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.

 

[Geoffrey]

...although they [mind flayers] could be spacefaring aliens whose ship crashed on the planet marooning them, the occupants being sufficiently numerous to have a viable breeding population.

Thanks, Gary. The possibility you mentioned quoted above is the origin of mind flayers on my science-fantasy campaign world.

One more question: Do you remember who invented the assassin character class? It first appears in the Blackmoor supplement, but I know that not everything in it was authored by Dave Arneson.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

...they could be spacefaring aliens whose ship crashed on the planet marooning them, the occupants being sufficiently numerous to have a viable breeding population.

I love that concept for mind flayers. (Actually, I like that concept, in general; it seems like an honored element of the swords-n-sorcery tradition, to me.)

Speaking of swords-n-sorcery and fantastic tales, yesterday I received a copy of The Anubis Murders, published under Paizo's Planet Stories imprint. I'm looking forward to diving into it, later today.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thanks, Gary. The possibility you mentioned quoted above is the origin of mind flayers on my science-fantasy campaign world.

One more question: Do you remember who invented the assassin character class? It first appears in the Blackmoor supplement, but I know that not everything in it was authored by Dave Arneson.

In point of fact the Assassin class was something I devised as a spin-off of the Thief class. Darned if I recall how much, if any, polishing Tim Kask did when he incirporated it into the Blackmoor manuscript he put together so as to get that D&D supplement into shape for publication.

Tim has a Q&A thread over on the Dragonsfoot boards, so you might want to query him.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[tylerthehobo]

Can you elaborate on the Lovecraftian influence on mindflayers? I mean, there is a connection to Cthulhu as hinted at in the original DMG, right? (or are all of us Lovecraft fanatics just reading too much into things?)

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I love that concept for mind flayers. (Actually, I like that concept, in general; it seems like an honored element of the swords-n-sorcery tradition, to me.)

Speaking of swords-n-sorcery and fantastic tales, yesterday I received a copy of The Anubis Murders, published under Paizo's Planet Stories imprint. I'm looking forward to diving into it, later today.

How my player group disliked the Illithids when I introduced them into my campaign Most DMs liked them a lot, though...

If you enjoy the Anubis Murders when you read it, keep an eye out for the other two Magister Setne Inhetap mystery adventure novels, Samarkand Solution and Death in Delhi. I surely did have a good time writing the triogy.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Can you elaborate on the Lovecraftian influence on mindflayers? I mean, there is a connection to Cthulhu as hinted at in the original DMG, right? (or are all of us Lovecraft fanatics just reading too much into things?)

As one that enjoys the whole plethora of Lovecraftian yarns, those written by HPL and those created by his cadre of followers, I freely admit that the cover of Brian Lumely's paperback novel, The Burrowers Beneath, inspired me to create the D&D mind-flayer.

I hoped then that it would have been a monstrous creature that Lovecraft himself would have approved of

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[tylerthehobo]

As one that enjoys the whole plethora of Lovecraftian yarns, those written by HPL and those created by his cadre of followers, I freely admit that the cover of Brian Lumely's paperback novel, The Burrowers Beneath, inspired me to create the D&D mind-flayer.

I hoped then that it would have been a monstrous creature that Lovecraft himself would have approved of

Cheerio,
Gary

I guess in a way that makes you part of that group of folks who furthered the mythos after HPL's passing, then!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I guess in a way that makes you part of that group of folks who furthered the mythos after HPL's passing, then!

A lot of the mythos begun by HPL was aithored by collaborative writers when he was alive.

At best any contribution I made was miniscule and marginal

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Tewligan]

Those monstrous creatures were never native to any human planet

I my mind they came from another plane, managed to find their way to the Oerth...although they could be spacefaring aliens whose ship crashed on the planet marooning them, the occupants being sufficiently numerous to have a viable breeding population.

Cheers,
Gary

Perhaps their ship crashed in...THE BARRIER PEAKS! Bum bum BUM!!!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Perhaps their ship crashed in...THE BARRIER PEAKS! Bum bum BUM!!!

I believe that such a starship would need to be larger than the vessel that ended up in the Barrier Peaks. I viable breeding population would need at least 500 or so individuals methinks.

Cheerio,
Gary