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]

Well someone has to keep you not just humble but under control afterall.

You devil! Where did you dredge up that quote

PA has commented to me in email that he was relying on you to villify me, and that he hoped you were doing a proper job of if

Heh,
Gary

 

[Janos Antero]

I've been slack in my duties apparently, I'll have to get back at it.

Hrm...

Gary Gygax created Dungeons and Dragons 20 years ago.

Gary Gygax sponsors drinking and smoking

The newest edition of DnD is geared toward being playable by children as young as 13 year.

Therefore Gary is peddling drugs to children!

Peddling drugs supports terrorism.

Therefore Gary Gygax is a terrorist!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yes, Janos...

A very munchkin-like post that

D&D hit the stands 30 years ago.

Of course I do admit to enjoying a Camel (unfiltered) or a nice Havana cigar--especially with an alcoholic potable. Both nicotine and alcohol are drugs...

According to giovernment lies, second hand smoke is a killer and using drugs supports the "War on Terror," so I am dopubly huilty by that measure. Not to mention that I support the legalization of drugs--the only way to have a chance of actually controlling their sale, and something that would end billions in wasted tax money, bring in revenue to support anti-drug education and treatment too. But why am I writing about this here?!

Damn, I've had too long a day of developmental writing and correspondence. What I need now is a cocktail and a smoke

Cheers,
Gary

 

[HiLiphNY]

Yes, Janos...

Damn, I've had too long a day of developmental writing and correspondence. What I need now is a cocktail and a smoke

Cheers,
Gary

Cheers to you and us all. I too could go for a nice one too! And if I could only get out the front door of my apartment with all this snow here!

As a Canadian (from Toronto) who moved to NYC 6 years ago, I knew I would be in trouble eventually some winter when I saw how the city dealt with snow removal - they mount plow blades on the front of their Garbage trucks!!!

Yipes!

 

[Janos Antero]

*Left-Wing Conservative Religion Group Voice*

That random prostitution table you included 30 years ago contributed to the moral corruption of an entire generation of game nerds!

D&D hit the stands 30 years ago.

I'm a munchkin, by definition my math skills are shady at best!

 

[Caedrel]

From a left wing conservative religious nut

Uh oh - "left wing conservative religious" is a a label that is easily applied to me, except Christianity isn't really a religion but a relationship with Jesus Christ; completely separate thread, though

I just thought I'd preface this post with that comment, because I continue to be interested in the discussion about guns. I can understand their appeal - there's a pleasure and a power in having the feel of a weapon in your hand. Personally, I'd love to hold a sword or a cool handgun. I can also understand the pleasure of target shooting - drawing a bead and hitting what you've aimed at. I quite like the challenge of strategy and execution in combat, and have played paintball several times over the years.

But having ready, real life access to one in my home, loaded, is not something I would ever consider. I realise that gun ownership is a deeply ingrained part of American culture and society, in a way that it isn't in Australia, and it's also clear to me that Gary is a very responsible gun owner. He has the right respect for guns and he has passed that on to his children.

But in the US, it seems like even the nutcases have access to guns. How do you tell if someone is going to do a good job with gun ownership and education, as opposed to someone who may use it in anger on someone else? I suppose my main problem is that guns are way too effective at killing people. Sure, there are people who shouldn't ever, ever drive a car - the fact that they do so shouldn't stop the majority of responsible car owners from owning and driving a car. But the utility of owning a gun doesn't seem to outweigh the risks of widespread gun ownership to me.

Having destroyed my credibility with what seems to the majority of people on this thread, I might as well also now say that I don't smoke or drink. I think the latter is fine so long as you don't get drunk, and the former is just a bad choice. I also think most people fully understand the consequences of their choices and just don't give a damn, so there's no point harping on about it. Nor should we be banning things out of hand - that doesn't work either. It should be something we can talk about factually and objectively, though, without rancour or subsequent judgements about the worth or intelligence of the opposition... something politicians seem generally incapable of...

*whew* glad I got that off my chest!

I've read a lot of sci-fi fantasy over the years - never any Jack Vance, though. Any recommendations on where I should start?

 

[JohnBrown]

Mr. Gygax,

I have a question (or three depending on your point of view ) concerning the final encounter areas in each of the “D” series modules. I have owned them for years and years, but I am finally getting my first chance to DM them. My question deals with how you envisioned the encounters to unfold. For example, did you envision the caverns and warrens area at the end of D1 to “behave” like a classic dungeon exploration where the creatures stay more or less in place until they are “triggered”, or did you see it as more of an encampment where the creatures there will try to actively repel any intruders that don’t belong there, or perhaps just as a merchant checkpoint where the party is actually intended to bypass most of the encounters there. I can see the potential for any of the three. I also see great potential for a TPK (regardless of which edition you are playing )

I have similar questions involving the temple area in D2 and my questions about what you exactly intended for the Vault of the Drow are numerous, but my main question involving D3 is how did you envision that the players are supposed to ferret out that the temple of Lolth is final encounter? Perhaps, I am overlooking the obvious, but I just didn’t see a lot of information available to the players that would indicate that this would be the final destination.

I have my own ideas on how to run these encounters, of course, but since I have an indirect conduit to the author, I thought I would ask.

It never hurts to check with the source.

Thank you for your time,

John

 

[DDK]

Re: From a left wing conservative religious nut

But having ready, real life access to one in my home, loaded, is not something I would ever consider. I realise that gun ownership is a deeply ingrained part of American culture and society, in a way that it isn't in Australia, and it's also clear to me that Gary is a very responsible gun owner. He has the right respect for guns and he has passed that on to his children.

I have similar views about guns and I've also had this debate with Americans ad nauseum. I think that there is a definite, and fundamental difference in our cultures that seperates us and makes it difficult for many Americans to understand this sort of attitude.

I'm not trying to be condescending to Americans in any way here, just trying to point out that after having been through this debate many times, the conclusion I've come to is that we're simply different; our mindsets are in some ways dictated to us by our cultures.

So... I say drop it, and ask a D&D question

 

[johnsemlak]

Uh oh

I'd really hate for this thread to get closed. I think we'd better cut the chat on the guns issue.

I'm as game for political debate for that as much as anybody, but this is definitely not the forum for that. There are such forums.

Let's stick to D&D. (or AD&D)

 

[Darrin Drader]

Well, Gygax brought guns into the discussion, so it seems like a legit topic to discuss as long as that discussion doesn't turn into poo-flinging.

DDK, I am an American. In my life I've owned 1 gun (a .22 calibur hunting rifle), which I sold to a relative once I realized that I had abslutely no use for it. No thrill from shooting, don't enjoy killing animals, and hate cleaning the things when done.

According to the liberal media concerning guns and gun violence, most of the accidental gun deaths happen in the suburbs due to paranoid middle class people with loaded guns in their house. Most of the guns that are used in homicides in the inner cities are stolen from paranoid middle class people in the suburbs. I tend to believe this, and wish I had the actual statistics to go with them. I think there are too many guns floating around the main population of the US. I furthermore think that there are too many people that own guns who either don't know how to use them, don't know how to store them safely, or don't know when they need to worry about their kids stealing them out of the house.

After seeing documentaries about the documentary, I still plan to watch Bowling for Columbine one of these days. If you aren't familliar with it, this is a feature-length documentary about guns and gun violence in the US. There is a scene where a guy goes to a bank in Texas (I think it was Texas, anyway) and opens up an account. As a gift of appreciation they issue him a hunting rifle.

That said, the US is a country of individual liberties where people have the right to bear arms. Its a fundamental right that is in the constitution. While I feel safest without a gun, I respect people's right to bear them. I just wish that most gun owners wouldn't get so comfortable around them and leave them out where they can be picked up by their kids, stolen, used in the heat of passion, etc...