What is the most inspirational Gary Gygax quote?

[MNblockhead]

There is no winning or losing, but rather the value is in the experience of imagining yourself as a character in whatever genre you're involved in, whether it's a fantasy game, the Wild West, secret agents or whatever else. You get to sort of vicariously experience those things."

Schiesel, Seth. "Gary Gygax, Game Pioneer, Dies at 69." The New York Times 5 Mar. 2008: C11. Web. 7 Oct. 2018 (https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/arts/05gygax.html).

 

[JeffB]

The one I have in my sig elsewhere around the intarwebz that is somewhere in the Gary thread here on ENWORLD or maybe on DRAGONSFOOT where him and I were conversing.

"Maybe I'm just getting too old to want to have to deal with a heap o' rules and the steaming heap o' rules lawyers who go with them."-Gary Gygax

As for a gamebook quote...will have to get back to this thread later. The intro to The Keep is pretty fantastic.

 

[MNblockhead]

I like the last paragraph of the Tips to the Players section on page 25:

Above all a player must think. The game is designed to challenge the minds and imaginations of the players. Those who tackle problems and use their abilities, wits, and new ideas will succeed more often than fail. The challenge of thinking is a great deal of the fun of the game.

Gygax, Gary. Dungeon Module B2: The Keep on the Borderlands. Random House, 1980. Print.

The one I have in my sig elsewhere around the intarwebz that is somewhere in the Gary thread here on ENWORLD or maybe on DRAGONSFOOT where him and I were conversing.

"Maybe I'm just getting too old to want to have to deal with a heap o' rules and the steaming heap o' rules lawyers who go with them."-Gary Gygax

As for a gamebook quote...will have to get back to this thread later. The intro to The Keep is pretty fantastic.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

"When they [a Player] have done something stupid, or not taken precautions, then let the dice fall where they may!"

--Gary Gygax, 1e AD&D DMG, pg 110 under "Rolling the Dice and Controlling the Game"

That is one of the things I remember reading back when I was...what, about 12 years old or so I think, maybe 11. It stuck with me I think because it gave me "permission" to say no to players pleading to keep their PC alive. It was usually a plead revolving around them failing to do one, or both, of those things...and then the Player trying to convince me that it was my fault because of X, Y or Z. You know the pleading of younglings (we were all around 10 to 12 years old...I think I was the eldest of the group). Things like "But I didn't hear you say it was glistening with something wet!", or "No way would I have kicked the door in if I knew I couldn't close it! I wouldn't have broken it down! C'mon! I *meant* to just break the door latch...not the whole thing!" and that kind of thing.

Anyway, that little line gave me the confidence to say to myself, "Self? You're the DM. You provided clues, you described everything appropriately, and you gave them time to think and decide. If they weren't paying attention, or didn't think of what 'it' could be...not your problem. If you keep allowing take-backsies, then there's no point in even having dice or rules. So...let the dice fall where they may!".

I think that whole section of the DMG is super-important in my development as a DM. That, and the one line in the Mentzer Basic Set 1 (DM's book) that says: "It is the most important rule of ALL the rules. It is simply this: BE FAIR! A Dungeon Master must not take sides. -- Frank Mentzer" Those two quotes (Gygax and Mentzer) probably have had the most significant impact on my career as a Dungeon Master.

Best two quotes in gaming!

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Roland Bradford]

Random chance plays a huge part in everybody's life.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Not a quote but he told me to put a drop of water in my scotch to open it up. Now I'm no longer drinking like some kind of classless savage.

 

[MNblockhead]

A drop of water. Not ice. Good on him!

If you like to listen to opinionated scotch drinkers, check out Richard Paterson's videos. Here's a good short one to start with:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVG1U-faqHY