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.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

While your knowledge of braunschweiger far outstrips mine, and I cannot even remember tiddly winks (although I'm certain I had such a game once), the story is absolutely hillarious.

My only question is, did you also sing "My commander has a first name, it's O-S-C-A-R"?

Tiddly winks consist of larger "tiddles" and the "winks", discs that one causes to fly up by pressing the "tidle" upon the edge of the "wink" so as to cause then to soar into the cup and score a point. It isn't actually a bad game...

Would I had thought of that refrain, I am sure that my wargamer cohorts would have fled the field in horror. Damn! All I did was was sound the four notes that were used in the old commercials, each representing the words, "Os-car Mey-er"

It seems Fortuna also resented my levity, for all too often the morale check to advance against the enemy failed, and my Brunswickers advanced to the rear rather than against the foe :\

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Henrix]

Somehow the stuffy and overly serious Napoleonic Wars miniatures buffs I played with found that offensive, a sort of lesse majestie to their devotion to playing with toy soldiers

This seems to be a recurring tendency among Nap buffs, and the reason that I have still never played any Nap miniature games - the aficionados are too darned boring and serious!

 

[gideon_thorne]

Tiddly winks consist of larger "tiddles" and the "winks", discs that one causes to fly up by pressing the "tidle" upon the edge of the "wink" so as to cause then to soar into the cup and score a point. It isn't actually a bad game...

Would I had thought of that refrain, I am sure that my wargamer cohorts would have fled the field in horror. Damn! All I did was was sound the four notes that were used in the old commercials, each representing the words, "Os-car Mey-er"

It seems Fortuna also resented my levity, for all too often the morale check to advance against the enemy failed, and my Brunswickers advanced to the rear rather than against the foe :\

Cheers,
Gary

*chuckles* I'm going to have to pass this one onto my dad. He's nuts about the game of tiddly winks. Ought to bring the game to LGGC and you two can have at it.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This seems to be a recurring tendency among Nap buffs, and the reason that I have still never played any Nap miniature games - the aficionados are too darned boring and serious!

It isn't only the Napoleonic buffs--although when one group ranked its members by titles such as "General of Division" and "Marshall" I thought that overboard--one of the members of the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association quit, wouldn't speak to me, because of the Chainmail Fantasy Supplement game play I encouraged on the sand table. To me adding fantasy figures to the toy sloldiers usually used in play seemed quite logical.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

*chuckles* I'm going to have to pass this one onto my dad. He's nuts about the game of tiddly winks. Ought to bring the game to LGGC and you two can have at it.

Well, I am in for a thorough trouncing when that happens, as I haven't played the game since I was around 10, so that's something over a half-century, but I'm game nonetheless

Cheers,
Gary

 

[gideon_thorne]

It isn't only the Napoleonic buffs--although when one group ranked its members by titles such as "General of Division" and "Marshall" I thought that overboard--one of the members of the Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association quit, wouldn't speak to me, because of the Chainmail Fantasy Supplement game play I encouraged on the sand table. To me adding fantasy figures to the toy sloldiers usually used in play seemed quite logical.

Cheers,
Gary

Historians can be a stuffy lot at times. Specially when they take themselves too seriously. Its something my family certainly has encountered in some 30 years of various recreationisms.

 

[haakon1]

To tell all, not only did I have a 30mm force of Brunswick Napoleonic figurines, with the command figure waving aloft a braunschweiger sausage

ROFL!

That's just perfect, and I'm sure it's historically accurate. After all, strange Germanic warrior-folk barbarians often use their iconic foodstuff as a rallying symbol. (cheeseheads!)

 

[Col_Pladoh]

ROFL!

That's just perfect, and I'm sure it's historically accurate. After all, strange Germanic warrior-folk barbarians often use their iconic foodstuff as a rallying symbol. (cheeseheads!)

Hey!

We Cheeseheads are all in Wisconsin. Germanic warriors are Krauts!

Say cheese,
Gary

 

[haakon1]

We Cheeseheads are all in Wisconsin. Germanic warriors are Krauts!

DANE county, Lake GENEVA, or Green Bay, it's all a bunch of Norse pantheon types to me. Which is why there's so much beer and brats.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

DANE county, Lake GENEVA, or Green Bay, it's all a bunch of Norse pantheon types to me. Which is why there's so much beer and brats.

Well, how about the Dutchmen that...

Ah, never mind, I see what you mean

Milwaukee did attract a lot of Polacks, though

Cheers,
Gary