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...

That is indeed a dysfunctional group...can't really call it a team.

I must wonder, though, why the devil would your PC care about a luna moth? Unless he is an entamologist, that's the difference if the con-artist fighter exterminates it, other that the loss of a beautiful insect?

My son Alex really disliked a couple that were in my LA game group and asked me if I would be averse to his Avatar slaying one or both of the, I said in no uncertain terms that personal factors should not affect game persona relationships. He grumbled but agreed. However, when I was creating a Witchery Ability he immediately volunteered to test it out...suggesting a Warlock that hated the Avatars of the two other players he disliked. I declined to accept his offer. The two dropped out soon thereafter much to the relief of Alex, a the other players, and me

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Dead Scribe]

Absolutely, although I think history (and historians) are often too harsh on people like Chamberlin. If I had been though the first world war then I would have tried very hard to avoid it happening again.

This is undoubtedly true. It's easy in hindsight to blame Chamberlain, but there is one fact that we know indisputably now that was not nearly so obvious then--that Adolph Hitler was not a rational actor. He was an anomaly: a total madman in charge of a European nation. It's also easy to forget that Churchill's less admirable qualities.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

This is undoubtedly true. It's easy in hindsight to blame Chamberlain, but there is one fact that we know indisputably now that was not nearly so obvious then--that Adolph Hitler was not a rational actor. He was an anomaly: a total madman in charge of a European nation. It's also easy to forget that Churchill's less admirable qualities.

Unless I am sadly mistakem Churchill went through the same war as did Chamberlain.

Name any person that lacks qualities that atre less than admirable.

Churchill is absolutely the shining figure in the defeat of Nazi Germany, the sole reason Hitler was denied the opportunity of winning the war. Had Great Britain negotiated with the Nazis, they would not have maintained their state of war, and there would have gone the whole of Europe after the USSR was defeated...which it would have been had not the German military had to fight the Battle of Britian and therefater been facing a possible two-front war. German war production unhindered by British bombing, with the additional gropund forces available for Operation Barbarosa, would have doomed Stalin to effective resistance only east of the Urals in 1941.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[The Great Bear King]

Well...

That is indeed a dysfunctional group...can't really call it a team.

I must wonder, though, why the devil would your PC care about a luna moth? Unless he is an entamologist, that's the difference if the con-artist fighter exterminates it, other that the loss of a beautiful insect?

My son Alex really disliked a couple that were in my LA game group and asked me if I would be averse to his Avatar slaying one or both of the, I said in no uncertain terms that personal factors should not affect game persona relationships. He grumbled but agreed. However, when I was creating a Witchery Ability he immediately volunteered to test it out...suggesting a Warlock that hated the Avatars of the two other players he disliked. I declined to accept his offer. The two dropped out soon thereafter much to the relief of Alex, a the other players, and me

Cheerio,
Gary

I just remembered it wasn't a normal lunar moth it was a gloomwing that was held sacred by a temple that worshiped darkness. By darkness I simply mean the absence of visible light, not an Evil deity other dark power. The party fighter figured that anyone who worships the absence of visible light is stupid enough to deserve losing a sacred animal. I thought that anyone stupid enough to worship literal darkness is stupid enough to need protection from our party’s fighter. He also tried to con them out of their inexplicably large wealth.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I just remembered it wasn't a normal lunar moth it was a gloomwing that was held sacred by a temple that worshiped darkness. By darkness I simply mean the absence of visible light, not an Evil deity other dark power. The party fighter figured that anyone who worships the absence of visible light is stupid enough to deserve losing a sacred animal. I thought that anyone stupid enough to worship literal darkness is stupid enough to need protection from our party’s fighter. He also tried to con them out of their inexplicably large wealth.

Ah, well...

That's quite different and explains things

I do hope you are searching for a new gaming group!

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[rossik]

hi gary!

how are you doing today?


i have another question about drow:

why they are ruled by women (the exact word i dont remember)? any inspiration for this?

as far as i remember, they are the only "society" where women have higher status in the d&d game (im i wrong?)

 

[haakon1]

That is indeed a dysfunctional group...can't really call it a team.

Gary, in your campaigns, have parties been more like:
1) the example here (random individuals with crazy agendas of their own), most likely played for "zaniness"
2) grim survivalists cooperating against a hostile world
3) grim survivalists fighting each other and a hostile world
4) a mercenary company helping normal folk (and themselves)
5) mercenaries competing with each other and interacting with normal folk in not necessarily hostile ways
6) disparate heroes who may disagree with each other but serve the common good
7) a team of heroes
8) a tight-knit special forces unit -- maybe not heroic, but organized and directed?

I've never had the "zany individualist" parties. Usually, it's been more towards the heroes or special forces side, and close knit.

I find it odd when I read about things like "the cleric wouldn't heal me".

 

[Col_Pladoh]

hi gary!

how are you doing today?


i have another question about drow:

why they are ruled by women (the exact word i dont remember)? any inspiration for this?

as far as i remember, they are the only "society" where women have higher status in the d&d game (im i wrong?)

The Drow are as they are because they are evil, subterranean elves.

When I conceived the race they were meant to be fascinating and horrid at the same time, the most powerful and most malign group in the vast Underdark. They are like no other humanoid or demi-human race. It is thus natural that the female of the species is larger and more powerfyl than the male.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary, in your campaigns, have parties been more like:
1) the example here (random individuals with crazy agendas of their own), most likely played for "zaniness"
2) grim survivalists cooperating against a hostile world
3) grim survivalists fighting each other and a hostile world
4) a mercenary company helping normal folk (and themselves)
5) mercenaries competing with each other and interacting with normal folk in not necessarily hostile ways
6) disparate heroes who may disagree with each other but serve the common good
7) a team of heroes
8) a tight-knit special forces unit -- maybe not heroic, but organized and directed?

I've never had the "zany individualist" parties. Usually, it's been more towards the heroes or special forces side, and close knit.

I find it odd when I read about things like "the cleric wouldn't heal me".

Whoa!

Way too many different groups to pick one of the general categories you list. I haved played with groups 1, 4, 6, 7, and 8.

Most of the groups I GMed for fit 4. 6, and 7.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[rossik]

The Drow are as they are because they are evil, subterranean elves.

When I conceived the race they were meant to be fascinating and horrid at the same time, the most powerful and most malign group in the vast Underdark. They are like no other humanoid or demi-human race. It is thus natural that the female of the species is larger and more powerfyl than the male.

Cheers,
Gary

sorry gary, im not teasing or anything, but i really dont get it.

why is natural?