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]

[Quote: Philotomy Jurament

I HATED that module (Castle Greyhawk). I was overseas when it came out, but I special-ordered it based on the title. When it arrived, I started reading and couldn't believe it. They'd turned Castle Greyhawk, the premier dungeon of the setting, into a joke. Now, I have nothing against humorous dungeons, but to have a whole thing be a joke was too much. I suppose I was expecting something else, so the disappointment was intense. In any case, between Castle Greyhawk and modules like "Puppets," "Childs Play," and "Gargoyle" it seemed to me that TSR was sending a pretty un-subtle message, which was "Greyhawk is a joke."

Maybe I'm reading too much into that, I don't know. I do know that I quit buying TSR's Greyhawk material. ]


I feel the exact same way. Shortly after Gary left TSR, the came out with "From the Ashes". Our whole gaming group saw it as a way to destroy everything Gary put into the world, and re-do it in thier vision.

To this day, Greyhawk is by far my favorite fantasy setting (for many many reasons), and I still play using the original Greyhawk setting, and the revised version that came in the boxed set (of which, I laminated the maps, and affixed them to the wall of my gaming room). In fact, I am currently running a C&C game set in Greyhawk - the Great Kingdom is about to bring several years of uneasy peace with The Iron League to an end, starting a great war in which I will suck the PC's into, mwhahahaha!

Eric

Lorraine Williams wished to belittle me because I dared to disagree with her business plans for TSR, so she gave some evidentally envious designers the latitude to totally mess up the WoG. IMO their efforts showed how lacking they were. I named the abortive work "From the Asses," which didn't endear me to the lot. Of course, that made not a jot of difference to me.


Gary

 

[erc1971]

Lorraine Williams wished to belittle me because I dared to disagree with her business plans for TSR, so she gave some evidentally envious designers the latitude to totally mess up the WoG. IMO their efforts showed how lacking they were. I named the abortive work "From the Asses," which didn't endear me to the lot. Of course, that made not a jot of difference to me.


Gary

"From the Asses" ROFLMAO

That name is going to be used in reference to that product for the rest of my life!

Eric

 

[Col_Pladoh]

"From the Asses" ROFLMAO

That name is going to be used in reference to that product for the rest of my life!

Eric

If so, you'll be as popular as I am in certain quarters...much the same as a Kosher butcher at a Hindu picnic


Gary

 

[Blair Goatsblood]

Trogs are found in many literary sources--cave or underground dwelling sub-human types. They were added to the encounter mix to provide another and different subterranean peril.

Lizardmen I made up to add to the list of humanoid monsters. They were added to the encounter mix to provide another and different aquatic, marsh, or swamp peril.

Nothing more complex than that

Cheers,
Gary

Thanks Gary. I didn't figure it to be anything complex...I just enjoy hearing about the origins of your beasties.

I recently read 'The Face in the Abyss', and enjoyed coming across one of the possible inflluences for one of my favorite D&D monster.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks Gary. I didn't figure it to be anything complex...I just enjoy hearing about the origins of your beasties.

I recently read 'The Face in the Abyss', and enjoyed coming across one of the possible inflluences for one of my favorite D&D monster.

All right!

Merritt was a marvelous fantasy author. Face in the Abyss rocks! If you haven't read Dwellers in the Mirage and Creep Shadow, Creep, be sure to,,,along with Moon Pool of course.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Deuce Traveler]

At least when it comes to a drop or two to drink...


Gary

One of my favorite episodes was in Family Guy when someone asks what Ireland was like before alcohol. I don't want to spoil the great scene for those who have not seen it.

Gary, I recently saw that Paizo is going to reprint some of your old Egyptian-based novels (Anubis, I believe). I also own a copy of your Necropolis book and was wondering how you would rank your civilizations in order of preference if you were going to do a campaign world all over again based on previous historical cultures. I would assume from what I've seen of your work that Egyptian, Japanese, and Frankish cultures would be high on the list.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

One of my favorite episodes was in Family Guy when someone asks what Ireland was like before alcohol. I don't want to spoil the great scene for those who have not seen it.

I qualify for that...

Gary, I recently saw that Paizo is going to reprint some of your old Egyptian-based novels (Anubis, I believe). I also own a copy of your Necropolis book and was wondering how you would rank your civilizations in order of preference if you were going to do a campaign world all over again based on previous historical cultures. I would assume from what I've seen of your work that Egyptian, Japanese, and Frankish cultures would be high on the list.

Piazo will be reprinting the three Magister Setne Inhetep fantasy mysteries beginning with the Anubis Murders, yes.

As for centering a campaign on a particular historical culture, I certainly prefer a pseudo Western European one of late medieval-early Renaissance sort because I know it quite well, as do most persons that play in it. For away-from-base forays, though, any period and culture that I can research and get reasonable details om which to base the adventures is fair game.

The benefit od creating a campaign world based on an alternate earth is that historical information can be used throughout, while author invention to alter and fill in blanks makes it unique. If you have seen Epic of Aerth or the Lejendary Earth you will understand fully what I mean, see what cultures I have treated therein. Chinese and Mongolian are two that are neglected elsewhere.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I'll have to check those out. I've already been enjoying Lejendary Adventures so I will have to look for the Lejendary Earth companion. Lately I've been interested in the eastern steppes cultures, such as the Huns, their Hungarians descendants, Scythians, Kurgans, etc. They are almost like locusts or parasites, coming in and draining everything of value before moving on to do it to someone else.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I'll have to check those out. I've already been enjoying Lejendary Adventures so I will have to look for the Lejendary Earth companion. Lately I've been interested in the eastern steppes cultures, such as the Huns, their Hungarians descendants, Scythians, Kurgans, etc. They are almost like locusts or parasites, coming in and draining everything of value before moving on to do it to someone else.

The Magyars settled into the Hungarian plain, pretty much as did the Bulgars. I suspect those peoples that came and then left were forced out by competing folk.

As an aside, check out this website regarding very early Rhine river civilizations: http://www.xenite.org/features/rhine-canyon/

Cheers,
Gary

 

[gideon_thorne]

As an aside, check out this website regarding very early Rhine river civilizations: http://www.xenite.org/features/rhine-canyon/

Cheers,
Gary

Two pages of most interesting information that would make one hell of a basis for an adventure for a group, or even a published module. ^_^