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.

 

[Jabba Von Hutt]

Bonjours Gary!

Hi Gary,
first off thank you for creating a game that I have been enjoying for over 20 years.

You mentioned your fondness for miniatures battles, have you ever played anything from Games Workshop? If so, fantasy or 40k? Which races? Do you still play when you get a chance?

Merci,
Alan

 

[Col_Pladoh]

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

Three is okay.

Of the quartet of characters from the novels, Curley Greenleaf is the only PC, one I played for a time. Sadly, I have misplaced or lost his record sheet. I thought a story beginning as I chose required a protagonist of the sort Gord was, a thief and then thief acrobat. It was interesting to develop him in story and imagined adventures too, as I had never played such a PC, although a something-thief demi-human character is familiar to me.

When I parted company with TSR, I could no longer use the "Greyhawk" name, so the five later novels were done with the "Gord the Rogue" banner.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

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?

This is somewhere I don't want to head. Actually, from my POV DRAGON should have kept on with dungeon adventures, and splitting off DUNGEON as a separate publication was a disservice to the gamers.

As for a certain article recently run in the zine, I believe it was ill advised.

Allow that to suffice, okay

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Geoffrey]

Frankly, I would far prefer doing the work [Greyhawk dungeons] 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.

This is the most exciting news in gaming! Here's my wish: You and Rob write-up the dungeons using OAD&D rules. Kenzer publishes it as-is with the following tongue-in-cheek note: "The infamous Gary Gygax finally found his way into our office. He was wild-eyed and waving a thick stack of papers in our faces and demanding we publish his manuscript as-is. Since it was the only way to get him to leave, we agreed. To make the encounters herein fully compatible with the latest version of HackMaster, just add 20 to everythings hit points and leave the rest the hell alone."

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Bonjours Gary!

Hi Gary,
first off thank you for creating a game that I have been enjoying for over 20 years.

You mentioned your fondness for miniatures battles, have you ever played anything from Games Workshop? If so, fantasy or 40k? Which races? Do you still play when you get a chance?

Merci,
Alan

I have played a game some few games fantasy miniatures like the GW kind--one an OAD&D-based one son Ernie ran using a number of the GW figurines--but not the actual thing. My interest in mainly in historical miniatures.

I do play when the opportinity arises, but that's far too rare. Another reason I look forward to "retiring" so as to get in more game play

My current "want" list is WWII on a 1:1 scale, some DEADLANDS, Napoleonics (sea included), but in fact I'll usually play any period and have a good deal of fun if the rules are decent and the battle scenario interesting/challenging.

Tonight I run my LA game campaign, so soon I need to think about that. My group is play-testing a module, THE HALL OF MANY PANES, that will be done in both D20 and LA system. They are really pretty good, so I am going to toss in some matterial not in the ms. so as to make them feel a bit more "challenged," shall we say...

Ciao,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This is the most exciting news in gaming! Here's my wish: You and Rob write-up the dungeons using OAD&D rules. Kenzer publishes it as-is with the following tongue-in-cheek note: "The infamous Gary Gygax finally found his way into our office. He was wild-eyed and waving a thick stack of papers in our faces and demanding we publish his manuscript as-is. Since it was the only way to get him to leave, we agreed. To make the encounters herein fully compatible with the latest version of HackMaster, just add 20 to everythings hit points and leave the rest the hell alone."

Heh...

Not far off the mark, at least in regards as to how the work will likely be written

Gary

 

[Breakdaddy]

Heck yeah! I will buy a copy of HACKMASTER if Gary starts taking me back to the good old days like this! On a side note, now I feel damned old.

 

[MerricB]

G'day Gary!

More questions from a rather inquisitive Australian, I'm afraid...

Do any of your Worldbuilder books contain information helpful towards implementing taxation, tithing and other anti-PC-money schemes in a fantasy/mediaeval campaign?

How often were you playing D&D during the early years? Would "lots" be an appropriate description?

Cheers!

 

[the Jester]

Hey there Gary!

My question is this: before UA came out, in many of the Dragon articles you published with 'teaser' stuff in it, you referred to a PH2. You had talked about several other subclasses that never saw print- the mystic, savant, mounteback, etc.

How far along did your developement of these go? Any chance we'll ever see any of the details, or was it all lost during the TSR/Gygax fallout?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hey Gary -

Ever play OGRE?

Also, I don't recall you saying much about playing starship war games, like Full Thrust or Babylon 5 Wars. Do they not interest you much? Are there any you've played and liked?