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]

Sounds like way too many of my chess games in various venues.

You still playing much chess, Gary? Think you'll have time for a blitz game at the Gamefest?

The last two chess games I've played were double chess last winter and a shogi in the early spring.

I've never been much enamored by blitz chess. The 15 second time limit makes me nervous, but that aside likely I won't have time in the hall...maybe outside when I'm taking a break to smoke a Camel

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Amazing thread, and great that you are so accessable!

When did you publish Legendary Adventure, and is it still available?

Also, I got to doing a Google search looking for information and noted that www.gygax.com is no longer a valid site, are there plans to launch your own personal site soon?

Howdy!

Hekaforge Productions publishes the LA game system material, and it is carried by major distributors/ If you can't find it at your FLGS, check it out on www.lejendary.com There is an LA game Quickstart pdf downloadable there for free. Your local shop should be able to order for you if it looks appealing, or you can order online from RPGme.

As for my website, bah! for various reasons we mossed the renewal, so pirates nabbed it and are asking way too much money for the URL, We have www.egarygygax.com now, and the website should be active in a week or two

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Bears and Hobbits

Hello Gary,

Long time no post from me but I'm glad I've found a part IV thread here in ENWorld.

Just wanted to ask:

- What were the circumstances on the hobbit race being removed from the original game? Was a letter from Tolkien properties sent to TSR threatening legal action? or was it a more friendly phone call to remove the buggers from the game?

Howdy Cimerians

Looks as if this new section of the never-ending thread is going to keep me here for a while...

TSR was served with papers threatening damages to the tune of half a mil by the Saul Zantes (sp?) division of Elan Merchandising on behalf of the tolkien Estate. The main objection was to the boardgame we were publishing, The Battle of Five Armies. The author of that game had given us a letter from his attorney claiming the work was grandfathered because it was published after the copyrights for JRRT's works had lapsed and before any renewals were made. The action also demanded we remove balrog, dragon, dwarf, elf, ent, goblin, hobbit, orc, and warg from the D&D game. Although only balrog and warg were unique names we agreed to hobbit as well, kept the rest, of course. The boardgame was dumped, and thus the suit was settled out of court at that.

- Whats your one favorite meal. and your one favorite drink?

That's like asking what my favorite book, game, or movie is. Way too many good ones to pick just one I enjoy most of the national cuisines, exotic dishes, and wild game. Amongst my special likes are breaded veal kidney chops, mutton chops wrapped in bacon, standing rib roast of beef with Yorkshire pudding, quail, roast goose, pheasant, and hot dogs (Yes, I cook a fair amount, and my wife says I am difficult in regards to meals.)

When I am flush I really enjoy premier grand cru class Bordeaux and Burgandy wines with my meal. Also a fine Champaign is a nice--Cristal and Rodidier Damant Blu are favorites. I have ecclectic taste in liquor, drink most any good one. When it comes to beer I like the real ales and Samuel Adams boston Ale is right up there.

In the morning my favorite "quick breakfast" is a cruller or French Markey doughut and strong black coffee--drinking a cup of Stewart's Private Blend even as I enter this

- Ok, what are the Chicago Bears going to do this year? You think maybe that offense might score a bit more?

Thanks and happy 65!

All I can say here is that I surely do hope so., The Bears need to spend more money and get a top QB, one that's durable too!

Cheers,
Gary

Edited P.S.:

If you go to Milwaukee Gamefest be sure and have a dinner at a couple of places there. The Old town Serbian Gourmet is reasonably priced and serves great food--beef burak and goulash there are superb. Also, Moe's Steak house downtown is expensive but serves great food...and the owner is a D&Der

G

 

[King_Stannis]

Re: Re: Bears and Hobbits

All I can say here is that I surely do hope so., The Bears need to spend more money and get a top QB, one that's durable too!

Cheers,
Gary

Not bloody likely, don't you think? When have the Bears ever gone after a top quarterback in the last 40 years or so. Other than McMahon, who, while serviceable physically, was the only Bears quarterback in recent history to have that intangible "X" factor. Stever Fuller, Jim Harbaugh, Eric Kramer...it reads like a laundry list of the mediocre. Is there some reason that McKaskey won't ever really try and get a true top tier quarterback?

Oh well, it could be worse, you could be a fan of the most gutless team of the last 10 years - The Miami Dolphins. Talk about "Sunshine Soldiers".

Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi" and "Happy Birthday", Gary. Do you officially feel like an old fart?

Take care, man. Have a scotch and fine cigar for me.

Scott

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Man I love my wife..

*Me, trying to be sly* "Oh hun, today Gary extended us an invitation to visit him should we ever be in Lake Geneva."

*Her, not biting* "Oh. That's nice."

"Yeah, I thought it was pretty darn cool of him."

"Hmm-hmm."

*Long pause*

"It's Gary Gygax, hun."

*Finally I picked her interest!* "Really? Wow! How did -that happen"

*Explanation, followed by discussion on how unlikely it would be in the foreseeable future, but how neat it would be.*

"Well, next time you talk to him, tell him that I think it's a very, very nice thing to do, and that if we ever go I'll insist on making my homemade pizza while you guys play around"

And her homemade pizza is her specialty, one she doesn't offer to do for just anyone.. And then finally the explanation.

"Man, that would really make Chas go bananas!"

Chas being her ex, which used to play a -lot- of D&D back in the old days, and a huge fan of yours, therefore the reason she knows you... Aren't women spiteful when pushed too far?

Heh, and you do a good dialog

The pizza sounds great, of course, but there would have to be jpgs of us all enjoying it as we played, those pics posted so that her ex would see them and weep... That would be very funny

And now, to stop the complete personal derailing of the thread by myself.. A question.

-There's a pretty darn huge shift in the way of developing 3e compared to D&D back in the old days, which we discussed last night in my gaming group. Back then, once the core books were out, it seems to me that modules were the focus of development, with actual "supplements" seeming almost little more then an afterthought. Today, obviously, at least as far as WotC is concerned, it's supplements first, with modules left to 3rd party publishers. We know that this is probably, at least in today's market, a sound business decision. But do you think it hurts the game itself in some ways?

IMO there has been a vast shift in game focus in 3E. The archetype has gone by the board, comic book-like feats are a feature, the whole purpose of play is set on killing things, and power gaming is encouraged. Long-term play is not facilitated by the new game. However, all that seems to be acceptable, as so many of the RPG players like it.

Creating good adventure modules is very difficult, and the returns on average ones are minimal compared to core books and major supplements. You bet it is a clever business move on WotC's part to concentrate on the high-volume products and leave the production of low-volume support material to other publishers.

In all I believe that the long term result of this is indeed likely to affect the D&D game adversely. Only time will tell, but the advent of 3.5E so soon after 3E seems to bear out what I envisage.

OTOH, an active RPG system needs to grow and change according to the audience, and I could be quite mistaken. After all, I have compiled a whole lot of additional material for my Lejendary Adventure RPG that needs to be released in supplemental form...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[angrypossum]

Healing potion

Hello Mr. Gygax,

How did the healing potion develop? Was it based on the healing properties of the Grail?

Thanks.

-Josh

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Re: Re: Bears and Hobbits

Not bloody likely, don't you think? When have the Bears ever gone after a top quarterback in the last 40 years or so. Other than McMahon, who, while serviceable physically, was the only Bears quarterback in recent history to have that intangible "X" factor. Stever Fuller, Jim Harbaugh, Eric Kramer...it reads like a laundry list of the mediocre. Is there some reason that McKaskey won't ever really try and get a true top tier quarterback?

It is at least hopeful that McKaskey isn't directly managing the team these days. Right you are about mediocre QBs. After Sid Luckman they went for Johnny Lujack. When he didn't pan out it seems that management decided never to make that sort of "mistake" again. Having McMahon turn out to be so successful was a fluke...

Oh well, it could be worse, you could be a fan of the most gutless team of the last 10 years - The Miami Dolphins. Talk about "Sunshine Soldiers".

As a Bear's fan you can well imagine how I feel about the fish

Anyway, just wanted to say "Hi" and "Happy Birthday", Gary. Do you officially feel like an old fart?

Take care, man. Have a scotch and fine cigar for me.

Scott

Heh, and my kinder have been calling me an Old Fart for quite a few years now, so I don't feel any more that way now than I did a couple of years back

The official drink for my birthday anniversary celbration here is Armagnac. I am uncorking a bottle that Francois Marcela Froideval gave me 17 years ago. It was from his father's cave, 50 years old when originally purchased, and there for some time before it was gifted to me. Thus the libation will be considerably older than me!

I plan to smoke a good cigar whilst sipping that Armagnic from a crystal brandy snifter, yes. I am picking up a good Bering and a Garcia y Vega in honor of my father, as those were his usual stogies

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Barak]

Oh that's just great. You hate the Dolphins. We might be going to Lake Geneva sooner then expected after all, the wife is a Bills fan true and through, and therefore hates the fishes with a passion.

Anyway.. Your comment about the need to publish new material to make the game "grow" brings to mind another comment from one of my gaming friends. You are a vocal proponent of "simple" systems, as your comments on 3E indicate. Yet, any gaming system always end up publishing supplements, obviously, both to enable the company to make money selling them (duh!), and due to fan-demand. And obviously, any supplement must, somehow, bring -some- more rules with it, be it only to enable the use of such new material. How do you, as a game writer reconcile that fact with your ultimate preference for a somewhat rule-lite system?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Re: Healing potion

Hello Mr. Gygax,

How did the healing potion develop? Was it based on the healing properties of the Grail?

Thanks.

-Josh

Howdy Josh,

Actually, the idea for the healing potion was simply based on a game need. Quick healing was featured in many fantasy stories, so creating a potion to restore lost hit points for characters seemed logical. It provided a good magic item to award, one that was a one-shot deal but allowed protracted adventuring

That's it.
Gary

 

[PatEllis15]

Thanks again Gary.

I agree with your long term assessment with D&D, thus my earlier question about your possible aquisition of the property.

I suspect that we will see 4th Edition sooner than most would like, and that soon after that thing will spiral to far down for Hasbro to stomach, and they will see selling the property as more atractive the pumping money into it. If you can't buy it, perhaps Adkinson will buy it back...




Onto another subject near and dear to your heart... Moving D&D, frombooks to the big (or small) screen.

It seems to me that NO fantasy movie to date has captured the basis for an D&D adventure. To often they focus on the poor scrub having to save the princess, or a typical plot of the underdog having to save the world.

I wonder to what extent a D&D TV show could find success in the syndicated TV market. Make a 2 hour TV movie, and hve 4-6 adventure types be forced together, and then have them do some deed to gain freedom, and find friendhsip in the same breath. Subsequent 1 hour shows could focus on small adventures, with larger story arcs playing them selves out. Hercles and Xeno showed that you don't have to have world class budgets to make a fantasy show, and with the upswell of support for fantasy films (ala Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings) I think that success could be found.

But the focus for any such film or show should be about a group of adventurers adventuring! No need to save the world every week...

I'd just like to hear your thought on this subject. Did you get far enough along with Hollywood to discuss the concept for a TV show or Movie?

Pat E