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.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Final comment on this bull...

Sir: this was not a conversation. You alleged fictions as facts, cited other unfounded allegations about a different game (a thousand miles away) as 'supporting data', waved various "might have" and "unproven" innuendos, and challenged us to debunk you with truth.

Tactically this would be assaulting an entrenched position, and is to be avoided.

If you truly wished any conversation you would have encouraged such with questions, rather than digging trenches for a battle of your own design. Sorry, I don't have time to indulge you.

We now return you to Gary's scheduled dialogues...

In other words...

Why bother with shovelling away a lot of horse manure, right?

(Especially when I have been doing that )


Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi, Gary,


I apologize for stepping in. It's just that I rate that module as one of the all time best out there and hate to see people dismiss it as anything less than a great work of role-playing. In any case, it won't happen again.

Sincerely,

TBK

No need to apologise, amigo

I just wanted to avoid a pile-onto sort of situation.

We are all fellow gamers, and in that respect have more in common than not, likely

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi, Gary! Congrats on Yggsburgh, its a great book.

Three quick items:

1) Third party publishers are, of course, very common nowadays. What was your take on Judges Guild, anecdotal or otherwise, back in the 70's?

I have always been favorably inclined to granting licence to produce support material for an RPG. Hoiwever, in my thinking it is absolutely necessary that the licensed works be thoroughly reviewed by a knowledgeable developmental editor-type person before granting the publication of the licensed work, that bearing the trade make name of the system.

This was not adhered to with the JG priducts, so I found their quality uneven, sometimes questionable.

2) There have been rumors of WotC dropping Greyhawk as "default setting" and farming it out for third party. Any take on that? Would you or the Trolls want to grab it?

I have not heard that.

As TLG has expended considerable effort in developing their own world Setting, Erde, I an not sure they would be interested in licensing the WoG--cost and potential return analysis would need to be carefully considered, especially since the setting has been so altered by WotC and Living Greyhawk.

3) In your stories of the old guard, it seems like magic users, fighters, and clerics were pretty well-represented, but I rarely hear anything about thieves, assassins, or rangers. Any cool old-day characters of this ilk?

As a matter of fact, there were not many well-played thieves, assassins, or rangers in the group that Rob and I DMed. My own half-orc cleric/assassin (heh) met an untimely but well-deserved end before doing anything remarkable. My last-created PC is a gnome illusionist/thief, but he is only of 3rd level and hasn't been played in many years now

In short, I can't recall anyting especially noteable in regards to those sorts of characters in the games I Dmed or played in.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Deogolf]

Heh, Merric...

As a mater of fact the team almost bought the farm when playing through the Hall of Many Panes, but a usually cautious and retiring Enchanter stepped to the fore with alacrity and saved the lot with a well-chosen Power activation (spell), and to the good guys won the day and went on to complete the lengthy and perilous quest to rescue the Hero-Bard McGregtim from the clutches of the malign deities.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

On another board I won't name the exchanges would be considered friendly banter...


Well, the River Nemo could be considered as the Neen, and the Urt river likewise one seen on the World of Greyhawk map. there is also the City of Dunfalcon some miles west to Yggsburgh.

The area covered by the Yggsburgh work is up to about 3K square miles if the GM expands the map himself so as to take in the demesnes of the three hostile nobles and the borderlands. That is a miniscule area considering the Flanaess, and yet within it there are hundreds of adventures--given and postulated. The cultural and social information in the work are manifold, meat and drink for the GM inclined to develop detailed material for the campaign.

We will get to the castle and dungeon levels, although it seems unlikely that I'll be able to take the lead due to my health--too little energy to sustain the work load necessary to produce such detailed effort. I worked 70 or more hours a week continuously for a long stretch to produce the CZ Yggsburgh volume. Howerver, I have outlined the castle/dungeons, we have the original material, and I can develop work that rob generates therefrom so as to assure it is consistant with what I, and he, did way back when, only more detailed so other GMs can utilize it.

Okay?

Cheers,
Gary

Ok, I think you convinced me.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Absolutely not. The tournament was for groups of single PCs played by actual participants in the event. I can't recall the number per team, but I suspect it wes eight.

Thanks. That's what I was asking.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

If you truly wished any conversation you would have encouraged such with questions, rather than digging trenches for a battle of your own design. Sorry, I don't have time to indulge you.

Well, then, if you'll indulge me just a bit longer, let's go back to what prompted my question then, shall we?

We made it all the way thru with no PC deaths (tho I won't say the same about NPCs, hirelings, henchmen, conjured critters, et al.),

I think that's the difference.

You made it through with no PC deaths, sure, but it still looks like you had something like an 80% casualty rate.

You mentioned that you had no PC deaths, but you specifically weren't counting the deaths of NPCs, Hirelings, Henchmen, conjured aid, etc. The implication is that many of them died. I picked 80% because you offered 5 groups - 4 / 5 = 80% (yes, a silly assumption that all groups were equal and the PCs were the only ones left standing).

In other words, you seemed to be saying that no PCs died but lots of hirelings died to get the PCs to the end of the Tomb.

Everything else I've posted is a reaction to others claiming that NPC, Hireling, etc., deaths aren't important.

And, forgive me for assuming that your group played in a fashion even remotely resembling the groups DMed by Gary. Rest assured that I won't make that mistake again.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

From an eyewitness to the debalce


Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Ok, I think you convinced me.

Fine, but do look it over if possible before purchasing. Don't want any unhappy buyers

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks. That's what I was asking.

Happy that I finally managed to get the correct information yo ouu, amigo

Cheers,
Gary