nancy-boy, he!

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Flexor the Mighty!

18/100 Strength!

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

dcas

First Post

dcas

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Napftor

Explorer

thedungeondelver

Adventurer

Geoffrey

First Post

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