eagleeye1200 wrote:
Looking to strip wallpaper. Looks like the wallpaper was installed directly
over wallboard without priming. I think the wallboard is older as the paper
is kind of a brown/grey cardboard looking substance as opposed to the
"white" paper of todays wallboard.

Any suggestions on whether I can get the old wallpaper off without severely
damaging the underlying wallboard?

Maybe you should leave it. You could use liner paper (aka wall liner)
right over the old paper instead of taking it off. There are several
grades, all paintable and able to be papered over. The heavier grades
are known as bridging paper and cover a multitude of sins. They're the
stuff that is pasted over paneling or even brick prior to painting if a
smooth wall surface is desired.

The reasons I'm suggesting this are as follows:
- removing the facing paper from drywall takes away most of the
strength of the drywall, and floating (spackling) the surface smooth
doesn't restore the strength.
- floating a smooth surface is harder for a DIYer than wallpapering.
- removing the old paper is a messy and slow job.
- it sounds like your installation is straight up papered, but many
times the paper has been painted over, and removing it disturbs the old
paint which is probably lead-based.

R