GB Feature: Gary Gygax / Dungeons & Dragons Interview

Dungeons & Dragons has reached its 30th anniversary, and to celebrate the monumental milestone, we've posted an interview with Gary Gygax, the tabletop game's father and creator. During my phone conversation with him, Gary talked about the research that went into the game's development, how some of its lore is based on mythology and actual history, the people who have been critical about the game over the years, and much more. Here's a little something to get you started:
GB: You wrote many of the original manuals and adventures for Dungeons & Dragons, both for the original boxed sets and Advanced D&D. Did you do a lot of research into mythology and other history in order to base your text on existing information?

Gary: Yeah, I've been a history buff since long before D&D. I started reading history in the late 1940's as a little boy. I would read about the conquerors and went on from there to Bullfinch's Mythology and the LaRousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, and so forth. So yeah, I read whatever I could get my hands on in regards to the subject. Of course authored fantasy played a big part in inspiring the D&D game.