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.

 

[Faraer]

And yet the bowdlerized Comics Code norm created at TSR after your time there, Gary, is a far cry from the adult, red-blooded fantasy of the original D&D and its swords & sorcery influences. Individual d20 publishers might have the motive you mention, but some kind of corrective (to what you'd call the 'politically correct') is surely needed.

As far as I know, that survey is the only large-scale piece of RPG market research done, at least since 1990 or so. It's all we have to go on as to RPG demographics (other than anecdotal evidence, of course).

 

[Faraer]

How old is this term 'dungeon crawl', anyway?

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

How old is this term 'dungeon crawl', anyway?

First time w3e used it was a little over 25 years ago
Ken

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Wow! Sounds like something to look forward to.

Oops!

Missed this earlier.

There is a boxed "Primer" Lejendary Adventure RPG set now in play-testing, and it should be in print by spring. To compliment it I have just finished a campaign-base module so the new Lejend Masters who have picked up the boxed set will have solid material to use in creating their campaigns.

If all goes as planned, after these hit there will be two core rules supplements coming out, and then a series of hardback LA game books.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

You're kinda vague there Mr. Gygax. Tell us how you really feel.

What about the dungeon crawl do you think makes it such a great medium for a game? What is it about fighting and thiefing(I know, not a real word, but one I picked up from my brief stint in 2nd edition) your way through the ruins of a castle(or graveyard, or evil temple) that appeals to you?

Appeals to me? That sort of action-adventure appeals to the vast majority of RPGers, as the success of new D&D amply demonstrates. Of far greater note is the fact that the whole of the electronic RPG field is nothing but that sort of play The age group for the latter sort of games is older than for the paper game too.

I'll not bother to go nto the psychological reasons for a coiuple of reasons--time and expertise

Cheers,
Gary

 

[blackshirt5]

Appeals to me? That sort of action-adventure appeals to the vast majority of RPGers, as the success of new D&D amply demonstrates. Of far greater note is the fact that the whole of the electronic RPG field is nothing but that sort of play The age group for the latter sort of games is older than for the paper game too.

I'll not bother to go nto the psychological reasons for a coiuple of reasons--time and expertise

Cheers,
Gary

I've got time. The expertise...well, everybody is an expert on their own mental state, right?

Just to note, I'm a fan of the dungeon crawl. Two of my players disagree, though.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

And yet the bowdlerized Comics Code norm created at TSR after your time there, Gary, is a far cry from the adult, red-blooded fantasy of the original D&D and its swords & sorcery influences. Individual d20 publishers might have the motive you mention, but some kind of corrective (to what you'd call the 'politically correct') is surely needed.

TSR's reaction to criticism was quite foolish, IMO. No matter what they did those criticizing would not cease, and they bought no product either. However, cheap sensationalism dealing with sex is hardly a mature response to aything other than a desire to make sales.

As far as I know, that survey is the only large-scale piece of RPG market research done, at least since 1990 or so. It's all we have to go on as to RPG demographics (other than anecdotal evidence, of course).

Do we really know how reliable the WOtC survey was? I don't think so.

There was a fairly extensive survey done by Role-Playing Tips Weekly in conjunction with my website in which somewhere over 5K respondents were counted. The percentage of females there was well under 5%.

I know of one study being conducted by a post-graduate student. She is awaiting funding to proceed, but so far has developed what she believes is a statistically reliable sampling that shows a c. 7% female audience, I do not know the margin of error.

Cheeers,
Gary

 

[blackshirt5]

Also, who were the Circle of Eight, and what classes were they? I know of Mordenkainen the Mage, but who were the others?

 

[Endur]

I think the gender imbalance has quite a bit of variability depending on the medium and the age.

I know a couple of 50 year old women who play the Baldur's Gate game on a game console. And I don't think either of them have ever played D&D on the table top, although they have probably played other computer games in the past as well.

I think rpg's in general are closer to the 10% figure with computer and on-line games having a higher % and Vampire games might be closest to 50%.

When my tabletop group of players (in their 30's) meets, we usually have my sister and my girlfriend, which means two of the half-dozen players are female.

Do you really believe that figure? I certain do not, nor have I seen their documentation. Other surveys I have seen develop a much lower percentage of female gamers, something between 5% and 10%.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Joseph Elric Smith]

Oops!

Missed this earlier.

There is a boxed "Primer" Lejendary Adventure RPG set now in play-testing, and it should be in print by spring. To compliment it I have just finished a campaign-base module so the new Lejend Masters who have picked up the boxed set will have solid material to use in creating their campaigns.

If all goes as planned, after these hit there will be two core rules supplements coming out, and then a series of hardback LA game books.

Cheers,
Gary

Very nice, It is always good to have solid material to help out the new groups that pick things up.
Ken