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.

 

[Joël of the FoS]

I do believe that HPL was from Down East, Massachusetts. His cadre of fellows who picked up the themes of his work were from all over, however.

Yep, from Rhode Island. He lived in New England all of his life, with a few trips outside this area (a few of them in Québec by the way).

Oh, and yes, I met him Summer of 2004. Here's the link to this memorable meeting: http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Salon/Review_of_HPLovecraft.htm (see at the bottom, after a review of HPL's work).

Joël

 

[haakon1]

I do believe that HPL was from Down East, Massachusetts. His cadre of fellows who picked up the themes of his work were from all over, however.

Arkham House, the publisher of the "Lovecraftian" books is in Wisconsin, it being begun by the renowned horror author August Derleith, a native of Wisconsin, unless I am mistaken.

I'm sure you're not -- now it finally makes sense, how this mistaken theory got started.

Wisconsin is a weird place in many respects, a center for the Spiritualist movement of the early 1900s, and other unusual things. For a most disconcerting experience read Wisconsin Death Trip.

And I thought the only weird thing about Wisconsin is that they call liverwurst "braunsweiger", and soda "pop".

 

[haakon1]

Yep, from Rhode Island. He lived in New England all of his life, with a few trips outside this area (a few of them in Québec by the way).

Thanks. As for your question of why there's not a celebration of weirdness over HPL in Providence, I posit two reasons:
1) Providence is very old money conservative. I wouldn't do.
2) Salem, MA, has all the celebration of the "occult" that New England can handle. It has a regional monopoly on witch-craft supplies, etc.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yep, from Rhode Island. He lived in New England all of his life, with a few trips outside this area (a few of them in Québec by the way).


Oh, and yes, I met him Summer of 2004. Here's the link to this memorial meeting: http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Salon/Review_of_HPLovecraft.htm (see at the bottom, after a review of HPL's work).

Joël

Excellent Joel!

HPL departed the year before i was born BTW

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I'm sure you're not -- now it finally makes sense, how this mistaken theory got started.

Wisconsin took over from Arkham, having Arkham House not too distant from Gary's house

And I thought the only weird thing about Wisconsin is that they call liverwurst "braunsweiger", and soda "pop".

Liverwurst if from Brunswick, properly Braunscheig, so we are correct in calling it by its proper name.

Also, anyone who knows anything knows it is soda POP, abbreviated as "pop," of course.

Now go and have a drink from the bubbler


Gary

 

[gideon_thorne]

Yet another random reading recomendation.

Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrel by Suzanna Clarke

Methinks, Gary and all, its a most enjoyable book. Magic mixed in the Napoleonic Era and full of dry humor.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yet another random reading recomendation.

Jonathon Strange & Mr Norrel by Suzanna Clarke

Methinks, Gary and all, its a most enjoyable book. Magic mixed in the Napoleonic Era and full of dry humor.

I have about 30 books to read this autumn and winter, so... right now the History of the Old Northwest (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin) in two (large) volumns is puting me to sleep, but I will finish it

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Wolv0rine]

Wisconsin took over from Arkham, having Arkham House not too distant from Gary's house


Liverwurst if from Brunswick, properly Braunscheig, so we are correct in calling it by its proper name.

Also, anyone who knows anything knows it is soda POP, abbreviated as "pop," of course.

Now go and have a drink from the bubbler


Gary

It's so nice to see someone ELSE who knows these things. I can't count how many times I've had this conversation with someone.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

It's so nice to see someone ELSE who knows these things. I can't count how many times I've had this conversation with someone.

Oh Dear...

That means that there are at least two if us boring and tedious fellows here now

Shall we play a game of tiddly winks?

To tell all, not only did I have a 30mm force of Brunswick Napoleonic figurines, with the command figure waving aloft a braunschweiger sausage, but my mother actually bought me a game of tiddly winks when I was about nine years old, and I got pretty good at tiddling my winks on the formica kitchen table top.

Cheers,
Gary

P.S. The sausage, made from a piece of plastic sprue, had a yellow band, and I used an Oscar Meyer "wienie whistle" to order my troops into battle. Somehow the stuffy and overly serious Napoleonic Wars miniatures buffs I played with found that offensive, a sort of lesse majestie to their devotion to playing with toy soldiers

 

[Wolv0rine]

Oh Dear...

That means that there are at least two if us boring and tedious fellows here now

Shall we play a game of tiddly winks?

To tell all, not only did I have a 30mm force of Brunswick Napoleonic figurines, with the command figure waving aloft a braunschweiger sausage, but my mother actually bought me a game of tiddly winks when I was about nine years old, and I got pretty good at tiddling my winks on the formica kitchen table top.

Cheers,
Gary

P.S. The sausage, made from a piece of plastic sprue, had a yellow band, and I used an Oscar Meyer "wienie whistle" to order my troops into battle. Somehow the stuffy and overly serious Napoleonic Wars miniatures buffs I played with found that offensive, a sort of lesse majestie to their devotion to playing with toy soldiers

While your knowledge of braunschweiger far outstrips mine, and I cannot even remember tiddly winks (although I'm certain I had such a game once), the story is absolutely hillarious.

My only question is, did you also sing "My commander has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R"?