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.

 

[Col_Pladoh]

You still have fans that play 1E AD&D, many of whom hang out at the dragonsfoot site. After all these years, some people have not been willing to move on to newer editions of D&D or other FRPG's. Partly they love the game because you wrote it, and mostly they just love Old AD&D. I think many of the "old schoolers" are hanging on to the hope that Old AD&D will make a come-back, that you would be in the creative lead of it and that their favorite classed-based game can be experienced by new gamers. There is still a lot of resentment by them toward the non-Gygax versions of the game. I could be wrong, but I don't think the old schoolers would accept a multi-genre D&D. Just an observation.

When 2E was released TSR lost about hald of its audience. That's according to inside information from someone then at the company. I suspect there was a much resentment about unnecessary changes and the cost of acquiring brand new core books as there was resistance to playing a game I didn't write...

My take on the matter is that those who hold fast to OAD&D do so because they like the system as it is, do not want any major revisions that alter its spirit and soul--other than those they have done for themselves to suit their group. Seeing as how I am quite unable to create a new edition because of legal reasons, speculating about it is indeed a fruitless exercise.

As for adding genres, that was generally directed in the ODMG, and what alterations I made in the rules would simply have made such facilitation easier.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[EvilPheemy]

The city of Greyhawk was located on the lakes in about the position that Chicago is, and Dyvers was north ar the Milwaukee location.

Now that I think about it, the Nyr Dyv does look something like Lake Superior.

You mentioned earlier that few of the early characters ever faced Demon Princes or ArchDevils. However, wasn't Iuz (admittedly not a Demon Prince in the proper sense, but a Demigod qualifies in my book) confronted by Tenser and companions (in the adventure where Robilar dispelled the wards trapping Iuz within Greyhawk Castle)? Was that adventure actually played out, or was it flavor text developed for the published setting?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

[snippage]
You mentioned earlier that few of the early characters ever faced Demon Princes or ArchDevils. However, wasn't Iuz (admittedly not a Demon Prince in the proper sense, but a Demigod qualifies in my book) confronted by Tenser and companions (in the adventure where Robilar dispelled the wards trapping Iuz within Greyhawk Castle)? Was that adventure actually played out, or was it flavor text developed for the published setting?

In the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth there were the trapped "demigods' that were released. Erac and Aylarach freed a demon prince in Greyhawk Castle, Fraz'urblu, that carried the pair off to the Abyss with him in "thanks." robilar smashed the portal confining Zuggtmoy in the ToEE, and she offered to make him her main servant.

There was interaction, if you will, but no confronation in the actual sense of the term.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Weren't the Nine demigods imprisioned withing Castle Greyhawk?

 

[fusangite]

Now that I've slobbered all over you in another thread, Gary, here's a series of questions that have been bugging me for about a year:

1. D&D appears to be inspired from Aristotelian physics, judging by the four-element system and non-exponential falling damage.
(a) What are the implications to this system of of replacing the celestial spheres with the Great Wheel?
(b) What are the implications to this system of having elemental planes instead of confining the elements to Earth?
(c) Am I correct in using Aristotelian physics for questions of physical science when the rules aren't directly on point -- ie. relative speed of falling objects, object trajectories, how electricity interacts with water, etc.?
2. The popularization of polyhedral dice suggests that D&D is in some way paying homage to Platonism; is there any aspect of Platonism in the way the rules or world have been structured?

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Weren't the Nine demigods imprisioned withing Castle Greyhawk?

Right, Flexor...

That last post was a brain fart on my part. It was Iggwilv's daughter that was in the LCoT, and the Nine were confined in the dungeons below the castle. There was considerable confusion amongst the lot when they were brought out of stasis and set free, though, and no confrontation with PC--a few squabbles amongst themselves, then off they went.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Col_Pladoh]

Now that I've slobbered all over you in another thread, Gary, here's a series of questions that have been bugging me for about a year:

1. D&D appears to be inspired from Aristotelian physics, judging by the four-element system and non-exponential falling damage.
(a) What are the implications to this system of of replacing the celestial spheres with the Great Wheel?
(b) What are the implications to this system of having elemental planes instead of confining the elements to Earth?
(c) Am I correct in using Aristotelian physics for questions of physical science when the rules aren't directly on point -- ie. relative speed of falling objects, object trajectories, how electricity interacts with water, etc.?
2. The popularization of polyhedral dice suggests that D&D is in some way paying homage to Platonism; is there any aspect of Platonism in the way the rules or world have been structured?

Heh

don't read the complex into what is pretty simple. The four elements are indeed drwwn from Aristotelian physics, but then leaped ahead some centuries to Paracelsius (sp?) and later Spiritualist writers. In all it is meant as a game system of workable sort and nothing more.

As for the non-exponential falling speed question, I corrected that later on--much to the dissatisfaction of many players.

The elemental planes had to be expanded beyond the material in order to exist in other parallel worlds, and to have existence in terms of Theosophy, such as the empyreal plane. By being so it also offers new realms in which to explore and adventure, places for elemental creatures. For example, without the elemental plane of fire being outside the mundane, where would the efreet dwell?

The use of platonic solids is coincidental to the generation of a wide variety of random numbers

Cheers,
Gary

 

[EvilPheemy]

Since the subject of the early campaigns is still up, I remember one of your articles (it might have been an "Up on a Soapbox" series) discussing how after a while your players' characters started sneaking into your dungeons on their own pursuing personal agendas (and treasure!). With regards to Robilar, was he a player character, and how long did he continue to adventure with the rest of the group following his "fall from grace?"

 

[fusangite]

Thanks for the answers Gary -- not what I expected at all and food for thought. I haven't read much 18th/19th century spiritualist stuff but I'll take a look at it. I am familiar with Paracelsus; now that I know he's a key inspiration for this system, I'll change my ideas about alchemy in D&D. In fact, the idea of salt-sulphur-mercury alchemy would fit perfectly into one of the campaigns I'm running.

 

[S'mon]

I'm not sure I understand about the non-exponential falling speed... (struggles to recall high school physics lessons)

Speed is proportional to time x acceleration (G).

Is falling speed proportional to distance squared, rather than to distance, as implied in the falling rules (1d6/10' fallen)?

I always thought the 1d6 dmg/10' to a maximum 20d6 was quite an elegant mechanic for 1e AD&D, taking into account that air friction will slow acceleration as the distance fallen increases, and that after 200' further acceleration is negligible (I believe terminal velocity is usually reached after about 270' on Earth).

The exponential falling speed rule you refer to is that from Unearthed Arcana, where damage per 10' is 1d6+2d6+3d6+4d6+5d6 etc, yes? Because as I recall damage was still capped at 20d6 it gave unrealistically low terminal velocity, though. It would actually work a lot better in 3e though, where hit point totals are much higher, if extrapolated out to 200' again... (S'mon has evil thought for next pit trap)