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.

 

[Mathew_Freeman]

Players who attempt to use the rules as a stick to beat players, or the GM, the latter thus enhancing their character in the game, are anethma to me.

This should be on a T-shirt, or at least a poster.

Gygax speaks! All thee who are munchkins, take note of his wisdom!

 

[Helspar]

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions here Colonel!

But here are some more for you:

A bit back you mentioned Mordenkainen and Robilar and I got to wondering who are the players behind the other original iconic characters such as Bigby, Otiluke, Leomund, etc.? Are any of them still played? Any converted over to 3rd ?

Have you eveer noticed any of the cameos you have made in some of the old modules? Example: There's a spellbook in Baltron's Beacon that has a page signed by a Eggy Gax. Hmmm. In the old Companion set there's an NPC listed as "Sir Guy de Gax". Coincidence? I think not.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions here Colonel!

But here are some more for you:

A bit back you mentioned Mordenkainen and Robilar and I got to wondering who are the players behind the other original iconic characters such as Bigby, Otiluke, Leomund, etc.? Are any of them still played? Any converted over to 3rd ?

Have you eveer noticed any of the cameos you have made in some of the old modules? Example: There's a spellbook in Baltron's Beacon that has a page signed by a Eggy Gax. Hmmm. In the old Companion set there's an NPC listed as "Sir Guy de Gax". Coincidence? I think not.

Sure, and happy to comment

Bigby was a PC of mine who started out as a henchman, the apprentice, of Mordenkainen. Otiluke is a created NPC based on my son Luke's PCs, and Leomund is a created NPC of Len Lakofka. Tenser was a PC of my son Ernie. Keoghtom and Heward are created NPCs, and Murlynd is the same, but based on Don Kay's original PC in D&D. Nystul is the actual surname of a person, Brad Nystul, a stage magician. A lot of this information is posted somewhere online

As for the other names, I hadn't notices, but fair is fair. As I did that plenty, so too others, eh? All in fun.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Clangador]

Morning Colonel
There is a very large audience that is not hardcore, don't read RPG zines, don't roam the boards, don't go to cons. just play with their group and have fun thus. Reaching this audience is difficult in the extreme. If WotC were publishing and promoting 3E support material of the sort that somehow "trained" thees participants, then it might be that some considerable number of them would become like veteran participants. That this is not happening means that the majority is left on their own with the core material, likely the epic book.

What? Not everyone is a "hardcore" gamer like me? Not everyone roams the boards?

 

[bigdndfan]

You've been quite polite about...

My Gygax, I have a few questions. I have noticed in the countless responses you have made to this highly curious group of people you have been quite successful in avoiding being critical about a myrid of people and subjects that you have been asked about.

While as a life skill, not burning bridges is a good one to hone, the curious fellow that I am would like to know some of your more candid thoughts. I'm not asking for you to throw around cheap insults, just your opinions.

I played the Temple of Elemental Evil, perhaps my favorite module ever, and are now playing the 'Return'(not quite so favorite). Have you had the chance to read it over?

If so, what do you think the secret lord of the ToEE being Big T? There are other several major modifications from your classic. Did you have any responses initial or otherwise that you would feel comfortable sharing with us?

You have stated in several places that the philosophy and gaming structure of 3e is not to your liking. OK, on the surface anyone could have guessed that. The creator of a system that has been played for years would most likely see the strengths of their system and the flaws of the newest and very different version of their game. What in particular do you dislike?

A common complaint is the amount of detail for each character now, the listing of feats, skills etc,.. One character has several paragraphs. It could get in the way of a good gaming session.

Another complaint is skill checks take over role-playing. Which also could happen if the players have no interest in role-playing but just hack and slash.

Do you have these concerns?

Do you not like the idea of feats? Or prestige classes? Prestige classes soon after its inception lost the orginal intent, namely a member of an orginization that does a series of specialized tasks. A modern prestige class might be a psychiatrist who has to learn many other skills to become a member.

Or the reason why you have been vague in your comments because its the whole package you are adverse to and you cannot pin point particular things that you do not like.

I can't imagine how I would feel about inventing something, than through a horrifc series of events having it taken from me, prodded, experimented on and adjusted for a host of less than noble reasons.

I am gratified that you have managed to overcome the many personal and professional obstacles that have been put in front of you and you are working on projects that you find engaging.

Many of us 3e players that started out with OAD&D are in an unusual spot. We have always thought of you fondly whatever version we play, but as teenagers we quite passively continued with the system that was being supported. We now play 3e and enjoy it, but knowing at the same time you do not care for it.

Perhaps I've answered my own question about your disinterest in 3e. But if I may be so intrusive and if you will pardon my impertinence, if you have a few more words on the subject, I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board would very much like to hear/read it.

 

[BonesMcCoy]

The following question is a very minor point but it is something that I have always wondered about:

In Dragon #103, Nov. '85 you wrote an article called "The Future of the Game" about your vision of a second edition game. In this article you said:

"There are bound to be a few other additions to the player's book. For instance, I have discovered that I neglected to include a fairly common medieval weapon in both the Players Handbook and Unearthed Arcana. Zounds! What slipshod research on my part!"

What is this weapon? (I told you it was a minor point )

 

[Col_Pladoh]

The Thread that Will Not Die

Clangador,

How right you are. In my group of fve active players, nary a one has an interest in such things, but thay do buy a fair amount of gaming products.

Bigdndfan,

"Gary" is fine if yoou like, and noppers. I haven't seen the RttToEE, so I can't comment.

Over some decades of gaming, the creation of some number of RPG systems, I have come to the point where I prefer a rules-light system, one that is skill-bundle based. I do not like to rule-play, and as a GM I find long lists of stats and the like tedious. Such things tend to get in the way for my style of play, including as a PC. While I do enjoy plenty of roll-playing (after all I am a military miniatures player too), centering the game on combat seems fatuotous to me. I want a game that facilitates all of the elements of the RPG. So you are correct in assuming that the 3E system is not my cup of tea. As I've stated before, I don't ming playing a PC in a game using the system; indeed I have a good time. It is simply that I enjoy other systems much more--any yes, that includes OAD&D. I have no axe to grind in this matter, though. If lots of people are having a great time playing 3E, that's fine If my adventure material adds to that enjoyment, so much the better, as I din't feel alienated from fellows who play different system than I do, but to feel unconstrained in writing it, I work in a different system, and thus the dual-system module, THE HERMIT, and one massive one in the works, HALL OF MANY PANES.

Bones_mccoy,

Got me! That piece was written back in 1985, and I've no idea any longer what the weapon was I'd neglected to detail. As is no secret, all of my notes, books,games, etc. stored in my office at TSR were siezed in 1985 and never returned to me, so likely the notes on it were in that material.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Theuderic]

Re: The Thread that Will Not Die

Clangador,

As is no secret, all of my notes, books,games, etc. stored in my office at TSR were siezed in 1985 and never returned to me, so likely the notes on it were in that material.

Cheerio,
Gary

I didn't know that. That's terrible,why did they do that?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Re: The Thread that Will Not Die

I didn't know that. That's terrible,why did they do that?

Oh dear, another can of worms inadvertantly opened.

Theuderic, the woman who became the majority shareholder of the company was not what one would term a "nice person," in any sense of the term I can envision. She claimed whatever was in the office was corporate property, and without suing over the matter there was no recourse but to let it go. Amongst the lost items were all of my old A/D&D books, many signed works by other authors, and a D&D cartoon show poster I had had framed at my expense, of course. Perversely, she did allow my office furniture to come to me, stuff I didn't particularly want.

All water long passed under the bridge...

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Clangador]

Re: The Neverending Thread. . .

Clangador,

How right you are. In my group of fve active players, nary a one has an interest in such things, but thay do buy a fair amount of gaming products.

Same thing with me. I don't know any role-players that are wargamers, other than myself that is.

That piece was written back in 1985, and I've no idea any longer what the weapon was I'd neglected to detail. As is no secret, all of my notes, books,games, etc. stored in my office at TSR were siezed in 1985 and never returned to me, so likely the notes on it were in that material.

That's harsh. Why was T$R so scared of you? They seize your notes. They sue you for the Dangerous Journey system? What was wrong with these people that they were so bent on causing you a hard time? I think history has proven who were the villains in that particular affair.