Sacrosanct
Legend
Before people lose their minds, this is a bit tongue in cheek, but worth thinking about. From what I know of Peter, the last thing he would want is a special day or convention in his honor. But bear with me, just for the mental exercise...
We have Gary Con, and we have Dave Con. We have appreciation days for them. If you look at how long each was involved in D&D, and their contributions towards it, one could make an argument that Peter has done more.
Sure, Dave and Gary created it, but outside of the concept, Dave didn't do anything. No one outside of a small group in Milwaukee would be playing D&D if it were only Dave. Gary got the tires rolling and led it to a spike in popularity but nearly destroyed it after less than 10 years. The game very well could have died by the mid-80s. It would be an obscure game, spread to the winds, played only by a handful of gamers by now.
Peter, on the other hand, saved the game. He didn't just save it; he set things right with all of the creators. He brought back those (like Jim Lowder and Bob Salvatore) when Williams drove them out. He was arguably D&Ds first competent manager, largely because he surrounded himself with competent businesspeople and listened to them. He was the first to treat the employees and gamers with respect. He might have only been in charge of D&D for a few years before Hasbro took over, but he set the stage. He led a revival of the game in 3e. He released the OGL under his watch.
I think you could argue that Peter had the biggest positive impact to D&D, more than Gary, Dave, or anyone else. It wouldn't be here today without him. We always give Gary and Dave credit, and vilify Lorraine, but never actually mention Peter. If we do, it's usually by some older gamer complaining about how WoTC ruined the game. I laugh when I read those comments because when you look at actual facts rather than myths*, WoTC saved it.
* one of the most commonly held myths is that Gary was super and wonderful and could do no wrong, and it was the Blumes and later Lorraine that ruined him and the game. We didn't have internet back then, and Lorraine never gave her side, so all we heard was Gary's side. One he repeated at every opportunity, so it stands to reason many of us gamers back in the day had such vitriol towards Lorraine without fully understanding Gary's own culpability, mismanagement, or his verbal abuse to employees.
We have Gary Con, and we have Dave Con. We have appreciation days for them. If you look at how long each was involved in D&D, and their contributions towards it, one could make an argument that Peter has done more.
Sure, Dave and Gary created it, but outside of the concept, Dave didn't do anything. No one outside of a small group in Milwaukee would be playing D&D if it were only Dave. Gary got the tires rolling and led it to a spike in popularity but nearly destroyed it after less than 10 years. The game very well could have died by the mid-80s. It would be an obscure game, spread to the winds, played only by a handful of gamers by now.
Peter, on the other hand, saved the game. He didn't just save it; he set things right with all of the creators. He brought back those (like Jim Lowder and Bob Salvatore) when Williams drove them out. He was arguably D&Ds first competent manager, largely because he surrounded himself with competent businesspeople and listened to them. He was the first to treat the employees and gamers with respect. He might have only been in charge of D&D for a few years before Hasbro took over, but he set the stage. He led a revival of the game in 3e. He released the OGL under his watch.
I think you could argue that Peter had the biggest positive impact to D&D, more than Gary, Dave, or anyone else. It wouldn't be here today without him. We always give Gary and Dave credit, and vilify Lorraine, but never actually mention Peter. If we do, it's usually by some older gamer complaining about how WoTC ruined the game. I laugh when I read those comments because when you look at actual facts rather than myths*, WoTC saved it.
* one of the most commonly held myths is that Gary was super and wonderful and could do no wrong, and it was the Blumes and later Lorraine that ruined him and the game. We didn't have internet back then, and Lorraine never gave her side, so all we heard was Gary's side. One he repeated at every opportunity, so it stands to reason many of us gamers back in the day had such vitriol towards Lorraine without fully understanding Gary's own culpability, mismanagement, or his verbal abuse to employees.
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