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.

 

[haakon1]

No quibble with what you state, but I do believe the number of persons tha played OAD&D was greated than the number playing the new game despite "unfriendly" rules. Perhaps that was because those rules were explicit in alloting to the Dm the role of ultimate arbiter with free reign to excise and alter whatever was desired.

Do you remember when D&D "peaked". I'm not sure what precisely I'm asking (I guess number of people playing more than revenue), but I think the answer is somewhere about 1984 or so? I remember Newsweek having an article about it, which seemed even more a bag of being a culture phenomenon than having a dumb TV movie or a good cartoon show.

 

[haakon1]

Just as I did with Mordenkainen, Bigby, and other PCs when they rose too high in power to interact with the "mundain" adventures.

Nod. I must say I really enjoyed reading the Rogue's Gallery. Using Robilar as an playful/respectful of fellow adventurers but not afraid to be evil foil for the PC's was great fun for everyone.

 

[haakon1]

Well I didn't see an S listed in the modules but I would guess you got if from a Lost Cavern somewhere...

Quite correct and very observant. That's worth like 500 xp.

It is Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn from the nearby Lost Caverns of Tsjocanth, but he's not the one who retrieved it -- that was a later party. IMC, the cause of the big war, initially, is the PC's taking the Lanthorn back to Bissel instead of giving into Kettite demands to get "their" cultural artifact back.

 

[haakon1]

I was thinking of running a West meet East campaign, something akin to my Portuguese ancestors exploring the orient in the XV-XVI centuries. As such, I just ordered a replacement copy of Oriental Adventures. I know that you were more a supervisor than a designer to that project. Still, I wonder if I will get in trouble mixing characters from both books and if it would hurt much to take out the Oriental Adventures' Non Weapon Proficiencies system?

Great idea. I'm very very fond on the mid-1980s Oriental Adventures rules.

Keeping the OA honor points system would be neat -- I'm not sure if you were considering jetisoning that.

 

[Ron]

Great idea. I'm very very fond on the mid-1980s Oriental Adventures rules.

Keeping the OA honor points system would be neat -- I'm not sure if you were considering jetisoning that.

My plan is to keep the honor point and start tracking them to the ocidental characters to measure how they are seem by the oriental people. I was planing to jettison only the NWP, as I don't think they are particularly well designed and I would need some adaptation to give them to the western characters.

 

[Crimhthan_The_Great]

Hi Gary,
I was wondering, how deadly do you consider the game to be when you are the ref?

Also along the same lines did you ever look at any of the Arduin books?

I play OD&D and sometimes OAD&D but I use everything and anything I can get my hands on as grist for the idea mill. After nearly 36 years of playing I have found google to be a very easy way of finding new ideas and creating new things for the players. I find that a pinch of of different peoples ideas is similar to using different seasonings in cooking. Infinite recipes (encounters) can be created.

Cheers,
Crimhthan

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This presumes that everyone agrees the subject is not interesting, which is not the case. ..

I suggest that you take a second look at the name of this thread.

If you wish to discuss the topic, begin your own thread do!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I agree. I am glad you liked the concept too.



I was thinking about taking out the NWP system and I was wondering if this move wouldn't hurt the balance of the Oriental Adventures characters. However, I downloaded your C&C file and, although I only quickly read it, sounds pretty good. The multiclassing rule is clearly superior to the one found in AD&D and the skill bundles looks like a better system than the NWP from late AD&D. Is that a new design or something you were considering to your second edition AD&D?

Anyway, thanks for the comments.
Ron

Welcome!

I was indeed considering something akin to what I did for the C&C system in regards to secondary skills for a revised edition of AD&D. Of course the current material I put together is influenced by what I created for the Lejendary Adventure RPG, thus more developed that what I was working on back in the 80s.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This thread has a singular purpose - Q&A With Gary. If people wish to discuss a topic that arises here among themselves, that discussion should continue in a separate thread; it is no longer a part of Q&A With Gary, and thus no longer belongs in this thread.

(If people wish to discuss what belongs in the Q&A With Gary thread, that's also a discussion for a separate thread, which would belong in the Meta Forum.)

Please let this thread fulfil its purpose.

-Hyp.
(Moderator)

Thank you!

Had I read down the thread a bit further I could have avoided my response to the post in question

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, I have been remiss in my standing as a Scotsman. Though I'm 36 years old, I'm innocent of the ways of Scotch. Can you recommend a good (and not too pricey) bottle of Scotch?

My distinct pleasure, sir!

Of late i have been tasting each sort of whiskey to contrast and compare them. Although bourbon (kentucky & tennessee blended and straight), canadian. irish, and scotch are all fine, I have come to the conclusion that my palate prefers scotch single malt.

These can get pretty pricy, but a good starter is Glenlivit. If you enjoy that whiskey you can then venture further afield, try the pale, peaty cngle malts that I am fond of as well as a blend such as Dewar's and Haig & Haig.

Cheers,
Gary