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.
TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax
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.
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
Who doesn't welcome a straight man?SuStel said:
Ciao,
Gary
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
That I can not do, as I do not desire to be a mamber of the Facebook website.Fifth Element said:
Cheerio,
Gary
palleomortis
First Post
Not sure if this has been asked before, but have you ever taken much flack for being tied so heavily to a game that so many consider to be "evil"?
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
palleomortis said:
Back in the mid-80s when the media was exploiting the "dangers" of the D&D game for sensationalist reasons, there were a number of crackpots that sent me death threats by mail.
That's is some flack indeed.
Thomas Rideki and Patricia Pulling also sought to exploit the unfounded fears of the "dangers" of D&D gaming by making money attacking it, and that some were duped by them didn't help.
Cheers,
Gary
Gray Mouser
First Post
Gargoyles
Colonel, long time no see. It's good to see that you retain your internet presence for your fans!
I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on the 1ed gargoyle. Specifically, the MM mentions that gargoyles are monsters "of a magical nature," which I take to refer to both the need for a magical weapon to strike them as well as their nature per se, namely that they way they came in to existence involved some sort of magic. Is this correct?
Also, I have long wondered whether or not you meant them to be magically animated gargoyles such as those found in church architecture or simply gave them their name because of a certain physical similarity they shared with those stone-carved grotesques.
Gray Mouser
Colonel, long time no see. It's good to see that you retain your internet presence for your fans!
I was wondering if you could share your thoughts on the 1ed gargoyle. Specifically, the MM mentions that gargoyles are monsters "of a magical nature," which I take to refer to both the need for a magical weapon to strike them as well as their nature per se, namely that they way they came in to existence involved some sort of magic. Is this correct?
Also, I have long wondered whether or not you meant them to be magically animated gargoyles such as those found in church architecture or simply gave them their name because of a certain physical similarity they shared with those stone-carved grotesques.
Gray Mouser
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
I enjoy the virtual fellowshipGray Mouser said:Colonel, long time no see. It's good to see that you retain your internet presence for your fans!
Yes on both counts.
Actually I envisioned gargoyles as a species of monsters hailing from another material plane. That is the place from whence they were summoned, and some escaped to dwell on the PMP, inspired the sculptured stone likenesses of them. Their plane is one to which various other grotesques are native. These include winged humanoids and non-flying species of gargoyle.
Never guess that there was a corner restaurant named The Gargoyle, Royal Steak House, Paul Junker, about two blocks from where I grew up here in Lake Geneva. Not only was its slantwise sign on fieldstone pollers above the pool in which the gargoyle fountain spat its watery stream, but in the gardens to the rear there was a goldfish pond with an arched bridge spanning it and three miniature castles of great complexity constructed with stone blocks of around 00 scale. The rathskeller was just great, and the early GenCon banquets were held downstairs in it.
Cheers,
Gary
Tewligan
First Post
Mind flayers and psionics
Hello again, Gary. I had a question as to how/if you used mind flayers or other psionic beasties in your game. I seem to recall that you yourself weren't a fan of the psionics rules, so I'm assuming (possibly wrongly) that you didn't use them in your own games. If you ever used mind flayers in your campaign, how did you run them? Did you use the psionics rules for them and only them? Ignore psionics entirely? Make some other quick-n-dirty rulings to represent their superbrains? I may use mind flayers myself if I ever get the chance to run a 1e game again, and I don't want to mess around with the psionics rules if I can avoid it!
Hello again, Gary. I had a question as to how/if you used mind flayers or other psionic beasties in your game. I seem to recall that you yourself weren't a fan of the psionics rules, so I'm assuming (possibly wrongly) that you didn't use them in your own games. If you ever used mind flayers in your campaign, how did you run them? Did you use the psionics rules for them and only them? Ignore psionics entirely? Make some other quick-n-dirty rulings to represent their superbrains? I may use mind flayers myself if I ever get the chance to run a 1e game again, and I don't want to mess around with the psionics rules if I can avoid it!
Col_Pladoh
Gary Gygax
Ah yes, Illithids were indeed found in my campaign. They delivered a mind blast to one target subject, it causing damage without inclusion of psionic element, A stunned victim would then be struck by the brain-devouring tentacles.Tewligan said:
Cheers,
Gary
Gray Mouser
First Post
Col_Pladoh said:
Sounds interesting. I presume the non-flying gargoyles you refer to are the aquatic variety (kapoacinth) as well as the margoyle?
Speaking of alternate material planes, did you ever envision anything like the Seely and Unseely Courts being part of your personal campaign? (I have tossed the idea around of including such realms in my own campaign but haven't really goten beyond some very rough ideas on the matter.)
Sounds like a great place. Maybe if the festivities after the LGGC gets too big for your porch in the future you could have an Ali-like return to The Gargoyle's depths
Gray Mouser
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