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.

 

[Winterthorn]

If I may, Col, I believe it is from...the Netherlands? For "giant" or "giants", IIRC.

Actually, being a Canuck of Dutch ancestry, and having done a little research:

Giant : an imaginary figure of superhuman size and strength; appears in folklore and fairy tales. In Dutch/"Nederlands": krachtpatser, mannetjesputter, kerel, reus.

Results from LookWAYup.com , a free multilingual dictionary.


Gary,

I have two questions (me not being around ENWorld that often):

1) I have read that D&D 3.x has plenty that didn't meet your preferences. Instead of looking at the myriad of details, what is one principle feature of the current system you would have done differently (to make 3.x a better game in your eyes)? I am guessing there must be something that really stands out above the minutia that you may have said "No. that really, really doesn't work for me the way I see it", or some such similar reaction.

2) Are you willing to share with us any ideas about how you would like to see the D&D system develop considering that change appears in the near future? I don't want to pin you down, but I am curious about the various ideas that have crossed your mind.

I suppose these questions are two sides of same gp; your speculations would be intriguing!

Regards, W

 

[Col_Pladoh]

What's the provenance of Gygax? Sounds kinda like a Welshman had a nasty high-speed collision with a Roman on the Appian Way.
Or maybe an allergic centurion: "What's your name, soldier?"
"Gygax."
"Bless you."

Gygax is an ancient Swiss name, properly pronounced GHE-gox. Family oral tradition is extensive, but it begins with our being descendants of Goliath of Gath that fled from the Near East to the Greek Isles, eventually to Greece proper, when he waas slain by David. The Greeks called the family "gigantas", Greek for giant. That name stuck when four brothers took their families, moved from Greece to the Alps of what is now Switzerland around the time Caesar was conquering Gaul.

My father was born in Seeberg, Bern, Switzerland, and I spoke a bit of the language when I was a wee lad.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yup, Gygax is a more or less common name around here. You see the name alot in the Berne Highlands (Berner Oberland).

The four castles of the Gygax Family came from the four brothers that mover their families from Greece to Switzerland a couple of millenia ago.

There is a great soccor player with the Gygax surname, and the head of the Swiss air force is also a Gygax. Here, the Gygaxes were mainly in the navy, with one Vice Admiral, Felix, while I believe his father, Xerxes was in charge of naval operations during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Henry]

Yup, Gygax is a more or less common name around here. You see the name alot in the Berne Highlands (Berner Oberland).

Plus, a poster named Jupp a few years back pointed out a nursery rhyme called "Gi-ga-gax" about a goose, and there's something about geese on Gary's family crest, too...

 

[AGFlynn]

Gygax is an ancient Swiss name, properly pronounced GHE-gox. Family oral tradition is extensive, but it begins with our being descendants of Goliath of Gath that fled from the Near East to the Greek Isles, eventually to Greece proper, when he waas slain by David. The Greeks called the family "gigantas", Greek for giant. That name stuck when four brothers took their families, moved from Greece to the Alps of what is now Switzerland around the time Caesar was conquering Gaul.

My father was born in Seeberg, Bern, Switzerland, and I spoke a bit of the language when I was a wee lad.

Cheers,
Gary

ROFL.
So it was actually a collision between an ancient Greek/Biblical bad guy and a musty Gaul! Neato.
Just recalled an anecdote from waaay back in the 1st Ed. days when we used to abuse your name (being on the PHB cover and all), to whit: "Stick that in your Gygax and smoke it!" and I think another was "Well, that's a real kick in the Gygax!"
Apologies. Guess we used to think it was funny.
Cheers, Flynn

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Actually, being a Canuck of Dutch ancestry, and having done a little research:

Giant : an imaginary figure of superhuman size and strength; appears in folklore and fairy tales. In Dutch/"Nederlands": krachtpatser, mannetjesputter, kerel, reus.

Results from LookWAYup.com , a free multilingual dictionary.


Gary,

I have two questions (me not being around ENWorld that often):

1) I have read that D&D 3.x has plenty that didn't meet your preferences. Instead of looking at the myriad of details, what is one principle feature of the current system you would have done differently (to make 3.x a better game in your eyes)? I am guessing there must be something that really stands out above the minutia that you may have said "No. that really, really doesn't work for me the way I see it", or some such similar reaction.

2) Are you willing to share with us any ideas about how you would like to see the D&D system develop considering that change appears in the near future? I don't want to pin you down, but I am curious about the various ideas that have crossed your mind.

I suppose these questions are two sides of same gp; your speculations would be intriguing!

Regards, W

I have been to Amsterdam and enjoyed the city very much, had a great time there staying in the Hotel Grand Krasnapolski, dining at good restaurants including The Five Flies.

Very easy questions to answer:

I would not have ever done 3E.

As the new D&D is betond redemption in my view, there are no suggestions I can make in regards to improving it.

The Castles & Crusades RPG is more like what I had in mind for a revised AD&D game, and now that they system has added by skills sets, even more like what i would have done

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Jupp]

Plus, a poster named Jupp a few years back pointed out a nursery rhyme called "Gi-ga-gax" about a goose, and there's something about geese on Gary's family crest, too...

Heheh, nice one Henry. You either have the memory of an elephant or the mad search skillz of a veteran librarian. I just had to go back to the search function to find that old post. Totally forgot about it. Time flies, and with it the memories of the past.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Goose auf Deutsch ist ganse.

I do not know the nursery rhyme. Is it English?

Ghe-gox sounds a bit like ganse in the ending syllable.

the Gygax family armorial bearings are a green ground with a white goose facing dexter, a red star in canton and a buffalo horn. IIRR, the star and the horn were later additions for service and bravery.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Winterthorn]

I have been to Amsterdam and enjoyed the city very much, had a great time there staying in the Hotel Grand Krasnapolski, dining at good restaurants including The Five Flies.

Very easy questions to answer:

I would not have ever done 3E.

As the new D&D is betond redemption in my view, there are no suggestions I can make in regards to improving it.

The Castles & Crusades RPG is more like what I had in mind for a revised AD&D game, and now that they system has added by skills sets, even more like what i would have done

Cheers,
Gary

I still have cousins and aunts and uncles in Holland, and I enjoy visiting the "old country" every few years.

"...beyond redemption..." Yikes, I didn't know you felt that strongly about it. But that's I am not insulted - in fact you made me laugh

C&C? Well, I am thus obliged to have a good look at to see what you mean. I have been so focused on D&D 3E the last year or so (I DM using the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting) perhaps now is a good time to refresh my mind by looking at something different!

Thank you for the quick replies

 

[gideon_thorne]

C&C? Well, I am thus obliged to have a good look at to see what you mean. I have been so focused on D&D 3E the last year or so (I DM using the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting) perhaps now is a good time to refresh my mind by looking at something different!

www.trolllord.com

Hop on over to the Troll Lord forums as well. Plenty of folks around to help in answering questions.