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.

 

[Fifth Element]

The English are always dumbing things down. If you ever go to England, check out what they've done to (Asian) Indian food, and Chinese food for that matter, adding peas everywhere!

It wasn't the English that developed the English terms for lacrosse. It was the Canadians. Lacrosse is Canada's national summer sport. But you knew that, right?

 

[gideon_thorne]

Hi Gary---

Just to confirm, is this you, by chance? I didn't pay a lot of attention to the desc when I signed on, and on a second, closer read, it sure doesn't sound like how you'd describe yourself.... Anyway, I've been informed it may not be you, and figured I should check:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=595431386

Thanks!

I wouldn't think so, since its listed him in Chicago IL. I wonder if its like the Myspace page Gary didn't know he had? ^_~`

 

[Orius]

In Hell...
The Italians schedule events,
The French greet you.
The British cook.
The Germans entertain.

Ooh, that sounds bad. What's so bad about Italian scheduling anyway? I got the rest of it.

Anyway Gary, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a while. What's you're opinion on killer DMs? These are the types of DMs that go out of their way to set up scenarios for the sole purpose of killing off as many PCs as possible, and get thier fun out gaming this way. People have accused you of killer-DMing in the past for stuff like no saving throws but you seem to actually want your players to have fun in the game, so i'm not going to accuse you it.

 

[SuStel]

Grooaning, sour faces, and a gnashig of teeth are the more desirable results of punting forth a pun

Well, my goal here has always been to entertain your fans. That's why I thought I'd kick things off with laughs.

 

[Fifth Element]

I wouldn't think so, since its listed him in Chicago IL. I wonder if its like the Myspace page Gary didn't know he had? ^_~`

Also seems unlikely if you look at who this person's friends are.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary---

While reading up on some of the gates to other worlds you mentioned in the DMG (Vance's Planet of Adventure, et al), I popped to the sample adventure on a lark, and re-read the following:



The DMG only contains the monastery map, and not the village/wilderness map or the upper works map of the ruined monastery.

Do you recall if the two missing maps were ever drafted and were simply dropped from the DMG for space considerations, or were not completed in time to be published, or what otherwise happened to them? Was this map created specially for the DMG or was it set in Greyhawk or Kalibruhn or elsewhere, back in the day?

The fire opal monastery has always been a favorite of mine. Many many moons ago, I created my own second level of caverns to the dungeons level (at http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/temp/Ruined_Monastery-Caverns.pdf in case anyone's curious), and I changed the background of the monastery to tie it to the then-as-yet-unpublished T2

I hope the winter's not treating you too badly up there?

Ciao Alan,

I created the three maps strictly for examples in the DMG. What became of the two that were dropped is beyond my ken. As I never had reason to refer to that portion of the work the omission was unknown to me until you brought it up :\

After seeing your interesting looking map, I wish I could recall what the two lost maps had on them, but my mind is a complete blank in that regard. Likely the press of creating the DMG material was such that details of that sort were wiped from memory quickly to make room for the next portion being devised.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary---

Just to confirm, is this you, by chance? I didn't pay a lot of attention to the desc when I signed on, and on a second, closer read, it sure doesn't sound like how you'd describe yourself.... Anyway, I've been informed it may not be you, and figured I should check:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=595431386

Thanks!

Thanks,

This impostature was called to my attention two days ago.

Yesterday I emailed Facebok and inquired what they could do to rectify the matter...such as expurgating the enrty and banning the perp from the website.

So far I have not received a response.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

It wasn't the English that developed the English terms for lacrosse. It was the Canadians. Lacrosse is Canada's national summer sport. But you knew that, right?

You don't mean that the terminology wasn't devised in LaCrosse, Wisconsin?

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I wouldn't think so, since its listed him in Chicago IL. I wonder if its like the Myspace page Gary didn't know he had? ^_~`

Just so, Peter

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Ooh, that sounds bad. What's so bad about Italian scheduling anyway? I got the rest of it.

When I was in Modena the great folks that sponsored the convention there insisted on giving son Alex and I ride to the Bologna airport where we were to get our flight to Paris, be met by Francois Froideval, and spend a week with him. Guess who missed the flight...

On the subject, though, I would prefer Heaven with the Italians cooking--my favorite cuisine, then Chinese, then French (traditional and provincial only).

Anyway Gary, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you for a while. What's you're opinion on killer DMs? These are the types of DMs that go out of their way to set up scenarios for the sole purpose of killing off as many PCs as possible, and get thier fun out gaming this way. People have accused you of killer-DMing in the past for stuff like no saving throws but you seem to actually want your players to have fun in the game, so i'm not going to accuse you it.

Some pinheads seem to believe they are made more important by attacking me.

Very few of the regulars in my campaigns have lost their characters ater the initial stages of building them. Those that did have them slain had either vary bad luck or else played foolishly. I am very generous in regards to mitigating a run of bad luck when play has been solid. I must point out that I have lost several of my better PCs, used wishes and spells to have them restored to life, and I have not boo-hooed about the DM that was managing the adventures in which that occurred.

Surely those that whine about my killer dungeons--other that Tomb of Horrors which is supposed to be just that--are inept players that failed to use caution and forethought when playing and this looked foolish as they lost their PCs.

Adventures lacking the sense of danger brought on by actual risk of character loss are not worthy of playing. Those that enjoy them are true munchkins regardless of time spent RPGing. Rather than bawl about my DMing they should be playing a children's boardgame...and cheating so as to assure a win.


Gary