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.

 

[thedungeondelver]

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

YOU KNOW...once I'm done with a couple of little projects of no large consequence 'round here, my time will be available.

*whistling idly*

 

[Col_Pladoh]

YOU KNOW...once I'm done with a couple of little projects of no large consequence 'round here, my time will be available.

*whistling idly*

I have done a lot of detailed "bible" material for the Yggsburgh town and castle-dungeons. I suppose one of these days I might get around to re-reading Sea of Death and developing a backstory that suits the plot devised, then detail the outline of a trek into the place, side adventure springboards, and do the like for major scenarios contained in the work.

Ah, but even that is a lot of work, and right now I have a cold and sore throat, and I don't want to think about it

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Keldryn]

Hi Gary,

I have a question that you may very well have been asked before, but...

What was the inspiration behind the D&D gorgon being bull-like?

My wife was watching us play the other night and took issue with the depiction of the "gorgon." She is extremely well-read in fantasy and myth, but she'd never heard of a gorgon other than the sisters of Greek mythology. I remembered reading a while back about a bull-like gorgon having been in a medieval bestiary of some sort. We did a Web search when we got home, but the only relevant thing that came up was a reference to the "History of 4-footed Beasts" -- and the description of the entry doesn't really sound bull-like in features. She's wasn't really convinced by a relatively obscure reference, and perhaps that's all there is to it, but I wanted to ask the man who wrote the Monster Manual in the first place.

Is there any more to the story?

 

[haakon1]

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

It seems to have enraged many people, among them the Iranian government (anti-Persian propaganda from the Great Satan!). Then there was the whole debate about whether it's an allegory for the Iraq War, and if so, whether it's pro or anti-Bush. I assumed the studio liked to create that controversy, for free media.

But perhaps you are just referring to people who don't like CGI gore on the screen. To me, the gore was all battle gore, not gratuitous torture gore, so while I walked out on a Tarantino movie once, 300 didn't bother me at all in that way.

At the end of the day, it's just a silly fantasy comic movie, IMHO. Sort of like Zulu, only camp and not at all attempting to be historically accurate. (For example, in the movie, there's only one Spartan king, not two, and Sparta is ruled by a Senate, not two kings. WHATever.)

So far as I know, none of the "official" reviewers mentioned the camp aspect. It's kinda amusing that the world is too politically correct to notice there's anything odd about the Spartan's hoplite panoply consisting solely of a shield and a leather speedo.

 

[haakon1]

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

Nod, I had guessed the inspiration. (I helps to be a Roman Catholic, and from heavily-Jewish New York.) But I had assumed (at one point) that everyone spoke both Common and their alignment language, automatically. I assume that's one of many rules I misread as a 12 year old. I don't think I've played AD&D that way in decades . . .

 

[Geoff1138]

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

Thank you. I look forward to Castle Zagyg.

Take care.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Hi Gary,

I have a question that you may very well have been asked before, but...

What was the inspiration behind the D&D gorgon being bull-like?

My wife was watching us play the other night and took issue with the depiction of the "gorgon." She is extremely well-read in fantasy and myth, but she'd never heard of a gorgon other than the sisters of Greek mythology. I remembered reading a while back about a bull-like gorgon having been in a medieval bestiary of some sort. We did a Web search when we got home, but the only relevant thing that came up was a reference to the "History of 4-footed Beasts" -- and the description of the entry doesn't really sound bull-like in features. She's wasn't really convinced by a relatively obscure reference, and perhaps that's all there is to it, but I wanted to ask the man who wrote the Monster Manual in the first place.

Is there any more to the story?

The short answer:

The bull-like, metalpscaled gorgon is taken directly from a medieval bestiary. Ypu might point out that I have medusae as a separate kind of monster.

Do tell your Astute Wife that the critter sown is just one of many taked from medieval bestiaries. the catoblepas and opinicus being a couple of other examples.

When my Pamtheons of Lejend reference book is published later this year, she can take a look at how I treated Greco-Roman mytholigy for RPGing. It is called the "Olympian" pantheon and is the second largest chapter in the work.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Nod, I had guessed the inspiration. (I helps to be a Roman Catholic, and from heavily-Jewish New York.) But I had assumed (at one point) that everyone spoke both Common and their alignment language, automatically. I assume that's one of many rules I misread as a 12 year old. I don't think I've played AD&D that way in decades . . .

Howdy

I usdually allowed most PCs and all important NPCs to be versed to some extent in teir alignment tongue. All Clerics know it backwards and forwards.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Thank you Geoff1138.


Gary

 

[Kaladhan]

Hi Gary!

I have very fond memories of DnD. I started playing with a translated red box. I couldn't wait for the books to be translated, so I decided to learn english. Let just say that with only a partial understanding of english, we interpreted the rules in unespected ways.

I'm curious about your larping experiences. Ever tried to play in one? Organize one? Are there larps in Lake Geneva?