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.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Thanks Gary! Hope that even after this thread is gone that you drop in and hang out with us, its been a real pleasure!

 

[Geoffrey]

Gary, thank you for making this the best RPG thread I've ever seen.

Best of luck with all of the following:

Lejendary Adventure--May its players double every three months!

Castle GreyHack for HackMaster--We've been eagerly awaiting this for a long time. A pox on the shade of T$R!

Your various and sundry d20 products--May they sell a million copies!

All your other endeavors--May they be pleasing and profitable!

 

[johnsemlak]

A few last questions

Gary,

You said you might answer a few last final questions. Here we go.

1. Sorry, but this very small thing has nagged me for years...

In Appendix N (inspirational reading) of the 1e DMG, you write:

"The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp &
Pratt, REH [Howard], Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, HPL [Lovecraft], and A. Merritt."

In listing the primary authors that influenced the AD&D game, you left out J.R.R. Tolkien (you put him in a much larger list of sources of fantasy but did not include him among the 'most immediate influences'). As many people (erroneously) consider D&D to be a rather close copy of Tolkien's world, leaving out Tolkien seems conspicuous.

Is there any particular reason you didn't single out Tolkien as one of the major influences on AD&D?

2. Was there any particular inspiration for the lich?

3. I'm sure the answer to this is available elsewhere, but could you say how you came up with the name Dungeons and Dragons? (if it was covered earlier in the thread, sorry).

4. You recently published a d20 supplement that included a mini dictionary of Thief's Cant, based on the historical language of, well, thieves. Do you often make use of historical languages in designing adventures or material (Latin, Greek, old English, Near Eastern Lanugages, etc). Did you ever study any 'dead' languages?

It's been said already by me and others, but thanks again for answering so many questions.

Happy Adventuring!

John Semlak

 

[belegost]

Gary,

Thanks for all the time you've spent on this thread and for creating a game that I've been enjoying for 22+ years. It is wonderful that the creator still has passion for RPGs after all these years. Like you've said you are a gamer.

My son (9) has discovered D&D and I've been enjoying his fresh take on the game. It is amazing that the younger kids can occassionally have brilliant sessions that would impress my older, more experienced group of gamers. They also don't notice or mind when I slip a little education in the games (mapping/scale, economics, governments, communities, creative writing, etc.). RPGs are a tremendous learning tool and great fun.

Do you have any memorable incident when your children (still young) surprised you with their gaming prowess?

My older players are fully entrenched in D&D. However I've wanted to give LA a go. How well does the game translate to younger players? I believe that you stated that it is rules lite which sounds great. I don't expect my younger players to know all the rules (in fact, the lack of knowledge of every minute detail appears to help in their gaming). I'm currently perusing the newsgroups at LejendaryAdventures.com to try and educating myself on the game.

Ironically, I think playing LA would also help with several children whose parents do not want them to play D&D as they still believe the media reports of the 80s and are convinced that D&D will lead to the occult/suicide/etc. I respect their decision as concerned parents but wish they would have taken the time to join us for a session or two as I've suggested. I've mentioned Lejendary Adventures to them and they seemed much more open. How ironic as both games have the same founding father!

Thanks again.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Thanks for everything!

Gary,

I've been playing D&D since I was 12 - so over 14 years now. I have wonderful memories that will be retold countless times for years - generations - to come. I wait for my son, who is 5, and my daughter, who is 2 1/2, to be old enough to teach and nurture a love for fantasy and games. (My wife plays, and thinks its a blast!)

I have an original small wood grain box (2nd printing), with the 3 books in very good condition, and then supplements I through IV in the same condition. I need to make it to GenCon or some other event and get you to sign them!

Thank you for answering all of these questions. I have been reading the thread every day, eager to discover something "new" and interesting.

Taren Nighteyes

Welcome! As all of my six children have played, and the three boys (well two men and one teenager) still do, I thoroguhly approve of your ambition. It is really great to see whole families enjoying a convention, playing together.

Wish I still had my original D&D. long gone now

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

G'day Gary!

Before you go, a last request/suggestion (though not for answering on this thread!): please give a thought for including in your On A Soapbox column some details from play in the original Temple of Elemental Evil, the "Wonderland" of CG, and the Isle of the Ape.

Especially the latter - you've dropped some nice hints in the published module of the terrible time your players had of it!

Best wishes,
Merric

Hi Amigo!

The main story of unusual sort in re the ToEE is likely too well known to treat again--that of Robilar's romp therein with his orc hero, Quij left waiting outside.

Terik had some hilarious run-ins in THE LAND BEYOND THE MAGIC MIRROR with the Walrus and Carpenter, but they were more of the "you had to be there" sort.

Terik was also the main actor in the various IotA adventures, as he took great exception to the chief's and witch doctor's initial treatment of him. A series of attacks followed, with retreats coming in due course, and then return visits with comrades to take revenge. On;y after finally roughly handling the native population sis the crew go into the island's interior. One PC, and I won't say which, met Oonga, got grabbed, wrenched, bittem, thrown down, and then drop-kicked off the ledge of the cave. A wish was expended to save him. That ended all interest in further adventuring there

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks Gary! Hope that even after this thread is gone that you drop in and hang out with us, its been a real pleasure!

It has been a proverbial slice, Breakdaddy

I am indeed postiing on a couple of other threads, and it is mainly when I have to put my creative nose to the writing grindstone that board posting goes by the boards...heh.

Fact is I have been goofing off for a bit, and I need to get to some serious writing and work again soon.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, thank you for making this the best RPG thread I've ever seen.

Best of luck with all of the following:

Lejendary Adventure--May its players double every three months!

Castle GreyHack for HackMaster--We've been eagerly awaiting this for a long time. A pox on the shade of T$R!

Your various and sundry d20 products--May they sell a million copies!

All your other endeavors--May they be pleasing and profitable!

Geoffrey, you have the laundry list down pretty well. From your lips to God's ear. Of course, if all that happens, I will "retire" in short order and start playing more games Heck, I could likely run three different RPG campaign sessions a week then, and finding players would be the main problem...

Heh,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: A few last questions

Gary,

You said you might answer a few last final questions. Here we go.

1. Sorry, but this very small thing has nagged me for years...

In Appendix N (inspirational reading) of the 1e DMG, you write:

"The most immediate influences upon AD&D were probably de Camp &
Pratt, REH [Howard], Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance, HPL [Lovecraft], and A. Merritt."

In listing the primary authors that influenced the AD&D game, you left out J.R.R. Tolkien (you put him in a much larger list of sources of fantasy but did not include him among the 'most immediate influences'). As many people (erroneously) consider D&D to be a rather close copy of Tolkien's world, leaving out Tolkien seems conspicuous.

Is there any particular reason you didn't single out Tolkien as one of the major influences on AD&D?

Happy to be of service.

I omitted JRRT's work as a primary one because it didn't inspire me in regards to gaming, to create the material in A/D&D that made it what it is at its core. While I enjoyed THE HOBBIT, the trilogy was not an exciting read for me.

The listed authors and works were what moved me to want to design a game that allowed participants to have exciting fantasy adventures. The "influences" from JRRT's work that I included in the game were mainly there to interest others in playing it, not what caused me to want to create it

2. Was there any particular inspiration for the lich?

Actually, no. The lich just seemed a natural for the upper ranks of the undead in the game, so I created the various features of that monster for the system, and used only broad general knowledge to do so.

3. I'm sure the answer to this is available elsewhere, but could you say how you came up with the name Dungeons and Dragons? (if it was covered earlier in the thread, sorry).

There is some false information put out on this subject from T$R after I split. When I wrote the initial and second drafts of the D&D game ms. I had it's title as "The Fantasy Game." This was for two reasons: One, I hadn't settled on a name yet. Two, when I did choose a name, I didn't want it known intil a product was out. During this period I made up a two-column list of names. All in column one could stand alone or go with one in the second column to form a longer title. I read the lists to my regular players, and my family, asking what they thought best. Of course the list had both "Dungeons" and "Dragons" on it. Those two in combination were the favorites, and when my (then) little daughter Cindy clapped her hands and said the really liked that name, I agreed. It was my favorite too--after all, I had formed the Castle & Crusade Society as a part of the International Federation of Wargaming about three years before that.

4. You recently published a d20 supplement that included a mini dictionary of Thief's Cant, based on the historical language of, well, thieves. Do you often make use of historical languages in designing adventures or material (Latin, Greek, old English, Near Eastern Lanugages, etc). Did you ever study any 'dead' languages?

Right, I have been fascinated by "thieves' cant" for a long time, so I did indeed develop that for use in RPGs where the GM wants to add criminal underclass action to the campaign--or for authors who want to have characters speal in cant now and then. However, that exercise was demanding on me as the GM, because my players took to it as ducks to water, and then I had to remember all the bloody stuff!

As for using/studying other languages, no. I have more than enoght to worry about managing English in writing and gaming

Cheerio,
Gary



Happy Adventuring!

John Semlak [/B][/QUOTE]

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary,

Thanks for all the time you've spent on this thread and for creating a game that I've been enjoying for 22+ years. It is wonderful that the creator still has passion for RPGs after all these years. Like you've said you are a gamer.

Whew! Glad someone did notice that. My parents and grandparents had to suffer with that since I was about five years old. The only damper I ever recall was my grandfather's whupping my ass at chess (he could play seven boards at once) and then correcting an early move I made, so we could play again from that point and he could whup my ass again later on..

My son (9) has discovered D&D and I've been enjoying his fresh take on the game. It is amazing that the younger kids can occassionally have brilliant sessions that would impress my older, more experienced group of gamers. They also don't notice or mind when I slip a little education in the games (mapping/scale, economics, governments, communities, creative writing, etc.). RPGs are a tremendous learning tool and great fun.

Do you have any memorable incident when your children (still young) surprised you with their gaming prowess?

Oh, yes. My two oldest children were initial play-testers in 1972-3. As they had few pre-conceptions, they often amazed and confounded me. More recently, the group of mainly older players has ignored suggestions from my youngest son, and I have had to bite my tongue, because he had struck the nail on the head.

Of course young players often have pretty bad ideas too. The great part is to watch them learn and develop, see the playing skill increase over time.

My older players are fully entrenched in D&D. However I've wanted to give LA a go. How well does the game translate to younger players? I believe that you stated that it is rules lite which sounds great. I don't expect my younger players to know all the rules (in fact, the lack of knowledge of every minute detail appears to help in their gaming). I'm currently perusing the newsgroups at LejendaryAdventures.com to try and educating myself on the game.

Actually, I believe that the LA game is really fun for any age gamer who enjoys roleplay and doesn'r like rules getting in the way of adventuring. There is a good deal of intuitiveness in playing an LA game Avatar, and children usually do quite well with the system. It has fre stats, and about the most difficult thing for them to manage is the magic system. Keeping track of the points there is a bit hard for youngsters.

Ironically, I think playing LA would also help with several children whose parents do not want them to play D&D as they still believe the media reports of the 80s and are convinced that D&D will lead to the occult/suicide/etc. I respect their decision as concerned parents but wish they would have taken the time to join us for a session or two as I've suggested. I've mentioned Lejendary Adventures to them and they seemed much more open. How ironic as both games have the same founding father!

Thanks again.

While I am most happy to have new participants pick up the LA game as their primary RPG, or as a change of pace "second system", I most certainly hate to see that happen for the reason you note The ignorant attacks and prejudice against D&D are very unpalatable to me, and not mainly becuase I wrote so much of the game, but because those charges are so awfully wrong!

Cheerio,
Gary