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.

 

[gideon_thorne]

Just trying to keep currant and not work at crossant purposes.

No loafer you. When it comes to punning you are a hard man.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Mark CMG]

Wow, this thread is getting big! Have there really been nine of these?

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Hey Gary! I finally stumbled across a copy of "Poplollies and Bellibones," and bought it due to your recommendation lo these many moons ago. A fantastic little reference book, a veritable Rosetta Stone to the Gygaxian style of writing.

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

Hi Gary,

I just got done on a George Romero movie binge - Night of the Living Dead through Land of the Dead - and I was struck by some of the similarities between Romero's zombies and the D&D Ghoul. So I was wondering, did you pull any inspiration from Night of the Living Dead?

 

[oldschooler]

As far as I know, Land of the Dead was the only Romero film to use the term "zombie". I know the creatures were referred to as ghouls in Night of the Living Dead, but zombie is more a term for Vodoo. The term ghouls fits any living being who consumes their own dead, or any dead being who consumes their living counterparts.

I think in terms of Dungeons & Dragons, zombies represent a magic-users (or clerics) ability to raise the dead as servants; while ghouls represent those that die and go on to feed on the living (like in Romero's Dead quartet). But that's just my opinion, YMMV.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary,

I just got done on a George Romero movie binge - Night of the Living Dead through Land of the Dead - and I was struck by some of the similarities between Romero's zombies and the D&D Ghoul. So I was wondering, did you pull any inspiration from Night of the Living Dead?

The D&D ghoul was inspired by the Lovecraftian critter of that name and my own imagination. they first appeared in play in c. 1970 in the Chainmail Fantasy Supplement table top games.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

Thanks Gary! I got another for you.

Did you ever have much contact with Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, original founders of Games Workshop? I figure probably not, but it would be cool if my three favourite old-school gaming personalities got together at some point.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks Gary! I got another for you.

Did you ever have much contact with Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone, original founders of Games Workshop? I figure probably not, but it would be cool if my three favourite old-school gaming personalities got together at some point.

As a matter of fact I met Ian and Steve in the UK back in the 1970s, personally selected them as the exclusive distributors for the TSR game line thereafter. Those two worthies stayed with me in my home in the early 1980s, and I still get Christmas cards from Ian. (I have lost track of Steve, sadly.)

When at my place they both helped me clear poison oak from the trees around the house. I didn't realize that I was virtually immune to the irritant sap, but bith of the poor chaps got back to England and suffered the itchy red bumps in profusion, and gave me what for BTW, John Edwards of Jedko in Australia was there too, and he could mimic my American and Ian's and Steve's British accents and made jest of the lot of us.

As an historical aside that has never been mentioned before, I wanted TSR to merge with GW, that enterprise getting a quarter interest in the new enterprise formed from merging the two companies, but Ian and Steve were charry of the Blumes. I couldn't come right out and say that I would surely vote with them against my erstwhile partners, so there went that.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[francisca]

As an historical aside that has never been mentioned before, I wanted TSR to merge with GW, that enterprise getting a quarter interest in the new enterprise formed from merging the two companies, but Ian and Steve were charry of the Blumes. I couldn't come right out and say that I would surely vote with them against my erstwhile partners, so there went that.

Cheers,
Gary

Hi Gary!

Now *that* is an interesting footnote in the history of gaming. My my, how much different would the industry be today if that had come about.......

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary!

Now *that* is an interesting footnote in the history of gaming. My my, how much different would the industry be today if that had come about.......

Quite so.

Ian and Steve were both very bright and hard-nosed businessmen that were dedicated to success. Had they comprised a part of the Board of Directors of TSR, voting 25% of the shares, it is likely that all the debacles that followed in 1983 and 84 would not have hapened.

Such is life...

Cheerio,
Gary