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]

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

Gamma World was basically an expanded MA game. Jim Ward did not have control over what went into it, Brian Blume did. When I was given the opportunity to read the initial draft, I noted that there were no mounts for the characters to ride, so I supplied the names and stats for all that were in the game--pinetos, podogs, rakoxen, and whatever else...I don't recall now and am too busy to check the rules. I also did a couple of tables of objects to be found at random, but some jerk editor removed much of the interesting items therefrom.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Riverwalker]

Hi Gary,

Sorry if you've been asked this a million times already - how much did you guys 'role-play' in the early games? i.e. did Robilar and others have distinct personalities quite seperate from the players?

Many thanks.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary,

Sorry if you've been asked this a million times already - how much did you guys 'role-play' in the early games? i.e. did Robilar and others have distinct personalities quite seperate from the players?

Many thanks.

Certainly the players' characters took on distinct personalities, in part reflected by the personality of the one playing such persona, as the player and the assumed role are not inseperable, quite the contrary.

The role-playing was never a major feature of the game, however, save when PCs were in some sort of conflict situation. When Yrag was role-playing the effects of the first Ring of Contrariness even in the game, there was a good deal of such in-character repartee happening. That was the exception, not the rule. The usual was explore, solve problems, locate adversaries, combat adversaries, run away from triumphant foes or loot defeated ones.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Thulcondar]

Mr. Gygax,

Just wondering, since you've been talking about playing MA lately, whether you had a preference between that and Gamma World? If so, what would place one over the other? Setting? Game mechanics?

Have you ever heard of crossing over between one and another? The Warden arriving back at post-devastation Earththrough some circuitous route, or the discovery of some long-lost transmat connection, or somesuch?

Thanks,

Thulcondar

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Mr. Gygax,

Just wondering, since you've been talking about playing MA lately, whether you had a preference between that and Gamma World? If so, what would place one over the other? Setting? Game mechanics?

Have you ever heard of crossing over between one and another? The Warden arriving back at post-devastation Earththrough some circuitous route, or the discovery of some long-lost transmat connection, or somesuch?

Thanks,

Thulcondar

That's an easy question for me. I never enjoyed the GW system very much, and I have always had a lot of fun playing MA. One might expand the MA game environment to include planetary ones, but I would never select one that used the GW rules system as I find it inferior to all of the MA game rules systems.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[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!

Just in case you missed it.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Just in case you missed it.

Yes, I sure did miss it

You have the thinking, the 6th level spell gain was considered a great boost to the wizard's repertorie. It is as simple as that. No one I know of found an 11th level m-u underpowered either...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[John Drake]

Hey there Gary, how are things going?
Well, the other day I was having a discussion with a buddy of mine about AD&D and all that, which edition we liked better and so forth. Anyway, at one point, my pal there says that back in the seventies and early eighties, in general, it was not expected for gamers to have there campaings go over the level of 12 or 13. His excuses were that you guys who designed the game figured most people would just start over again, with a new character, because the system was not designed to handle high level games. His words, not mine Anywho, I found that to be rather odd, since in the PHB it clearly gives XP goals for up to 20th level. So I figured I'd ask you: was AD&D designed to handle high level campaings or not? I always felt it was, only because I had participated in campaigns that did so. An odd question to be sure, but as always, your time and patience is always appreciated. Thanks! Incidentally, this branch of our discussion started when critiquing the Dragonlance modules converting from 1st to 2nd ed. Ciao!

 

[airwalkrr]

Anywho, I found that to be rather odd, since in the PHB it clearly gives XP goals for up to 20th level.

Actually, in the 1e PH, there is no real limit on levels (except for certain classes like the druid or monk). And as for class charts, the table for the magic-user goes all the way up to 18th (29th for the purpose of spells)! It sure seems to me like Gary & co. wanted the game to be playable at higher levels. I am certain the Master shall be able to deliver a far more elegant answer of course.

 

[haakon1]

Actually, in the 1e PH, there is no real limit on levels (except for certain classes like the druid or monk).

And racial limits. My elven fighter topped out at 7th level.