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.

 

[thedungeondelver]

You may give the Vintner's Red to me, then, as I have not forgotten my Germanic heritage and so have a taste for sweet wines.

Only if you show up in June at Gary's house to get a bottle, son!

 

[thedungeondelver]

Speaking of worsts...

Some of the old-time locals, women by and large, made elderberry, and dandelion wine. What awful stuff, with a headache the size of the gallon jugs they came in. However, my friend Tom Keogh and I viewed the many bottles and jugs of 20 or so year old homemade wines and came uo with an idea,

Tom Keogh got copper tubing that fit perfectly into the vent of the deep well cooker on the old stove at my parents placem bent it into a long coil. Into the cooker went wine, a cold rag was kept wrapped abound the tubing, and soon out dripped a pale-colored liquid that was about 70 proof and didn't tast at all bad.

In all I supplied such tipple to our club group that met in the attic of my house and to a group of high school lads guarding the homecoming bonfire--two gallons were swilled down and there was a large tire placed ip on one of the light poles for the field by a daring, if inibriated "guardian."

(When someone cleared out his family mansion nearby--he was a friend of my grandparents--he had our family and my uncle's come and clear the basement of scores of gallon jugs and quart bottles of such home brew, including some pretty fair fruit brandies that I managed to swipe a few of. Of course i was only abour age 13 then the hoard went into our basement. Some few containers were still left when I was in my early 20s...mostly vinegarized )

Cheers,
Gary

Steve Sobering (yes, that's really his last name) who is a dear friend of mine did some home winemaking. I cleverly thought "Aha, I'll keep a few bottles over the years for a special occasion...!"

I found out to my dismay that the "special occasion" had best be paint removal or weed-killing as two bottles of are quite vinegarized!

 

[thedungeondelver]

Gary, to steer this conversation so as to allay suspicions that we're a grop of alkaklghlo-HIC- grup of alkalaskkals-HIC A BUNHCA DRUNKS...

Have you read THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Eco and if so what did you think?

 

[Hypersmurf]

Gary - in Saga of Old City, Gord at one point plays a card game, with coloured cards including Crown, Coffer, Sword, Spear, Bow, Horsehead, Dwarf, Elf, Thief, Priest, Sigil, Tower, and Gate. Combinations include the Host, Allied Host, Mage, Archmage, and Five Towers, detailed in the scene.

Did you ever create this game in full detail, and play it? Are there ranked lists of combinations available anywhere?

Do all cards appear in all colours? (From memory, the text implies multiple Coffers and Gates exist, for example, but refers to 'The Thief' - are there Thieves in Red, Green, Blue, White, and Black, or just the one?)

-Hyp.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

King Kong (1938 version only)

That was 1933, actually.

I have a film degree. I need to make use of it once in a while...

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Only if you show up in June at Gary's house to get a bottle, son!

Of course David will be welcome too

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Steve Sobering (yes, that's really his last name) who is a dear friend of mine did some home winemaking. I cleverly thought "Aha, I'll keep a few bottles over the years for a special occasion...!"

I found out to my dismay that the "special occasion" had best be paint removal or weed-killing as two bottles of are quite vinegarized!

Some vinegarized wine is good for cooking--mainly making salad dressing and to add a bit of tang to stew.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, to steer this conversation so as to allay suspicions that we're a grop of alkaklghlo-HIC- grup of alkalaskkals-HIC A BUNHCA DRUNKS...

Have you read THE NAME OF THE ROSE by Eco and if so what did you think?

Heh-heh-heh,

It is better to keep a low profile in that regard...

As a matter of fact I did pick up The Name of the Rose, and managed to fight my way through it. Somehow Umberto's prose was less than compelling reading for me. I was hoping the experience would be otherwise, but at least I got in a lot of nap time.

I have foind I enjoy alternate histories a great deal. I just finished 1901 by Robert Conroy. There are a lot of holes in the yarn, but it made for an exciting read nonetheless, so I plan to pick up 1862 and 1945 when it is released in May. Meantime I have some Biblical archeology zines to read, an excellent issue of At the Lake, with Civil War correspondence and an article on a Mormon that was crowned king. The magazine covers this local area, and I know one of the chaps that publishes it. In between I'll be perusing Samuel Johnson's Dictionary.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[gideon_thorne]

I have foind I enjoy alternate histories a great deal. I just finished 1901 by Robert Conroy.

You'd enjoy the works of David Gemmell then. Most of his writings theme alternate histories in paralell worlds. ^_^

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary - in Saga of Old City, Gord at one point plays a card game, with coloured cards including Crown, Coffer, Sword, Spear, Bow, Horsehead, Dwarf, Elf, Thief, Priest, Sigil, Tower, and Gate. Combinations include the Host, Allied Host, Mage, Archmage, and Five Towers, detailed in the scene.

Did you ever create this game in full detail, and play it? Are there ranked lists of combinations available anywhere?

Do all cards appear in all colours? (From memory, the text implies multiple Coffers and Gates exist, for example, but refers to 'The Thief' - are there Thieves in Red, Green, Blue, White, and Black, or just the one?)

-Hyp.

Hi!

As a matter of fact I have been asked about the game of plaques before. When I was writing the tale I made notes of for dramatic effect only, so I did not create a whole game.
The colored plaques are noted in the story. The Thief and some other like ones are singular and in black...IIRR.

If you venture to create a whole game from the information in the yarn, feel free to embellish as you find suitable, and do please send me a copy of it.

Cheerio,
Gary