Weem Interviews Gary Gygax (2001) Part 1 of 2

Back in 2001, in my early 20’s, I had been playing D&D for about 10 years and like many others, the Gygax name was an inspiring one. It was also around that time (1999) that I had begun designing websites – something that would eventually become my full time job. As such, I had a number of gaming sites. By 2001 I decided to approach this legendary man with an interview request for one such site, which he accepted.

My questions for him were coming from a fan’s point of view. I was not following the industry. I bought my books and played my games – that was about it. As such, some of these questions he had probably answered many times before and after, but I was not aware of them.

Until a few days ago, I had thought this interview was lost to time. Many times I had looked for it, including searches for it online – perhaps someone had copied it to their site etc – but those searches never found anything. Recently however, I found some old “data” disks – essentially backups of old sites, and while pouring through them I found this interview, as well as one I did with David “Zeb” Cook (of Planescape fame, among other things).

Here I present to you Part 1 of 2 from my 2001 interview with Gary Gygax…

WEEM: First of all, let me thank you for agreeing to answer some guy’s questions from the west coast. I’m sure there are much more important things that get set-aside for something like this, and I greatly appreciate that. 

Gary Gygax: Well thanks a lot:) Actually, though, I appreciate the honor of your asking me for an interview. 

W: When Dungeons and Dragons was released for the first time, did you ever expect it to become as popular as it has? I have wondered if you just “knew” that there would be a lot of others who would enjoy it as much as you, or if you really didn’t care whether it became big or not. 

GG: Popular! Sure I “knew”! I was convinced that the D&D game would sell to virtually all wargame fans, likely the fantasy and science fiction crowd too. Asked anytime from 1973 through about 1975, I’d have assured you that we would sell no fewer than 50,000 units….maybe even a bit more. 

Then in late 1975, about this time of year (October), in fact, when the fan letters were coming in at an ever increasing rate, it suddenly struck me. The demographics of the
D&D audience were not quite what I had thought would be the core market. In fact, we were reaching lots of people who didn’t fit the profile. So then I revised projections upwards, and my seat-of-the-pants projections for the next five years was very close to what TSR actually did in gross sales—margin of error was within 5%. 

So I missed initially, but hit the bullseye later on. 

W: What did others think of your creation as it was in the works? Did they tell you that it was a waste of time, or did you get a lot of support? Both? 

GG: All of those who hadn’t played D&D were skeptical—scoffers, more accurately. Before Don Kaye and I formed Tactical Studies Rules I even queried The Avalon Hill Company about their interest in publishing D&D and the DUNGEON! Game. They declined with a laugh… So Gamers who had not been exposed to the power of D&D play were almost as dubious about its potential as those who knew nothing about hobby gaming. 

W: As the game grew in popularity, did you get a lot of visitors to your home wanting to meet you or sit down and play a game? If so, did you go along with it, or did you try to keep work away from home? 

GG: Me, a gamer, wanting to keep my fellows away from where I live? Never! 

Before D&D was published the basement of my house was a weekend gaming hotspot—as of c. 1967 or so mainly for miniatures on the sand table there. When the first dungeon forays were staged upstairs, the winter of 1972, the dining room became a popular gaming spot most days of the week. To avoid spousal wrath, we soon moved RPG activity to the basement, playing on a flat table that replaced the one covered with sand. 

At the same time, I received many letters and phone calls each day, all having to do with the draft manuscript of the D&D game I had mailed to fellows across the country. These resulted in my revising the draft from 50 pages length to 150 pages in the early summer of 1973—essentially what was published. 

At around that time we ran D&D sessions four or five times a week, and sometimes 20 players would show up! That’s when I talked rob Kuntz into co-DMing the Greyhawk Campaign with me. Just too many PCs for one guy to manage. 

Although there was a lot of turnover in the player group—a small group of friends would play with us for a time, then go off to start their own campaign—the attendance at game sessions there in my basement remained very high through 1975. Thereafter, we had to kick most out because we were also running the company from the same place, my little office-studio above, and the basement. 

W: My brother and I were wondering if Mordenkainen or Bigby were started as PC’s. If so, who played them? 

GG: Mordenkainen was my first magic-user PC, as a matter of fact. In a fairly early stage of his adventuring career, Mordenkainen encountered a NPC in a dungeon, used Charm Person, and thus gained an apprentice. Bigby was then only 3rd level. After having him as a flunky for a fair number of adventures, I started playing Bigby as my PC. 

Both Mordenkainen and Bigby remain my PCs too, although both are now into the 20s in level. I last played “Mordie” about a year ago, while Bigby has languished even more—last played about three years back. 

If you have read/played MORDENKAINEN’S FANTASTIC ADVENTURE (written by rob Kuntz), you’ll have a fair idea as to how I operated them as a killer team….although in the named adventue more killees than killers (^_^). 

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Read part 2 of this interview

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