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.

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

Heh...

Rather a moot question. As the author of the AD&D game, the arbiter of the Greyhawk campaign from which much in the underlying game sprang, and the player whose PCs they were, or for whom some of the name spells PCs I was DM of, you are essentially asking what hat I was wearing. All of that came from one source

Well, yeah, I realise it wasn't the most interesting question in the world! Just wondering if these were things that came about through actual play - more tidbits about the original Greyhawk campaign are always welcome!

 

[Nellisir]

Why was Rary called Rary the Traitor? I remeber reading something that referred to him as that. On a similar note, do you know of anywhere on the 'net or some other place I could get a hold of what went on in those games? From what I've pieced together, it seems like a very...interesting game (Trail of displacer cloak rags and elven tears, Lol)

"Rary the Traitor" was the title of a gazetteer module detailing the Bright Desert, part of TSR's "From The Ashes" (FtA) Greyhawk line. In FtA, Rary had betrayed the Circle of Eight and slain...Tenser and Otto, I believe, and their clones. Tenser later recovered; Otto did not.

 

[Nellisir]

Here's a question for Gary (or if it's been asked, anyone who can point me to the answer):

What light can you shed on the origins, sources, and inspiration of the Suel pantheon in Greyhawk, particularly Wee Jas? I've heard the name is a play on Ouiji, or "oui"-"ja", but nothing beyond that.

Thanks,
Nell.

 

[haakon1]

part of TSR's "From The Ashes" (FtA) Greyhawk line. In FtA, Rary had betrayed the Circle of Eight and slain...Tenser and Otto, I believe, and their clones. Tenser later recovered; Otto did not.

None of which is THAT terrible, but in general FTA is a rotten as a week old fish in August. And that's about the kindest thing you'll ever hear me say about it.

Rant mode, activated . . .

Basically, Gary and crew wrote a great setting based on their personal campaign in Lake Geneva, WI . . . suits kicked out Gary and took over TSR, and produced said setting, which was based on poor-mans Risk-type game set on the Greyhawk map called "Greyhawk Wars". "Wars" took pretty much the names of countries and alignments, but not a decent read through of the original WOG material . . .

For some reason, a play through of the "Wars" game was used as the basis for the FTA setting, which is all about a war between good and evil, and evil forces romping around smiting countries in such a way that some pretty cool parts of the map are officially "gone" and replaced by vague no-mans-lands which are useless for adventuring (nothing to save, and nobody can really go there).

It was k-rad kewl to mess up Gary's setting . . . the best illustration of this is the cover illustrations of the respective editions.

WOG: Knights riding out from a castle. Implying PC's on a noble quest, related to a medieval land of some type.

FTA: Undead riding skeleton horses, riding away from a burning castle. Kewl! PC's no longer matter. Certainly, the posssibility of the PCs having won the big Against the Giants supermodule was never ever considered -- the setting just says the PC's must have failed, because the giants conquered everything they wanted.

Rant mode, deactivated . . .

The new management is better, but unfortuntely, they did not burn the FTAness from Greyhawk. The stink lingers in parts of the setting still.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Why was Rary called Rary the Traitor? I remeber reading something that referred to him as that. On a similar note, do you know of anywhere on the 'net or some other place I could get a hold of what went on in those games? From what I've pieced together, it seems like a very...interesting game (Trail of displacer cloak rags and elven tears, Lol)

Well...

As a matter of fact I have no solid idea as to why Rary was even mentioned by TSR. That PC was one that Brian Blume created early in the D&D cycle, a magic-user that Brian wanted to work up to 3rd level so as to introduce him as "Medium Rary." When he gained that level Brian quit playing that PC, pretty much dropped out of regularly playing D&D in fact.

To get a knowledgeable answer you'll have to seek out the ones responsible for the make-up PC and why they named him thus.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Heh. While still dumb, she would have been better off asking why halflings were so close to hobbits.

Ain't that the truth

Of course I purposely made them that was so as to annoy the Elan Merchandising folks--Hairfoots, Stouts, and Tallfellows...

Cheers,
Gary

 

[John Drake]

Hi Gary, I was wondering, what prompted you to name the Greyhawk campaign Greyhawk? Does it have any particular signifigance or did it just sound "right" to you at the time? Also, is the Blackmoor presented therein the same as Arneson's ( as I recall it was a supplement for OD&D) or just a coincidence, or something else altogether? Thanks for your time Gary. As always, much apprecitated!

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary, I was wondering, what prompted you to name the Greyhawk campaign Greyhawk? Does it have any particular signifigance or did it just sound "right" to you at the time? Also, is the Blackmoor presented therein the same as Arneson's ( as I recall it was a supplement for OD&D) or just a coincidence, or something else altogether? Thanks for your time Gary. As always, much apprecitated!

A lot of far-ranging questions there...

I settled on Greyhawk because I happened to admire Chief Blackhawk of the Sac & Fox Indians that inhabited and fought the settlers in this area. As hawking was a much beloved medieval hunting form I did indeed consider the name as fitting.

The Blackmoor on the Oerick maps is certainly not the same as Dave Arneson's campaign setting. I liked its ring, so put it onto the map as I was making up names for the various states.

The Blackmoor supplement to OD&D was indeed done by Dave Arneson, editorially develped by Tim Kask. Before it was Greyhawk, after it came Eldritch Wizadry.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[John Drake]

Thanks Gary, for the most speediest of replies! Always wondered about that stuff....

 

[Nathan P. Mahney]

So why Greyhawk, and not Grayhawk? Why the unpatriotic support of spelling from across the pond?