Re: GREYTALK Digest - 23 Sep 1997 to 24 Sep 1997

Date sent: Thu, 25 Sep 1997 11:01:03 -0500
Send reply to: Gary and Gail Gygax gygax@genevaonline.com
From: Gary and Gail Gygax gygax@genevaonline.com
Subject: Re: [GREYTALK] GREYTALK Digest – 23 Sep 1997 to 24 Sep 1997
To: GREYTALK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU

>Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 00:27:27 -0400
>From: Alan Clark AlanC227@AOL.COM
>Subject: Re: The Oerth According to Gary
>
>>Are you saying then that from your perspective the resemblance between
the
>>Flanaess and North America is purely geographical?
>
>Uh, is it even that? I have a map of the Flanaess here on my wall
>(box-framed and laminated – I recommend the procedure highly). I really
>can’t see any similarity whatsoever to North America. If you squint a
little
>and use some imagination, you can see a distant resemblance to Asia, but
>that’s about it.

To set this aright, I did have Oerik as a western hemisphere continent. Thus it is geographically similar to North America in location in that hemisphere of Oerth.

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>Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 00:48:12 -0500
>From: Christopher Fisher cfisher@MAILBAG.COM
>Subject: Re: Gunpowder in Greyhawk
>
>Gary and Gail Gygax wrote:
>>=20
>>Murlynd (Don Kaye’s PC) was not able to employ his prized .45 calibre
>>Colt revolvers in the campaign until he became a quasi-deital figure
>>controlled by the DM.=A0 That is, only through a mix of magic and
>>”arcane technology” for a DM NPC was gunpowder able to work, and only
>>for that particular individual.
>>=20
>>Otherwise, and also according to the original AD&gl.lD rules, magic and
>>gunpowder don’t mix.=A0 In the base world, be it Oerth or some other of
>>the DM’s invention, the explosive mixtures of this world, from
>>gunpowder to nitroglycerine, and all the rest, are indeed inert
>>substances.=A0
>>=20

>>I must add that in my campaign the PCs could indeed gain and use
>>certain high-techj weapons by visiting a place accessed through a
>>portal.=A0 These were essentially laser-type weapons that had no more
>>than 20 shots before their energy was depleted.=A0 These did relatively
>>low damage (5d4) and were in effect wands for fighters ;)
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------=
>-----
>>Gary Gygax
>
>Just one question though, Gary: Like most folks on the list, I’m aware
>that in AD&----D (and evidently your original GH campaign) gunpowder was
>treated as an inert substance. However, in the GH supplement to D&end-D,
You
>do list on page 14, along with ranges for various kinds of bows, the
>ranges as well for the Arquebus. Is that simply because it was already
>listed in the man-to-man rules for Chainmail (pg. 27 and in the tables
>on pg. 41), or did you wish the option of limited gunpowder weaponry would
>have some sort of guideline with which to go by?

Getting me on this list too, eh, Chris you devil?! ;)

Arneson insisted on having gunpowder use in his campaign (just as he allowed fighters to use wands, so as noted, I tossed that in from the CHAINMAIL rules—along with all the rest.

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>Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 00:26:48 -0500
>From: Christopher Fisher cfisher@MAILBAG.COM
>Subject: Re: The Oerth According to Gary
>
>Alan Clark wrote:
>> >Are you saying then that from your perspective the resemblance between
the
>>>Flanaess and North America is purely geographical?
>>
>>Uh, is it even that? I have a map of the Flanaess here on my wall
>>(box-framed and laminated – I recommend the procedure highly). I really
>>can’t see any similarity whatsoever to North America. If you squint a
little
>>and use some imagination, you can see a distant resemblance to Asia, but
>>that’s about it.
>>

>
>Alan,
>
>Bear in mind that the Flanaess as presented in WG was supposed to have
>been _quite_ different Gary’s actual campaign Flanaess, due to the
>fact that he did not want the “surprises” of his world spoiled for his
>players by having them able to see it all spelled out in the WG set.
>
>(Did I get that right, Gary?)

Yes, in essence. The Flanaess in my campaign was more like NA at first, with higher western mountains and a vast island and Neanderthaloids beyond that. I scrapped it after about a year of play, though, and went with a continent closer in form to that on the maps printed for commercial sale.

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>Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 17:58:46-0400
>From: Ronald Melvin Gaw ronmlgaw@ENGIN.UMICH.EDU
>Subject: Re: Old PCs Adventures and Arms Control

>snip

>Um, in a nutshell, YES. Much of the ‘feel Greyhawk originated from
>the adventures in the “old days”. This is too broad, however, as I know
>you played for many years with many characters. I’m more interested in
>hearing other “highlight” adventures of some of the famous persona. For
>example, perhaps a particularly revealing adventure into the Great Kingdom
>which uncovers (or perhaps buries) mysteries there. Another example would
>be any adventures into the Scarlet Brotherhood’s territory where some of
>that background is uncovered, albeit (hopefully) not too much to give
>everything away.

Well, this is a quandary. I played mainly in wilderness areas, and up around the various nomad states after leaving the shores of the Nyr Dyv behind. Mordenkainen and company were involved more with raiding raiders and building an army, then a petty kingdom than with messing around with big, organized states. The players in the campaign were generally involved in the City of Greyhawk, the dungeon nearby, and in side adventures through being gated elsewhere or geased off (usually eastwards, BTW). The activity around Hommlet, Stoink,

And the ToEE has been pretty well covered.

So, again, what would you suggest?

Ciao!