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.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Come Endless Darkness does indeed exist. Certain copies of it even reached Australia. I know this because I purchased it along with Dance with Demons... and gave them both to a friend for a birthday present.

I wasn't clear in my post. I read all of them including Come Endless Darkness. It was my friend that couldn't find it.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Short story collections sell only about two-thirds the quantity of full-length novels of the same size. Sadly, I had the most fun--and challenge--writing the yarns found in NIGHT ARRANT. It did quite well, but was indeed the book that sold the fewest copies of the series.

I can't fault readers, though, for I tend to prefer full novels myself, even over a collection of related short stories that are themselves a near-complete tale. Knowing what I do now, I could easily have linked the separate yarns into a novel addinf perhaps 30 pahes or so in the proicess, and likely making readers happier with the result.

Merric, I think SETTLERS OF CATAN (original game) is a classic, and we always enjoy playing it. I am interested in CARCASSONNE more from the standpoint of fortification and siegecraft than from a game perspective, but if it can provide a fun gaming esperience, so much the better. Now to find the time to hunt down a copy, read the rules, and get people to play...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Oh high and mighty Grand Dungeon Master please answer my query.

What is your new Worldbuilder book about? A lot of poeple on rpg.net are ripping it apart. Big surprise there huh? ANyway that was the first I've heard of it and wanted to ask you a few questions before I have the local shop order me one.

Anyway what kind of book is it and what exactly will it help me do? Is it just lists and stuff, table of terms and descriptions to be used to flesh out a game? Or is it something more? Is it out yet?



P.S. *shamelss suckup follows* The Slayers Guide to Dragons is great.

 

[Steverooo]

 

 

[thatdarncat]

Hey, this is still around? Dang, I should stick my head in general discussion more often

 

[Sniktch]

Hey, this is still around? Dang, I should stick my head in general discussion more often

Yeah, but I had to go down to page 15 the other day to dig it up. I wasn't going to let it die out so easily

 

[Upper_Krust]

Re: Gord the Rogue

Hi Steverooo!

I read Sea of Death last, and probably liked it the best. After that, I re-read all the others in "as it happened" order, as much as possible (some jarring discordances, there, such as whether Gord left the old woman to rot, or tenderly buried her, for instance).

I thought that I must not have ever read the last book, as I could never remember how it ended. When I re-read it, though, I dound out why I had forgotten it... Not a particularly satisfying ending. It seemed very anticlimactic, to me.

Ultimately, the ending was highly forgettable. I wonder how you would have handled it if things had worked out with T$R, Gary?

Ah well...

I still can't decide which novel (of the series) I liked the best...I loved them all!

However I have to challenge your comment about the 'weak finish'; personally I thought there were a number of fantastic swerves in the last book. I don't want to spoil anything for those yet to read the series by revealing them, but what you think is going to happen is turned on its head more than once while still all making sense.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Oh high and mighty Grand Dungeon Master please answer my query.

What is your new Worldbuilder book about? A lot of poeple on rpg.net are ripping it apart. Big surprise there huh? ANyway that was the first I've heard of it and wanted to ask you a few questions before I have the local shop order me one.

Anyway what kind of book is it and what exactly will it help me do? Is it just lists and stuff, table of terms and descriptions to be used to flesh out a game? Or is it something more? Is it out yet?


P.S. *shamelss suckup follows* The Slayers Guide to Dragons is great.

The WB is mainly a collection of lists and tables of things one needs to detail and complete a story, adventure location, or a whole campaign world. Along with some little-known facts and many details about herbs and gem minerals, the work provides the user with a single-source book for adding color and fleshing out information and detail. It is a "descritionary" as my co-author Dan Cross has used in described it. If you do much adventure material for any reason, it is a very useful book that will save you time and make the materisl you produce easier to put together and more elaborate.

Aside from that, the WB isn't a would builder per se. the whole series is for doing that, as will be seen when Alan Kellogg's NATION BUILDER is released--not soon as Alan is working on the ms. for it now, and my FANTASY LIFE (the socio-economic classes in the fantasy world--a who, what, where, when, why sort of work that treats the nobles and their relation to the clergy to a considerable extent) and Jon Creffield's ESSENTIAL PLACES are ahead of his book in the series. There's a really great book of names by Malcolm bowers coming too--one that I want very much to have on hand. Naming places and people and monsters is such a tedious chore! Following those there will be a book on seas and adventures there, one on devising advcentures, and likely one or two others to round things out. Being overall editor is part of what keeps me very buys of late.

As for the lauds for the SgTD, thanks much, and give the major credit to Jon Creffield, my co-suthor, and an excellent one for sure

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Re: Gord the Rogue

Hi Steverooo!

I still can't decide which novel (of the series) I liked the best...I loved them all!

However I have to challenge your comment about the 'weak finish'; personally I thought there were a number of fantastic swerves in the last book. I don't want to spoil anything for those yet to read the series by revealing them, but what you think is going to happen is turned on its head more than once while still all making sense.

hirning in here, I just want to say thanks for those very kind worfds abut the series. I wrote it as fantasy thet reflected the AD&D game in feel and scope of action. I suppose it's obvious I like action in my stories and games too

Anyway, it is great to read that you enjoyed the plot twists. SOme of them sort of wrote themselves, as the characters took over and began to direct things outside the planned story outtline I had scripted for them. Funny thing about that is it really happens.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Hadit]

Hello Gary!
Hope your holidays were joyous!
Have a question for you concerning ancient Egypt (from another thread that tweaked my interest): How was the court of the Pharoah arranged? I assume that it could be considered a theocracy... but what were the titles held by subordinates and did they have actual control over fiefdoms around the Nile valley or further? Or was the Pharoah strictly top dog?
I ask this of you because I assumed that much study went into the writing of Necropolis, and I thought you may have run across information pertaining to this.
Thank you dear sir!
Duglas K
(Oh... I just thought of one more question that got missed earlier... was the Elder Elemnetal Eye worshipped by Eclavdra and her minions an avatar of Tharizdun?)