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.

 

[Yeoman99]

Hey Colonel! Been playing D&D for 24 years now which has been a real pleasure, so firstly my thanks.

I have a question regarding the Doppleganger. All damage descriptions of this monster give a d12 damage. Given the nature of these creatures how did you view this damage being done? I imagine that if a weapon was being used from a previous victim then the damage would be variable. So I tend to see the d12 damage being from the dopplegangers limb, perhaps changing into a weapon-like appendage (a bit like the Terminator 2 robot that was fighting Schwartenegger)

Am I on the right tracks?

Good health! John

 

[SuStel]

Who's got the map?

Hi, Gary! A situation came up this evening that made me wonder how things were done back when D&D was new and you had a score of players crammed in your basement.

My girlfriend is also my GM (ain't love grand?), but I'm not attending tonight's D&D game. Since I'm usually the mapper, I have the maps of the levels we've explored so far, and so I scanned them in and e-mailed them to her, so the players would have the maps for tonight's game.

My questions, therefore, are these: In the early days, who kept the maps between games, the DM or one of the players? If the character of the mapping player was killed and left behind, did he have to surrender his copy of the map to the DM? Or was it just one of those conventions of the game that a map was kept, and who cared where it was supposed to be?

Thanks in advance for your answer!

 

[Tuzenbach]

Gary,

Here's an old one, but a good one (I hope! ). Crafting the rules for AD&D way back when, what exactly (or approximately, even! ) was going through your head as to the differentiation between the "long sword" versus the "broad sword". Thanks!

 

[The Great Bear King]

Gary would you check my Nethermancer class (including) revisions to see if it's unbalanced in any way.

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Wow either you missed the post explaining how much Gary charges an hour for consultation, or you have a lot of money to burn
Ken

Gary would you check my Nethermancer class (including) revisions to see if it's unbalanced in any way.

 

[Tuzenbach]

Gary would you check my Nethermancer class (including) revisions to see if it's unbalanced in any way.

Erm......

Bear King,


I'm really not trying to speak for Gary but, AIUI, he really doesn't care about 3E or any sort of D&D post AD&D. And that includes classes constructed to post AD&D specifications. I realize you're a fairly new poster and fairly new to D&D, so I can understand your mistake. But for future reference, please try to keep the subject matter to D&D circa 1986 and prior, or general DMing/playing techniques (that aren't post AD&D-rules-specific). Thanks!

 

[palleomortis]

Ok, this has probably been asked a BILLION times, but what do you think of all the newer D20 products out. Sucha as the ones in dragon mag.?

That, and what do you think of the newer D&D editions?

 

[ScottyG]

Gary,

Here's an old one, but a good one (I hope! ). Crafting the rules for AD&D way back when, what exactly (or approximately, even! ) was going through your head as to the differentiation between the "long sword" versus the "broad sword". Thanks!

Tuzenbach, the broad sword is similar to earlier versions of the broad/long sword. They were primarily chopping weapons and damage was as much bludgeoning as from blade cuts, the tips were rounded as often as not. Long swords could be thought of as later era swords where the quality of steel had improved to the point where a sharp edge and point could be maintained.
Scott

 

[Jdvn1]

Hm, four days since Gary's been here.

 

[BOZ]

i'd be patient.