TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Lake Geneva Game Guild

As someone remarked that they couldn't locate the Game Guild, I thought I should posy this bit of information from Dennis Harsh, the Kindly Prop. of same.

"The new Game Guild is at:
836 W Main St
Lake Geneva, WI 53147

Hours are: Wed-Sat Noon to 10pm
Sunday noon to 6pm
and our Phone is (262) 249-0779"

If you stop in tell them Gary sent you Heh, like that will matter...

Cheers,
Gary

mystraschosen said:

Have a great trip gary!

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Thanks!

It was fun, but we had to leave much sooner that we had hoped bacause of work demands No real sightseeing got done at all, and about the best we can claim was a lobster dinner in Kennybunkport.

Worst still, even though we are back early I had over 1K messages awaiting in the old email inbox

Cheers,
Gary

BOZ said:

gary, when you get back...

my fiancee and i are considering a weekend trip to lake geneva. any hangouts and fun places you can suggest?

also, our honeymoon is going to be in wisconsin dells

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Ho BOZ!

See above for the addy of the Game Guild

This place is almost as bad as The Dells as far as tourism is concerned. The main hangouts are the Starbucks (where cartoonist Joe Martin is often encountered) and a downtown sports bar. Most "action is definately at the local beach and in the saloons hereabouts.

The boat tour of the lake is fun--if it isn't chilly out.

There's a really excellent Japanese restaurant here--expensive but worth it is you like such food--I do, and their sashimi is marvelous.

You can give me a phone call of you like--I'm in the book. Might be able to suggest something else. Fact is I don't go out and about in the town much, so I'll need to ask around as to what's new and maybe special these days Happy to have a cup of java with you if you like, here or at Starbucks.

Motel rooms are often scarce here on weekends, and they charge as much as they do in The Dells. Make a reservation for sure!

Cheers,
Gary

Re: "Golden" Age of Modules

boschdevil said:

Gary,

I hope you had fun on your trip. (I'm figuring by the time you get my message you would have returned)

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We did, but it was cut short so no holiday time to speak of

Thank you for answering my previous question with the limited time which you had. I really do appreciate it, especially when I figure that it is the time of the most prominent person in the gaming industry. (I know that you have regarded yourself as just another gamer, but frankly I would still be playing chess and the wargame "1776" if D&D never came to being. In fact, my father once gave me heck for getting my brother into D&D, but thanked me for it years later. For my father to switch positions, that it an impressive task.)

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Appreicate your thanks and kind words. Fact is I did play a lot of chess and boardgames in my youth--no RPGs around. I still enjoy those games too. That your father admnitted his error show he is a fair-minded fellow for sure!

And you did answer the question in the manner that I meant to ask it. Yes, D&D has the slaying of evil monsters and demons and devils running through the games. This practice goes back to the 1st edition rules. However, there is a difference between having witchcraft, demon, devil, and devil in a game and actually bringing in rules for sadism, rape, self-mutilation, and demonic worship. I agree we have had evil clerics in our campaigns (like Keep on the Borderlands) that have grotesque images and bizarre rituals, but we never went into steps and rules for the demonic worship. As you said, we gamers already have an unearned reputation to try to correct outside the gaming community.

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Needless to say, I hope, I am not in favor of adding "vile" aspects to the RPG. IMO it is a grave error that gives anti-RPG elements real ammunition for a change. Why fuel such fures?

As a follow-up to the unearned reputation of "being agents of Satan promoting suicide" (none of which is even close to the truth), how did you handle keeping your cool when these people were going through the witchhunts of the early 1980's? If I remember right, you and D&D were up there with Heavy Metal for the eventual downfall of our civilization. I remember thinking at the time that the accusors were insane, and I would have strangled them on sight because they were saying thing that even a teenager (me) knew were lies.

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Few of the detractors of the D&D game ever approached me in any regard. When someone did, mentioned those supposed aspects of the game, I simply asked them fro actual proof, suggetted that perhaps they were incapable of distinguishing between the fantasy of an imaginary game and real life.

I used to query them about parallels in a MONOPOLY game such as owning slum properties and bankrupting other players--all make believe.

As for obsessive behavior, I'd point to golfers playing in the rain, even in thunderstorms.

I do have another question. It has to do with the early modules that were released for D&D. To me, these modules were such fantastic adventures that more recent modules just are not in the same league as them. Do you have a reason for why these modules are so much better than the more recent modules? Sometimes I wonder about this, but I have not put my finger on it yet.

Take care.

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That's a difficult one for me to answer. I suspect enthusiasm and love of the game by the module designers, writing for and from the sheer joy of it, has a lot to do with it. Also, the field was new and totally unexploted then, so the first well-crafted treatment of any adventure subject is likely to be a sort of landmark thing, eh?

I'd like to think I have the ability to write superior adventure material, although all that I create is not a masterpiece. Fact is that it is very difficult to write a module, and I approach the work with considerable trepidation. As far as I am concerned, and adventure I write must be relatively different from all others I have done in the past, and not resemble any other authors' works either.

How well I've managed is a call that only other gamers can make. I think that NECROPOLIS, FORLORN CORNERS (for LA), THE HERMIT, and HALL OF MANY PANES fit the qualifications I have set. So too the few other adventures I've co-created and are yet to see print--as PANES has yet to do

Cheers,
Gary

Cheers,
Gary

Larcen said:

Hey Gary, hurry up and get here on the East Coast. My friends and I are eagerly awaiting meeting you at Higgins Armory.

I want to see you wield a longsword with the Guild guys.

Now to come up with even MORE questions to ask you in person....

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Heh...

Their Guild folks are really pretty good, as their demos show. After doing some SCA fighting back in the 1970s, I've pretty well had my fill of weapons play. Give me a staff filled with spells anytime

The Higgins Armory Museum has some really great armor and weapons. Their storeroom in the basement is packed with wonderful Asian and European weapons. I met their staff and directors too, and was most impressed.

Cheerio,
Gary

Re: Higgins Armory

Uriah Heep said:

Hi Gary, it was great meeting you at Higgins Armory in Worcester Mass. on Saturday, April 26. This is also my first time posting here. I look forward to talking to you when you get back.

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Didn't Uriah Heep found More Science High? (Firesign Theater, "Don't Crush that Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers.)

After answering all these posts here, I plan to stay away from the boards for at least a day, as I have stacks of email to manage too.

As for you and the others at the Higgins Armory Museum, what A great group! I had an absolute blast there thanks to y'all

for those in the area that are close to Portsmnouth and Jumpgate, I can heartily recommend their quarter "Game Day" get-togethers. No entry fee, plenty of gaming, and what a great bunch of players there. Hector Diaz, the Kindly Prop. of the two stores is a dedicated gamer who really is there to serve all of us.

Cheers,
Gary

Piratecat said:

Heh - I thought Mearls, Sagrabah and I monopolized most of his time. I'm glad to see that wasn't entirely the case.

Uriah, welcome!

- Piratecat

PS Boschdevil, interestingly enough Sticky threads actually get less views than regular threads. Odd, but true. I think we're better off just leaving this one as is, since it will get a boost every time someone asks a question.

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Hey, Piratecat!

You and the others were not at all intrusive. I appreciated the opportunity to chat. My main regret was that there wasn't a pub handy, so that the whole crew could have vacated the museum and gone for a pint and some real gaming talk!

As I'v already said, we had a great time at Higgins Armory and next day at the Jumpgate Games Day event. I ran a 10-player charity dungeon crawl in original Greyhawk Castle using the old D&D rules. The players were excellent, and nary a one lost a character, even though they were only 2nd level. A couple did come near to buying it, but they had three clerics in the party

Cheers,
Gary

Piratecat said:

We were goobers and didn't go for the whole $50/$75 seminar; instead, we toured the museum and then chatted with Gary afterwards, while he was signing books up in the Great Hall.

How was it? Did you have fun?

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All I can say is that the audience for the seminar was top-flight. I realy enjoyed speaking, andswering questions, and listening to their expert, Jeff, speak on the weapons. Of course I disagree with some of his conclusions as to the actual use and usefulness of some of the complex pole-arms...and he has the use of the halbred by the Swiss quite backwards. They used their pikes to fend off cavalry, then sent the halbrediers (and like armed men) from the center of their battle out bttween the files when the combat was deadlocked. (Yes, I have emailed him about this, citing the battle where the Swiss almost lost and so changed ratio of pikes to short pole-arms1)

Cheers,
Gary

tleilaxu said:

ok i'll boot this back on top...

gary...

do you like the beatles?

john or paul?

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Whew!

Last post for this round I think, and that's excellent as I am tired from the long trip and can use a nice cold galss of buttermilk about now...

As I am a fan mainly of classical music, R&B, blues, big band and modern jazz, Spanish guitar, got into R&R with Carl Perkins, Big Momma Thornton, and Gene Vincent, by the time the Beatles hit I was pretty unimpressed. Sorry. Some of the cuts on Sgt. Pepper were okay, I admit.

Ciao,
Gary <shutting the computer down for the night!>

Hey Gary,

Wow, it feels strange to actually be talking to the forefather of D&D. It is most humble of you to take time to answer us mere gamers questions like this. I just wanted to say thanks.

I was wondering where some of the most classic aspects of D&D came from, and who came up with them. Was there one person who created most of the classic spells, like the Magic Missle? Also, what about the unique monsters, such as the Beholder?

Also, I realize this may be a touchy subject, so I'll understand if you don't want to answer, but have you played 3.0 at all? If so, what did you think?

Thanks for your time.

~Branduil