TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh · Mar 6, 2004

ScottGLXIX said:
Sounds like a good story to hear while sipping some Bombay during Game Fest.
Scot

Right On!

If you are famliar with the KotDT strip where the GM has gone to great lengths to preppare a campaign covering everythig in the LotR setting, and the first thing the PCS do is to "waste Gandalf," you'll get the general tenor of what happened in the campaign I had prepared, but my players did it at the very end of things. High hopes crushed...

More in July then

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Mar 6, 2004

Hi Melkor

ScottGLXIX covered the question you had perfectly. Indeed, the most favorable number is used by those PCs with more than one possible for attacks and/or saving throws.

Cheers,
Gary

Sir Elton · Mar 6, 2004

Gaming and Politics

I'm putting the two together in this post. Sue me!

Mr. Gygax,

I've been thinking on the benefits of D&D, and I've decided to turn RPG Activist for a while. I'm thinking that the benefits of playing RPGs are highly overlooked by the Education Establishment thanks to Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD!). In fact, you're welcome to read my essay.

I've even gone a step further, and I'm translating the myth of the Agronautica into an actual adventure module intended for kids. I'd like to know your opinion on this matter.

Yours,
Elton Robb

MerricB · Mar 7, 2004

G'day Gary!

Recently on RJK's boards you mentioned that Jeff Perren was initiating legal action against WotC for their use of Chainmail, since was never bought out (like you were).

What is that about? Is that to do with the Chainmail ESD? Or with the d20 Chainmail miniature game?

Has it been resolved yet?

Cheers!

O Brasileiro · Mar 7, 2004

Hello again, Master.
This one is about the old D&D TV show (we had that for 20 years here in Brasil). Did someone really wrote any "official" last episode? If so, can you talk something about it?

Col_Pladoh · Mar 7, 2004

Sir Elton said:
I'm putting the two together in this post. Sue me!

Mr. Gygax,

I've been thinking on the benefits of D&D, and I've decided to turn RPG Activist for a while. I'm thinking that the benefits of playing RPGs are highly overlooked by the Education Establishment thanks to Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD!). In fact, you're welcome to read my essay.

From the correspondence i have received from gamers, I have no doubt that there are many positive benefits associated with participation in RPGs. I ran a survey on my website asking if the RPG was positive, neutral, or negative in regards several aspects of their life--social, educational, and work. Over half said highly positive, over a quarter said moderately positive, about 10% siad that gaming had no effect, and less than 5% had negatives regarding it, uners 1% of over 1,000 responses rathe the RPG as hightly negative. Sadly, the poll results were lost in a server crash.

Back around 1980 I directed TSR to advertise in professional educators' perioricals asking for the reader to registed with the company if ther were intersted in learning about RPG modules designed for classroom instruction, We received over 3,000 requests. In the course of this we hires a Ph.D in Educational Psychology to assist with the creation of the modules. Just as we were ready to begin prodiction, the Blumes canned the project

BADD was a bad joke. The woman who attempted to exploit the organization she founded had to drop it, ended up being an "expert" speaking to small town police departments on the "dangers" of RPGs and Satanism.

I'd appreciate receiving a copy of your essay.

I've even gone a step further, and I'm translating the myth of the Agronautica into an actual adventure module intended for kids. I'd like to know your opinion on this matter.

Yours,
Elton Robb

My opinion is that your efforts are well-founded. I wish you great success.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Mar 7, 2004

MerricB said:
G'day Gary!

Recently on RJK's boards you mentioned that Jeff Perren was initiating legal action against WotC for their use of Chainmail, since was never bought out (like you were).

What is that about? Is that to do with the Chainmail ESD? Or with the d20 Chainmail miniature game?

Has it been resolved yet?

Cheers!

Hi Merric!

Sorry, but I have only second-hand knowledge of the matter. Someone phoned me on behalf of Jeff to inquire about some technical matters.

That's all I know, and the nature of the suit and any resolution is known only to the parties concerned.

Cheers,
Gary

Col_Pladoh · Mar 7, 2004

O Brasileiro said:
Hello again, Master.
This one is about the old D&D TV show (we had that for 20 years here in Brasil). Did someone really wrote any "official" last episode? If so, can you talk something about it?

Ciao O Brasileiro,

Yes, a 27th episode concluding the D&D Cartooon Show series was written by Michael Reaves. He had is posted on his websute for some time, but I don't know if it's still up. It was IMO the best-written of all the scripts.

Just FYI, the concluding script was ordered by Marvel because we had reached an agreement regarding a spin-off show. The new series would have been aimed at an older audience, had the main characters from the original--no Bobby or Uni--being more self-reliant, the magic items no longer there. One script for the new series had been approved by me, and others were being written when the TSR difficulties arose. When Lorraine Williams informed Marvel that they would no longer be dealing with me, Marvel and CBS decided to drop the project...

Cheers,
Gary

MerricB · Mar 7, 2004

Heh - so by the time I heard the story, it was at least fourth-hand! (Jeff told someone who told you who told someone who told me...

)

Not a problem, Gary. Thanks for the info.

Another question, this one LA related!

In D&D, there's a fairly big difference between 1st and 9th level characters in their power levels; what sort of difference is there between inexperienced and experienced Avatars in LA? (Inexperienced being starting out, of course, and experienced being those who have been played for a year or two).

Would you say that it's a flatter progression in abilities? Similar? Greater?

Cheers!

Col_Pladoh · Mar 7, 2004

MerricB said:
Heh - so by the time I heard the story, it was at least fourth-hand! (Jeff told someone who told you who told someone who told me... )

Not a problem, Gary. Thanks for the info.

You are most welcome, amigo

Another question, this one LA related!

In D&D, there's a fairly big difference between 1st and 9th level characters in their power levels; what sort of difference is there between inexperienced and experienced Avatars in LA? (Inexperienced being starting out, of course, and experienced being those who have been played for a year or two).

Would you say that it's a flatter progression in abilities? Similar? Greater?

Cheers!

It is difficult to draw parallels between the class-level systems and the LA game's skill-bundle base, but...

The beginning Avatar is possibly like a PC of around 5th or 6th level in capacity, settingaside player accumen, of course. Advancement is slow, gains are generally 1% in one Ability (skill-bundle) per play episode of four hours of active participation. As a new Avatar starts out with five Abilities, and there are a total of 34, the player will need a good deal of time to be highlt able in the initial areas and round out the Avatar with new Abilities.

Starting scores for Abilities for a human Avatar are in this general range:
1st: 55-60
2nd: 40-45
3rd: 30-35
4th: 20-25
5th: 10

The revised edition of the game, and the primer version coming from TLG will have a paragraph or two advising how to start play with less-potent Avatars, so as to approach the lesser capacity of new class and level-based systems.

Cheers,
Gary

TSR Q&A with Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Sir Elton

First Post

MerricB

Eternal Optimist

O Brasileiro

First Post

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

MerricB

Eternal Optimist

Col_Pladoh

Gary Gygax

Similar Threads

Related Articles

Latest threads

AD6_gamerati_skyscraper

Recent & Upcoming Releases