Q&A with Gary Gygax, Part II

rabindranath72 · Post by **rabindranath72** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 2:22 pm

Ass far ass I know, things should go well this year (just tried, I am not english speaking)

Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 4:14 pm

All of you!

It is fundament-al that get behind me
Happy Christmas,

Gary

Troll Lord · Post by **Troll Lord** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:31 pm

ScottyG wrote:
Gary, is the short story At Moonset Blackcat Comes going to be part of the TLG Gord releases?

Presently "At Moonset Blackcat Comes," will be edited into Night Arrant with no problem.

Thanks,

Steve
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 3:36 pm

Wow, what a scoop!

-O
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Zudrak · Post by **Zudrak** » Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:13 pm

Troll Lord wrote:
Presently "At Moonset Blackcat Comes," will be edited into Night Arrant with no problem.

Thanks,

Steve

That is excellent news!
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slimykuotoan · Post by **slimykuotoan** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 5:34 pm

Mr. Gygax:

I heard a rumor: when you were designing spells for D&D, you at one point interviewed local wiccans, self-proclaimed magicians, etc. to get a feel for how spell casting could be described/worked in the game.

Is this true?

It sounds like one of those religious-attacky rumors, but it's something I'd probably do myself when developing a game system.

Kinda like how a novel writer interviews many diverse peoples to get a feel for the subject matter...

Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 10:00 pm

slimykuotoan wrote:
Mr. Gygax:

I heard a rumor: when you were designing spells for D&D, you at one point interviewed local wiccans, self-proclaimed magicians, etc. to get a feel for how spell casting could be described/worked in the game.

Is this true?

It sounds like one of those religious-attacky rumors, but it's something I'd probably do myself when developing a game system.

Kinda like how a novel writer interviews many diverse peoples to get a feel for the subject matter...

No, there isn't an ounce of truth in that rumor. I made them all up out of my imagination, often with some tongue-in-cheek component too
Christmas Blessings,

Gary

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:26 pm

Col_Pladoh wrote:
No, there isn't an ounce of truth in that rumor. I made them all up out of my imagination, often with some tongue-in-cheek component too
Christmas Blessings,

Gary

Must be from the Jack Chick voice of truth about D&D.
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Coleston the Cavalier · Fri Dec 21, 2007 11:53 pm

gideon_thorne wrote:
Must be from the Jack Chick voice of truth about D&D.

Beware of fanatics bearing pamphlets!
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cuchulainkevin · Post by **cuchulainkevin** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:34 am

Col_Pladoh wrote:
If I completely retired and allowed the 30 or 40 projects I have going in some stage of development go into the dumper I do believe angry gamers would march on my house as do angry villagers when Frankenstein's monster is ravaging their locale
Cheers,

Gary

Crap! Gary's discovered our plan. He'll have the boiling pitch ready. Go to plan B. Call up those dwarven sappers.

Morty
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cuchulainkevin · Post by **cuchulainkevin** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 12:34 am

gideon_thorne wrote:
Must be from the Jack Chick voice of truth about D&D.

Well in Jack's defense, he's clearly insane.
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Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:01 pm

cuchulainkevin wrote:
Well in Jack's defense, he's clearly insane.

Happy Christmas All!

He has provided the basis for all manner if hilarious parodies of that bizarre tract he wrote/published though
Yuletide cheer,

Gary

Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:07 am

Indeed. I wonder if ol' Jack has a Christmas tree up this year?
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Joe Mac · Post by **Joe Mac** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:59 am

Good morning Colonel,

As long as we're mentioning fanatics....a philosophical query for you, concerning paladins:

I like the paladin as a sub-class of cavalier, and also prefer the original dictum on the 'cavalier-paladin' in your Dragon article introducing the cavalier: that paladins no longer gain clerical spellcasting at higher levels. This appeals because I prefer that the cleric class be the "holy warriors" of their deity.

With that in mind, as well as an aspect of alignment you noted in the DMG -- that characters, directly or indirectly, serve the ends of deities of their alignment, whether they profess to worship these deities or not -- I got to thinking more about the cavalier-paladin recently, and arrived at a theoretical question: could a (non-spellcasting) paladin wield the abilities of his class through pure devotion to the ideals of Lawful Good, as expressed through a chivalrous order of knighthood, without individual devotion to a particular deity?

I'm envisioning that an order of paladins could be allied, loosely or more closely, with one or more Lawful Good religions, while the paladin as an individual might follow the strict tenets of his order rather than a LG religion itself. The disciplined code he lives by, and the ideals that underlie that code, are what he might understand to be the source of his power, rather than daily prayer and calls to a particular deity (which to me feels like the province of the cleric class). He would certainly be watched over by the LG deities of the milieu, and indeed draw power from them -- but his service to them could be indirect, while directly serving his order.

This is hardly an original idea; I know that many players and DMs have given little thought to the 'source' of a paladin's power since the class was conceived, and some have posited exactly what I'm describing... I'm wondering what the author of the class thinks of this interpretation.
Thanks,

Joe

ScottyG · Post by **ScottyG** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:13 am

Troll Lord wrote:
Presently "At Moonset Blackcat Comes," will be edited into Night Arrant with no problem.

Thanks,

Steve

That's good news.

Gord and Chert went on to Oerth-shattering, multi-novel spanning epic adventure, but this is short story pulp at its finest.

Scott

Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:52 pm

Joe Mac wrote:
Good morning Colonel,

As long as we're mentioning fanatics....a philosophical query for you, concerning paladins:

I like the paladin as a sub-class of cavalier, and also prefer the original dictum on the 'cavalier-paladin' in your Dragon article introducing the cavalier: that paladins no longer gain clerical spellcasting at higher levels. This appeals because I prefer that the cleric class be the "holy warriors" of their deity.

With that in mind, as well as an aspect of alignment you noted in the DMG -- that characters, directly or indirectly, serve the ends of deities of their alignment, whether they profess to worship these deities or not -- I got to thinking more about the cavalier-paladin recently, and arrived at a theoretical question: could a (non-spellcasting) paladin wield the abilities of his class through pure devotion to the ideals of Lawful Good, as expressed through a chivalrous order of knighthood, without individual devotion to a particular deity?

I'm envisioning that an order of paladins could be allied, loosely or more closely, with one or more Lawful Good religions, while the paladin as an individual might follow the strict tenets of his order rather than a LG religion itself. The disciplined code he lives by, and the ideals that underlie that code, are what he might understand to be the source of his power, rather than daily prayer and calls to a particular deity (which to me feels like the province of the cleric class). He would certainly be watched over by the LG deities of the milieu, and indeed draw power from them -- but his service to them could be indirect, while directly serving his order.

This is hardly an original idea; I know that many players and DMs have given little thought to the 'source' of a paladin's power since the class was conceived, and some have posited exactly what I'm describing... I'm wondering what the author of the class thinks of this interpretation.
Thanks,

Joe

Yuletide Greetings Joe,

My short answer to your question is no. Lacking a firm belief in a deity of LG, the Paladin could not gain the capacity to use clerical spells. The Palasin is what he is because of a spiritual and moral committment to a deity of the LG alignment. He has the faith of a grain of mustard seed if you willm albeit his first concern is temporal faithfulness, not spiritual.

Christmas best wishes,

Gary

Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:53 pm

ScottyG wrote:
That's good news.

Gord and Chert went on to Oerth-shattering, multi-novel spanning epic adventure, but this is short story pulp at its finest.

Scott

As one that began reading pulo F&SF back in 1950 at age 12, I very much appreciate that compliment!

Merrie Christmas,

Gary

rabindranath72 · Post by **rabindranath72** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:44 pm

Marry Christmas Gary to you and your family!

Cheers,

Antonio

Tadhg · Post by **Tadhg** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 5:48 pm

Happy Christmas Gail, Gary & Family!

God Jul!

Rhuvein.
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Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:04 pm

This is the first Chruistmas in many a year that Gail and I are alone. Son Alex is off in Hawaii with his nephew ant his sister. They went cliff diving yesterday...and here his father and mother are acrophobes
So tomorrow Gail is making a rib-roast of beef with Yorkshire pudding for the two is us. A nice bottle of claret and what more cold one ask?

Gary

Julian Grimm · Post by **Julian Grimm** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:06 pm

A large LA game to break out?
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Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 9:45 pm

Julian Grimm wrote:
A large LA game to break out?

As long as I am playing, not running the adventure!

Happy New Year,

Gary

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:08 pm

Merry Christmas from the Bradley clan, Gary.
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Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:14 pm

gideon_thorne wrote:
Merry Christmas from the Bradley clan, Gary.

Thanks Peter, and may you and your family have a Jolly Yuletide as well
Happy New Year,

ary

slimykuotoan · Post by **slimykuotoan** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:21 pm

Merry Christmas Mr. Gygax.

My wife and I are spending a cosy Christmas together as well.

The Fishy Ecclesiastic

gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 10:26 pm

Col_Pladoh wrote:
Thanks Peter, and may you and your family have a Jolly Yuletide as well
Happy New Year,

Gary

*chuckles* We have a friend of ours visiting from the Fort Smith historic site and we have every blade in the house on display. Mick and this fellow Jeremy are chattering like magpies.

My lady friend and various and sundry will be over tomorrow.

And yet, here I sit, drawing up Yggsburgh Town sectors.
Save some yorkshire pudding for me!

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Joe Mac · Post by **Joe Mac** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 11:13 pm

Col_Pladoh wrote:
Yuletide Greetings Joe,

My short answer to your question is no. Lacking a firm belief in a deity of LG, the Paladin could not gain the capacity to use clerical spells. The Palasin is what he is because of a spiritual and moral committment to a deity of the LG alignment. He has the faith of a grain of mustard seed if you willm albeit his first concern is temporal faithfulness, not spiritual.

Christmas best wishes,

Gary

Thanks -- I'll be putting more thought into the relationship between clerics and paladins in my game..

And once again, happy Christmas! I'll be working tonight and tomorrow night, because somewhere out there, someone will be angry at not having received enough crack in his stocking...

Coleston the Cavalier · Tue Dec 25, 2007 12:50 am

Col_Pladoh wrote:
This is the first Christmas in many a year that Gail and I are alone. Son Alex is off in Hawaii with his nephew ant his sister. They went cliff diving yesterday...and here his father and mother are acrophobes l:

So tomorrow Gail is making a rib-roast of beef with Yorkshire pudding for the two is us. A nice bottle of claret and what more cold one ask?
Gary

Still, sorry you guys are alone for the holiday.

Merry Christmas, Gary & Gail!
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 1:23 am

My I add a "Merry Christmas!" from my family to yours.

Man, Christmas, with just me and my wife. Its such an alien concept I don't know what to think about that. I think I would enjoy it greatly.
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Col_Pladoh · Post by **Col_Pladoh** » Tue Dec 25, 2007 5:00 pm

Just a comment on religious devotion in the basic concept of the FRPG. (I treat this in some detail in the GFW book, Living Fantasy )

With active deities concerned in this milieu, the esquire's taking an oath and performing an all-night vigil before his being made a knight takes on even more meaning. ThePalasin is that exemplary knight that does his utmost to follow his vows.

Happy New Year,

Gary