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.

 

[Abisai]

Video games?

Gary,

Ever ventured in video games? Thought of it?

How about comics?

 

[Gray Mouser]

Word.

Gary

Heh. First "dude" and now "word." Colonel are you cutting a rap album or something?

Gray Mouser

 

[Gray Mouser]

I'd love to play more Metamorphosis Alpha, but I haven't time to create a new campain setting and run it.

This brings up a question about Metamorphosis Alpha, Gary. I was under the impression that the game took place aboard the Starship Warden and that was its campaign milieu. Is this incorrect?

Gray Mouser

 

[gideon_thorne]

Heh. First "dude" and now "word." Colonel are you cutting a rap album or something?

Gray Mouser

He da gansta rappa of D&D...

Pete

 

[Orius]

Quoted from previous thread (for real this time ):

My regular group used to number nine, and that's about the top of the optimum spread--3-9 in my view.

I'd agree. Less than three, there's not enough diversity with PC abilities that a typical game needs. More than 8 or 9, there's too many players to really keep everyone focused on the game.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary,

I'm going to have to disagree with this to some extent. ...

Well stated exposition as to why 3E is a superheroic sort of game (akin to those based on comic books) with like feats and so forth.

That the game assumes the players want instant gratification is well understood. 3E is clearly not designed for the years-long campaign as were its predecessors.

So you are correct, and I was quite mistaken about new D&D

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hello there, Gary!

I was wondering if you could comment on some of TSR's other games, in terms of how successful they were on two fronts: financially, and how well you think they succeeded as a game, in terms of being playable and enjoyable?

Specifically, I'm thinking about:

Divine Right
Boot Hill
Dawn Patrol
Fight in the Skies
Knights of Camelot
Gamma World
Top Secret
Gang Busters
and the super hero game whose name is escaping me right now.

None of them was a substantial contributor to the company's bottom line. The RPGs sold more than the boardgames--Divine Right and Fight in the Skies. I have no recllction of Knights of Camelot or a comic book superhero game. anyway, none of the RPGs lister was properly supported, and had they been so I believe they would have performed better overal.

I'm guessing you simply had no time to really delve into many of these, but any thoughts you care to pass along would be appreciated.

I played all on the list at least once. I played and GMed Boot Hill a good deal, and the other RPGs I played quite often. The exception is the Knights of Camelot game that i don't recognize.

Also, and this is an admittedly silly question, do you have a favorite maker of dice? I myself prefer the old GameScience Gem dice, especially the d20s numbered 0-9 twice, with "+" with half the numbers.

Thanks again!

As a long-time pal of Lou Zocchi, the "Sage Sarge" from the days of the Avalon Hill General magazine back in the 1960s, it is good to see you name his old company as your favorite dice maker. Sadly, I am not much concerned with the dice i use, and any sort that rols properly will do regardless of color and manufacturer. All i seek as player of GM are those that roll results i desire

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This resonates with me a great deal. Indeed, one of the very words I spoke upon starting my current campaign is, "I want you guys to advance before your characters do."

Just so!

And expert veterans will be plotting much more for their character's campaign activities that increase in level

That said, Whisperfoot is right - ...

Perfectly so, in fact, as I have noted above with a good deal of satisfaction


Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Dear Gary,

How many years did you run your Greyhawk campaign?

From 1972 through 1985, rather sporadically after 1981. I still play it now and again.

Could you please list all the worlds/dimensions that players interacted with? Murlynd obviously travelled to a Wild West world (was this just Earth?) and, apparently, there was cross-overs to Rob Kuntz's campaign setting.

Good grief! I haven't the memory for that as most of such play was winged by me--such as Robilar's adventures in the City of Brass. We did WWII, modern city, and a bit of wild west as you note. SF action was common, and my players loved to go to the Carabas of the "Planet of Adventure," Tchai IIRR, to fight with the Dirdir.

Did the crashed space craft in "S3: Expedition to the Barriar Peaks" really take place in your own campaign?

sure enough, as my players were involved in the testing of the scenario

Were there a lot of genre cross-overs in the original GH?

Thanks.

About one session in every 12 would involve somethingfrom outside the fantasy genre. that was enough to keep things from getting too staid.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[francisca]

The exception is the Knights of Camelot game that i don't recognize.

Wow! It was listed as stock #1009 in the 1981 "Gateway to Adventure" catalog I got in my Basic Box set (Moldvay edited). Same page as "Warlocks and Warriors" and "Divine Right".

The Superhero game was Marvel Superheros, and most of the release dates seem to be after your departure from TSR, so I guess that explains it.

As a long-time pal of Lou Zocchi, the "Sage Sarge" from the days of the Avalon Hill General magazine back in the 1960s, it is good to see you name his old company as your favorite dice maker. Sadly, I am not much concerned with the dice i use, and any sort that rols properly will do regardless of color and manufacturer. All i seek as player of GM are those that roll results i desire

Cheers,
Gary

Heh. Apart from the fact that I like the dice, I always buy a set or two from Lou at GenCon, just because I like to see a guy like that "keep on keepin' on." There are a couple of places around the net that sell his dice, but I'd just as soon put the money directly in his hands, even at a premium.

Thanks again, amigo.