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.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

The A cards allowed for 4 gallons of gasoline per month.

Thanks for the information.

No wonder that we were in the car only on Sundays for short drives. Father had to save up for our summer drive ip to Lake Geneva for his month of vacation and touring around the countryside here.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Haakon1,

Seems as if the TV documentary of the airlift of cargo from Burma to China was in error, as they said C 47 and showed 'en taking off from an airfield. I can't argue with someone that actually flew C 47s doing that, though, so I stand corrected...as must some others methinks.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Colonel,

I have been curious about the Yuan-ti lately, and I was hoping you could shed some light on the origin and development of that group of creatures in D&D. WotC reserves it as their product identity...but I have been reading Howard since I was a lad and my dad gave me some Conan books, and its hard not to notice the Serpent-men of Howard's stories.

As I understand it, the Yuan-ti in D&D begin with I1 Dwellers of the Forbidden City, written by one of your not-favorite people: David Cook. Anyway, I guess the present narrative is that Cook did work for hire, for then TSR owned it, and "his" work is owned by WotC/Hasbro.

But I find myself wondering, did he come up with it, or did someone else at the company, credited or not? And I further find it difficult to believe that it was wholly original to him, but who knows, maybe I am wrong.

I certainly was familiar with the idea of snake people from Howard long before I was from I1.
Anyway, thanks for clearing this up.

Sorry, but as those critters were not of my design, I am unable to comment.

Clearly, one could well devise a variety of naga that would resemble the yuan-ti, though, and no one can claim ownership to the concept of the naga as it is an ancient one that is well publicized.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

They reaped the whirlwind.

Thanks mainly to the tenacity of Winston Churchill who absolutely refused to negotiate with the Nazis when his colleagues urged him to do so.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Nagora]

Thanks mainly to the tenacity of Winston Churchill who absolutely refused to negotiate with the Nazis when his colleagues urged him to do so.

Absolutely, although I think history (and historians) are often too harsh on people like Chamberlin. If I had been though the first world war then I would have tried very hard to avoid it happening again. Sadly, that misplaced hope led to some fairly shabby activity but I understand (to the extent that someone born decades after the trenches were dug from Switzerland to the English Channel can) why they tried to negotiate.

I also understand how lucky we all are that they failed to reach a real agreement with "Herr Hitler" and that Churchill was there to take the reins when they did.

I remember someone who worked with Churchill describing how he would have ten big ideas every day: "About six of them," he said, "Winnie would discount or lose interest in himself, two of them would be terrible ideas which his colleges and friends would have to almost physically restrain him from carrying out. But one or two would be genius of the level that they could turn the course of the whole war."

 

[haakon1]

Haakon1,

Seems as if the TV documentary of the airlift of cargo from Burma to China was in error, as they said C 47 and showed 'en taking off from an airfield. I can't argue with someone that actually flew C 47s doing that, though, so I stand corrected...as must some others methinks.

Cheers,
Gary

They certainly used C-47's in the CBI, and it wouldn't surprise me if they used both to go over the Hump. It's just that the pressurized C-46 would have been less unpleasant, whereas the C-47 is the poster boy of WWII cargo aircraft, with much more footage intact.

In the bomber world, as I understand it, B-17's were not pressurized, but B-29's were, so B-29's were better able to do high altitude "above the fighters" strategic bombing of Japan, whereas B-17's flew at fighter altitudes and relied on having about 10 .50 cals.

The C-46 was a passenger airliner too, before the war, just much less successful, and a Curtiss instead of a Douglas.

 

[haakon1]

Absolutely, although I think history (and historians) are often too harsh on people like Chamberlin. If I had been though the first world war then I would have tried very hard to avoid it happening again. Sadly, that misplaced hope led to some fairly shabby activity but I understand (to the extent that someone born decades after the trenches were dug from Switzerland to the English Channel can) why they tried to negotiate.

1940 is my favorite year of the 20th century, though I'm sure few non-German, non-Japanese people saw it as a great year at the time. Britain's Finest Hour is much more clear in retrospect.

Anyhow, the Foreign Secretary who almost got the PM job wanted to sign a peace deal with Hitler too . . . I forget exactly how Churchill got the job, but it seems more an accident of political fate than a broad political decision that he was the best guy.

 

[Nagora]

Anyhow, the Foreign Secretary who almost got the PM job wanted to sign a peace deal with Hitler too . . . I forget exactly how Churchill got the job, but it seems more an accident of political fate than a broad political decision that he was the best guy.

According to AJP Taylor:

"Churchill was swept to power by a revolt of the backbenches as Lloyd George had been in December 1916. This time the revolt was open, displayed in the division lobbies. There was no element of intregue-or not much."

Basically, the old guard wanted Halifax but the rank-and-file of the party had had enough of failures and anyone associated with Chamberlain's Munich fiasco. Chamberlain resigned and it was made clear that Churchill, as the only staunch anti-Hitler voice through the years, was the only alternative with any support. Chamberlain, while handing in is resignation, advised the King that Halifax would not be able to lead the government and so the invitation to become Prime Minister was proffered to Churchill instead. He agreed and the rest is history. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

 

[Prince of Happiness]

The UK took it on the chin, but the fact is the Gross Deutcheland was far more devistated.

In regards bombing the US had nothing at all.

Cheerio,
Gary

Outside of Pearl Harbor and the occupation of Attu Island in Alaska, there was some very limited bombing by Japanese launched parachute bombs in Oregon and California and killed a couple of people. IIRC there were some incendiary bombs on them as well with the intent of starting massive forest fires, but that came to naught.

 

[haakon1]

Outside of Pearl Harbor and the occupation of Attu Island in Alaska, there was some very limited bombing by Japanese launched parachute bombs in Oregon and California and killed a couple of people. IIRC there were some incendiary bombs on them as well with the intent of starting massive forest fires, but that came to naught.

It was balloon bombs, launched from the mainland. One was effective and killed several picnickers. I read about this a LONG time ago in some magazine my dad had, possibly the magazine of the Smithsonian.

Wikipedia has the same basic story, in more detail, with pictures!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balloon_bomb