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.

 

[Blair Goatsblood]

Gary,

I was curious regarding you opinions reagarding alignment languages. What was the inspiration for them, and what would the "game world" explanation for them be?
From a wargaming perspective, it makes sense, got to have some way for the masse armies of disparate lawful or chaotic troops to communicate with each other.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

So you will rent a car and drive to LG from Chicago. That is the usual way folks get here of they fly

See you soon then,
Gary

Yep! Safer than hitchhiking and I don't think I can convince a Chicago cabby to forego his work schedule and take me on the cheap so I can introduce him to gaming.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

If you have a group of say, 6 orcs, do you like to roll HP for each orc separately, or just give them all the average?

I like to roll for each monster, to keep the PC's guessing. Also, it helps me with really basic roleplaying -- the orc with 8 hp is an alpha male, an orc's orc, whereas the orc with 1 hp is the runt of the litter, much more likely to run for help, and might even surrender.

I play it thus: Of the critters are raiders, warriors, of active hunters I assume that all of them will have one-half or more of the possible HPs for their type. If I want to make the encounter special, I then see if any of the memebrs are in ill health or wouded.

For straight out confrontations, though, I just have at it with HPs as noted...and ogres and giants and like big and tough monsters have d12 HD.

Cheerio,

 

[Col_Pladoh]

It's very Third Edition, in that piercings have somehow become a form of armor.

I liked it (the war rhinoceros was fun, and I had one in campaign), but I'd have preferred a movie about the actual battle, instead of a movie about a comic book about the battle.

And it definitely reminded me of the old "Airplane" lines: "So, ever been in a cockpit before, Jimmy? Do you like to watch gladiator movies? Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?"

It enraged a number of a certain type of people, and not because it was camp rather than histotical

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Gary,

I was curious regarding you opinions reagarding alignment languages. What was the inspiration for them, and what would the "game world" explanation for them be?
From a wargaming perspective, it makes sense, got to have some way for the masse armies of disparate lawful or chaotic troops to communicate with each other.

I have gone over this many times, but once more, in precis, won't hurt:

An alignment language is promarily keyed to the religious subjects that would be discussed or read about by those of that persuation. One might think of such a tingue as being similar to Latin for Roman Catholics or Hebrew for Jews. Ordinary members of the alignment will possibly not even understand what is meant when it is spoken, and those that are aware will probably not be sufficiently versed in it to respons in kind.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Yep! Safer than hitchhiking and I don't think I can convince a Chicago cabby to forego his work schedule and take me on the cheap so I can introduce him to gaming.

I have been stuck twice at Ohare and had to hire a limo one time, a cab the other. The limo was more comfortable and cost about the same as the taxi did--over $100 with a spiff for the driver.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[RFisher]

An alignment language is promarily keyed to the religious subjects that would be discussed or read about by those of that persuation. One might think of such a tingue as being similar to Latin for Roman Catholics or Hebrew for Jews. Ordinary members of the alignment will possibly not even understand what is meant when it is spoken, and those that are aware will probably not be sufficiently versed in it to respons in kind.

Is there only one language for each alignment or does each "religion" within an alignment have it's own language?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Is there only one language for each alignment or does each "religion" within an alignment have it's own language?

I always imagined a single alignment language per division, as in the D&D milieuneach alignment is relatively homogenous. Servants of particular deities will have recognition signals or spoken or signed sort.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Geoff1138]

Gord the Rogue

Hello Gary,

I love the Gord the Rogue novels, is there any chance you will be writing a sourcebook for C&C?

Thank you for the game you created! I bought my first book, the Monster Manual, when I was ten years old from my local grocery store of all places that had AD&D books on their shelves.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hello Gary,

I love the Gord the Rogue novels, is there any chance you will be writing a sourcebook for C&C?

Thank you for the game you created! I bought my first book, the Monster Manual, when I was ten years old from my local grocery store of all places that had AD&D books on their shelves.

Thanks

I have written a town sourcebook for the C&C systen, but as much of what is in the Gord books is used with permission of the owner of that IP, I donot have any plans to expand the fiction into gaming material...although a big module based on the Sea of Death would be quite possible.

As I am semi-retired now and enjoying it, it is pretty doubtful that I will want to spend a year of my life creating such an adventure

Cheers,
Gary