TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh said:

Stone a Crow!

I haven't seen that announcement, so I am at a loss.

Of course the format of the LE world setting is really system neutral, contains no rules and only a little LA game-specific material (history), being mainly just geographical, economic, and political information along with adventure hooks that would fin almost any FRPG. In effect it is accurate that the world setting could be used with D&D, but the books don't contain any d20 material or any direct LA game material either...

So I suppose I should check out the preview

Cheers,
Gary

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I double-checked to make sure. If you want to see what I read, it's in the August, 2003 issue (vol. XIII, #8), p. 506. I'll quote the entry:

Lejendary Adventure: Noble Kings and Dark Lands

This d20 sourcebook introduces the dark and fabled history of the continents of Varan and Apphir, detailing its geography, ecology, and sociology. Also included are hundreds of springboards for adventures including myths, legends, treasures, and tales of local horrors and notable hazards. Scheduled to ship in September 2003.

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Hey, I still think it's a good idea, either way...

Salutations!

The claim to being a d20 sourcebook doesn't fit, as the work will not have the requisite amount of d20 content to come up to license requirements. Otherwise the blurb is accurate.

I don't know who posted that information, and I do hope that the assertion of d20 doesn't land them in trouble... for that matter, I don't want any D&D fans picking it up and being disappointed by its lack of actual d20 material, LA gamers know that the setting is rules neutral

Cheers,
Gary

Hello Gary,

Thanks for these awesome threads (I just joined the boards recently and I still have to go back and read the first Q&A session), and heck thanks for inventing RPGs! I've been very isolated for the past couple years and recently met a friend and started an RPG game -- the social, fun aspect of which has been one of the assisting factors in lifting me out of a bout of depression. We've been playing D&D, but I did buy Lejendary Adventures a while back and next trip I take to visit my parents I'm going to dig up my LA books.

As for a question, I have a silly one that you should feel free to ignore Can you give me a plot twist? My group is about to enter a Troglodyte Temple (to recover and destroy an item that will break the spell that has turned a villager into a rampaging Shambling Swamp Beast). When the party gets into the temple, they are surprised by the fact that <blank>?

It would be so great to tell the guys that part of the adventure (however small) was personally crafted by you!

Also, have you recently written any adventure modules? I'm just recently getting back into RPGs so I'm kind of clueless...

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

Hi Zerakon

To get a speedy take on how the LA game system operates, go on over to www;lejendary.com and download the free pdf there, LA Game Quickstart. It is a complete, self-contained adventure that needs no other LA game material to GM and play--pre-gen Avatars for six players are included.

Thanks for the compliment about adding something to your campaign, and your post came when I am in the midst of compiling supplemental material for the LA game, getting it organized and into shape for publication as a book, so my mind is rather stifled in regards to creative additions to an adventure

The trogs must have a master, and maybe it's their "priestess," a hag of some sort. Their place is likely near water, a marsh of the like, as indicated by your mention of the villager being transformed into a swamp beast. If that fits, perhaps the hag is planning on changing a number of men into such creatures to form a sort of harem for herself. Of course she'll then aim at the PCs for the same reason, wishing to make one or more into "handsome consorts" for her when she returns to her native habitat. The trick will be to convince the trogs that the had is duping them, not really helping them at all, save to endanger the trog community by her antics. That's off the top of my head FWIW.

Anyway, I have done a fairly recent dual d20/LA game system module, THE HERMIT, that is available from Troll Lord Games. The Trolls are now in process of editing and laying out a vast super-module I've written, THE HALL OF MANY PANES. that will likely be a boxed product with two large books in it, as the adventure will take about a year of normal play to complete. Ot is also slated for dual system presentation.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh said:

To get a speedy take on how the LA game system operates, go on over to www;lejendary.com and download the free pdf there, LA Game Quickstart. It is a complete, self-contained adventure that needs no other LA game material to GM and play--pre-gen Avatars for six players are included.

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Got it, printing out now.

The trogs must have a master...

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Awesome, thanks so much!

Anyway, I have done a fairly recent dual d20/LA game system module, THE HERMIT, that is available from Troll Lord Games. The Trolls are now in process of editing and laying out a vast super-module I've written, THE HALL OF MANY PANES. that will likely be a boxed product with two large books in it, as the adventure will take about a year of normal play to complete. Ot is also slated for dual system presentation.

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Wow, a year! According to some of the folks around here, that's how long a full-fledged campaign lasts, taking the party from low-levels to high levels. I've always been more of a fan of never-ending campaigns, retiring characters after they reach somewhat mid-to-high levels and starting over with different low-level characters. I like gritty stuff rather than the epic stuff. I guess can make a question out of this...

During D&D's genesis, did you envision people mostly playing it as a "never-ending" sort of thing with a series of mostly unrelated adventures strung together, or was the idea of discrete campaigns (Example of what I mean by discrete campaign: "OK guys, create 5th level characters, they are going to start in this Kingdom and the campaign will last about 6 months or as long as it takes you to overthrow the evil Overlord.") a concept well-known to you and the other folks producing the game? When I started playing, it was first all about going through various modules, and we'd take PCs that hadn't met each other and we wouldn't care... then in the late 80s it became more of a campaign focus. Both ways can be fun of course, I guess I wonder if the latter type of play evolved or was pretty much there from the beginning?

Many thanks and may you enjoy a very happy birthday!

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

Zerakon said:

...

During D&D's genesis, did you envision people mostly playing it as a "never-ending" sort of thing with a series of mostly unrelated adventures strung together, ...

Many thanks and may you enjoy a very happy birthday!

-- Zerakon the Game Mage

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Indeed, i assumed no campaign with an end but connected episodes, with occassional sagas such as the G and D series of adventures.

When PCs got to around 15th level they were generally retired, went only on special adventures. (Even given that, Mordenkainen took enough of those to get into the 20s, although his general retirement was at 18th level, when he could finally use 9th level spells!)

Appreciate the birthday wishes

Cheers,
Gary

Hi Gary,

I know your plate is full of late but I'm curious to know if you're still considering publishing Zagyg's Castle in all its multi-leveled glory. If so, have you decided to go it alone or have you found someone with whom to collaborate?

Sincerely,

Jokamachi


P.S. Looking forward to the Hall of Many Panes!

jokamachi said:

Hi Gary,

I know your plate is full of late but I'm curious to know if you're still considering publishing Zagyg's Castle in all its multi-leveled glory. If so, have you decided to go it alone or have you found someone with whom to collaborate?

Sincerely,

Jokamachi


P.S. Looking forward to the Hall of Many Panes!

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Ho There!

Not only is my plate full, but I'd like to cut back on my working hours so as to have a bit more leisure time now that I am officially an Old Fart as of tomorrow Working 60 or more hours a week gets to be a bit of a bore at times.

Anyway, kvetching aside, there is no way I will tackle the whole Zagig's Castle project without the assistance of someone who played in it a lot, better still someone who also co-DMed it after playing a lot. That would be Rob Kuntz. Unfortunately, Rob has been incommunicado for several months.

The whole project will take about four man-years to complete, so with Rob to co-design that means two years each spent on the development. That's about the max I want to spend on it.

I think I can get a good generic rules system to use as the basis, and finding a publisher willing to go with a major non-d20 campaign module in multi installments shouldn't be impossible. As of now, though, the project is in limbo until Rob re-surfaces and if and when he does we'll then have to see if all the ducks can be set in a proper row

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh said:

I think I can get a good generic rules system to use as the basis, and finding a publisher willing to go with a major non-d20 campaign module in multi installments shouldn't be impossible. As of now, though, the project is in limbo until Rob re-surfaces and if and when he does we'll then have to see if all the ducks can be set in a proper row

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Unlikely as it may be, I hope you can work it out eventually.

While I'm at it, happy birthday and good luck with the Bears this season, but not to much, I need to save some for the Eagles (I have a bad feeling).

Happy birthday, Gary!

Best wishes to you and hopes for many more.

I'll buy ya a pack of Camels and give them to you at the Gamefest next weekend. But it's also my fiance's birthday today so I'm going to concentrate on that one.