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.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Oh Gary, c'mon! Would I take an academic swipe at the guy who used enough whole cloth to sail Drake's fleet when he confabulated the entirely-steeped-in-bad-SciFi "nuclear winter" scenario?

Moi?



(EDIT: but to be fair, at least Sagan had the grace to admit he'd made the whole thing up from junk science, albeit later in life.)

Y'know, this type of sniping is inappropriate for this forum - it skirts along the edge of a political debate. Circus Maximus, for example, would be much more conducive to a discussion which wouldn't involve warnings or bannings.

 

[JohnRTroy]

So Gary,

This is a set of questions I'd ask you personally, but it's so good it should be public and shared.

You've been around several decades, and you've also been a big fan of science-fiction, and fiction in general.

What predictions of the golden/silver ages of science-fiction that didn't come true yet are you most disappointed about. (This could be stuff like moon colonies, flying cars, broadcast power, robots, etc)

Flipping that coin around, what technological innovations that such fiction didn't predict are you the most surprised and pleased about. (Perhaps such things as the Internet and Microprocessor, interactive fiction (computer games), biotechnology and nanotech, for instance)

Finally, since you've lived a long life, what elements of the popular culture that have more or less "died out" or "changed significantly" do you miss the most or get the most nostalgic about. (For example, radio and theater has changed since the 40s and 50s, the comic strip is becoming an endangered species and has changed significantly since it's heyday, there are no real vaudville or variety shows anymore). I was thinking about that the other day--I'm approaching my 40s and I'm starting to feel some of those twinges since the world is forever changing and some things die out. It's especially close now as we see D&D changing and Dragon magazine ending, so I was curious about things you might miss.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Grew up reading that, thanks to my mom being a sci fi fan, loved the art work and the stories
ken

Spot on!

I began reading F&SF when it was a quarterly, and I have most ussues from the 50s' and 60's in my basement library.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Y'know, this type of sniping is inappropriate for this forum - it skirts along the edge of a political debate. Circus Maximus, for example, would be much more conducive to a discussion which wouldn't involve warnings or bannings.

How about a discussion of 300?


Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

So Gary,

This is a set of questions I'd ask you personally, but it's so good it should be public and shared.

You've been around several decades, and you've also been a big fan of science-fiction, and fiction in general.

What predictions of the golden/silver ages of science-fiction that didn't come true yet are you most disappointed about. (This could be stuff like moon colonies, flying cars, broadcast power, robots, etc)

Ho JRT!

When I read SF from back in the 40s through the 50s and early 60s it was for entertainment, not as an augury of the future. Frankly, I did not expect most of what I read about to iccur within my lifetime, nor likely in the lifetime of mu children or grandchildren. Not a little of what I read I believed would never happen.

Flipping that coin around, what technological innovations that such fiction didn't predict are you the most surprised and pleased about. (Perhaps such things as the Internet and Microprocessor, interactive fiction (computer games), biotechnology and nanotech, for instance)

Computers (iincluding microprocessors), the internet, and medicine are indeed what spring to mind instantly. Still no 3D TV, but electronic games are approaching that. Labor-saving household devices have come a long way as well.

Finally, since you've lived a long life, what elements of the popular culture that have more or less "died out" or "changed significantly" do you miss the most or get the most nostalgic about. (For example, radio and theater has changed since the 40s and 50s, the comic strip is becoming an endangered species and has changed significantly since it's heyday, there are no real vaudville or variety shows anymore). I was thinking about that the other day--I'm approaching my 40s and I'm starting to feel some of those twinges since the world is forever changing and some things die out. It's especially close now as we see D&D changing and Dragon magazine ending, so I was curious about things you might miss.

Would you believe independent thought and speech? This is where I had better refrain from further comment, because I think that our society is heading in a very wrong direction. I can say that I miss most the culture and mindset of the 1940s and 50s.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[King_Barrowclaw]

Hello Mr. Gygax!

I agree with you. "The times, they are a-changin'."

I have just purchased your boxed set of Lejendary Adventures Essentials and am looking forward to cracking it open. I am currently running a campaign of C&C with my group and they are enjoying the freedom of play that a GM can bring when he's not locked in by too many rulesets.

I'm curious if you are going to be designing any more games or will you just be expanding things for C&C and Lejendary Adventures? I'm dying to see the Castle Keeper's guide come out.

I know you get this alot but I have to say, thanks for your excellent work in this hobby. I've been gaming with your rules since Chainmail, boxed set days and despite having my books burned on four separate occasions by well-meaning people and being threatened with an exorcism I've hung in there and am still enjoying this hobby.

A pleasure to post to you sir.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hello Mr. Gygax!

I agree with you. "The times, they are a-changin'."

I have just purchased your boxed set of Lejendary Adventures Essentials and am looking forward to cracking it open. I am currently running a campaign of C&C with my group and they are enjoying the freedom of play that a GM can bring when he's not locked in by too many rulesets.

I'm curious if you are going to be designing any more games or will you just be expanding things for C&C and Lejendary Adventures? I'm dying to see the Castle Keeper's guide come out.

I know you get this alot but I have to say, thanks for your excellent work in this hobby. I've been gaming with your rules since Chainmail, boxed set days and despite having my books burned on four separate occasions by well-meaning people and being threatened with an exorcism I've hung in there and am still enjoying this hobby.

A pleasure to post to you sir.

Greetings Your Majesty

..And welcome to these exaulted boards!

Many thnaks for your kind words, and I am happy that you have enjoyed my games over the years. That is just why I halped to make the initial opportunity to publish the first of them, hoping that other gamers would find the result pleasing. I surely have a lot of fun creating and writing.

I am semi-retired, so about the most I am up for these days is adding to the LA game, seeing the C&C game campaign setting of Yggsburgh developed and expanded, and doing a bit of co-authorship. Of course, I have a fair backlog of unpublished work that will be seeing print this year and in the years thereafter, so I am not going into the relative oblivion of a fully retired author.

As for the foolishness evidenced about the D&D game, often by well-meaning people, I suppose that it demosntrates we are not so far removed from the Salem Witchhunt despite the centuries that have passed and the supposed gain of enlightenment. Exorcism indeed


Gary

 

[King_Barrowclaw]

Hahaaa! "Your Majesty". I like that, do you know I do?

Thanks for your words of welcome. I'm not much for messageboards usually but I was searching for comments on the sudden turn of events for Dragon magazine and happened here. So, a sad serendipity.

Concerning my lost books. You are right. The more we change the more we stay the same, eh? Do you know that I was actually blamed for the deaths of several parishioners at the local church? It was felt that since I was playing this "evil game" that God was punishing them by not answering prayers for healing. My head hurts just thinking about it. Oh well. I was just sad to lose all my original gaming stuff.

Well, thanks again. I will feel free to pick your brains from time to time and just read the posts to get some great ideas.

Take care, sir.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hahaaa! "Your Majesty". I like that, do you know I do?

Thanks for your words of welcome. I'm not much for messageboards usually but I was searching for comments on the sudden turn of events for Dragon magazine and happened here. So, a sad serendipity.

Concerning my lost books. You are right. The more we change the more we stay the same, eh? Do you know that I was actually blamed for the deaths of several parishioners at the local church? It was felt that since I was playing this "evil game" that God was punishing them by not answering prayers for healing. My head hurts just thinking about it. Oh well. I was just sad to lose all my original gaming stuff.

Well, thanks again. I will feel free to pick your brains from time to time and just read the posts to get some great ideas.

Take care, sir.

Whoa!

That sort of thinking about God punishing people here ios medieval...and quite unscriptiral

Come on back anytime.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Imruphel]

(snip) the hokum about man-made global warming is all political, pretty close to religious dogma now, with dissenters stigmatized and forced to recant. (snip)

Hi Gary,

That's because environmentalism is the new opiate of the masses! With apologies to Karl Marx, of course....