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.

 

[JamesM]

The old veterans had PCs with levels in the teens after about 10 yeras of play.

This really is remarkable to hear, both because of the slowness of leveling and the longevity of these characters. Nowadays, I read constantly about the notion that most D&D campaigns last about 18 months, during which time the PCs reach higher levels than yours did in 10 years. Not to sound like an old man but, when I was playing AD&D regularly, we simply assumed any player who claimed to have a character above level 15 or so either to have been lying or to have a Monty Haul-style DM.

How things have changed!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This really is remarkable to hear, both because of the slowness of leveling and the longevity of these characters. Nowadays, I read constantly about the notion that most D&D campaigns last about 18 months, during which time the PCs reach higher levels than yours did in 10 years. Not to sound like an old man but, when I was playing AD&D regularly, we simply assumed any player who claimed to have a character above level 15 or so either to have been lying or to have a Monty Haul-style DM.

How things have changed!

Remember that my group began playing late in 1972, and that most of the dedicated regulars had more than one PC. No one wanted very high level PCs because that precluded their character from many of the adventures run. The only DM that managed a campaign accommodating such PCs was Francois Marcela Froideval. In his game PCs in their teens were low-level flunkies.

Anyway, there was no coddling of characters, so everyone of us made sure to have undo petrafication, clones, wish spells, and a helpful cleric ready for times of chrises...

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Darkwolf71]

The Drow are nasty and poisonous and lurking and dwell in darkness as do many sorts of spiders.

As I created them, there are absolutely no good Drow save for the insane.

Cheerio,
Gary

Ah, D'rizzt. How I loathe thee.

Not as a fictional character. He is superb in that regard, but the effect his birth had on the most wonderfully evil, perfect for behind the scenes manipulating, masters of deceit, is IMHO horrible.


I'm curious, Gary (if I may be so familiar), Have you had the opportunity to see Mongoose's The Drow War campaign? LE Nazi-like Drow set to take over the surface world. The PC's job is, of course, to stop them. I wonder if they have captured your vision of the dark elves as well as I believe they have.


Anyway, I have been following this thread for sometime and have had numerous questions that I should have asked, but did not. Now they are lost, perhaps for good due to my horrible memory for such things. Ah well, in the future I will have to make myself less shy. It is an honor, sir, to have your knowledge and memories here for us to pick through.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Darkwolf71,

As a natter of fact I have not seen the Mongoose treatment of the Drow. I can say though, that if the dark elves are seeking to remove themselves to the surface world, wrong! Only if the drow could make the upper world lightless would they want to inhabit it.

Of course there is a leap there, but just in case...

Feel free to address me as Gary, and to ask whatever questions you might have. I am not shy about answering, or not replying to the query save to say no way will I address the subject

Cheers,
Gary

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hi Gary -

I've been remiss in checking in on this thread lately, so I may have missed it if you told how you liked Gene Wolfe's "The Knight." Did you like it enough to read "The Wizard"? If so, did you enjoy the story as a whole?

 

[Burlappen]

Hey! (Wow...Gary Gygax...heh)

I read something really interesting in the last Paizo produced Dragon magazine (before the rights reverted to WotC). They quoted you from a 1984 interview with Polyhedron saying:

"By the way, action takes place on Yarth, a place somewhat similar to Oerth, the setting of Greyhawk et al. It has fewer magical properties than Oerth, but more than Earth. It is not impossible that additional works will be contracted for in months to come, action being set on Yarth or perhaps another alternate world, Aerth. On Earth, magic is virtually non-existant. On Uerth, dwomers are weak, chancy things. Yarth has a sprinking of things magical, and Oerth is pure magic."

Now I am well aware of what has been done with the various D&D settings by other people, but I'm curious to go to the man himself:

What's the structure of YOUR Greyhawk cosmology? How do the different settings (Earth, Yarth, Oerth, etc.) connect?

Any more info you have on what Yarth, Aerth, and Uerth are like in contrast to Greyhawk and Earth?

I read what you wrote and was really intrigued.

 

[JohnRTroy]

As a natter of fact I have not seen the Mongoose treatment of the Drow. I can say though, that if the dark elves are seeking to remove themselves to the surface world, wrong! Only if the drow could make the upper world lightless would they want to inhabit it.

The Drow of Oerth maybe.

The Drow of Phaeree (Aerth), rivals of the Slaugh, might want to escape the awful sun they have in Inner Phaeree which is sickly and ghastly.

No Drow on Learth...but there are Dockalfar and Huldra and maybe Ulfs...

 

[haakon1]

Bobbies with firearms indeed

Tut tut. Easily enough explained away, if one needed to keep such details:
-- Special Branch. Anti-terrorist police are armed, as needed.
-- MI-5 undercover as bobbies.
-- UNIT or Torchwood Institute from Dr. Who undercover as the Met. (Indeed, the Torchwood Institute is much newer than the Dungeon adventure, but nonetheless).
-- Alternate universe. Perhaps Jerry won the war?

How I loved the old English monetary system with its farthings, ha'pence, pence, shillings, florins, half-crowns, crowns, pounds, and guineas--really confusing until one learned it, and so I patterened the AD&D monetary system on it.

Nod, this proves the adventure is set pre-1974. I suspected AD&D money was British, but the 20:1 ratio of sp to gp makes sense in old silver dollars and $20 eagles too.

Someone likely older and grumpier than you, but one that loves real ale and English cusine

Theory: Like our founder, all D&D players appreciate good English pubs and/or exhibit other minor habits of pro-Britishness, if only dwarves with bad Scottish accents. Debate.

 

[haakon1]

Gary, did you ever use the Rakshasa as a boss monster or other important foe? Seems interesting, but a little odd to integrate in the average campaign.

I do remember your story about getting the idea for putting it in AD&D from a TV show, rather than directly from Indian mythology.

I got inspired about this monster when I saw one in a museum . . . errr, a statue of one!

 

[Darkwolf71]

As a natter of fact I have not seen the Mongoose treatment of the Drow. I can say though, that if the dark elves are seeking to remove themselves to the surface world, wrong! Only if the drow could make the upper world lightless would they want to inhabit it.

Heh, now that's an interesting thought...

Happy Halloween, Gary (and fellow readers).

I'm wondering this morning, if your camapaigns ever had seasonal themes? I remember the Halloween issues of Dragon were always among my favorites.