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.

 

[Jehosephat]

Howdy, Jehosephat

Right you are about the stegasaurus converted to a red dragon--it came out pretty well. Other conversins were made from 90 mm Hauser Elastolin figures (giants), plastic dime store Indians (ogres), and various monster toys picked up in dime stores. Jack Scruby was making metal 30 mm orc figures, so we had plenty of those.

As to dice, though, actualy, early in 1972 I got ahold of a school supply catalog from a company out in California. In that book were what I had been looking for for years--Platonic solids with numbers on them, polyhedral dice There was the pyramid d4 (yellow), the usual d6 with Arabic numerals (pine, later orange), a d8 (green), d 12 (light blue), and d20 (white) numbered 0-9 twice on its faces. All were made of soft plastic and the numbers were badly stamped, but what treasures! Just what was needed for interesting new games, thought I, but the set of five cost $3.

When the D&D game was published, we bought 50 sets of these dice from school supply company, got a 10% discount, and passed them along to gamers at $3.50 per set--a break even price--so as to make the D&D game easily playable. The school supply couldn't believe that we were ordering so many sets, and when we asked for discount rate on 1,000, they declined, so we found their source in the Orient and ordered direct from them.

Cheers,
Gary

Thank you kindly Gary. I remember those dice from my early D&D and Gamma World boxed sets. Actually, for reasons of nostalgia, it wouldn't be bad to have a set of those right now. I remember the 4-siders actually had a pretty sharp point on them. You know if you attacked someone with them, I'll bet they would do 1d4 damage. (sorry I couldn't resist that corny joke).

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thank you kindly Gary. I remember those dice from my early D&D and Gamma World boxed sets. Actually, for reasons of nostalgia, it wouldn't be bad to have a set of those right now. I remember the 4-siders actually had a pretty sharp point on them. You know if you attacked someone with them, I'll bet they would do 1d4 damage. (sorry I couldn't resist that corny joke).

As it happens I have quite a number of the old low-impact dice around here somewhere. The points on the d4 were very sharp but wore down quickly. Rob had a d20 that would stand on a worn point about one roll in 50

Somewhere I lost my d20 with half the faces colored gray. It was my "killer die" that rolled an idnordinate number of 20s, and the players really hated it

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Grazzt]

Somewhere I lost my d20 with half the faces colored gray. It was my "killer die" that rolled an idnordinate number of 20s, and the players really hated it

Cheers,
Gary

I have one of those myself (a "killer die"). Yeah- the players really, really hate it.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I have one of those myself (a "killer die"). Yeah- the players really, really hate it.

Heh,

Right Rob was always looking to get one for himself to get even with me when he was DMing for my PCs. One encounter Robilar had when he was about 9th level and AC -4 was with an Evil Cleric and his gnoll guards. The latter managed to hit Robilar so many times because of my 20s that he had only about 10 HPs left when he finally offed the cleric and was able to concentrate on the gnolls.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[d20Dwarf]

I have one of those myself (a "killer die"). Yeah- the players really, really hate it.

Two weeks ago my dice, as a whole, were so hot, that at the end of the session my players smuggled them out of sight, divided them among their own dice bags, and then only revealed the ploy at the beginning of the next session. Needless to say, they had no trouble clearing the demon lord's Abyssal abode.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

d20Dwarf,

It is good to learn that there is at least one other person who isn't superstitious about his dice being touched by others, particularly players from the group.

That said, I would be none too happy if my favorite ones were absconded with. I hate it when the opposition I am represenring can't find the pointy ends of their swords, or use their natural weapons to effect. No challenge to the characters at all when that happens...and it does happen!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[grodog]

"Tenser and the Giant's Bag,"

Hmmm, I'm not familiar with this story Gary. Do you recall where/when it appeared?

Also, Rob does own the copyright on the Oerth Journal accounts, although IIRC one of them has some comments from Dave Arneson that are his copyright as well. I'd be more than happy to forward you copies of them, if you'd like to consider them for possible additions to the collection.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hmmm, I'm not familiar with this story Gary. Do you recall where/when it appeared?

Howdy Allen

No way i recall the dates or vehicles, but I wrote the account a couple of times. It was about an incident when Rob was DMing for Ernie who was on a solo adventure with Tenser, I was there working, but I gave Rob high signs and thus was playing the hill giant that Tenser met and conversed with. When we get to compiling the column material I'll do another account of the tale, and whatever new material i can recall.

Also, Rob does own the copyright on the Oerth Journal accounts, although IIRC one of them has some comments from Dave Arneson that are his copyright as well. I'd be more than happy to forward you copies of them, if you'd like to consider them for possible additions to the collection.

Thanks for the information. Better the copies go to Rob than to me at this point. We have no written agreement yet. Rob can review the accounts and see about getting written permissio for use of Dave's quotes or edit the material as he deems best

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Silver Moon]

...There was the pyramid d4 (yellow), the usual d6 with Arabic numerals (pine, later orange), a d8 (green), d 12 (light blue), and d20 (white) numbered 0-9 twice on its faces. All were made of soft plastic and the numbers were badly stamped, but what treasures!

Treasures indeed! A week ago I had been doing some cleaning in our gaming room and accidentally misplaced the mug-full-of-dice that we put out on the table for everyone to game with. This brought things to a standstill at the beginning of the game until I remembered that there might be some in the back of a drawer inside the figure case. Wouldn't you know, it was the old chipped-up soft plastic bunch listed above that we had started out with. So some 23 years after we were first rolled them we were using them again!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Treasures indeed! A week ago I had been doing some cleaning in our gaming room and accidentally misplaced the mug-full-of-dice that we put out on the table for everyone to game with. This brought things to a standstill at the beginning of the game until I remembered that there might be some in the back of a drawer inside the figure case. Wouldn't you know, it was the old chipped-up soft plastic bunch listed above that we had started out with. So some 23 years after we were first rolled them we were using them again!

There's much to be said for results, and those old low-impact dice do generate random numbers Not much to look at but they deliver.

Of course I do prefer a d20 numbered 1-20, and in all the contemporary high-impact plastic dice are a boon, I have an odd mix of old and new, but my d30s and d7s get a fair workout in most game sessions,

Cheers,
Gary