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.

 

[Angcuru]

That question requires far greater knowledge of the system than I possess

Gary

ok then we'll keep it simple. How do you picture yourself in-game? In terms of alignment and class, possible race. Quite a broad non-system-oriented question, I'd say.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Actually, I do have a question.

Why spiders?

Many years ago, we battled our way down down down to the Abyss and discovered that the dark heart of the Drow had eight legs.

We've been fascinated by the Dark Elves ever since, but I've always wondered what inspired their arachnophilia?

It's a wonderful touch which lent the race a uniquely creepy feel (that echoes to this day), but is there some story behind that decision?

Thanks.

You put your finger on the matter nicely. Spiders lurk in dark places, attack savagely, are nasty and poisonous. That's the way most people think of them, so what better symbol for the Drow than that?

No, I don't like spiders in the least

Cheers,
Gary

 

[8XXX{0}====>]

A question for you...

Have you read George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. If you have, what do you think of it?

Thanks,

Sword

 

[Col_Pladoh]

another question...

Gary, in your mind, how old is Oerth? Is it millions of years old, thus capable of generating fossils, species evolution, and mass extinctions? Or was it whipped up by the gods 20,000 years prior to Oerth's recent history?

(Yes, I asked this on GreyTalk, as well)

What a question! just between us it's one that I think the DM should decide

The long history with ages passing is great, but that means all manner of additional material needed for the campaign, including possible past races, gods, etc.

Enough of the past can be garnered in a history that spans only some tens of thousands of years, not billions or many millions.

I envisioned the Oerth, the World of Greyhawk, as a parallel earth far removed from out own probability, a much more recent one that was spun off by the deities that are found there. If another DM wants to have it as one as old as this world and can manage the details, fine.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

A question for you...

Have you read George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. If you have, what do you think of it?

Thanks,

Sword

Sorry, but I have not read the book, so I am unable to comment. As a rule of thumb if it is anything like the work of Anthony, de Camp & Pratt, Farmer, Leiber, Howard, Merritt, Moorcock, Saberhagen, or Vance I will likely enjoy it.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[8XXX{0}====>]

I think you would like the series. Its better written than Wheel of Time, but since I havnt read anything by the abovementioned authors, I cant really comment accuratly. But thanks for answering my question.

Its kind of intimidating to be 17 and ask questions of The Man.

 

[Faraer]

--

 

[Faraer]

Likely two large continents would have been added. The nearest would house cultures akin to the Indian, Burmese, Indonesian, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese. Another would likely have been the location of African-type cultures, including the Egyptian. A Lemurian culture would have been based off the Central and South American cultures of the Aztec-Mayay-Inca sort.

Ver' interesting. I note that Sea of Death seems to indicate Indian-like states (Changol, Jahind, etc.) in Oerik, west and south of the Sea of Dust/Suloise Empire...

There are some of Gary's ideas of elder ages of the AD&D multiverse, and by necessity the WoG, in The Slayer's Guide to Dragons, which I am much enjoying.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

I think you would like the series. Its better written than Wheel of Time, but since I havnt read anything by the abovementioned authors, I cant really comment accuratly. But thanks for answering my question.

Its kind of intimidating to be 17 and ask questions of The Man.

Just remember that I was 17 once myself My buddy Tom Keogh's father was a freelance artist and inventor, a great fan of myster and SF fiction. I used to feel somewhat intimidated speaking to him about the authors I liked, but I was such a SF goob that I did it anyway. Funny thing about Mr. Keogh was that he had worked for Walt Disney and he looked a bit like him--made it ever more intimidating

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Ver' interesting. I note that Sea of Death seems to indicate Indian-like states (Changol, Jahind, etc.) in Oerik, west and south of the Sea of Dust/Suloise Empire...

There are some of Gary's ideas of elder ages of the AD&D multiverse, and by necessity the WoG, in The Slayer's Guide to Dragons, which I am much enjoying.

Just the way a verbig would say that

Mthanks for the lauds, but make that Gary and Jon Creffield. Jon is a very talented writer whose work will be seen more and more, I think.

Cheerio,
Gary