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.

 

[Pbartender]

As for Drow, I never envisaged them as a standard PC race. I guess I erred in not making them more loathesome...although malign subterranean elves that love spiders seem pretty unappealing as is...

Which exactly what makes them so appealing to a certain sub-set of players... Some people like playing the loathesome critters.



By the by, Gary, I've got a small favor to ask of you...

For the next Chicago Gameday, I'm planning on running a True20 conversion of GW2 - Famine in Far-Go, an old favorite Gamma World adventure module of mine. Now, there is a particular item that the characters can find in the adventure, from which I'd like to make an actual prop to hand to the players, but which would involve using your name and photo.

Out of politeness' sake, I'd like to ask your permission to do so.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, which OD&D rules will we be using during the Lake Geneva Con? Mentzer's box set rules or Hoyle's or Molday/Cook's? I was thinking of rolling up my characters at home and bringing some, or would it be better just to roll up characters in front of the judges?

If I do rin an OD&D game in addition to the LA ines, it will be a house-rules version of the original three-booklet set sans the Greyhawk supplement material.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

When Gary uses the term OD&D (Original D&D), he's talking about the box HE wrote, 1974, before he started developing the Advanced and before there was such a separate thing as a Basic Set.

Just so, JRT

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Not even to a fun guy like you?

Button your lip!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Don't mind Gary; he's just trying to put another feather in his cap.

How can I stem the tide of these mushroom puns?

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Which exactly what makes them so appealing to a certain sub-set of players... Some people like playing the loathesome critters.



By the by, Gary, I've got a small favor to ask of you...

For the next Chicago Gameday, I'm planning on running a True20 conversion of GW2 - Famine in Far-Go, an old favorite Gamma World adventure module of mine. Now, there is a particular item that the characters can find in the adventure, from which I'd like to make an actual prop to hand to the players, but which would involve using your name and photo.

Out of politeness' sake, I'd like to ask your permission to do so.

Better playing one that being one, eh?

We do watch for unauthorized use of my famous name and likeness.,..just because

By all means go ahead and use them for the GW game adventure at Chicago Gameday. After all, I was born in Chicago, lived there as a kid and again as a young man

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Pbartender]

We do watch for unauthorized use of my famous name and likeness.,..just because

Yeah... Even we NPCs have to watch out for that nowadays. :\

By all means go ahead and use them for the GW game adventure at Chicago Gameday. After all, I was born in Chicago, lived there as a kid and again as a young man

Excellent!

If you don't mind me posting an image of it here, would you like to see the prop?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

...

If you don't mind me posting an image of it here, would you like to see the prop?

I would be pleased to see it, have the others here have a look as well

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Pbartender]

I would be pleased to see it, have the others here have a look as well

Thanks for the excuse to show off...

Front:

Back:

...to be printed out on cardstock and laminated.

Mind you, I made a slight change, turning the Chicken Factory into an Dept. of Ag. laboratory, rather than a private Industry R&D facility.

The design is loosely based on the ID cards we use where I work.

Plus, I just got an email from one of my players...

btw, I have some Gamma World extras for you, if you want 'em!

An extra rulebook from 2nd edition (considered by many to be the best). And a big map of the U.S. Gamma World-ified. Real nice! I'll bring them Sunday.

Which means I'll actually have an old beat of copy of the Gamma World rules to tuck the ID card into as a bookmark, as described in the adventure... Man, this is the sort of stuff that makes GMing fun.

 

[thedungeondelver]

How can I stem the tide of these mushroom puns?

Cheerio,
Gary

Ahh, Gary. When they made you they broke the mold.