Interesting post over at Grognardia today regarding Gail Gygax


log in or register to remove this ad



It's just business.

Perhaps, the late great Gygax cut TLG too many slacks, or have gotten too personal with the company to overlook what they did to his Castle Zagyg franchise. If it is in Gail and Gygax estate's interest to find better professionals to license the franchise, then so be it.

TLG should consider this as a wake-up call to improve their own business model, IMHO. It should also be a wake-up call for all RPG industry despite hard economic times.
 


As far as TLG goes, I find it a bit worrying that the most recent product of theirs I bought (StarSIEGE) looks less professional than the first I bought nearly 8 years ago (Lost City of Gaxmoor).
 

Honestly, I suspect part of the issue is that Castle Greyhawk (and pseudonyms) and other projects might not be as coherently set down as people would like to hope. certainly, Gygax's private use of game systems was far more off the cuff than what he published, and it seems likely to me that his own game material was in that vein too.
 
Last edited:

Note - I'm not referring especially to this thread or the linked thread with regards to this:

I'm pretty disturbed by the attitude a lot of the fans have had to Gail since her husbands death. Frankly considering:

(a) How she has always seemed to be a decent person (I mean the ENWorld D&D game run by Gary - on their wedding anniversary!)
(b) It has been less than a year since her husband of many years passed away,

The accusations (explicit or otherwise) levelled at her following the removal of the Gygax Games IP from TLG has been unpleasant to witness.

As to why TLG lost the license? I don't think it's difficult to believe that the Trolls interesting release schedule had something to do with it....

What is (sort of) amusing, is that you would oftens see TLG fans defending the Trolls release schedule - normally on the basis of "when it's done, it's done" (CKG I'm looking at you). That approach now seems to have bitten them on the butt.
 
Last edited:

Unless there is an IP ownership dispute, people should leave her to do as she will. It certainly appears that she is doing what most fans would want anyway, which is getting things on track to be released in a proper and timely manner.
 

I'm finding these critiques of Mrs. Gygax a little hard to take. If Gary had wanted TLG to have exclusive rights to any of his IP he could easily have arranged that before his unfortunate passing. Gail Gygax has been Gary's loving and devoted wife for a very long time. For anyone to suggest that she has less right to decide what happens to Gary's possessions, including his gaming IP, than a bunch of guys he hung out with at conventions and published a few gaming books with is absolutely ludicrous. And the idea that a bunch of nameless internet fans have a right to know what arrangements Gary made with his wife for the disposition of his estate after his death is even more ridiculous.
 

Remove ads

Top