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]

I'm curious, and if you don't mind my asking... who (or what) are you playing?

Happy to oblige

Jim set us up with a backstory about universal conscription, with each player being himself, but in the best physical and mental shape even due to special medical care, diet, drugs, and so forth. Thus we each rated out own stats based on that point in time when we were at our peak--not much change for son Alex who is 19.

Of course our unit was mistaken for a special forces one, sent to cryogenic sleep storage aboard the Starship Warden by military SNAFU. So were awakened by system error after 305 years, not knowing anything about where we were, or about the advanced tecxhnology that surrounded us.

As it happens, I had my character take big chances, used a mental training headset to gain the ability to use telepathy, and I made the rolls, barely. So now "Corporal Gary," who is dressed in and has the ID wristband of one Brigadier General Green, is able to read minds and communicate with others mentally. We just fought our way out of the pod that containes the whole of our still cryogenically stored unit--bloody malfunctioning computers, rebellious robots, and vile independant androids compoundng the difficulties--and made it into the starship proper.

Jef Burklow (aka Otto von Grunwald) is going to write up a summary of the night's adventure, and post it on Dragonsfoot. He is "Private Jeff," now dressed and IDed as Colonel Tan, who has, sadly, been altered by medical robots into an android in the process of removing cybernetic neck implants that happened by malfunction of a gunnery chain in a second, small Orbship, the two vessels we commandeered to escape the pod as they are radiation-proof and have excellent armament.

You know I had a lot of fun playing!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Please no more puns...I can't take much more.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Please no more puns...I can't take much more.

That is the same as waving a red flag to a bull, encouraging the very thing you dread

Of course punsters love to hear the groans and see the expressions of utter dismay mad: ) upon the faces of their audience. You are a part of a perfect audience for such "humor"

Note the restraint I am excersizing, although I am bound to slip in at least one small pun...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[StupidSmurf]

Oh 'Smurf...

You must come and play here in one of out Thurdsay night RPG sessions--hopefully one where my son Luke is playing too. He hates puns, and his expression mad when I loose a round or two of them is absolutely priceless

BTW, James M. Ward is currently GMing his latest Metamorphosis Alpha RPG for us, and we are haveing a great time despite Jim's evil machinations

Cheers,
Gary

Gary-
It'd be my pleasure, if I'm ever out in that neck of the woods

James Ward, eh? Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while! Outstanding!

But back to puns here...there was this book, that came out in the late 70's, which dealt with puns. I forget the name! But one of the unforgettable points the book made was to paraphrase Mae West's observations about sex: "Puns are only really good when they're bad!"

In our group, we've re-instituted the Pun Fund... a quarter for every out of character pun. The proceeds go towards financing our Christmas party, or summer BBQs. We even used to have the War Story Variant. We charged .50 for every war story that bogged down the action. To wit:

ME (as DM): OK, as you head down the hall, you see 6 gnolls, led by a gnoll shaman.
PLAYER 1: Does the shaman worship Yeenoghu?
ME: That's a safe bet.
PLAYER 2: Speaking of Yeenoghu, I remember being in this game where Yeenoghu basically trashed our party. I mean, we're talking party kill here. Before I died, I spat in his eye and said "Stupid demon!"
ME: Thank you, that interlude had absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand....that'll be .50 please.
PLAYER 1: Oh I remember that game! You played a Ranger, and I played a Gnome Samurai. You know, if Yeenoghu had dominated your Ranger, and my Gnome had to jump on him in order to grapple him, would that be "Gnome on the Ranger"? ::begins to sing to the tune of Home on the Range::
ME: That'll be .50 for continuing the story, and .25 for the awful pun. At this rate, our Christmas party will be virtually paid for by June.
PLAYER 3: Gnome Samurai? Wow...talk about a Sawed-Off Shogun!
ME: TWENTY FIVE CENTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now...on to business. Aside from the gnolls, you see a sundew!
PLAYER 1: What's a sundew?
ME: It moves across the sky and gives forth heat and light! ::rimshot::
PLAYERS 1, 2, 3: That's a quarter!!!!!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary-
It'd be my pleasure, if I'm ever out in that neck of the woods

that is a real invite, not a "Drop by sometime," sort. We always welcome a fellow gamer here I am listed in the Lake Geneva phone book, so it's easy to find my place, and we play on thursday nights from 6:30 to 10 PM

James Ward, eh? Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while! Outstanding!

Indeed, Jim lives in nearby Elkhorn. He'll be at rockCon this weekend with Tom Wham and a host of others.

But back to puns here...there was this book, that came out in the late 70's, which dealt with puns. I forget the name! But one of the unforgettable points the book made was to paraphrase Mae West's observations about sex: "Puns are only really good when they're bad!"

Is that Lederer's Get the to a Punnery!?

And speaking of bad puns, I have a repertory of long and awful puns and shaggy dog stories,

In our group, we've re-instituted the Pun Fund... a quarter for every out of character pun. The proceeds go towards financing our Christmas party, or summer BBQs. We even used to have the War Story Variant. We charged .50 for every war story that bogged down the action. To wit:

ME (as DM): OK, as you head down the hall, you see 6 gnolls, led by a gnoll shaman.
PLAYER 1: Does the shaman worship Yeenoghu?
ME: That's a safe bet.
PLAYER 2: Speaking of Yeenoghu, I remember being in this game where Yeenoghu basically trashed our party. I mean, we're talking party kill here. Before I died, I spat in his eye and said "Stupid demon!"
ME: Thank you, that interlude had absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand....that'll be .50 please.
PLAYER 1: Oh I remember that game! You played a Ranger, and I played a Gnome Samurai. You know, if Yeenoghu had dominated your Ranger, and my Gnome had to jump on him in order to grapple him, would that be "Gnome on the Ranger"? ::begins to sing to the tune of Home on the Range::
ME: That'll be .50 for continuing the story, and .25 for the awful pun. At this rate, our Christmas party will be virtually paid for by June.
PLAYER 3: Gnome Samurai? Wow...talk about a Sawed-Off Shogun!
ME: TWENTY FIVE CENTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now...on to business. Aside from the gnolls, you see a sundew!
PLAYER 1: What's a sundew?
ME: It moves across the sky and gives forth heat and light! ::rimshot::
PLAYERS 1, 2, 3: That's a quarter!!!!!

Great stuff!

I fear it would be me, and Jeff Burklow that would be the principle contributors to such a fund here, though. The other players are prone to demand a return to gaming when the puns start, those spoilsports never adding fuel to the fire

Cheers,
Gary

 

[StupidSmurf]

Gary
If the "Get Thee to a Punnery" book is the one that has hot cross buns on the cover, then yes that would be the one!

Thanks for the invite! I'd absolutely love to! I've learned that sometimes I never can tell where I'll wind up, so...if I'm in that area, you can bet I'll be in touch! By the same token, if you're ever in the New England area, we play every other Saturday from 230 to 1030! Just drop me an email or something, and we'll take it from there. And THAT is an official invite as well!

 

[Deogolf]

that is a real invite, not a "Drop by sometime," sort. We always welcome a fellow gamer here I am listed in the Lake Geneva phone book, so it's easy to find my place, and we play on thursday nights from 6:30 to 10 PM


Indeed, Jim lives in nearby Elkhorn. He'll be at rockCon this weekend with Tom Wham and a host of others.


Is that Lederer's Get the to a Punnery!?

And speaking of bad puns, I have a repertory of long and awful puns and shaggy dog stories,


Great stuff!

I fear it would be me, and Jeff Burklow that would be the principle contributors to such a fund here, though. The other players are prone to demand a return to gaming when the puns start, those spoilsports never adding fuel to the fire

Cheers,
Gary

I'm not sure if it's because we're afraid of keeping the punnery going on all night or the fact that we probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the "Big Guns". I'm usually good for a couple here and there, but it's more fun to sit back and listen to all the miserable puns!!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary

Thanks for the invite! I'd absolutely love to! I've learned that sometimes I never can tell where I'll wind up, so...if I'm in that area, you can bet I'll be in touch! By the same token, if you're ever in the New England area, we play every other Saturday from 230 to 1030! Just drop me an email or something, and we'll take it from there. And THAT is an official invite as well!

Invitation noted with pleasure I have no idea when I'll be Down East again. We were out in Massachusettes at the Higgins Armory Museum and then at Jumpgate (Hector Diaz is one of my favorite people!) in New Hampshire in 2003. Gail managed to tour us into Kennibunkport so she could have a lobster luncheon...

I just might be at I-Con on Long Island in April. that's problematical but an outside possibility. It isn't New England, but a lot closer than Wisconsin

Failing that there is the Lake Geneva Gaming Convention (and out pre-con porch party) being held in June this coming year...and possibly an autumn repeat...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I'm not sure if it's because we're afraid of keeping the punnery going on all night or the fact that we probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the "Big Guns". I'm usually good for a couple here and there, but it's more fun to sit back and listen to all the miserable puns!!

"Miserable puns"?

All punsters will surely comisserate with me over such opprobrious language, even though they would likely enjoy seeing non-pun-lovers in misery or any other state

Heh,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Metamorphosis Alpha Game Session

Greetings Seekers!

To hear the whole sordid tale told Thursday 3 November go here:

http://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=13476&start=15

Cheers,
Gary