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.

 

[optimizer]

Howdy!

The answer is easy OAD&D got it right in regards to the Ranger class. As HackMaster is pretty close to AD&D, their version is pretty close to being "right."

Heh,
Gary

I have to agree with this - the OAD&D Ranger is the correct one IMO. I remember glancing through the 2nd edition books when they were first released to see what changed. I saw what they did to the Ranger and decided that the edition was not for me!

Mike

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Howdy!

Sounds like that will be fun!

BTW, how would you (or do you) handle the transitions between modules? Are the same Avatars used and you create a story to get them to the next module? Or do you write a mini-adventure that bridges the modules? Or just have them create new Avatars?

Thanks!

Mike

Heh, and some of the above...

When it is a major transition to something really different, I will have new Avatars created. I've had the group do that twice in our six plus years campaign.

For transition from a long adventure to something else, I usually wing some adventuring, then do a semi-prepared bit to actually immerse the group in the next long adventure saga.

I don't usually detail material of short-duration play. too much effort for something inconsequential

Cheers,
Gary

 

[optimizer]

Howdy!

Non-human undead of the skeleton and zombie sort are fine. Others of the class might be possible too. The main objection is that some few members subsume possession of a soul.

this is a matter of personal taste, IMO. If you dislike having such undead in the campaigm, then exclude them, and you are not wrong.

Cheers,
Gary

I can see having nonintelligent undead from any race - it makes some nice variations on the monster.

Based upon what you said, then it is the presence of a soul that permits the existance of higher-level undead. So would it be correct to assume that any creature that one could use a Raise Dead spell on can also be turned into a higher-level undead? Then those without souls would have to be a different but related type of undead (if desired) - such as an elven wraith-kin as an example. Would that work from a game perspective?

Thanks!

Mike

 

[optimizer]

Howdy!

Heh, and some of the above...

When it is a major transition to something really different, I will have new Avatars created. I've had the group do that twice in our six plus years campaign.

For transition from a long adventure to something else, I usually wing some adventuring, then do a semi-prepared bit to actually immerse the group in the next long adventure saga.

I don't usually detail material of short-duration play. too much effort for something inconsequential

Cheers,
Gary

That makes perfect sense to me.

Thanks for responding!

Mike

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Howdy!



I can see having nonintelligent undead from any race - it makes some nice variations on the monster.

Based upon what you said, then it is the presence of a soul that permits the existance of higher-level undead. So would it be correct to assume that any creature that one could use a Raise Dead spell on can also be turned into a higher-level undead? Then those without souls would have to be a different but related type of undead (if desired) - such as an elven wraith-kin as an example. Would that work from a game perspective?

Thanks!

Mike

Hola Mike!

The test of Raise Dead would be a fine measure of what sorts of non-human can be undead of standart sort for humans.

As I recall, though, there is some inconsistancy in regards characters being Reincarnated as a race that is soul-less Now I think of it, eh?

Heh,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Howdy!



I can see having nonintelligent undead from any race - it makes some nice variations on the monster.

Based upon what you said, then it is the presence of a soul that permits the existance of higher-level undead. So would it be correct to assume that any creature that one could use a Raise Dead spell on can also be turned into a higher-level undead? Then those without souls would have to be a different but related type of undead (if desired) - such as an elven wraith-kin as an example. Would that work from a game perspective?

Thanks!

Mike

Hola Mike!

The test of Raise Dead would be a fine measure of what sorts of non-human can be undead of standart sort for humans.

As I recall, though, there is some inconsistancy in regards characters being Reincarnated as a race that is soul-less Now I think of it, eh?

Heh,
Gary

 

[Upper_Krust]

Howdy Upper_Krust,

Hello again Col_Pladoh mate!

The steed that Infestix rode was never stated out by me, but I envisaged it as a sort of a cross between a nightmare and one of the mounts ridden by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Thats very interesting indeed! Although it begs the question if Nerull-Infestix is Death and Incabulos-Poxpanus is Pestilence which daemons represent War and Famine? Not sure if you thought along those lines yourself, and looking over the Gord the Rogue roster of bad guys no one immediately seems to fit the bill so I may just be meandering into unseen territory?

Right about the Theorpart's use. The shock and awe felt by the group was that a demon, Zuggtmoy, was able to penetrate the security of the council via its power.

I thought it had to be something like that, thanks for the clarification. Much appreciated.

As for the graphic novels, I daren't mention them...other than to say that the official announcement will be at the Chicago ComicCon in August, and that I'll be there for the launch with an issue #0 or some such special give-away

Unlikely I'll be there (except in spirit) - but I will certainly be picking them up at the earliest possible opportunity.

Thanks again.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Hey Gary I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading "Saga of Old City" the past few days. Why I passed these up back in the day blows my mind! Anyway the parts that happen in Greyhawk really get me going to get the party I'm running now into the city. So much adventure to be had there. This book nails the old ad&d feel better than any other TSR/D&D novel I've read. Now it's time for "Artifact of Evil"!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hello again Col_Pladoh mate!

[gross snippage]

Thanks again.

Welcome Upper_Krust

You are correct in supposing that I was not considering a Biblical type of treatment of the Four Horsemen, so War and Famine were not represented by that nasty lot headed up by Nerull.

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hey Gary I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading "Saga of Old City" the past few days. Why I passed these up back in the day blows my mind! Anyway the parts that happen in Greyhawk really get me going to get the party I'm running now into the city. So much adventure to be had there. This book nails the old ad&d feel better than any other TSR/D&D novel I've read. Now it's time for "Artifact of Evil"!

What you note makes me happy, Flexor. I did the gord novels in order to convey the S&S feel of AD&D without any particular consideration to literary merit. The books are fantasy action adventure that reflect how I think the "feel" of an AD&D game campaign should translate to stories.

Gene Weigel had a pretty good map up online for a time of the City of Greyhawk as I envisaged it drawn from the Gord yarns. I plan to use Gene for commentary about the city and Gord in the pages of the graphic novels.

Cheerio,
Gary