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.

 

[Clangador]

My question for you, since you're still answering, is what prompted the use of Alignment Languages? I've never read a book, seen a film, or in any other way uncovered a clue as to why you created these. I can understand and appreciate them, but I never did figure out your source for the idea.

I always thought that idea came for the black speech of the orcs in Middle Earth.

 

[Clangador]

Well, now that you mention it, yes. I'd have referred to those we use in the Bavarian Illuminati, but no one is to know that we exist, of course...

Heh,
Gary

Hay Gary, I bet you didn't know I'm the founder of the dwarven Illuminati. Hmm, that gets me thinking, if you're a 'secret master" you might very well already know that.

 

[Clangador]

Gary,

Why is it that more of the original material from Castle Greyhawk didn't get published? I know there was EX1 & 2, and Isle of the Ape, but other than that, nothing.

 

[Clangador]

I'm on a roll here. One more question - do you ever get tired of us asking these kind of questions?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I always thought that idea came for the black speech of the orcs in Middle Earth.

Noppers. That's merely justification for a separate orcish language.
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Clangador!

Well damn! I guess it's a secret no longer

The material from my GH castle-dungeons campaign didn't get generally published because I was playing it, and had no interest in trading off a perfectly good adventure setting for a few bucks.

As for answering wquestions a lot, well, I have become innured to it. Sometimes it is a lot of fun, other times a mild annoyance, so on balance it is generally entertaining to me, and I am happy to do it as it entertains and informs my fellow game fans.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Zaruthustran]

Black ice and Blackmoor? Valley of Mage?

I bought an Adventure called "City of the Gods" a long, long time ago. It was set in a world called "Greyhawk", and was pretty much about a .. .er..

SPOILER ALERT FOR GREYHAWK PLAYERS...



















about a space ship that landed in a place called Blackmoor. There were "iron golems" that were really robots, and "wands of magic missile" that were really ray guns. I don't know the details because I only read the back cover; I bought it so someone else could DM it. Alas, that never happened.

So to the question: Mr. Gygax, what's up with Blackmoor? And the black ice that the new Greyhawk gazeteer says covers that area? Is there really a space ship? Are the valley elves actually space refugees? Was the Rain of Colorless Fire an orbital bombardment?

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[Felon]

The drow abilities were given to them to highlight their unique nature and potency.

Cheers,
Gary

Salutations, Gary. Thanks for the spiffy game that has become one of the chief sources of pleasure in my so-called life. Hoping to see many, many more years of gaming goodness, so don't retire too soon, OK?

There was a thread over on the WotC board fairly recently about drow and their weapons. It dwelled on the fact that in 3e, the rule for drow weapons & armor degrading in sunlight was thrown out. Sean Reynolds' stated that rule was discarded intentionally because the only reason that rule existed in the first place was to "screw the players". Do you feel that statement, and the accompanying general sentiment expressed by others that AD&D drow were over-the-top and introduced solely to be the "ultimate party-killers", is at all fair and accurate?

On a broader tangent: hindsight being 20/20, do you think that there were monsters in AD&D that genuinely qualified as an over-the-top attempt at creating the biggest, baddest, PC-kilingest beastie (i.e. creatures that were probably more fun to design than to fight)?

 

[Clangador]

While I am most happy to have new participants pick up the LA game as their primary RPG, or as a change of pace "second system", I most certainly hate to see that happen for the reason you note The ignorant attacks and prejudice against D&D are very unpalatable to me, and not mainly becuase I wrote so much of the game, but because those charges are so awfully wrong!

Cheerio,
Gary

I have never even seen LA in a game store. Not one single time. is it sold in game stores, or is it only availabe over the Internet?

 

[Clangador]

There was a thread over on the WotC board fairly recently about drow and their weapons. It dwelled on the fact that in 3e, the rule for drow weapons & armor degrading in sunlight was thrown out. Sean Reynolds' stated that rule was discarded intentionally because the only reason that rule existed in the first place was to "screw the players". Do you feel that statement, and the accompanying general sentiment expressed by others that AD&D drow were over-the-top and introduced solely to be the "ultimate party-killers", is at all fair and accurate?

I read this about the drow weapons somewhere within the last day or two. I know it wasn't the WotC boards becasue I never ever go there. I find this to be rather annoying. Just throw away 20+ years of D&D history for no better reason than that is stupid. This kinda plays into the theme of the players should get all the treasure they want; the players should never have to face an encounter they can't beat and all that clap trap. I know this post wasn't meant for me, but I just had to say something.