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.

 

[jester47]

I too remember these little plastic toys. I thought the rust monster looking plastic mini was a prehistoric animal...


Aaron.

 

[sleezesteve]

When I heard the original Castle Greyhawk was going to be published I nearly soiled myself but my initial elation was lost when I read it was not going to be for d20 but Hackmaster instead. While I have no problem with Hackmaster a product made for that system would not be easily transferable into my current third edition Greyhawk game without a lot of work I don’t want to do. I spend money on RPG products so I don’t have to do that work.

So please Mr. Gygax have a conversion made with the little d20 logo on the front. I’m sure the market is out there for it, in fact I pretty sure it would sell more than the Hackmaster version (though I don’t have the data to back that statement up only a hunch).

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: D&D cartoon & nostalgia

Didn't you share the script with anyone else who may have kept a copy?

With the regular scripts, I reviewed and marked each, then we copied the work, sent the original back to Marvel in 24 hours.

As the script in question was for a production not yet under agreement, all I did was read and comment in a memo to Marvel, returning the script without copying it. At such time as the deal was agreed to the same script, likely with a few changes, would have been sent to me again, so...

The short answer is no

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Mr. Gygax,

This question has been nagging me for years.

[snippage]

Had you seen the toys before those monsters were written?

Thank you,

Kapture

Heh, and indeed! When we were all playing CHAINMAIL Fantasy Supplement Miniatures on the sand table in my basement, finding figurines for monsters was a priority. Of course the fantasy miniatures field was nil then. In my search I came upon the bag of monsters in a dime store, brought them home, and various persons involved suggested what they might be. Eventually we created names and stats for all, and so the resemblance is no coincidence at all

BTW, the red dragon we used was a conversion I made from a stegosarus, and the lone giant figure we had I convetred from a 90mm scale Hauser Viking, using a kitchen match and auto body putty to make his club. Hair snipped from one of my daughters' old dolls gave him a real "frightwig" too Yes, my rude theft of hair was discovered, and I was in deep kimche with my youngest daughter for a long time because of it.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I too remember these little plastic toys. I thought the rust monster looking plastic mini was a prehistoric animal...

Aaron.

Heh, and no, the figure that we based the rust monster on was vaguely sauracian, but it was not actually any dinosaur--at least any one I ever say illustrated in the dozen or som books I have on them.

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

[snippage]

So please Mr. Gygax have a conversion made with the little d20 logo on the front. I’m sure the market is out there for it, in fact I pretty sure it would sell more than the Hackmaster version (though I don’t have the data to back that statement up only a hunch).

The castle ruins and dungeons from my original campaign were constructed based on D&D and then AD&D. Those games are so different from 3E that the whole spirit of the work would fail--at least that's the opinion that I have and Rob Kuntz shares.

Frankly, I would far prefer doing the work as an OAD&D one, but that's verboten. The closest system to it is the HACKMASTER one, so that's what we are considering.

As for including D20, that's the publishers call. However, the lengthy conversion information needed would likely blow the whole project out of the water due to size. As it is we are looking at something like six or so parts to complete the work. Naturally, we will so design the separate portions to that they stand alone as a complete module, but have hooks that will enable the next to be added if the participants desire.

Ciao,
Gary

 

[jester47]

Heh, and no, the figure that we based the rust monster on was vaguely sauracian, but it was not actually any dinosaur--at least any one I ever say illustrated in the dozen or som books I have on them.

Ciao,
Gary

Let me clarify, when I was a little kid I thought it was a prehistoric creature that I simply had not learned about yet...

Aaron.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Rather OT This...

Just reading the most recent posts on the economics of D&D. Whew! What a lot og gyrations are needed to recncile all the problems. I feel guilty as I started the mess...although I didn't promulgate it to the point it is now. anyway...

What a far simpler, generic, sysyem the "$" one I use. Prices of some things need to be set for the game, of course, but all the worry about income, general prices of cmmon goods, etc. is easily covered. Sure makes running a campaign much easier

Gary

 

[Clumsy Bob]

Hi Gary.

A little question for you if I may. Gord, Chert, Curley and Gellor. Where did these guys originally come from, were they PC's in one of your games or straight out of your head? What made you choose a theif acrobat as the main character in your series of novels and what was the story with the Gord the Rogue novels and the Greyhawk adventures series, why two.
Thats actually three questions, but what the heck.

Cheers

ClumsyBob

 

[Breakdaddy]

Gary, do you still read Dragon magazine? I am a participant in another lengthy thread on this board about the magazine and it seems that there is some very vocal opposition to the current direction of the magazine. Do you think it still follows the spirit of the old magazine?