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.

 

[Beckett]

Anyway, right now I am very vexed at them because it is unlikely that they will have my 3-5 player card/boardgame of the 100 Years War, King of England - King of France puiblished for release at GenCon as promised

Cheerio,
Gary

Drat. I had hoped I'd be able to see that.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Drat. I had hoped I'd be able to see that.

What can I say?

:\
Gary

 

[Particle_Man]

As a fan of the trolls, I have learned to cultivate the virtue of patience. There will be other Gen Cons.

 

[MerricB]

G'day, Gary!

I've just had a good weekend - played two new excellent board games: Dirk Henn's Shogun, and Glenn Drover's Age of Empires III. The latter is really interesting - it's actually very much an Eurogame, and an excellent one at that.

And I also got to DM my very first session of oD&D! The loss of a couple of players from my regular Friday campaign for the next 12 weeks indicated that I should put it on hold until they returned, so I turned to oD&D to fill the void. Actually running the game showed me that the essential experience of D&D: exploring the depths of the underworld - hasn't changed all that much (well, not the way I run it, I guess), even though the rules are now quite different.

I do have one question: How on earth did 1st level PCs survive? As most beginning characters would die in one hit, I can only assume that they made great use of ranged combat and spells to survive the first level... although superior armour would help. (Poor Sarah began with only 30 gp after rolling a 3 on 3d6 for her starting funds!)

Cheers!

 

[Beckett]

What can I say?

:\
Gary

Oh, I'm sure you're at least as disapointed as I am- no blame to you. I'll see it when it comes out.

 

[Hypersmurf]

What can I say?

:\

Do you have a prototype you can carry around and taunt people with?

-Hyp.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

As a fan of the trolls, I have learned to cultivate the virtue of patience. There will be other Gen Cons.

Tell me about it...

I have had mss. in their hands for years

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

G'day, Gary!

I've just had a good weekend - played two new excellent board games: Dirk Henn's Shogun, and Glenn Drover's Age of Empires III. The latter is really interesting - it's actually very much an Eurogame, and an excellent one at that.

And I also got to DM my very first session of oD&D! The loss of a couple of players from my regular Friday campaign for the next 12 weeks indicated that I should put it on hold until they returned, so I turned to oD&D to fill the void. Actually running the game showed me that the essential experience of D&D: exploring the depths of the underworld - hasn't changed all that much (well, not the way I run it, I guess), even though the rules are now quite different.

I do have one question: How on earth did 1st level PCs survive? As most beginning characters would die in one hit, I can only assume that they made great use of ranged combat and spells to survive the first level... although superior armour would help. (Poor Sarah began with only 30 gp after rolling a 3 on 3d6 for her starting funds!)

Cheers!

I have played Shogun, and it was okay...if a bit willy-nilly in tactics and strategy, likely proper considering the setting. Have not seen the Age of Empires III game, although we did play the Civilization card game last week, and it was enjoyable.

In OD&D the 1st level PCs did do several things to help extend their chnaces--hire men-at-arms, use missile weapons (including flaming lamp oil, that is kerosene), and run away when things appeared to be too dangerous to stay and fight.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

The Trolls have made some progress and hope to have the game as their major release for the NY Toy Fair...next year

Cheers,
Gary

 

[KRBourgoine]

Hi Piratecat,

Just don't hold your breath. the trolls have way too many projects on their publishing plate to manage the Gord hardbacks in expeditious manner.

Anyway, right now I am very vexed at them because it is unlikely that they will have my 3-5 player card/boardgame of the 100 Years War, King of England - King of France puiblished for release at GenCon as promised

Cheerio,
Gary

I, sir, join you in your vexed state.

 

[haakon1]

By preference most of the players in my various groups over the years have been basically transient--even the initial large group of characters playing out of the City of Greyhawk. The lot were prone top wander far and wide, and any home base they established was typically an islokated stronghold constructed after many years of game time.

Built from scratch generally, or captured? My PC's might settle down in the Keep on the Borderlands . . .

Mostly, the PC's in my campaigns retreat to the safety of the nearby city or the Keep for training and recovery downtime between adventures, and to sell off loot and share info with their NPC allies.

As for plots, never have I had the group concerned with saving the world, although sometimes that have been involved in adventures that have impacted a state or region. Mostly they decide for themselves what their motivation is and how far they will go to fulfill their ambitions.

I exaggerated with "saving the world". The missions my three campaigns are on right now:
1) High-level group (9th). Long range journey back home across the wilderness. Strategically, it's meant as a distraction for the forces of Iuz that they think are magically tracking them. In the short-run, they're helping an isoldated monestary fortress beat back an undead incursion, then it's off to explore Black Moor town, looking for a gate.

2) Mid-level group (5-7th). Short side adventure to find why a baron isn't sending his forces that are needed for the war effort.

3) Low-level group (2nd). Exploring a dungeon looking for a magical device useful for the war, and doing SAR for missing adventurers.

Whenever I have encouraged political activity, it has been generally rejected in favor of action and adventure. The group play-testing the LA game back c.1997-99 bought a building in a town but soon left there to investigate a demon-haunted ruin. When they completed that partucular adventure--a module that will likley be published next year--they decided to leave the area and go adventuring elsewhere. (They didn't much care about real property of money...

That's generally been my experience too, except that my folks tend to steer back "home" again at the end of adventures.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I am working on something that could well lessen our mutual vexation, KB.

At the end of an epic series the groups I DMed were generally so distant from their place of origination that they called wherever they happened to be "home."


Gary

 

[Mark]

I am working on something that could well lessen our mutual vexation, KB.

At the end of an epic series the groups I DMed were generally so distant from their place of origination that they called wherever they happened to be "home."


Gary

PC was a rolling stone?

 

[RFisher]

Speaking of really smart guys...

Solomon said "There is nothing new under the sun." That was maybe three millenia back too

Touché!

Indeed, that very phrase is often on my lips. If I do ever say anything smart, I am certainly only aping one such as he.

It's hard to see that which does not exist.

Not for us! We're gamers!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

PC was a rolling stone?

In this case Avatars were a foot-loose band. They might have been called wild geese... As a group their Renown was really very high.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Maybe the better term is imagine or visualize, eh?

OTOH, scientists manage to "see" many a theoretical thing. some of which prove to be imaginary in time

Cheers,
Gary

 

[MerricB]

I have played Shogun, and it was okay...if a bit willy-nilly in tactics and strategy, likely proper considering the setting.

Indeed; I didn't like it as much as my friends did, but they really, really enjoyed it. (So much that they've demanded to play it again next time we meet). Oh well.

Have not seen the Age of Empires III game, although we did play the Civilization card game last week, and it was enjoyable.

Don't know that card game. Oh, I see... it was a free addition you got with the computer game.

What's the expected playing time for your upcoming board/card game, Gary?

Cheers!

 

[haakon1]

Not for us! We're gamers!

You mean to say the games we see in our heads don't exist? Roll for init!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Indeed; I didn't like it as much as my friends did, but they really, really enjoyed it. (So much that they've demanded to play it again next time we meet). Oh well.

Don't know that card game. Oh, I see... it was a free addition you got with the computer game.

What's the expected playing time for your upcoming board/card game, Gary?

Cheers!

Tom Wham picked up the new computer game, so we played his card game and had fun.

The KoE-KoF game should take from 45 minites to an hour and a quarter, depending on player familiarity with the hame and the distribution of the cards. Every player has a chance for action in each of the segments, one for each player, that make up a complete turn, so there is little if any boredom factor while another player takes action during his segment of play. In fact, player interation in the form of trading cards with each other is very necessary to win the game.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[rossik]

hi mr gygax!

did you ever used "props" (dont know if this is the right word) in your games, as background music, burned letters, coins or any of this things?

what do ypu think of it?
is it just for begginers?