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.

 

[TerraDave]

He's good at checking back in.

 

[Jdvn1]

Well, he's missed the thread before, so at the very least a bump is useful.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I assume the OD&D game is the one written about over at Dragonsfoot. When you DMed that AD&D game, did you go "by the book" or just have the books handy while making it up as you went? I like trying to go by the book, but the details (like age modifiers for starting PCs, weapon type vs. AC, etc.) always trip me up. I can't seem to keep all the rules called for in my head at the same time.

Well...

I consider the rules something to consult when you are absolutely stuck for what to do.

Read them, know the main mechanics, and then play the game so that all concerned are having fun

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hey Gary I was recently reading through the Monster Manual and MM II, specifically regarding Demons and Devils. Under the entry for Demons the table lists them as receiving full damage from iron weapons, whereas Devils are immune to such weapons. I've noticed this before, but don't recall having it come into play.

that's correct.

My question is, does this mean that demons are immune to the average sword made from steel? I assume that a magic sword made from steel would affect the demon. Also, would both demons and devils be immune from wooden weapons (such as a club or staff) barring any magical bonuses?

Yes, only magic weapons (and cold-wrought iron ones) affect demons. That includes steel ones and wooden weapons, unless one is a rakshasa, they being subject to wod as other demonic types are to iron.

One last question, did you ever have any PC's who faced demons who were armed with iron weapons, or did they simply use magical ones?

Gray Mouser

Iron weapons affect demons, and so yes, I have DMed a cleric PC in a party that used an iron mace to harm a demon, a low level one of Type I or II, I don't recall which it was.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Maybe you can tell I'm going on a particular train of thought, here.

What sorts of characters do you like to play? Or do you like a wide variety?

I like a variety of different characters when I play, although if I am doing well with a particular one then I stay with that PC until the general mission is concluded or a new direction for adventuring is indicated.

What sorts of tricks do you like throwing at your players? Do you ever take ideas from EN World or other people? (If so, tell me about your campaign so I can come up with stuff! )

The only way I discuss GMing is in the books I write or in modules By the same token I do not read other RPGs or GMs material to purloin ideas. However, i do pick up some GMing ideas from paying in another GM's game.

There's a brief account of my Metamorphosis Alpha adventuring posted over in the LA game section of the boards at www.dragonsfoot.org.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi, gary,

We haven't chatted for a while so I hope all is well in your realm. In the meantime I have to ask: what's the deal with the Hall of Many Panes? I keep hearing that it's going to be released but then it gets delayed again and again. Are we going to see it anytime soon? I look forward to running it in what I hope will be the near future.

The proper ones to ask are the Trolls, they being the publishers. However, I am assured that the art has been completed and that the Hall of Many Panes will be released quite soon.

As for other matters, I need to bounce a couple Greyhawk questions off you. First off, what's up with the Egg of Coot? Can you give us the insider's story on that one? No one has provided a satisfactory answer as to who or what it is.

the Egg of coot is a creation of Dave Arneson's. He has stated that it was drawn from the name of Gregg Scott, a chap who disdained fantasy as "unmanly"--as opposed to the micro-scale armored fighting vehicles he manufactured and purveyed

Also, I heard that in your original Greyhawk campaign the island of Japan was located on Oerth. Where exactly was it located? Anywhere near the Flanaess? How about Aquaria?

That is so, but Oerik was not as as it is, rather it was North America with a Western European flavor east of the Mississippi and other cultures to the west of it. So Japan was where it is on earth

Anyway, thanks for covering some old ground for me,

jokamachi


P.S. By the way, is Mordenkainen still retired? If not, has he been on any adventures lately?

Welcome.

Mordenkainen has not ventured forth from his citadel for about five years. The last adventure he assisted with was to deal with a pair of ancient white dragons. Of course he is still available for action if there's the proper occasion. I am playing a Metamorphosis Alpha character now that was created back around 1977, and it is a blast!

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hey Colonel! Been playing D&D for 24 years now which has been a real pleasure, so firstly my thanks.

I have a question regarding the Doppleganger. All damage descriptions of this monster give a d12 damage. Given the nature of these creatures how did you view this damage being done? I imagine that if a weapon was being used from a previous victim then the damage would be variable. So I tend to see the d12 damage being from the dopplegangers limb, perhaps changing into a weapon-like appendage (a bit like the Terminator 2 robot that was fighting Schwartenegger)

Am I on the right tracks?

Good health! John

Howdy John

Appreciate your good words.

You indeed have the correct concept of the damage from the doppleganger. the weapon is an extension of the creature, and thus the damage is a constant.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi, Gary! A situation came up this evening that made me wonder how things were done back when D&D was new and you had a score of players crammed in your basement.

My girlfriend is also my GM (ain't love grand?), but I'm not attending tonight's D&D game. Since I'm usually the mapper, I have the maps of the levels we've explored so far, and so I scanned them in and e-mailed them to her, so the players would have the maps for tonight's game.

My questions, therefore, are these: In the early days, who kept the maps between games, the DM or one of the players? If the character of the mapping player was killed and left behind, did he have to surrender his copy of the map to the DM? Or was it just one of those
conventions of the game that a map was kept, and who cared where it was supposed to be?

Thanks in advance for your answer!

Heh, but don't get miffed if your GM happens to be rude to your PC. Love can fly out the proverbial window then

Then as now in my campaigns, as well as those i play in, the mapper keeps the map. If he doesn't show up for a session, then the others are stuck for a map. Trailing maps became popular for just this sort of reason, and I usually make same when I am mapping someplace where I won't likely need to know thoroughly for game puproses.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary,

Here's an old one, but a good one (I hope! ). Crafting the rules for AD&D way back when, what exactly (or approximately, even! ) was going through your head as to the differentiation between the "long sword" versus the "broad sword". Thanks!

It was the differences between the two weapons, namely a thinner blade with a thrusting point for the longsword. the broadsword is more of a cleaving only weapon, altough it can be thrust.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary would you check my Nethermancer class (including) revisions to see if it's unbalanced in any way.

Actually, I regretfully decline that invitation...not that I have plenty of my own work to take care of or anything like that...

Cheers,
Gary