TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Upper_Krust · Jan 10, 2003

Re: Gord the Rogue

Hi Gary!

Col_Pladoh said:
hirning in here, I just want to say thanks for those very kind words abut the series.

Just telling it like it is big guy...now get whoevers concerned to pull their finger out and get those graphic novel interpretations released.

Col_Pladoh said:
I wrote it as fantasy thet reflected the AD&D game in feel and scope of action. I suppose it's obvious I like action in my stories and games too

The series kind of paralleled our own AD&D game at the time...lets just say we also took things a bit beyond 20th-level and leave it at that.

Col_Pladoh said:
Anyway, it is great to read that you enjoyed the plot twists. SOme of them sort of wrote themselves, as the characters took over and began to direct things outside the planned story outtline I had scripted for them. Funny thing about that is it really happens.

Graz'zts big mistake is an all time favourite and is accompanied by one of my favourite lines:

"IT IS A DAY TO SLAY OR BE SLAIN!"

Love him or hate him, old six-digits is quite a character.

Upper_Krust · Jan 10, 2003

Hi Hadit!

Hadit said:
(Oh... I just thought of one more question that got missed earlier... was the Elder Elemnetal Eye worshipped by Eclavdra and her minions an avatar of Tharizdun?)

I imagine Gary will be along at some point but until then you can find out more about Tharizdun here:

http://www.greyhawk-codex.com/codex/greyhawk/religion/tharizdunq.htm

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze33gpz/gordmain.html

http://home.att.net/~david.r.ross/NightBelow/tharizdun.html

Col_Pladoh · Jan 10, 2003

Hadit said:
Hello Gary!
Hope your holidays were joyous!

Howdy, and thanks. We had a great holiday with most of the family in for Christmas.

Have a question for you concerning ancient Egypt (from another thread that tweaked my interest): How was the court of the Pharoah arranged? I assume that it could be considered a theocracy... but what were the titles held by subordinates and did they have actual control over fiefdoms around the Nile valley or further? Or was the Pharoah strictly top dog?
I ask this of you because I assumed that much study went into the writing of Necropolis, and I thought you may have run across information pertaining to this.

Pharoah was absolute ruler, a living god. The various districts of Egypt were ruled by governors, but they were generally absloutely under the thumb of the king. The military was absolutely loyal too.

I do not have an organizational chart of the governemnt under the pharoah--the palace officials, priests, governors, overseers, and scribes. In all my reading I never came across anything resembling a treatment of this. Sorry.
Thank you dear sir!
Duglas K[/B][/QUOTE]

(Oh... I just thought of one more question that got missed earlier... was the Elder Elemnetal Eye worshipped by Eclavdra and her minions an avatar of Tharizdun?)

No, the Elder Elemental God I envisaged as an entity of vaguely Chronos-like sort, a deity of great power but of chaotic sort, and not always highly clever in thought and action. Big T on the other hand is the epitome of pure, reasoning and scheming evil.

Eclavrdra, being more of the mold of Tharizdun, would prefer to have as "master" a powerful deity she might hope to influence, thus the EEG.

Cheers,
Gary

Son_of_Thunder · Jan 15, 2003

Just a few questions

Howdy Gary,

A few questions if you please. I haven't been able to find out if there are other races besides humans in your Legendary Adventures game. Are there? And secondly, what do you think of the recently published 'Book of Vile Darkness'? Do you think it needed to be made?

Thanks for your time.

Son of Thunder

Col_Pladoh · Jan 15, 2003

Re: Just a few questions

Son_of_Thunder said:
Howdy Gary,

A few questions if you please. I haven't been able to find out if there are other races besides humans in your Legendary Adventures game. Are there? And secondly, what do you think of the recently published 'Book of Vile Darkness'? Do you think it needed to be made?

Thanks for your time.

Son of Thunder

Hi

There are a lot of Avatar races to play in the LA game, none of which are exactly parallet to other systems', 3E included.

Dwarfs--about like standard RPG ones, with a few differences.
Gnomes--ditto.
Ilfs--a sort of rustic elf race.
Kobolds--the most potent non-human race for sure.
Oafs--large and strong, none-too-bright humanoids
Oafs, major--ditto.
Orcs, greater--more human-like, semi-neandrathal types.
Orcs--ditto.
Orcs, lesses--ditto.
Trollkin--annoying and shifty little anti-dwarfs, perhaps...
Veshoges--the Ferengi of the system.
Wylfs, grotto--wild, subterraneal elf types.
Wylfs, thicker--ditton, only woodsy sorts.

Plenty of different race roles to play, and some great roleplay opportunities in the mix

Thankfully what I feared with the publication of the BOOK OF VILE DARKNESS has not happened. The opponents of D&D and RPGs in general did not jump on it and make it into a weapon in their arsenal. Thus my reservations have been allayed.

It seems more of a "hype" product that anything else, but that's not much of a knock. It it is selling well, then it is a work that the consumers wanted, if for nothing else the rebellious "shock" value.

Given WotC's continual assertion that the 3E game is about heroes adventuring against Evil, one might question its addition to the line, of course. From my perspective, though, one must have dark villians to oppose the bright heroes, so for those who are in need of assistance in developing the malign and evil to be fought against, the BOOK OF VILE DARKNESS should be of use.

Cheers,
Gary

dcollins · Jan 15, 2003

Re: Re: Sea of Death

Col_Pladoh said:
The books, in reading order are...
DANCE OF DEMONS
COME ENDLESS DARKNESS

One minor observation:
Come Endless Darkness actually comes before Dance of Demons.

ColonelHardisson · Jan 15, 2003

Gary, what mythology is Demogorgon from? I know I've seen him somewhere, but I can't recall where.

Col_Pladoh · Jan 15, 2003

ColonelHardisson said:
Gary, what mythology is Demogorgon from? I know I've seen him somewhere, but I can't recall where.

It was the Greeks, in their mythology, who had Demogorgon originally. He was held as the elemental force of earth that which made plants grow, and was thus depicted as an old man covered with moss. Medieval writers demonized him into a terrible ruler of the underworld--a much more colorful depiction for use in a FRPG

Cheers,
Gary

Paul_Klein · Jan 15, 2003

Gary, I have another question for ya:

What does your "average" work-day look like? Do you typically write for 8 hours? How many projects do you typically work on at the same time? Do you ever get burned out doing so much writing?

Thanks!

Col_Pladoh · Jan 15, 2003

Paul_Klein said:
Gary, I have another question for ya:

What does your "average" work-day look like? Do you typically write for 8 hours? How many projects do you typically work on at the same time? Do you ever get burned out doing so much writing?

Thanks!

I get to the computer sometime between 6 and 7 AM on an average day, stay here most of the time thereafter until 6 or 7 PM, seven days per except during football season and in find summer weather.

Email and board postings take up anywhere from an hour to three a day. When I am on a hot creative project I keep it to an hour, thet grudgingly given.

I work on two or three projects at a time, usually, although one will be center stage, the others in the wings--given only slight attention while thr main one is being completed in rough draft.

Indeed, I get burnout. Usually a migraine headache will be the result. That means I am forced to take a day or two off, sleep, rest, watch the tube. Sadly I can't read much when a migraine headache is hanging in.

In summer when I feel a lack of enthusiasm for creative work, no ideas are hammering at my brain seeking to be let out, I sit on the front porch, listen to the birds, read books of fact or fiction, or in the evening watch the fireflys and listen to the crickets, sipping minted and lemoned iced tea or maybe enjoy a gin and tonic. That usually gets me back on track in a day or three.

Actually playing a different sort of game, RPG or boardgame, will often spur me to want to be creative, if outside of the realms of fantasy. No matter, as the energy can then be channeled.

If things are really slow in the creative thinking department, then it's time for a holiday. Speaking of which, I could use one somewhere warm, sunny, and flower-fulled

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Upper_Krust

Hero

Upper_Krust

Hero

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Son_of_Thunder

Explorer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

dcollins

Explorer

ColonelHardisson

What? Me Worry?

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Paul_Klein

Explorer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

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