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]

Mr. Gygax:
Any thoughts on where Oozes come from? Especially Grey Ooze and Gelatinous Cubes--are these supposed to originate from the experiments of crazy evil wizards, or from Demons/Devils?

Heh...

As the chap that made up both of them, I had better have an idea as to where they came from

My concept wasthat both were accidental creations of careless wizard alchemists that dumped various failed magical and alchemical experiments down the drain or into some cess pit. These admixtures affected single-celled life forms, thus eventually engendering the various jellies (and a gelatinous cube is one of those), oozes, puddings. The slimes were generated in similar fashion, the waste affecting normal slime.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Well, to judge by how much fun I have had with the old Gamma World Game, I should probably move "Metamorphosis Alpha" up a few notches on my gaming "to do" list. Sadly, almost everyone I know wants to play d20 games rather than older RPGs. I'll have to scour up a copy on ebay maybe.

There are lots of gamers that don't want anything to do with d20... Check over on the www.dragonsfoot.com boards.

Jim has just recently published a new hardbound edition of the MA game. If you check around I am sure you'll be able to locate a copy. The new edition has a lot more information and a new starship situation that involves alien lifeform invasion.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[dorentir]

There are lots of gamers that don't want anything to do with d20... Check over on the www.dragonsfoot.com boards.

Jim has just recently published a new hardbound edition of the MA game. If you check around I am sure you'll be able to locate a copy. The new edition has a lot more information and a new starship situation that involves alien lifeform invasion.

Cheers,
Gary

Yeah, unfortunately very few steady players of older fantasy rpg games in my area. I ran a campaign using od&d rules for a while and although I found it to be good fun, some of the players found the fewer choices offered restrictive. One fellow in particular got very indignant when a situation that wasn't covered in the rules would be settled by the DM generating a mechanic on the fly. I don't have anything against the d20 games per se, but just like playing the games that I grew up playing... if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I have a standing invitation to join a Hackmaster group that meets nearby but thus far my schedules and other responsibilities have not allowed me to take part.

Money is tight right now, but when budget allows I'll check out the new Metamorphosis Alpha. I did a quick search and found the website; thanks for the heads up.

regards
stefan

 

[Geoffrey]

Gary, I seem to remember reading that you had a hand in the original Gamma World rulebook. What parts did you write?

 

[haakon1]

Although Cavaliers (and paladins) also got d% and +2d10(%) per level for improving other stats as well in UA; A 15(99) Con had no game effect over a 15 Con, but with the gain of a level, the Con would increase to 16.

It made Cavaliers (and paladins) quite unusual compared to other classes - their stats could improve when they gained levels.

Cheers!

Ah, but Unearthed Arcana is not real AD&D. I just used the polearms and the extra gods. It's basically a big, fun Dragon article -- which are for entertainment value, not meant to go messing up a perfectly fine game.


PHB + DMG + MM + Greyhawk Boxed Set + Legends and Lore + one set of dice = what we dreamt of retiring with in late 1980s . . .

 

[haakon1]

I'd pay my last respects from a distance -- perhaps using a flask of lamp oil and a torch to send his remains into the afterworld...

My instant thought was toss some oil, fire a burning arrow, and run behind a closed door, in case burning it spreads spores. Come back later and sift through ash.

If it bleeds, we can kill it. If it doesn't bleed, most likely we can still kill it. Either way, we should - nay must - take its stuff.

 

[haakon1]

We were out of New Glarus India Pale Ale

Heh. I just had a Fat Squirrel tonight -- a gift from a Madison-born West-Coast relocated player.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

There are lots of gamers that don't want anything to do with d20... Check over on the www.dragonsfoot.com boards.

Just a quick note: that should be www.dragonsfoot.org.

 

[BOZ]

go bears!

 

[airwalkrr]

Gary,

Another question for you. Apologies if this has been asked before as I am certain it has in an old Dragon magazine or something but an effort to find it would require countless hours of searching.

What was the reason for the gap in access to spell levels for magic users at 11th level? I refer to the fact that they seem to earn a new spell level every odd level until they reach 11th level, only gaining 6th level spells at 12th and proceeding to gain a new spell level every even level thereafter. Was it because 6th level spells were supposed to represent that large of a jump in magic-user power level? I recognize the necessity for the gap in cleric and druid 7th level spells as those were most definitely an enormous improvement over 6th level spells. But I am wondering why you bothered delaying the magic-user's access to 6th level spells for only one level as they seem to be a typical improvement over 5th level spells.

I'm something of a neat freak and really like organization, structure, and patterns to everything and that little blip in the magic-user spell table just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.

Thanks again!