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]

(serious)

...

I view myself, as DM, as a servant of the players. I exist to cater to them. If they are not having fun, I feel like a failure.

That much is so, as the DM is there to provide entertainment to the players.

The only problem with this approach is ... it can cause a nervous breakdown. Trying to please other people, much less a whole crowd of other people, is an awfully hard thing to do.
I've never run a game, period, where at least one player didn't end the game in misery. I'm afraid that my approach to DMing is just inherently fatally flawed.
But I don't know of a better way. I really don't. Honestly, I don't.

You are surely a very consciencious DM, maybe too much so. First, you are at least as important as any other participant, so you must have fun too, or something is wring.

If you aren't always having fun, likely someone, or several someones, in the group is causing a problem. Weed out such person or persons, and you and the remainder of the players will likely find the game sessions are uniformly enjoyable.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hello Mr. Gygax,

Could you talk a little bit about the Lost Caverns?

What was the driving force behind this module? Why so many new monsters (not complaining, big Behir lover here)? What role if any did Caverns play in your world? Last but not least, how did you come up with the name Tsojcanth and how do you pronounce it?

Thanks

gk

Not much to tell here, but I'll try

I devised the adventure to entertain my best players, give them a "di9fferent": sort of dungeon crawl. The new monsters were created becasue the players characters were familiar with most other creatures from long adventuring successes, knew how to deal with them accordingly.

As to the name, I always ttry to invent new and interesting names for special adventures, the place or some antagonist. Tsojcanth is pronounced fairly easily bu dividing the name into two parts, "Tsoj-canth"--TsOddJa-canth.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I have to echo Edena's sentiments here. When I designed my campaign world I designed it to BE broken by the players. Not easily to be sure, but certainly possible. I told them this up front, even asked them to break it. That's how I'm going to having my fun, seeing what they can do, watching them try wacky stuff, and having the powers of the world react accordingly. If the players try things that aren't well thought out, they'll pay the price, but I'm all for letting them make wholescale changes in the campaign world.

Of course PC are supposed to defeat the antagonists, solve the riddles, and succeed in the quests. That should be understood by all,

What is absoilutely counter to the concept of the game is the PCS destroying a significant part, let alone the whole, of the campaign base. That is not only vandalism, but the mark of bad DMing in my view. To allow such a thing to happen after the DM has worked long and hard to create a place for adventuring is just plain wrong.

The KotDT comic strip has used this as a theme in a number of their stories, because laughter comes form discomfort. Ruining a campaign is not really amusing at all.

Cheers,
Gary

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

To Gary Gygax from Edena_of_Neith:

(quietly)

... Edena_of_Neith

Okay!

As I am swamped with work, and I want to watch football this afternoon, I confess to not reading carefully, but...

Funny thing, in the Town of Yggsburgh project of which I am the coordinator, where the community is being detailed by 19 freelancers writing as many modules, one of the designers indeed plans to include steam power being developed by gnomes

Actually, I have no real problems with that, as Archimedes invented a steam cannon for use in the defense of Syracuse.

I do have problems with high-pressure boilers and high-quality steel production rolling mills for producing steel rails, so no locomotives and railroad tracks.

Of course each GM can judge for himself what is or is not permitted in the campaign. I enjoy a good deal of levity to counterbalance the menace and violence in the setting.

That said, is there some special area you wished me to cmment on, or will that suffice?

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Well, I don't anything about WotC's marketing strategy, but my guess is that they are handling things rather conservatively, and so not spending money on a broad TV advertising campaign. While bolder measures may very well be needed to build up the gaming community, I think over the short term they're more concerned about losing money like TSR did before it went bankrupt.

TSR's loss of money had nothing to do with its successful advertising campaign, The losses were from bad management outside advertising and promotion.

It is poor busness not to advertise and promote your product, especially when it is relatively evident that the audience for your product is static, likely shrinking.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Chromatic Orb appeared in both the Complete Wizard's Handbook and the Wizard Spell Compendium in 2e.

As I never played 2E, I will take your word for it

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary,

Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us.

Heh...

Such as it is, eh?

I was wondering what your opinion of the D&D movies was? Do you think they've done anything to help grow the rpg audience? I thought the first movie was pretty wretched, but the second is getting good reviews.

Sean

As the first D&D movie was like something that fell out of the back end of a horse, I was reticent about having anything to do with the new one. When asked about being flown out to the West Coast, wined and dined, given a private showing of the new D&D movie, I remurred, as I said I would feel obligated to say something nice even if it was a dog log, so they sent a couple of chaps here to Wisconsin, and when I saw the film I was pleasantly surprised. The new movie is much better than thefirst one, and I enjoyed it. I believe most other fantasy fans will likewise find it entertaining. So I agreed to be interviewed for the DVD version of the film, and you'll see me yattering on the second disk

The first film was such that it's effect on the potential audience for the D&D game was more likely negative than positive. That is, prospective players would be turned away rather than drawn to the game. This is not so in regards the second film. It is no epic as were the LotR trilogy of movies, nor as captivating as the "Harry Potter" films, but it was exciting and portrayed the D&D experience reasonably well and faithfully. If seen by fantasy fans they might well be motivated to pick up the D&D game and gve it a try. So overall I would say that it is a good promotional vehicle.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

a wise man once said, "you can please all of the people some of the time, and you can please some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time."

if you're trying too hard to make other people happy, then *you* might be missing out on *your* fun, and that's defeating the purpose of running a game.

Correct Boz,

You said much what I suggested in my response to him

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yeah! Why, those PCs are always messing up your evil plans! Best to keep the pesky adventurers out of your worlds, all together! Why, they might even expend one of their weapon proficiencies on a Spetum, or a Ranseur, or... even go BOHEMIAN on you, and select an EARSPOON! Such advantage takers cannot be tolerated!

Oh please!

Don't get up on a high horse here, dude

There is a big difference between defeating the obstacles the DM places before the adventuring party and the players ruining the campaign.

You seem to suggest that the DM should allow the latter, and that is sheer folly.

Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

On expanding the audience, I noticed with approval that my FLGS carries "The Idiot's Guide to D&D". It does a decent job of explaining what's going on for complete newbies. It's possible that with it, and the PHB and DMG and a module, someone could teach themselves to play without the usual helpers.

I think that might expand the game, mostly because it could lower the intimidation factor for new players. This particular FLGS mostly sells non-RPG stuff -- Warhammer, board games, puzzles, etc., and their audience is a mix of 8-40 year olds, with the younguns sometimes crying for D&D, with apparently knowing what it is.

While I have seen some very mixed reactions to the work, I suppose it is a minor aid to the promotion of the D&D game, especially if found in many bookstores where non-RPGers will possibly pick it up.

That said, it is not the same as consumer advertising to a wide audience of viewers/readers.

Cheers,
Gary