Writing in the Gygax style

[Mythmere1]

Reading Diaglo's post, it is apophthegmatic that the man is truly familair with his late 70's Gygaxian locution. It possesses a style that the later Gygaxian periods were exigent of.

My own modest contribution, gentle reader, is based upon the more prosaic screeds of the AD&D era, which nevertheless evinced the inimitable and characteristic style - yet with a surer hand for de-purplation and specificity of authorial intent.

 

[Henry]

Certes, good Mythmere, yet I find in Diaglo's fragment an intimation of the original's timbre.

 

[Quasqueton]

These are all wonderful and in the spirit I was hoping for.

But, Mythmere1, "gentle reader" should be "Gentle Reader".

Quasqueton

 

[Mythmere1]

These are all wonderful and in the spirit I was hoping for.

But, Mythmere1, "gentle reader" should be "Gentle Reader".

Quasqueton

Dang, you're right.

Henry - you're right too, but I didn't start 'til Moldvay, though I bought some of the little books in '79 before the DMG came out. There IS a distinct retreat from pure Vance in the later books.

 

[Henry]

I propose we start a series of college-level courses in Gygaxian Literary Studies...

101 Introduction to Gygax: A study of the basic Gygaxian rhythms, styles and tones of exposition and rules mechanics. Basic terminology, early influences by Castles and Crusades society and early wargaming. TEXTS: Chainmail (Gygax & Perren, 1969), Dungeons & Dragons (Gygax & Arneson, 1974)

201 Golden Age Gygax: This class studies what is considered by scholars the "GOlden Age" of Gygaxian aphorism and locutions. Focus on proto-Vancian and Lieberian influence on seminal works. TEXTS: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook (1978) Gygax, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide (1979) Gygax, The Dying Earth (1950) Vance, Swords against Death (1970) Leiber.

301 Gygax and the Silver Age - in-depth study of Gygax in the "Lejendary Adventures" era and the alteration of style and form. TEXTS: Lejendary Adventures (1999) Gygax.

And so on and so forth...

 

[diaglo]

I propose we start a series of college-level courses in Gygaxian Literary Studies...

205 Gygax Ends the World a private study in the Gord the Rogue series of books upto and including the release of...

 

[Greylock]

Way to go, guys. Thanks a lot. A whole lot. :\ Here I sit, not supposed to be laughing, coughing or sneezing. The bunch of you managed to make me do all three.

There goes my right femoral artery...

 

[Wild Gazebo]

Perhaps your puissant purveying of our problimatic prose provoked your pulminary procedure?

 

[johnsemlak]

I propose we start a series of college-level courses in Gygaxian Literary Studies...

203 Adventuring with Gygax A look at the adventures written by Gary Gygax, and an analysis of his adventure writing style, and a study of his influence on later module writers.

303 Gygax's World An in-depth study into the World of Greyhawk--its geography, its development, and its influences.

413 Deconstructing Gygax A critical look at the writings of Gygax, attempting to determine how his earlier career as an insurance saleman affected his RPG works.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

It may well be lost to one of our thread cleanups. It actually wasn't from a "gygaxian writing" thread, it was from a thread speculating whether or not Gary posted on these forums under a pseudonym. I'll never forget Col. Hardisson theorizing that "Col. Pladoh" was another poster playing off of his screen name based on the "hard vs. soft" implication. Later Eric revealed who the "mystery member" was and verified who "Pladoh" really was.

As I recall, I started that thread, and I remember being on the verge of flaming Col_Pladoh over who was or was not "really" a colonel (at least as far as EN World was concerned)...Gary claimed to be a "Kentucky Colonel." Anyway, certainly not one of my finest moments. Ugh. But finding out it really was Gygax was one of the coolest things ever to happen to me on the internet. I tried saving those threads, but I think the very earliest ones may simply be lost. I'd love for someone to compile all the questions and answers from the ones that are still available somewhere. It might make for one of the best, most complete Gygax "interviews" ever.