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.

 

[dcas]

Actually, DCAS' pointed seem to be to propose a falling damage system - which was the subject of my post. The bottom line is that DCAS's system IS NOT a linear system, it proposes a non-linear increase in damage based on distance fallen (which is compounded by the non-linear relationship of distance to time, as you point out).

No no. I was simply using numbers (20, 50, 80) that are easier to remember than 16, 48, and 80. In the first second of fall one falls approximately 16 feet (distance ~= 16*t^2), the second second 48 feet, and the third second 80 feet. One has a velocity of 32ft/sec. in the first second of fall, 64 in the 2nd, 96 in the third, etc. I know my system doesn't model the real physics exactly. I didn't want to make the calculations to heavy. Of course one could determine the exact velocity from the distance fallen. But who has time to do this at the gaming table? I wouldn't want to extract a square root at the table (that is, unless I could do it in my head). I suppose one might create a table that listed distance in increments of 10 feet, along with velocity, and then approximate damage from that. For example

10 feet ==> t ~= 0.8 ==> v ~= 25.3 ft/sec.
20 feet ==> t ~= 1.1 ==> v ~= 35.8 ft/sec.

IOW one wouldn't take much more damage from falling 20 feet than falling 10 feet.

30 feet ==> t ~= 1.4 ==> v ~= 43.8 ft./sec.
40 feet ==> t ~= 1.6 ==> v ~= 50.6 ft./sec.

Falling 40 feet would cause about twice as much damage as falling 10 feet. And falling 160 feet would cause four times the damage. Oof!

Yes, I guess my proposed system did a poor job of estimating. Oh well. I didn't really think about it too much when I came up with it (this afternoon). Sorry. In this light I would argue that the first ten feet cause approx. 3 points of damage, the next 30 about 1 point each, and anything over 40 is automatic death. I would be inclined to give the first 10 feet "free," then have 3 points per foot from 10 to 20, and 1 point per foot from 20 to 50. ::shrugs::

 

[WyzardWhately]

Two things.

1. Someone mentioned, about a page back, stories available from Google Groups about the ToH & ToEE. I can't seem to find those. Can anyone link me?

2. This joke about the Ultimist class keeps getting mentioned. I hate being left out of in-jokes. Is there anywhere that I can see the text of this 'zine or whatever it was? I'm curious. Also, none of my companions will have heard of it, and I can play the joke on them.

 

[Gentlegamer]

The Ultimist class was published as a satire piece in Polyhedron about twenty years ago.

 

[WyzardWhately]

Yeah, I know that. I was wondering if it's scanned in anywhere on the web, or if someone has it as a file.

I don't have so much seniority that I can dig into a box in the closet and find such things, you see.

 

[RFisher]

Of course, you could add a little believability into your game and just say any fall of 40' or greater is automatically lethal unless you land on a forgiving surface or can slow your decent somehow (as it is IRL... actually 30' is generally considered the cutoff point, but I'll be a little generous here. ).

Yeah. I've been thinking for a while that falls shouldn't affect hp. I've been thinking some kind of actual injury (broken leg/arm--with lack of use of the affected limb--or even death) would be better. With some sort of saving throw.

If you are reading the collected Conan stories published recently, remember, they are arranged by order of publication which is definitely not the chronological order of Conan's life.

I've got the Fantasy Masterwork duo that are arranged in "life" order instead of "published" order. (I would have preferred published order.)

 

[Col_Pladoh]

No matter where I lived (I was an army brat), our mock-combats used ranged weapons almost exclusively. In Tacoma, Washington, it was little rocks (!); in Stuttgart, Germany, it was Horse Chestnuts, either stripped of their outer casing, or with spikes intact (!!); and in Dallas, Texas, it was "spear grass"- a plant about 6-14" tall that, when plucked, had a hard, dart-like root-ball that if thrown, could draw blood at ranges up to 25'.

We were nuts.

Indeed, a sort of "spear grass" grows around here, has characteristics as you note, and served as a close-range missile weapon in rock fights. The horse chestnuts here aren't nearly as fne a missile as are green walnuts, those being larger and heavier, but the kids nowadays can't find much countryside with such trees so as to engage in throwing them at each other

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Horse mounted combat with saber vs lance more or less comprised my 'teen' years.

Certs!

None doubt that claim, I am sure...


Gary

 

[gideon_thorne]

Certs!

None doubt that claim, I am sure...


Gary

I can show you video. Reenactor days in California at a lil event we put on at San Pasqual. Dragoon's vs Mexican Lancers.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Since in the discussions you remember you and others pointed out how much you didn't like "old" D&D and had left the game and only "returned" for "3e," I can't help but point out (by way of clarification) that "3e" and "3.5e" are not D&D, but part of the d20 System rules set. I don't understand why it upsets you so much.

Quite so!

New D&D is a different game than were D&D and AD&D in their various editions.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

...
...
So, when you weren't DMing D&D (in whatever flavor your preference at the time was), what other games did you or your gaming group prefer to run? And, if you've got more than a couple moments, what was it about those systems you particularly enjoyed?

Speaking for me...

I was always happy to play just about any RPG somneone else was GMing. My favorite was Metamorphosis Alpha, as I love the mix of whimsey and menace embroidered into the science fantasy basis. Of course I played every one of the other RPGs TSR published, and enjoyed them all, especially Boot Hill. My son Luke ran a brief campaign of Top Secret, but quit as the game wasn't properly supported. We also played Paranoia, Traveller, and CoC when there was a willing GM.

Frankly, with a good GM, with or without other enthusiastic players, I just love to have at roleplaying--or just about any other game. That's why I don't get invlved in computer games or play online, as I'd do nothing else

Cheers,
Gary