TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

gideon_thorne · Dec 20, 2007

Gentlegamer said:
No player has ever succeeded in a game of "Gary Gygax Survival."

There's your new reality TV show. "Survivor, Temple of Elemental Evil." ^_~`

Tarek · Dec 21, 2007

The Great Bear King said:
Hello Gary,

Speaking of complex dragon related ideas; I started toying around with the thought of an adventure based around the usual task of rescuing a princess or other child of nobility from a centuries-old dragon. The twist is that the king or other noble was overspending and borrowed money from the same dragon to pay for armies and other costs. Part of their contract stated that should the king or nobleman default on his loan payments for more than three months the dragon can by right of contract claim the king's or noble's eldest unmarried daughter as collateral. If he pays the dragon in one month’s time the king's daughter will be returned unharmed if she so wishes. Otherwise the dragon keeps her as an employee. The king or nobleman has about 400,000 gold in debt to the dragon.

This has all the makings of a morality story.

The dragon in question would clearly be either an Oriental dragon (Ch'iang Lung or Tien Lung) or a Gold dragon.

The dragon's goal is partly to be repaid, but also to teach the wastrel king a lesson in fiscal and political responsibility.

The king in question should probably be noted for being "aggressive" in his dealings with his neighbors, and for having "too large" an army and spending "too much" for luxury items he doesn't need. Not necessarily to the point of covering his palace in gold, but certainly more than he needs to.

He can be relatively intelligent, but too given to listening to people who want to leech off him, or surrounded by sycophants, but no matter what motivation you give him, he should be honestly concerned about and care about his daughter.

Otherwise, there's a good chance that the party will just blow off the quest, if you make him too unlikeable, too arrogant, or too foolish.

Finally, the actual nature of the dragon in question should be kept from the adventurers if possible. Perhaps no one saw the dragon, who used stealth and/or shapechanging magic to abduct said princess.

JohnRTroy · Dec 21, 2007

There's your new reality TV show. "Survivor, Temple of Elemental Evil." ^_~`

Heh, I had Survivor on at Gary's house early November while he and Jim Ward were playing Chinese Checkers in the dining room. (I wasn't really watching it, I'm used to it in the background on Thursdays when I use my computer--I was getting kind of homesick at the time). I think at one point Gary said to Gail "what is this stuff I'm hearing--I think the word for it is Jejune!"

So I doubt you'll see a Gary-hosted Reality show on TV ever, unless it's historical-based like Frontier House.

Col_Pladoh · Dec 21, 2007

JohnRTroy said:
Heh, I had Survivor on at Gary's house early November while he and Jim Ward were playing Chinese Checkers in the dining room. (I wasn't really watching it, I'm used to it in the background on Thursdays when I use my computer--I was getting kind of homesick at the time). I think at one point Gary said to Gail "what is this stuff I'm hearing--I think the word for it is Jejune!"

So I doubt you'll see a Gary-hosted Reality show on TV ever, unless it's historical-based like Frontier House.

Yuletide Cheer!

We were each playing three sets of marbles, and Jim beat me one move

Right you are about "reality" shows, JRT. They are as real as the scripts that they follow.

Christmas best wishes,
Gary

Bregh · Dec 21, 2007

Merry Christmas, Gary, and all the best to you and yours for the coming year.

And thanks again, for all you've done for the hobby.

Col_Pladoh · Dec 21, 2007

Bregh said:
Merry Christmas, Gary, and all the best to you and yours for the coming year.

And thanks again, for all you've done for the hobby.

Message received and appreciated

Happy chrustmas,
Gary

The Great Bear King · Dec 22, 2007

Tarek said:
This has all the makings of a morality story.

The dragon in question would clearly be either an Oriental dragon (Ch'iang Lung or Tien Lung) or a Gold dragon.

The dragon's goal is partly to be repaid, but also to teach the wastrel king a lesson in fiscal and political responsibility.

The king in question should probably be noted for being "aggressive" in his dealings with his neighbors, and for having "too large" an army and spending "too much" for luxury items he doesn't need. Not necessarily to the point of covering his palace in gold, but certainly more than he needs to.

He can be relatively intelligent, but too given to listening to people who want to leech off him, or surrounded by sycophants, but no matter what motivation you give him, he should be honestly concerned about and care about his daughter.

Otherwise, there's a good chance that the party will just blow off the quest, if you make him too unlikeable, too arrogant, or too foolish.

King Honore Lambert's only problems are with his military spending and his own fear and paranoia directed towards his neighbors. His reason for this vast military and defense spending is very simple, he has four daughters and we doesn't want to even imagine the horrors they would face if his country was invaded nor would he want the same fate for the daughters of his citizenry. Sadly, while his fears are unfounded at the moment, they are from experience. In his younger days the man who is now King Honore Lambert was storming the port city of Caismercado or Wharf market in English. Even at the age of 17 Honore understood the naval significance of this port town due the fact that this city possess the largest and best-equipped human shipyard on the continent. Days before reaching the town young Honore hears tales of enemy solders committing arson, looting, pillaging, rape and murder. This encourages the young prince to take the city, liberate its people and put its tormentors to the sword. All goes according to plans but the future king finds out to his disgust, that the perpetrators were his own countrymen. He and his army spent the rest of the battle fighting to protect the locals from their fellow countrymen. Honore in particular fought to defend a young, in this case 19 year-old, woman named Ofelia and her family. Later the young prince helped Ofelia and her family rebuild. Eventually the two fell in love and after king Nicolas Lambert's death in battle two years later, Honore ascended to the throne and convinced Terra de Riqueza's monarch to accept Honore's marriage to Ofelia as the bond of an official truce, even though Ofelia was nothing more than a commoner. The dragon Le Feu de Nuage told the king he knows all about that horrible night. "I fought in that battle." The dragon replied. "Not in this shape of course. Do you remember that oddly dressed red-haired and bearded knight you saw fighting along with you? That was I. The same men you fought and killed, murdered my lover and nearly butchered my children twelve days before. I drove them out of my cave then hunted down and helped you kill them the rats they were. I understand completely what you're asking me to do. And if your defenses do fall," the dragon paused for a moment before saying, "then I'll come and evacuate your wife, daughters and as many of your citizens as I can." This said, the king hires the party to "rescue" his eldest daughter, but only because of accusations and whisper campaigns claiming that king Honore has no concern for the well being of his own daughters. He's sent a secret message to Le Feu de Nuage warning him of the party's arrival and telling him not to kill or maim any of them, but to instead fully explain the circumstances of their contract. Unfortuantely, one of king Honore Lambert's nobles has found out about this arrangement and is contemplating the assassination both the king's daughter Celia and the dragon. His plan is to blame the dragon for her death slay him and gain enough aristocratic and popular support to seize the throne.

Tarek said:
Finally, the actual nature of the dragon in question should be kept from the adventurers if possible. Perhaps no one saw the dragon, who used stealth and/or shapechanging magic to abduct said princess.

A simple sleep spell would probably work rather well in my mind along with a casting of polymorph self.

Griffith Dragonlake · Dec 31, 2007

Happy New Year Gary!

Over in this thread http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=215360 there is a discussion of the origin of D&D Ghouls. In particular, Jester47 poses the following questions:

jester47 said:
Also, anyone know where the ghoul paralysis came from? Also, why are elves immune? I thought I saw a reason for this recently harkening back to the original chainmail.

I'm sure the folks would appreciate it greatly if you would post an answer to that thread.

Col_Pladoh · Dec 31, 2007

Griffith Dragonlake said:
Happy New Year Gary!

Over in this thread http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=215360 there is a discussion of the origin of D&D Ghouls. In particular, Jester47 poses the following questions:
I'm sure the folks would appreciate it greatly if you would post an answer to that thread.

Headed over there now

Gary

haakon1 · Jan 9, 2008

A week without Gary's insightful commentary is like a week without . . . beer.

So, Gary, I have to think of a good question.

Hmmm, what's your favorite European city, and did you capture aspects of real world European cities in your game cities? Or is each city you invented made from whole cloth?

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

gideon_thorne

First Post

Tarek

Explorer

JohnRTroy

Adventurer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Bregh

Explorer

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

The Great Bear King

First Post

Griffith Dragonlake

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

haakon1

Hero

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