Interview with Gary Gygax 308
the_bahua writes "Have a look at this one-on-one with Gary Gygax, over at KCGeek.com. It's a tell-all, see-all, look into the mind of the man behind the second-best thing to do at four in the morning. Responsible for one of the cornerstones of geekdom, he is largely unknown to many, including many RPG fans."
Am I Still a Geek? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Am I Still a Geek? (Score:2)
Re:Am I Still a Geek? (Score:5, Funny)
Let's see...
[roll roll roll]
Hmm...
[paper shuffling]
[roll roll roll]
The shop owner says No.
Ooh! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Ooh! (Score:3, Informative)
didn't read the article... (Score:2)
Nice guy... (Score:5, Insightful)
On a whim, I emailed him to ask him a few questions and thank him for some of his early work, DnD, Gord the Rogue books, Greyhawk, you name it.
To my surprise, he actually took the time to respond to my questions and bring me up to date with what he has been doing in the post TSR days.
It always amazes me when someone that has made it big at one point will take the time to answer someone they don't know. Kudos to him. (or at least his staff)
Real guy, too Re:Nice guy... (Score:2)
Heh... while I'll bet Gary wishes he has a staff, alas he does not. He does get the occassional Futurama gig, but even mighty D&D does not create enough groupies and inquiries to allow for staff.
For better or for worse, Gary is 100% Gary, and definitely one of the more approaschable creators.
here, take my +1 mace... (Score:2)
I''m having a [rollroll] nice day.
No staff? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nice guy... (Score:4, Insightful)
He always came across as a jerk in the articles he wrote in Dragon Magazine. And unwilling to accept the idea that anyone would want the use house rules, or add races/classes, etc.
It seemed that he very much had the idea that he created the game, the players should shutup and play it without questioning him.
After he was gone AD&D seemed to get a lot friendlier. The books talked about how to create new classes and races, some gotchas, and guidelines. They expected that people would have house rules...
I don't play D&D in any form anymore, because there are better systems out there (levels, and classes, ugh...) but I still read the books to keep up with recent developments.
Re:Nice guy... (Score:3, Interesting)
I just wish I still had my original "crayon in the numbers" dice - just for sentimental value. All of my early D&D boxed sets walked away from my dorm in college, in a box stuffed full of Heinlein, Asimov and a bunch of pulps. Damn bastards probably thought they were getting sterio equipment and records.
--
Evan
Re:Nice guy... (Score:2, Funny)
Who writes this stuff anyhow? (Score:2)
Re:Who writes this stuff anyhow? (Score:2)
Insurance underwriter (Score:5, Funny)
I smiled when I saw this. I couldn't help but think that this is where D&D, and so many of its descendants on boards and on chips, got their obsession with tracking numbers for so many unquantifiable characteristics.
Risk assessors have to put a number on health, wit, and daring; they classify you by background, skills, and lifestyle, in dollars and cents.
Only recently have more plot-driven games broadened out of this focus - like the Final Fantasy series, which puts interesting, structured plots ahead of arduous level-building.
Re:Insurance underwriter (Score:5, Funny)
Your AD&D Stats... (Score:5, Interesting)
And in the interest of full disclosure, I come out with:
Str: 11
Int: 15
Wis: 15
Dex: 9
Con: 11
Chr: 15
A nice waste of a few minutes. Obviously flawed, though - assigning a 15 INT simply for a Masters Degree indicates you've never actually dealt with people in graduate school (*GRIN*).
Re:Your AD&D Stats... (Score:2)
The INT calculation seem totally bogus to me. A Ph.D. was worth a 17, if you didn't put in your IQ. If you have a Ph.D. and a 212 IQ (it is plausable that there is someone in the world with that high an IQ), then you get a 15 INT. A 300 IQ (hah!) will bring it back up a 17. A 325 is an 18. So all the wizards running around any AD&D world with a 18 INT are brighter than any human ever.
Re:Your AD&D Stats... (Score:2)
Here's me:
Str: 16
Int: 11
Wis: 14
Dex: 10
Con: 14
Chr: 10
Strong, Dumb, Clumsy, Ugly.
I knew there was a reason I was always wanting to play dwarf barbarians when i was a kid
Re:Your AD&D Stats... (Score:2, Funny)
Int: 13
Wis: 15
Dex: 19
Con: 11
Chr: 3
Go figure, and here I am usually prefering to play a ranger when I play D&D.
A dexterity of 19; I'm very good with my hands ladies... Of course I'm a hideous monster with a charisma of 3, but can't we just turn off the lights?
Re:Your AD&D Stats... (Score:2)
http://khopesh.com/dnd/sim3e.html [khopesh.com]
your link is interesting and very similar, although I don't like the yes/no aspect of it.
Re:Insurance underwriter (Score:4, Funny)
Risk assessors have to put a number on health, wit, and daring; they classify you by background, skills, and lifestyle, in dollars and cents.
"You must roll a 12 or higher to be covered by your policy."
Re:Insurance underwriter (Score:3, Informative)
If you look at the old rules, you can see the correlation between the to.
Chainmail 1st level guy with a dagger has a 50% chance to hit another first level character, no armor.
DnD 1st level fighter needs to roll a ten or better to hit as 10.
plus's in chainmail were in 5% increments
plus's in dnd where in increments of one.
and so on.
Re:Insurance underwriter (Score:2)
Anyways, there's no comparing systems to computer games.
btw, if you find keeping track of numbers to be annoying, give FUDGE or FUSION a try. They're both the sort of game that you can play with little into into the rules, yet that expand to allow just about as much detail as you'd like in any given area.
Rule apologetics. (Score:3, Insightful)
Also, AD&D become very unweildy with rules - distinct and unusual rules - for everything from pummelling to jumping to what-have-you. Once, as a sort of thought experiment, we tried to run a game in which we actually followed all the rules. It was unplayable, we returned quickly to the faster/looser style (in which the mechanics are more abstracted) that has now become part of most RPG's. Did you ever see or play a game that actually used all the systems published as AD&D? Did you recognize this as a problem? Do you see the Wizards of the Coast edition as an improvement in this regard?
I always figured that the goofy rules... (Score:2)
I mean really - who wants to keep track of every single gold piece? But when the players want to "run away" when they're lugging 100+ pounds of gold each, it's nice to be able to point to the place in the DM's guide that says they can't do that.
I did have a little trouble with the Psionics and Grappling rules in AD&D, though. It was a litttle too difficult to integrate them into the rest of the system. For handling specific situations though, they were very workable.
-Mark
Re:I always figured that the goofy rules... (Score:2, Interesting)
On the other hand, a literal interpretation of the introduction to the DM manual meant that you could play fast and loose with the rules, which I did. I got into competitive fencing around the same time and completely revamped the combat system in my campaigns. Rogues loved me
Re:I always figured that the goofy rules... (Score:2)
That's why my characters always used credit cards. Of course, any gain from not having to carry around cash was quickly lost once they wandered into a shop and quickly became laden with debt.
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:2, Interesting)
Speaking of which, didja ever read all the way through that book? Several of the 'rules' were mere suggestions on how to handle situations. At several points the DMG devolves into more of a discussion on what makes a good game rather than hard and fast rules. Very interesting reading.
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:2)
(A)D&D was fun, but it wasn't the best system out there. I forget where I read it but there was a good qoute ten or fifteen years ago about monsters in dungeons and dragons: An eco-system could never support that many large predators Yes it is a fantasy game, but gamers tend to like certain levels of realism.
Like I said I moved onto better games (Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is still the bar none best rpg out there fatntasy at least), but I'll never forget staying up all night horribly abusing the (A)D&D rules at a friend's house.
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:2)
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay is still the bar none best rpg out there fatntasy at least
Have a look at ArsMagica [geocities.com]. I am most familliar with version 3 published by White Wolf. Once you get past (or discard) the idea of the 'troupe' and tone down the mages a bit you will find that it has some really nice game mechanics. For a little while my group used ArsMagica mechanics, in the lands of Greyhawk and ForgettenRealms. Ars Magica version 4 is now published by Atlas games [atlas-games.com].
I do agree that Warhammer FRP is one of the best. The mechanics were flexible and had a nice sense of realism without being overdone. I always found the career system a little odd, but loved its flexibility. Warhammer FRP is now published by Hogshead [demon.co.uk].
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:3, Insightful)
It's why I bought HackMaster [kenzerco.com].
Reading these books (we're stuck playing Wheel of Time right now) was like coming home. The system itself is full of flavor and spice, unlike the blandness of Third Ed. Yes, it's easier to play, but even though pablum is easier to digest, I'd still rather have a steak dinner with all the fixings.
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:2)
It's why I bought HackMaster.
I hadn't gamed since 1996, until I came across the HackMaster Player Handbook. The cover emulates that of the 1st Ed AD&D PHB and it brought back alot of old memories. Kenzer Co. licensed the AD&D 1st ed rules from TSR/WoTC/Hasbro and put thier own spin on it. Coolest new spell is "Nuclear Winter Fireball". I highly recomend it.
Re:Rule apologetics. (Score:3, Interesting)
Do you see the Wizards of the Coast edition as an improvement in this regard?
I've played 1st, 2nd, and now 3rd edition AD&D, though it's now just called D&D.
The 3rd edition is much, much better. It is so much more... orthogonal. Almost all the special cases and little-used rules have been eliminated or integrated. The combat system is more more realistic, and most abilities have been combined into skills and feats, which a bunch of new ones thrown in.
That said, all an RPG is supposed to do is help people to tell a story. I believe stories are better when they don't contradict themselves, so a good set of rules can provide a good structure to compose a story against.
So Gary is correct, in the sense that the GM is always right, and it's not the rules that can make a game enjoyable. But good, consistent rules can go a long ways towards making the game more comprehensible. And I completely disagree with him as to the merits of 1st ed vs. 3rd ed..
With the older editions, the GM would have to intervene frequently to restore sensibility to the game. But that can also frustrate the players, because they don't know what to expect. With the 3rd edition, the GM needs to intervene far, far less frequently, leading to smoother gameplay. I believe this can then allow everyone to concentrate more on the story, which is the most important part.
Murphy's Rules (Score:2, Informative)
First best thing? (Score:4, Funny)
What could be better than sitting in the basement with for unbathed geeks, rolling dice and pretending to be dwarv.......
Ahhhh... Sex! That's what your talking about.. Hrm... Judging by my sex life, I disagree. Ill take the smell geeks..
Re:First best thing? (Score:2)
Judging by the crowd, I would guess the writer was referring to building the latest buggy Linux kernel.
Freak (Score:2, Informative)
1980s=TSR
1990s=WotC
2000s=????
Knowing Who Gary Is (Score:3, Informative)
If you played with the 1st edition D&D books, Gary Gygax's name was on them. Not sure if he's on the later editions, because I haven't played D&D in probably 10 years.
I've still got those books (Score:2)
Re:Knowing Who Gary Is (Score:2)
AD&D 2nd edition probably dropped Gygax's name. Not sure though.. I think I used to own 2nd ed basic books (DMG, PH, MC) once.
I still think there was better Arneson stuff that Gygax stuff. Although given the time and it's effect on my memory, could be wrong.
However, the best scenarios are probably Carl Sargent's. I think he did some (A)D&D scens too.
Woz-syndrome? (Score:4, Interesting)
Subtle, quiet, approachable, and doing something for the love of the field. These are the type of people who do more for a field without thinking about it than most people even think possible.
That and he seems to be a huge Mac fan!
He even mentions Lemonaid Stand! I remember playing that game when I was about seven!
Re:Woz-syndrome? (Score:2)
Wow. Lemonade Stand. This where I first heard the Gershwin Tune "Summertime" and the "We're in the money" song.
Anyone know how to get this in emulation? Or source? I'd love to have it around for offspring....
Lemonade Stand on the web (Score:3, Informative)
~Philly
Gary Gygax's contributions to gek culture (Score:5, Informative)
Back from the dead (Score:2, Funny)
His CON must be really low by now :-).
Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2, Interesting)
Is old D&D stuff collectable now ?
I've got bits and bobs such as a 1979 Dungeons & Dragons rule book (3rd Edition D&D, Not Advanced D&D) are they actually worth anything these days?.
I'm not that bothered either way, if its worthless financially, its still an heirloom from a mispent youth.
Ah wistful thoughts about +5 Backscratchers... (for those scratching their heads...it was a cartoon in the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide)
Guess TSR wasn't TSR without old Gygax....At least Wizards are trying to make the best of the old stuff now.
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
funny I was thinking the same thing
Is old D&D stuff collectable now ?
if you have any of the books that had copyrighted material that was later removed, then yes. Or signed, of course.
For example, the used hobbit, fafhrd and the gray maouse, and cthulu mythos with liscensing.
so if someone is selling something with "squids", it has collector value.
on a side note, you can send your stuff to gencon, and they'll auction it for you..
Ah wistful thoughts about +5 Backscratchers... (for those scratching their heads...it was a cartoon in the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide)
good reference, I miss those cartoons.
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
the monster manual with hobbits and the Cthulhu mythos is one item another is Palace of the Silver Princess-B3 (Orange Cover) which I have seen go for about $800.00
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
I don't know, but when a colleague was helping me move several years ago, he saw several boxes of original rules books, monster guides, dungeon master guides and dungeons etc... he offered me $200 on the spot. Maybe I should have taken it, but I was overtaken by a sudden wave of nostalgia and refused.
I am sure someone is selling this kind-of stuff on eBay if you want to know.
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
Some stuff is valued in odd ways. For example, H1 (Something Bloodstone) tends to sell for at least $50. It was a blah Battlesystem module, but it was for high level characters. Somehow that has translated into a high perceived value, so people pay a lot for it.
The old favorites are still valuable, like the Dieties and Demigods with Elric, the original D&D boxed set, and the RPGA modules.
What's suprised me is that miniatures are worth quite a bit. I keep expecting to find a good deal on someone's box full of half painted figures, but they tend to sell for $2+ each, even in bulk.
Re:Any value to old D&D Rulebooks ? (Score:2)
Yes, it was. Read to the end of the article. It even tells what the "E" stands for
=)
Four in the morning came without a warning (Score:3, Funny)
Gary Gygax invented the infomercial?
Surely he's not responsible for feeding one's infant daughter.
Re:Four in the morning came without a warning (Score:2)
That might be a question for your wife....
TSR gaming standards as used by others (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:TSR gaming standards as used by others (Score:2)
Re:TSR gaming standards as used by others (Score:2)
The way you play an RPG (sit around, assume characters, et al) is open game. But the exact specifics?
Re:TSR gaming standards as used by others (Score:4, Informative)
A long, long answer to your question:
The early history of RPGs is somewhat convoluted and murky - very little was actually published and it is not certain that Gary Gygax really invented the roleplaying game and he certainly didn't invent table top miniature gaming, although he popularised both - but many of the early xeroxed rules sets mentioned in the article were not, in fact, xeroxes of Gygax' rules, but xeroxes of other rules sets (Warlock and a pre-publication version of Arduin [8m.com] are two of these early RPGs which I have actually played - these days, you'd think of them as just house rules for D&D, not seperate games) some of which were eventually printed in small commercial releases and said things like "Major D&D variant" or the like, on the cover. Many of the rules appearing in subsequent editions of Greyhawk/D&D actually first appeared in these house rules sets that were floating about, and TSR/Gygax earned a certain amount of emnity from people for failing to credit them with their ideas (to be fair, some of them were somewhat obvious and Gygax could've come up with them on his own, or encountered them via third parties who didn't know who had invented a particular rule, making it impossible to give proper credit.)
At one point, TSR initialised some sort of legal action against the people who printed Warlock, claiming a combination of infringement on the Dungeons and Dragons trademark (which I'll grant) as well as some malarky about owning the concept of the roleplaying game. After that, and some other similar events, there was a certain movement among people who printed roleplaying games to avoid using TSR's game mechanics.
In the mid 1980s, Palladium (among other game companies) starting getting away with more-or-less duplicating TSR's game mechanics, without any repurcussions or legal trouble to my knowledge. Also, I think Dave Hargrave (Arduin) had been doing it all this time.
All of this is based on interviews I did with older gamers as part of an abortive anthro project (I dropped the course and never finished it,) most of whom do not like Gary Gygax AT ALL (about a third of the interview material, which I haven't saved, consisted of reasons he's a jerk), so take them with a grain of salt. Don't accept them as gospel like you would any other slashdot post
Nowadays, if you wanted to print a game and copy any number of rules-as-ideas (as opposed to verbatim text) from 3rd edition D&D, or any of a number of other games, you could certainly get away with it. You can get an idea of this by looking in the back of a Vampire rulebook, which (at least used to) credit all of the games it had "borrowed" ideas from.
Most of these games, or information about them, can be found on the net, except for Warlock (Warlock: The Black Spiral, which I found doing a search just now, is not related to the 1970s Warlock D&D Variant in any way.)
Gygax the Mysterious (Score:2, Funny)
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (Score:3, Interesting)
Of course, y'all are probably so young these names mean nothing to you. Young geeks these days, they have no culture....
Max
Dave Arneson and Jim Ward -- Genius! (Score:3, Insightful)
Jim Ward wrote some of the best stuff that TSR put out, even though Metamorphisis Alpha was basically a rip off of that Heinlein story, whose name I can't remember. MA and Gamma World were a blast to play.
I haven't looked at his new stuff yet, but if it's anything like the last game he wrote (Dangerous Dimensions?), I'll pass. Way too much renaming things, just for the sake of being named different. Far too much die rolling for my tastes.
The other interviews that I remember (the BIG article in Dragon slamming people for using house rules and still calling it AD&D), he came off sounding a lot like RMS does now, when he's bitching about the whole GNU/Linux thing. Gary seems to have mellowed with age, but calling the GM the Lejend Master??? Come on Gary, get over the names.
Re:Dave Arneson and Jim Ward -- Genius! (Score:2)
Re:Dave Arneson and Jim Ward -- Genius! (Score:2)
Re:Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (Score:2, Funny)
;)
The Second Best Thing (Score:5, Funny)
Second-best thing to do, but sadly the first most likely of the two to be happening to those who know his name well. *sigh*
Re:The Second Best Thing (Score:5, Funny)
What, you mean you've never whipped up some wonderfully elegant Perl code at four in the morning?
Oh, um... uh.... Neither have I! Yeah, that's it. Of course not. Neither have... I. [whimper] I hate my life.
And in related news... (Score:3, Interesting)
read about it here [gamingreport.com]
Re:And in related news... (Score:2, Insightful)
They flux between 300 and 600 employees.
dynamo
Re:And in related news... (Score:2)
blind hero worship... (Score:2)
i asked if they would release a set of leatherbound rulebooks on heavy vellum paper -- more tome-like than the current AD&D ruleset binding. he sent me a note saying it was a great idea and that i should fill out the submission forms provided (a dozen papers were included for TSR submissions by freelance writers). i enlisted 5 friends in my fifth-grade class to write a second monster manual (these were pre-FeindFolio & MM2 days, mind you). of course we never got anywhere, hell, we were kids.
even though the letter was a token form-reply, it _did_ have his signature in pen on it. sigh. i still have it somewhere with my old modules, boxed away.
gary (Score:5, Funny)
Slashdot interview (Score:2, Interesting)
Gygax. Nice public speaker. (Score:4, Informative)
As I recall, he was witty, self-effacing, yet very respectful of the community he helped create (in sharp contrast to some other cult figures, esp. amongst the Trek cast). This was in the midst of his fall-out with TSR, so he didn't exactly have glowing words for the company that booted him.
Afterwards there was a long line of Ur-geeks with Monster Manuals and Players Handbooks in-hand for him to sign. I'm glad I brought my DM Guide...
He's a great public speaker; consider him if you are involved in any kind of college / geek community.
Re:Gygax. Nice public speaker. (Score:3, Informative)
Remember, left-to-right for high numbers, right-to-left for low numbers.
;)
Brilliant (Score:2)
"No problem," said Roger (arrogant, cheated). "I put on my Ring of Invisibility and now I can see the Wizard."
"Bullshit," I said (ever an officious bastard, I spent my free time reading the rule book). "The AD&D rules specifically say that Rings of Power (including Invisibility) confer no benefit other than those explicitly stated." It was true - the example in the book even said (paraphrasing), "A Ring of Invisibility makes you invisible, but doesn't allow you to see other invisible things."
Then I told him that every 60 second he'd been arguing he'd taken 2d8 fire damage from the Wizard
DnD was passee.. (Score:2)
Dnd was fun but too far seperated from reality... LOL reality and RPG's in the same sentence... LOL
Re:Orge! Traveler!! and ... WarpWar! (Score:2)
Gygax - good or bad? (Score:3, Informative)
1. Most of the original ideas for D&D came from Dave Arneson and others. Mr. Gygax simply put them together into a book.
2. Dave Arneson and E. Gary Gygax had a grave difference in opinion about how to run TSR and so Mr. Arneson left. However, he made sure his lawyers made it clear that he would continue to receive benefits (such as money) from his previous work. The Monster Manual in particular.
2a. Years later TSR came out with Monster Manual 2 and several other hardback books. They also stopped paying Dave Arneson his royalties. Mr. Arneson did not like this and so he sued. Unlike M.A. Barker though, Mr. Arneson was rich enough to force TSR to begin paying him again. Eventually thought, TSR bought Mr. Arneson out completely. To read about this go to D&D History [ptgptb.org] or do a google search or go to the newsgroup on D&D (D&D FAQ [cs.ruu.nl]).
3. TSR, over the years, ripped off many ideas et al from people. One story in particular stands out. M.A. Barker's "Empire of the Petal Throne" was released by TSR minus it's copyright notice. Mr. Barker did not notice this right off and by the time it was brought to his attention TSR used an obscure copyright technical issue (since modified by Congress) to assume total control over Mr. Barker's work. Mr. Barker (of course) filed suit and went bankrupt trying to get his work back. Years later, a Mr. Lou Zaukie (spelling?) - the inventor of the high impact die and friend of Mr. Barker - convinced TSR to sell the rights to him and Mr. Zaukie returned the rights to Mr. Barker. Who has since gone on to print the rules again as well as to produce other tomes.
4. The heires to the Flash Gordon fortune, who happened to be nuts over D&D, was the person who bought up most of TSR's outstanding stock and kicked Mr. Gygax out of TSR. (This is mainly what I read and heard about many years ago so take it with a grain of salt.) From what I heard, Mr. Gygax kicked out several of the people this lady liked from TSR and in a fit of revenge she did this.
5. Then came several years of nothing new from TSR and, according to accounting records, TSR went heavily in debt as the heiress sucked all of the money out of TSR in order to build some sort of an amusement park dedicated to Flash Gordon. The amusement park deal went sour and she went shopping for someone to buy TSR. Especially since most of the creative people either were not allowed to finish works and/or left when Mr. Gygax left. (Some to other companies and some with Mr. Gygax - according to other reports.)
6. Then, from left field we have Wizards of the Coast. WotC originally was another company. TSR put them out of business. So they had to re-invent their company and did so using a novel idea - playing cards like you would D&D. WotC's revenge was that they bought TSR from the heiress (who, from some accounts had doctored the books so TSR looked like it was a great thing to buy but subsequently WotC found out that all of this inventory TSR had was rotting in various warehouses because no one was buying it anymore since it was so outdated.).
7. So now we come to the latest chapter in TSR's history. Hasbro bought WotC recently. Just when WotC was beginning to breath new life into TSR; Hasbro and WotC's owner had a falling out. As of today, Hasbro has sold off most (if not all) of the electronic/computer software related to both WotC and TSR games. Only the board/book rights are left and Hasbro has let it be known that they are not looking exactly - but would not be against having offers made to buy WotC/TSR.
But that's just some of the past history of Mr. Gygax and TSR. :-)
Notes on the above... (Score:3, Informative)
TSR was known for pulling nasty crap on a regular basis, and while they'd sue at the drop of a hat for copyright infringement, they'd use "inspirations" from other games and sources quite freely. All of the smart gamers made sure to never show any works in progress to TSR employees, because those works would be the next TSR "invention." For example, Steve Jackson Games was working on a vampire-hunting game called, of course, "Vampire," and after some TSR employees got wind of it, TSR announced a game with that exact same title (and no game to sell with that title - that came later. Shades of Microsoft, there).
Re:Gygax - good or bad? (Score:2)
6. Then, from left field we have Wizards of the Coast. WotC originally was another company. TSR put them out of business. So they had to re-invent their company and did so using a novel idea - playing cards like you would D&D. WotC's revenge was that they bought TSR from the heiress (who, from some accounts had doctored the books so TSR looked like it was a great thing to buy but subsequently WotC found out that all of this inventory TSR had was rotting in various warehouses because no one was buying it anymore since it was so outdated.).
What? WotC originally made greeting cards and a few D&D accessories. Then they were pitched Robo Rally by a certain Richard Garfield. Peter Adkinson (CEO and owner of the garage WotC ran out of) promised to make Robo Rally after first making some kind of card game that was simple, collectable, and fantasy-based. Boom, Magic: The Gathering. WotC grows HUGE. Meanwhile, TSR is in massive financial trouble and ready to file for bankruptcy. Adkinson, a really big fan of D&D, sees his opportunity and WotC buys TSR, fixes a bunch of problems and cleans everything up (even re-hires Gygax). Why do you think Third Edition is soooo much prettier and cleaner (and better)?
Check out Gygax's explanation [gygax.com] for
best pencil and paper RPG - Runequest (Score:2)
Gygax has recently moved away from the "power gaming" that dominates D&D, but in Runequest, it's always been impossible to succumb to gaming dominated solely by statistics and probabilities.
Stafford, Perrin, et. al. created a game that not only utilized a straightforward skills-based system, but also made a marvellously-detailed and lifelike world - Glorantha.
I say "lifelike" because it had internal contradictions. There were conflicting sources of information. There was never any one, overarching "true history" of Gloranth, only snippets you'd find here and there. Plus, the world was dominated by the truly epic struggle between the Lighbringers and the Lunar Empire - a backdrop that gave life to countless adventure opportunities.
The game system was fantastic, because you could get to be a real badass and still you had to pay attention to combat. In D&D, as a 10th level character, a 1st level monster presents no threat to you. Not even remotely. But in Runequest, there's always the chance that that nasty, grimy little broo can take down your kick-ass Rune Lord (as poor Khorat the Barbarian found out lo those many years ago - may Urox guard his soul).
Anyway, although RQ is out of print (the sortid history of its demise is really too painful to recount), Glorantha is alive and well, and there's even a new game that allows players to explore Glorantha (haven't played it - I'm still too wedded to my RQIII materials).
Find out more about Runequest here [maranci.net].
Find out more about Glorantha and the Hero Wars here [glorantha.com].
Re:best pencil and paper RPG - Runequest (Score:2)
OK, I admit that RQ was nice. And there aren't as many things bad with Glorantha as there are with most (A)D&D worlds.
But, ducks? Do You really, REALLY need the ducks?
Oh yes, didn't CoC use the same rules?
With the various systems I've tried, Warhammer FRP with a stack of handwritten notes from sources close to the game is pretty close to the best system. Specifically the best idea in the gamesystem are careers.
Then there's of course SLUG. The hard battles between FUDGE and SLUG fanatics are occasions of great joy and bloodshed!
What else? GURPS has good ideas, but after memorizing way too many GURPS books, supplements and compendia, I've come to the conclusion that in the end, it sucks. For all the good the system can provide, there are problems that would require reworking major parts of the whole.
Then there's of course Marvel, which is pretty nice. Thou shalt not choose Champion over Marvel, as that is the path to insanity - and Hero systems fans are crushed by GURPS fanatics any day on any field.
Oh yes, never forget MERP/RM/SM series. Some nice material, and I did write a program that took, as input, a couple of numbers in about -100 - +500 range and displayed the gorified textual results on screen.
Paranoia is one to be remembered. Not for the system (who cares about the system in that game?), but for the memories of having caused the utter, complete destruction of alpha complex. And if I remember correctly, some commie bastard didn't die in the process
Never liked Storyteller. I don't need a non-system to tell me that I don't need a system to tell a story
What was it that needed dice with one third of the sides displaying '-', one third blank, and one third '+'? I think I have a hundred or so of those dice somewhere.
Of course many people still remember Metamorphosis Alpha, Top Secret (S.I.?), but how about the more obscure titles like "The Secret Treasure of Racquoc in the Acirema Dungeons"? And was it "Late, Late Night" or whatever where the characters were actors in B-flicks? I think there was something about attack of the giant mutant ants, too, although that could've been covered by the above mentioned horror story.
And what the hell was Nuns on Wheels? Was it RPG or Car Wars add-on or what?
Add to the list many of the homebrewn systems. I think one of the best ever took about two handwritten pages in an A5 notebook. Unfortunately it was destroyed (I think it burnt - not sure, though).
Oh well, those were the good old times. Perhaps I should try checking if anyone on Ebay has Rogue Traders for sale.
Second-best thing to do at 4 AM? (Score:4, Funny)
You've been a BAD little dungeon master, haven't you? You must be punished...
NEPOTISM!! Gary's Biggest dirty secret! Nepotism ! (Score:3, Interesting)
Why?
The Wall street Journal wanted potential unwitting investers to be aware of his corporations highest ratios of family members in a listed public company in history.
He hired every relative, near relative, friend, etc and let them bicker and fight the company into utter chaos and floundering.
Rule #1 dont hire relatives and friends just for the sake of it to give them jobs.
He blew it.
Wall Street Journal spelled it out quit clearly to me... Gary Gygax is a terrible business man.
I did play AD&D all though high school and College though, and many other RPGs, and do think fondly of of the standardization of the game so that I could easily merge into other peoples games.... I respect him for that (being successful) But he destoryed the integrity of the game with bad decisions to capture children market. It should never been brought below adult level gaming.
Trampier (Score:2)
Not known? (Score:3, Informative)
Hello, I am Gary Gygax, I am.........(rolls D20)....... happy to meet you.
Complete Munchkings Handbook (Score:2)
If anyone would care to find a home for this doc online (and the "Complete Guide to AD&D sex", each doc at least 30 pages) that wouldn't be slashdotted, let me know...
Excerpt below: (Grr, bloddy filters)
WELCOME TO THE THIRD EDITION AD&D GAME
You are reading the key to the most exciting hobby in the world -
role-playing games.
These first few pages will introduce you to the third edition of
the only role-playing game currently published. If you are a novice
role-player, stop right here and read the section labeled 'The Real Basics'
(on the next page). If you're a veteran, you already know the spiel, but
go read that section anyway.
Why a Third Edition?
If you don't know the answer to this question, you didn't read the
section labeled 'The Real Basics'. There are penalties for not doing what
we say...remember the virus?
How the Rule Books are Organized
As always, they are perfectly organized. Given the tremendous
positive response to the organization found in the Second Edition, we decided
to try something new. This Handbook is only the first in a long series of
books designed similarly to the First Edition Dungeon Masters' Guide.
However, we did place the last page of that tome first in this one. We think
you'll appreciate the change.
Everything a player needs to know is in the Munchkin's Handbook.
Everything a munchkin needs to know is also in the Munchkin's Handbook.
Rather than splitting up our books, as we did in previous editions,
this book will contain the entire core of the AD&D Third Edition game.
It also contains a full length novel on our new campaign setting - Dimensha;
several modules; and hundreds of new spells.
Learning the Game
This is really simple. First, follow the instructions found in the
section labeled 'The Real Basics', then come back to this point.
Now that you've followed the instructions found in the section
labeled 'The Real Basics', we can tell you how to learn the game. Just sit
down at some comfortable table with your books and dice and dive right in.
We've found that learning by trial and error is the best way, so please begin
at your leisure. Another good way to learn is to find somebody who already
knows how to play, preferably a munchkin, and learn from him.
The Third Edition AD&D Game Line
Hey, you're looking at it. This is it. All the core rules are in
this one book.
However...we are preparing many useful and necessary supplements.
In the coming days you'll see The CyberADDing Manual, TechnoMagic, The Star
Trekking Source Book, The Totally Complete Elven Handbook, The Totally
Complete Dwarven Handbook, The Totally Complete Hobbit Handbook, and the
awesome new Diabolic Magi Handbook. That last book contains spells to summon
all manner of diabolical creatures such as Arch Demons, Arch Bishops,
Rabid Anti-Moms, Televangelists, and members of the Moral Minority. Be the
first on your block to own this book, it's sure to be the talk of the news.
A Note About Pronouns
The use of the masculine pronoun throughout this work should not be
miscontrued as a deliberate snub against women in general. A few women in
particular, but not women in general. In addition, we also would not wish
to have it thought that AD&D is a male only game. Far from it. We encourage
women of all ages to play. To this end we have created a new character
class for the game that only women may play. We hope you'll be pleased.
Non-Optional Rules
Hey, listen, we didn't want the crap they (THEM!) put into the 2nd
edition. So, in this handbook, we go over every single stupid little
anti-munchkin rule and we fix it back the way it should be.
NOTE: These fixes are NOT optional. Play the game without these
rules in effect and you aren't playing AD&D. Call it GURPS, or HERO,
or RUNEQUEST, or something equally silly, but don't call it AD&D, in fact,
don't even use our rulebooks, or we'll sue you. We'd tell you to call it
Ysgarth, but nobody would understand the joke.
THE REAL BASICS
This section is intended for everyone new to the Third Edition.
Please read it carefully in order to fully comprehend this new edition and,
incidentally, vaccinate yourself from the virus embedded in this book.
The Goal
Unlike previous editions, this edition does have a stated goal.
In order to win, you have to have the most power and possessions at the
end of the game. You'll know when the game ends - the DM will tell you,
perhaps not in so many words, but we're confident that you'll be able to
tell.
Required Materials
Now we come to the crux of the matter. In an ideal world, all you
would ever need is this one hefty tome. Unfortunately, there are some DM's
out there who like to use other material. Now, in order to prevent them
from using some obscure rule on you, you must buy these materials also.
So, in order to start playing the game you need, at a minimum, the
following items:
{ Editors Note: This list was deleted for space reasons. It was
about 10 pages long listing every product TSR sells or intends to sell.
If you REALLY want this, just send me email and I'll send it to you. }
...........
Class Restrictions and Level Limits
There are no class restrictions or level limits for any race in the
Third Edition game. Nobody ever used or wanted them anyway.
{ Racial Types:
All the races that were allowed as PCs in the First and Second
Editions were included here. Races kept any special abilities and penalties
they had in either First or Second Edition. In addition, all the races
that appeared in the Dragon Magazine and the Polyhedron were also listed.
The only noticeable change was that any race could play any class or
multi-class combination and that dual-classing no longer exists. }
DMs
The DM race is very special and rare. A DM has no specific
appearance - though they will often choose a form and use it almost
exclusively.
The DM can only play one class - DM. The reason for this is quite
apparent - DMs can do anything. If a DM chooses to play a different class
it is only because he's a little bored. If he does choose a class, it has
no effect other than a mental one. The DM will pretend that he is that
class and for all intents and purposes will appear to be a member of that
class. He can at any time, however, use any of his DMonic powers. Even
when pretending to be another class, the DM is still playing the DM class.
In this manner, he may become higher level without even realizing it.
The DM's only special ability is that he can do anything he wants,
anytime he wants, whereever he wants, as often as he wants. The DM usually
does IT behind a screen though.
Dragons
Upon choosing this race, you need to choose exactly which type of
dragon you wish to be. Any dragon type is allowable.
You will start play as a hatchling and may take one or more classes.
Dragons can take the DM, God, and Munchkin classes but may only be single
classed in those instances. A dragon can also play any other class, so long
as its alignment is compatible. Dragons can be multiclassed and this is
quite common given their slow rate of initial advancement. Dragons are a
very special case when it comes to increasing in class levels. They can
only increase at the rate of 1 level per age category until they reach
the Ancient age category (10). Once this category has been reached, they
can progress to higher levels as soon as they gain enough experience points.
In order to enter a new dragon age category, a dragon has to do three
things:
1) He has to age. This can be done through magical means,
but usually occurs through natural aging. In order to gain a new dragon
category and the resulting benefits, the dragon must be physically old
enough for the category according to his type.
2) He has to own and maintain a treasure horde containing
valuables that exceed (10 raised to the level of the new age category
minus one) gold pieces. The exact composition of the valuables (magic items,
gold, silver, normal precious items, gems, jewelry, etc) is immaterial.
This treasure only needs to be owned during the transition from one age
category to the next. (Note: Only extremely stupid or powerful dragons
would allow another dragon to 'own' their horde during this interval.)
Dragons which do not generally maintain hordes (cf Faerie & Solar dragons)
must perform two rites of passage (see #3 below).
3) He has to perform a rite of passage. For evil dragons
this generally means killing a paladin (or other good aligned creature) of
equal power. For good dragons this means performing some dangerous quest
to benefit dragonkind. For all dragons this could also mean preventing a
dragon of a different alignment from completing their rite of passage.
The exact action is up to the DM.
When a dragon fulfills these three requirements, he increases in
power the moment he fulfills the last requirement. If the dragon also
has enough experience points to increase in level in one or more of his
classes, he instantly gains the new level(s).
Dragons have all the powers and abilities of a normal dragon of their
type and age category.
Some information was accidentally left out of MC LXI and we are
reproducing it here because it is of vital importance to Dragon PC's.
Dragons are immune to their own breath weapon and similar attacks. Dragons
can control their breath weapons sufficiently to prevent them from doing
harm to anything within the breath weapon. It is this ability which allows
Red dragons (among others) to gain a horde of magic and gold rather than
a lump.
Gods
Newly born Gods are often forced to come to the prime and start
their own religion, or have been tossed out of the Outer Planes as being
too small a fish for such a big pond. As such, they tend to have bad
attitudes towards everyone except a worshipper.
Gods are very rarely born to a Munchkin. These gods are the lowest
gods that exist and rarely exist for long because most people hate them.
Much like DMs, Gods can assume any form they wish, and often
wear a favored form most of the time.
When a player decides to play a God he starts at the lowest level of
ability and gains more God-like powers as he increases the number of his
worshippers and receives sacrifices.
He may choose to learn classes - any number of them, all at the same
time. His very nature allows him to ignore any and all restrictions of
the classes he is learning. If he chooses a class (or classes) which
allows him to use magic or spells through divine contact, he may either
choose himself or another god to worship. If he chooses himself, it costs
him 1000gp or 1 worshipper per level of spell or magic that he casts or
uses. The money is totally obliterated, or the worshippers soul is
utterly destroyed. The worshippers that die are randomly chosen.
If the God decides to learn Godhood, that is the only class he may
take, but he gains in power much more quickly.
Gods may not take the DM class, and may only be single-classed
Munchkins if they choose that class.
Gods are immortal, and if killed on the prime material plane they
merely reform on their plane of origin, and are booted back to the prime,
usually to kill the thing that killed them. Gods descended from Munchkins
will reform on a random plane until such time as they are powerful enough
to claim a plane to permanently reform on. If the random roll results in
the God being reborn on the plane it just died on, then the God is
permanently killed.
Gods can {do lots, completely detailed in a 5 page space filler that
is also included in the God class and is therefore not repeated here for
space reasons. - Editor}
Munchkins
A Munchkin is a person descended from eight or more races. The
normal appearance of the munchkin is that of his parents, but he has the
innate ability to shapechange, at will, as often as desired, into any race
that he is descended from. The shapechange is not a magical ability and is
not detectable as magic. The player is allowed to choose the eight
races that he is descended from, and which one (or two) his parents were.
Due to his special nature, the Munchkin has none of the normal penalties
that the races he is descended from had, but he does have all their
abilities. The unique coupling of his parents (who were, in themselves,
descended from multiple races) is what created the Munchkin as all the
genes regressed to provide this shining example of what Mother Nature can
do when no one is looking.
Munchkins cannot have offspring except through magical help.
Offspring of Munchkins usually revert to being a race from which the
Munchkin is descended. On the 1 in a billion chance that the offspring
does not revert, it is miraculously born as a god (see the God race above).
The Munchkin typically lives wherever he likes, and rarely, if ever,
is seen in the company of another Munchkin.
Munchkins live for as long as they like, or until killed. The reason
for this is that they never reach maturity. Should a Munchkin ever become
mature, he immediately loses the ability to shapechange and any and all
abilities associated with any race except the one he is currently in the
form of. The Munchkin is then treated exactly as a creature of that
race losing any and all benefits of the other races, and gaining any and
all of the penalties of the race he now is.
When first created a Munchkin gets +2 on all ability scores (Maximum
27) and 2 additional hit points. He does not get the standard ability score
modifiers of the races from which he is descended.
The appearance of a Munchkin usually is a bad sign, and some villages
have been deserted overnight just from the rumor of a Munchkin moving in and
lowering the property values.
Munchkins' are able to speak, read, and write fluently in the
languages of the races from which they are descended.
Munchkins can be any class, but prefer to play a Munchkin, God, or DM
class. When a Munchkin does not take the Munchkin, God, or DM classes,
he may multi-class in as many classes as he likes and ignore the penalties
or restrictions inherent in those classes.
D&D is the devils work (Score:3, Funny)
During that time, we travelled to Ohio to visit some high-school friends of my mom and some old friends of my grandmother.
I remember sitting in my grandmothers friends house and my grandmother asking the other ladys grandson if he played Dungeons and Dragons.
The other lady started blabbing on and on about how it was an evil game made by the devil and it was not allowed in her daughters house and so on.
I think about the most evil thing D&D has ever made me do is spend a lot of time on ebay trying to obtain an original version of Dieties and Demigods to complete my collection.
Now, if you will excuse me, I must go crawl around some steam tunnels and put curses on people
Re:The best thing to do? (Score:3, Funny)
If it's someone you're upclose and personal to, you don't even have to stop role-playing to enjoy it. In fact, if you're role-playing in a large group, you might even get some good creative criticism on your technique or even... if you're the adventurous sort... outside help.
Re:War Gaming (Score:2)
What you are looking for is miniatures gaming. I enjoy it much more than RPGs, because I'm not much into role-playing, but I do enjoy building an army throwing it into combat.
Re:War Gaming (Score:2)
Re:Gygax, what a guy! (Score:2)
It's been a long time...
Re:At least he admits that... (Score:2)
Sigh. Experience. I've gamed off and on for about 20 years now, and yuppers, a truly wound-up gamer does not go out to the clubs every Saturday night. Those years of weekends spent with other guys around a table, drinking Dew and eating pizza, didn't usually create the opportunity to learn the urbanity of Sean Connery.
It wasn't that the game wasn't cool. It's just that, when your whole life starts becoming the game, the True Geek alarm starts flashing.
Nowadays, tho, things are not what they used to be, back in the olden days of the early nineties. RPGs have attracted a greater variety of participants (read: women), and the bad-fraternity house mannerisms are giving way to, well, more style n'grace amongst gamers.
Well, to answer the question, people see gamers as geeks with weird mannerisms cause they tend to be people with weird mannerisms...
Re:At least he admits that... (Score:2)
sorry, obligatory I've been gaming for this long comment
First, I wouldn't consider what happens in night clubs to be the pinicle of social grace.
It seems to me that the person who makes assumptions on how a person behaves based on a stereotype is the one with low social graces.
Sure we had few social graces in high school, but that true with everybody, when compared to people outside there social circle.
I have social graces, and so do the people I play with, and most people I've games with for that matter.
Re:At least he admits that... (Score:2)
Re:I agree with Gary, mostly. (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't see how the one-shot spell system is "unacceptable", however. It's not an oversight, it's just one method of dealing with a magic user. There are published reasons to explain this system... you may not like them, but they are there. I have found that it tends to lead to much more inventive spell casting... when you can't just select the spell you'd like at will, you tend to think up creative ways to use what you've got.
In the end, who cares about lame rules? It's up to the DM whether to use them or not, based on whatever provides the best role playing experience for the set of players he's dealing with. D&D's rules were never set in stone, so they cannot be "fundamental flaws"... the rules serve the DM, not the other way around. That's why pretty much every DMG begins with rule #1: the DM is in charge.
Re:Become the Geek that even the Geeks make fun of (Score:2)
So now I get to sit around a table and camp the FBSS without the pretty graphics?
Player: "has the ghoul spawned?"
EM: "not yet."
(2 hours pass)
Player: "has the ghoul spawned?"
EM: "nope."