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.

 

[francisca]

I just played a house ruled OD&D (three booklet) adventure at the Winterdark convention here, taking six created-on-the-spot 2nd level PCs on a dungeon crawl through the upper levels of my original Castle Greyhawk campaign, those dungeon levels being created in 1972 and 1973.

You're killing me, man. I had planned on heading to Winterdark, but it wasn't in the cards.

Now on to more niggling details of years gone by...

A while back I was working up a back story for T1-4. According to the the module, the Temple of Elemental Evil itself was built up in a matter of a few years by the forces of woe, but I don't recall seeing any discussion of who built the Moathouse. Was it also the work of the bad guys, or did they simply take over an existing structure? Or, did you not even consider the issue?

As always, thanks.

 

[Filcher]

A group of players, including regulars that should have known better, did something that brought eother Demogorgon or Orcus, I can not recall which it was, to the location of their relatively high-level PCs. They used a wish to call a potent deity opposed to that demon prince, not specifying that the one desired be of Good alignment, so who should appear but Asmodeus.

They were glad to escape with their lives, for I rules that the two great lords of Evil were so amused by such stupidity that they found it beneath their dignity to expinge such bumblers, that they would soon manage that themselves without the helping hand they could employ.

Cheerio,
Gary

Great story.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

You're killing me, man. I had planned on heading to Winterdark, but it wasn't in the cards.

Now on to more niggling details of years gone by...

A while back I was working up a back story for T1-4. According to the the module, the Temple of Elemental Evil itself was built up in a matter of a few years by the forces of woe, but I don't recall seeing any discussion of who built the Moathouse. Was it also the work of the bad guys, or did they simply take over an existing structure? Or, did you not even consider the issue?

As always, thanks.

Winterdark II was a most enjoyable mini-con. Hope you can make the LGGC IV in June and/or Winterdark III next January.

The Moathouse was subsumed as being built by a local lord some decades before the ToEE came into existance.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Great story.

Thanks.

Speaking of bumbling, the number ot typos in my post place me into that category


Gary

 

[FATDRAGONGAMES]

No probelm at all



I just played a house ruled OD&D (three booklet) adventure at the Winterdark convention here, taking six created-on-the-spot 2nd level PCs on a dungeon crawl through the upper levels of my original Castle Greyhawk campaign, those dungeon levels being created in 1972 and 1973.


Cheerio,
Gary

Any chance of a repeat in June when I can attend?

 

[francisca]

Winterdark II was a most enjoyable mini-con. Hope you can make the LGGC IV in June and/or Winterdark III next January.

I almost certainly will make LGGC 4. I'll be rooming with Mr. Kask, unless current plans change.

The Moathouse was subsumed as being built by a local lord some decades before the ToEE came into existance.

Cheerio,
Gary

Ha! That's the angle I took! 3 members of the PC party were heirs of the Moathouse and surrounding area, and had come back to reclaim it!

 

[haakon1]

Just being in London and Paris, seeing the hostorical places, the monuments, and famous streets is quite an exhilarating thing.

I know what you mean. The first time I was in Trafalgar Square, it was like -- I've been here before so many times, but only in movies, TV, books, etc. Even living in London for 2 years, I'd still get that feeling occassionally . . . it's odd to take a train for workaday purposes from Paddington Station, and then think about Paddington Bear and Harry Potter.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Any chance of a repeat in June when I can attend?

I'd say fair to middlin'

I hope that by June I'll feel up to running a couple of LA games with an OD&D filler or two. However, I do plan on running several five-player games of King of England - King of France at Lake Geneva Gaming Convention IV this June as well...and maybe playing a game of the most excellent Dragon Lairds as well.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[JohnRTroy]

I figured I'd post this announce in the Gygax thread to give it a little boost, since I saw it elsewhere on ENWorld.

Paizo has announced the release of the novel Infernal Sorceress by Gary Gygax, to be released this July.

[bq]Infernal Sorceress, by Gary Gygax, blazes into print for the first time ever. The legendary "lost" Gary Gygax novel offers a new glimpse at a master fantasist at the peak of his game. Gary Gygax, co-creator of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS role-playing game and patron saint to a generation of fantasy game enthusiasts, is best known in fiction for the wily protagonist Gord the Rogue and the cunning detective-sorcerer Setne Inhetep. The long-awaited Infernal Sorceress takes place on Aerth, a fantastic planet informed by Earth in the Dark Ages and medieval period. It's also the setting for his novels The Anubis Murders and The Samarkand Solution, also available from Planet Stories. Introduction by Erik Mona, Publisher of Planet Stories and the former Editor-in-Chief of DRAGON magazine. Available in bookstores everywhere this July.

Additional information on the 2008 Planet Stories releases can be found at paizo.com/planetstories.[/bq]

Long time Mythus fans may remember Gary's talk of a "Tales of the Ferret" book, this is that one. A few years back I was able to recover this for Gary. This has NEVER been printed before so it's brand new.

 

[grodog]

LOL. I was just going to ask for additional details about this book, John: what else can you or Gary tell us about it, as well as how it got to be lost (and found) in the first place?