While i love the reasearch you did on the early pubblications, i am a bit displaced by the 'trivial' answer based on lore by EGG... too many comments/assumptions could be done and i find it worthless as we would never have his words anymore. Btw, your great post started a spark in my memories! If i may ask you, i'd like to launch a challenge on a question that no one has ever been able to answer (not even Frank Mentzer or Rob Kuntz, the last 1st gen witnesses!). Where did the anphersend with the dragon come from? Who had this great finding? Please note that this is one of the few features which is surviving from the first edition! Thanks i any case and best!
I'm not sure I understand what your statement about being displaced by the trivial answer based on lore by EGG etc.
Are you saying that his comments were trivial or that my analysis is? I'm not asking because I'm offended that you might find my comments trivial, as I they are less robust than the earlier part of the post, rather I just want to make sure I understand what you are asking so I can do further research and possibly an extended post on just that comment in the future. I'm always willing to improve.
I agree that it is important to have his actual words and statements on these topics. I would only add that on many topics, Gygax presented contradictory positions. For example, in early D&D he constantly stated there was no right way to play but after AD&D was published he shifted to "one true way" articles in Dragon Magazine. There was more than a bit of the salesman in Gygax.
I'll have to see what I can find about the Ampersand and I imagine it won't be easy. I think that Darlene or one of the artists on the early edition might be the best place to look. Back in 2010, Frank Mentzer wrote on the Dragonfoot forums https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=946879&sid=94ac4cc2dec2cf9a3e77ff4368f80516#p946879) that "After consulting with Steve Sullivan, he recollects (vaguely) that:
The reimaging was, around that time, offered to an out-of-house consulting/design firm;
Their costly input was not entirely satisfactory in some areas (tho fine in others);
In-house artists tossed around ideas and Roslof may have generated this concept as a sketch; and
It's quite possible that Elmore or Easley did the eventual execution.
Still a guess, tho. I'll ask Larry and Jeff... eventually; not soon."
While i love the reasearch you did on the early pubblications, i am a bit displaced by the 'trivial' answer based on lore by EGG... too many comments/assumptions could be done and i find it worthless as we would never have his words anymore. Btw, your great post started a spark in my memories! If i may ask you, i'd like to launch a challenge on a question that no one has ever been able to answer (not even Frank Mentzer or Rob Kuntz, the last 1st gen witnesses!). Where did the anphersend with the dragon come from? Who had this great finding? Please note that this is one of the few features which is surviving from the first edition! Thanks i any case and best!
I'm not sure I understand what your statement about being displaced by the trivial answer based on lore by EGG etc.
Are you saying that his comments were trivial or that my analysis is? I'm not asking because I'm offended that you might find my comments trivial, as I they are less robust than the earlier part of the post, rather I just want to make sure I understand what you are asking so I can do further research and possibly an extended post on just that comment in the future. I'm always willing to improve.
I agree that it is important to have his actual words and statements on these topics. I would only add that on many topics, Gygax presented contradictory positions. For example, in early D&D he constantly stated there was no right way to play but after AD&D was published he shifted to "one true way" articles in Dragon Magazine. There was more than a bit of the salesman in Gygax.
I'll have to see what I can find about the Ampersand and I imagine it won't be easy. I think that Darlene or one of the artists on the early edition might be the best place to look. Back in 2010, Frank Mentzer wrote on the Dragonfoot forums https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=946879&sid=94ac4cc2dec2cf9a3e77ff4368f80516#p946879) that "After consulting with Steve Sullivan, he recollects (vaguely) that:
The reimaging was, around that time, offered to an out-of-house consulting/design firm;
Their costly input was not entirely satisfactory in some areas (tho fine in others);
In-house artists tossed around ideas and Roslof may have generated this concept as a sketch; and
It's quite possible that Elmore or Easley did the eventual execution.
Still a guess, tho. I'll ask Larry and Jeff... eventually; not soon."
Yes that sounds like an ad hoc answer. I love the idea of cure light being able to remove paralysis though.