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]

I was running a Space Opera "one-off." At the end of the "blow up the space pirates" encounter, I felt that I needed to have a little fun, and take the Space Opera a lot less seriously. I put in everybody's favorite (what are those things called) robot: Marvin the Server.

He would constantly tell the PCs how dull life is for a robot with an I.Q. of 10,000 (his Int stat is 25, actually). Then one of the PCs ordered a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. You heard right, a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.

She drank it and yelled "WOW!" and was instantly inebriated.

We had a lot of fun not taking the game seriously!

I thought you might get a real kick out of that one, Gary.

Indeed

It calls to mind an organic computer I have placed in the Lejendary AsteRogues Fantastical Science RPG's campaign base setting. She is named Miss Know-it-All and was both bossy to the Avatar group in general and possessive of one of the males therein/ Ah, love...


Gary

 

[haakon1]

As a matter of fact I did pick up The Name of the Rose, and managed to fight my way through it. Somehow Umberto's prose was less than compelling reading for me. I was hoping the experience would be otherwise, but at least I got in a lot of nap time.

I agree it's awfully boring. "Foucault's Pendulum", though, by the same author amused me. Perhaps because I was working in Yellowstone National Park at the time, with few books and no TV or radio signals. Or just because the concept of someone making up the most ridiculous religious conspiracy theory he can think of and writing a book that people then take seriously amused me.

I wonder if Dan Brown read it . . .

 

[Thulcondar]

I plan to pick up 1862 and 1945 when it is released in May.

Not the "1945" that Newt Gingrich came out with a few years ago?

I found that one to be not too bad as such things are reckoned. I was slightly disappointed because I expected more from his historian's mind, but easily as entertaining as "SS:GB". "Fatherland" is still a favorite of the genre, though...

Thulcondar

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Not the "1945" that Newt Gingrich came out with a few years ago?

I found that one to be not too bad as such things are reckoned. I was slightly disappointed because I expected more from his historian's mind, but easily as entertaining as "SS:GB". "Fatherland" is still a favorite of the genre, though...

Thulcondar

Noperrs!

I did read the Gincrich alternate history of the ACW trilogy and enjoyed it. Fatherland was interesting, but to me it lacked scope.

The 1945 I plan to order is in the 1862 and 1901, hopefully, series by Robery Conroy.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Henrix]

Hi, Gary! It's so good to see that you are up and posting again! I hope your recovery is going along speedily!


I wanted to ask you about the old illustrations of the pig-snouted orcs and asian-looking hobgoblins. Is it true they were inspired by the Minifigs miniatures, or was it the other way 'round?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi, Gary! It's so good to see that you are up and posting again! I hope your recovery is going along speedily!


I wanted to ask you about the old illustrations of the pig-snouted orcs and asian-looking hobgoblins. Is it true they were inspired by the Minifigs miniatures, or was it the other way 'round?

Ho There!

Thanks, my blasted shingles condition is about 90% gone now---after some five plus months

As I recollect, Dave Sutherland, rest his soul, did the hog-faced orcs and the hobgoblins in samurai-like armor. Minifigs worked from those illustrations.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Geoffrey]

Two historical events that cause me the most regret are the fall of the Christian Roman Empire in 1453 and the fall of the Confederate States of America in 1865. The alternate fiction I tend to prefer changes things so that the Christian Romans and the Confederates come out on top of the Turks and the Yankees.

 

[Henrix]

As I recollect, Dave Sutherland, rest his soul, did the hog-faced orcs and the hobgoblins in samurai-like armor. Minifigs worked from those illustrations.

Thanks, that has been going around in the back of my mind for some time now, and it's good to know.

 

[John Drake]

As I recollect, Dave Sutherland, rest his soul, did the hog-faced orcs and the hobgoblins in samurai-like armor. Minifigs worked from those illustrations.

Cheers,
Gary

Interesting, I wondered about that too. A related question: is that how you personally imagined orcs etc, to look like or did you have a completely different conception of how such creatures were to look? Myself, I guess being influenced by LOTR the book saw them appearing very much as they did in the film. Thanks Gary!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Two historical events that cause me the most regret are the fall of the Christian Roman Empire in 1453 and the fall of the Confederate States of America in 1865. The alternate fiction I tend to prefer changes things so that the Christian Romans and the Confederates come out on top of the Turks and the Yankees.

The Byzantines were interesting, but they were doomed, I believe. I am particularly interested in Trebizond.

As for the CSA winning, I believe it would have been a disaster for both the USA and the CSA, despite the story told in If the South had Won the Civil War.

Cheers,
Gary