The current "Real Deal" on Castle Zagyg by G. Gygax

[ghul]

I'm still a bit unclear as to what, exactly, is coming out. Thirteen mods? Could someone sum up what Zagyg materials will are currently planned?

Hello Whizbang,

Following this project quite closely, I note the present direction as thus:

Yggsburgh: 1 hardover (available now); 19 town modules + 5 suburbs modules to flesh out Yggsburgh and its surrounding communities.

Castle Zagyg: 2 boxed sets. One that details the castle proper and perhaps a glimpse of the levels beneath; another that goes deeper, and deeper, and deeper...

Hope that helps,
--Ghul

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yggsburgh: 1 hardover (available now); 19 town modules + 5 suburbs modules to flesh out Yggsburgh and its surrounding communities.

Castle Zagyg: 2 boxed sets. One that details the castle proper and perhaps a glimpse of the levels beneath; another that goes deeper, and deeper, and deeper...

Holy moley. Talk about ambitious. That'll be awesome if that all materializes, though.

Hope that helps

It's perfect, thanks!

 

[Erik Mona]

Of course we would, Erik; that is, unless something else competes for our dollar...

Lots of things compete for your dollar. Quality product rises to the top. And in the case of Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons game, I think there is little to be worried about.

--Erik

 

[Imruphel]

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that you could print this thing on the back of the Dead Sea Scrolls and we will still buy it.

--Erik

Um, that's because we could sell the Dead Sea Scrolls for millions of dollars...?

 

[Whisper72]

Um, that's because we could sell the Dead Sea Scrolls for millions of dollars...?

nah... the copyright on them scrolls ran out a while ago.....

 

[DaveMage]

Per my understanding:

In 1972 Gary Gygax designs Castle Greyhawk, and Rob Kuntz is one of the primary players therein (along with Ernie Gygax and Terry Kuntz). A year or so later, as a reward for being the first player to "beat" the Castle, Rob is promoted by Gary to co-DM of the campaign and the two of them redesign the Castle together and incorporate many of Rob's levels from his own El Raja Key castle into Greyhawk Castle. As play continues over the next several years and new levels are added to the Castle, some are designed by Gary, some by Rob.

Fast forward ahead 30 years, Gary and Rob sit down together to work on "Castle Zagyg" and decide what of the original material to incorporate into the release version -- some of Gary's levels, some of Rob's levels. Eventually there's a disagreement between them about the direction of the project and Rob drops out. He requests that Gary return to him the levels that he designed so that he can release them in the manner he prefers (such as the upcoming "Bottle City" release, or the rumored El Raja Key book). Gary obliges, and therefore those levels will no longer be appearing in "Castle Zagyg."

OK, thanks.

If this is correct, then it's disappointing, but it certinaly explains why there will be a lot less material than originally thought. Pity.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Ciao Everyone!

A few quick comments:

The Yggsburgh town modules are about half completed and being text edited. Another just hit my inbox today. As noted there will soon be 18 detailing the town proper, each building therein, and five covering the suburban area, one dealing with a new bridge across the Urt River and the village that has spring up around it's northern end.

If the deserted castle and subgeosn are to be done in two boxes sets, then the box for the dungeons had better be about a foot deep at least.

For anyone fretting about Rob's levels not being in the CZ work, that is not an issue. They were never going to appear there, not were more than one or two of my originals. Ideas from the levels he contributed to my castle were to be done in the usable version, and some will be included in altered form in the CZ work that I am overseeing. The same is generaly true for the large number of levels I drew up--around 35 of the total of 45 in the collection. The fact is that the agglomeration was never suitable for use by all GMs, as will be fully explained in the introduction to the work.

The number of levels and maps included in the offering is about all that could be logically fit into such a work. This is not to say thet additional sideand sub-levels can not be added, and that whole modules will not be especially designed for GMs to use in sending their PC parties into a "change" or transporter area--just as I did with The Land Beyond the Magic Mirror, Dungeonland, and Isle of the Ape. As a matter of fact I sent PCs to Barsoom, the Carabas on the planet Tshcai, and to areas of Greek mythology as well as underwater. Those that use the CZ castle and dungeons in their campaign can expect to fins places within the dungeon levels where there are places transference to such areas can take place if the GM desires...using the modules that will eventually provided by Trolls or his own creations.

Cheerio,
Gary

 

[Henry]

If the deserted castle and subgeosn are to be done in two boxes sets, then the box for the dungeons had better be about a foot deep at least.

Forgive my conceit a moment here:

HOLY ! How much dungeoneering did you folks do back in the day?!?!?!?!

OK, surprise moment over now. Thank you for the info.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Forgive my conceit a moment here:

HOLY ! How much dungeoneering did you folks do back in the day?!?!?!?!

OK, surprise moment over now. Thank you for the info.

Hi Henry,
In the final month of 1972 and through all of 1973 I would estimate that only about one day in a week saw no adventuring taking place, short ones lasting a copuple of hours, long sessions going o9n for eight or more. Of the initial 13 levels I created for the castle dungeons, all but two or three were explored fully and sacked totally, thus i created several sub-levels for them so that new PCS would have someplace to go where there were monsters and treasure.

In the late spring of 1975 I became so busy with work that I could not serve as DM every day, so Rob took over about 75% or so of that role. As he had a lot of time, there were adventures held daily as before.

In short, the D&D game play was intense, and more than half of it was subterranean delving.

Cheers,
Garu

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Any ideas on when this will be published? I love TLG material, but I have little faith in their ability to get stuff out in a timely manner.