Elon Musk Calls for Wizards of the Coast to "Burn in Hell" Over Making of Original D&D Passages

Elon Musk, the owner of the app formerly known as Twitter, is calling on Wizards of the Coast and its parent company Hasbro to "burn in hell" for the publication of Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons. On November 21st, former gaming executive turned culture warrior Mark Hern posted several passages from Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons on Twitter, criticizing the book for providing context about some of the misogyny and cultural insensitivity found in early rulebooks. These passages were pulled from the foreword written by Jason Tondro, a senior designer for the D&D team who also worked extensively on the book. Hern stated that these passages, along with the release of the new 2024 Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide for D&D's "40th anniversary" (it is actually D&D's 50th anniversary) both "erased and slandered" Gary Gygax and other creators of Dungeons & Dragons.

In response, Musk wrote "Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons. What the [naughty word] is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell." Musk had played Dungeons & Dragons at some point in his youth, but it's unclear when the last time he ever played the game.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets to trash E. Gary Gygax and the geniuses who created Dungeons & Dragons. What the [xxxx] is wrong with Hasbro and WoTC?? May they burn in hell.

- Elon Musk​

Notably, Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons contains countless correspondences and letters written by both Gygax and Dave Arneson, including annotated copies of early D&D rulesets. Most early D&D rules supplements as well as early Dragon magazines are also found in the book. It seems odd to contain one of the most extensive compliations of Gygax's work an "erasure," but it's unclear whether Hern or Musk actually read the book given the incorrect information about the anniversary.

Additionally, Gygax and Arneson are both credited in the 2024 Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide. The exact credit reads: "Building on the original game created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and then developed by many others over the past 50 years." Wizards of the Coast also regularly collaborates with Gygax's youngest son Luke and is a participant at Gary Con, a convention held in Gygax's honor. The opening paragraph of the 2024 Player's Handbook is written by Jeremy Crawford and specifically lauds both Gygax and Arneson for making Dungeons & Dragons and contains an anecdote about Crawford meeting Gygax.

Musk has increasingly leaned into culture war controversies in recent years, usually amplifying misinformation to suit his own political agenda.

 

[Clint_L]

... I don't even understand the cultural baggage remark)

You're a man telling a woman she should communicate to you more nicely during a discussion of sexism. The words "be nicer" are pretty culturally loaded when given to women. I know it's not your intent but it's not a great look. I'm not judging you, but suggesting that if the tenor of the conversation is not working for you, there are many ways to disengage without telling someone else how they should post.

I am aware of the irony.

Edit: and also, on reflection, thinking that no one asked for my opinion or advice or help, so I'm going to show myself the door, now. I apologize.

 

[Jahydin]

First, start with the essay that I just gave you the link to. That was what I posted the last time this exact debate was held.

It's a lot, but the thesis statement is this-
I think it's time to take a deeper dive into how I reconcile my thoughts- my love for 1e and OD&D, my continued admiration for the good that Gygax did, as well as my acknowledgement that history is what it is, and that it's okay to understand and acknowledge that people are flawed.

If you don't know, you can either take the words of people who clearly have agendas, or you can look at the various histories. Or his actual words in OD&D and AD&D. I gave you links to what he said on this website in 2004 and 2005- but there's a lot more statements from him about how women just don't have the same "brains" and therefore don't like games the same way men do.

You can listed to the podcast, and hear what some of the women have to say- including his first wife. In their own words.

If you want to know, and not just believe strangers telling you what he said, I have given you the resources. Use them, and then I will be happy to talk. But it's hard to converse when you won't believe people that have done the work, but you keep insisting on a stance that is very incorrect.

Feel me?

I will do this, but it would be really beneficial to the conversation (not to mention quicker) if you posted relevant examples of Gygax's misogyny from the above sources.

Keep in mind though, like I've said before, I focus way more on what people do over what they say. If someone says they can't stand redheads, but then ends up marrying one, my opinion on how they really feel about redheads is going to lean to a positive. That's just me; I don't expect everyone else to think the same way.

I honestly don't think there is much disagreement between us about what Gary said and did. If the impression that foreword makes of him is accurate though? Maybe we disagree there. That's not about ignoring information though, that's just a matter of how I personally judge others.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well everyone getting shocked and outraged over Melon Husk congratulations. You're basically giving him what he wants.

Ignore the git pat him on the head and go "that's nice Elon".

The game is rigged don't play.

 

[Bedrockgames]

You're a man telling a woman she should communicate to you more nicely during a discussion of sexism. The words "be nicer" are pretty culturally loaded when given to women. I know it's not your intent but it's not a great look. I'm not judging you, but suggesting that if the tenor of the conversation is not working for you, there are many ways to disengage without telling someone else how they should post.

I am aware of the irony.

Edit: and also, on reflection, thinking that no one asked for my opinion or advice or help, so I'm going to show myself the door, now. I apologize.

I frequently inform posters when I feel they are posting in a way that feels hostile or rude. It doesn’t matter to me if the poster is a man or woman. The reason I do it is I find it often helps defuse the tension, and it is way for me to be clear about my frustration before it turns to anger. I do it out of a desire to continue engaging. I do agree nice was probably not the best phrasing. Not because if the poster’s gender but because it came off as judgmental, which wasn’t my intention

 

[pemerton]

Someone born in 1926 or 1938 is simply not going to have the same attitudes towards men and women as someone born in 1996.

Betty Friedan was born in 1921.

EDIT:
@Steampunkette made the same point upthread:

Do you know how old he was in 1974 when he created D&D? 36. 39 when he was called out and responded in Europa Magazine.

How old were the feminists who were calling him out in 1977? Anywhere from 20s to 40s.

This is not "You're judging him by modern standards and at the time it was okay!" he was called out IN HIS OWN TIME by people HIS AGE or near it. Kate Millet, a prominent feminist of the 70s, was 4 years OLDER than he was. Born in 1934. Same as Gloria Steinem.

Susan Brownmiller was -only- 3 years older than him.

The people of his era knew he was a sexist and called him a sexist and he went "Yup. I am a sexist. And screw you for bringing it up, I'm gonna be EVEN MORE SEXIST as a middle finger."

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I will do this, but it would be really beneficial to the conversation (not to mention quicker) if you posted relevant examples of Gygax's misogyny from the above sources.

Keep in mind though, like I've said before, I focus way more on what people do over what they say. If someone says they can't stand redheads, but then ends up marrying one, my opinion on how they really feel about redheads is going to lean to a positive. That's just me; I don't expect everyone else to think the same way.

I honestly don't think there is much disagreement between us about what Gary said and did. If the impression that foreword makes of him is accurate though? Maybe we disagree there. That's not about ignoring information though, that's just a matter of how I personally judge others.

I am just going to say this one more time.

I don't think that I need to establish my bona fides as someone who loves what he wrote. If what I have done doesn't establish that, nothing will.

I also think that two things are worth paying attention to-

1. Issues with the "text." In other words, ways in which there are things in the text itself that might be an issue for current readers. I think that two things are inarguable- One, that there "issues" in the text- that doesn't make it "bad." It doesn't mean that I (or other people) are per se bad people for liking those books. And it doesn't mean that Gygax is an evil person for having written them- as I keep saying, he gave more good and joy to the world than he took. But it does mean that if you are going to reproduce it faithfully now, there is nothing wrong (and, in fact, the opposite) with a very brief heads-up, noting that this text contains stuff that will look a little ... off to a modern reader.

2. The actual debate about Gygax. I'm not going into this again. You don't want to believe the people (like me) who have read all these histories, who listen to the actual accounts of people. So... if you don't believe us, if you don't go to the sources that we've given you (I gave you two that are on this website, of him in his own words, not from the '70s, but from the 2000s) then I don't think going back and providing transcripts and quotes and so on is going to help. If you want to form an opinion of your own, do the work. Or listen to the historians who have done the work, not to the people stirring up issues.

And I will reiterate that it's OKAY to say Gygax was sexist. It doesn't mean you are! It doesn't mean that he didn't write and create amazing things. Imperfect people create create great things. He's not M.A.R. Barker. He's not Marion Zimmer Bradley. He's not even Piers Anthony. But hero worship gets us nowhere.*



*ETA- I feel like I wrote an entire essay on this and linked to it ... very recently.

ETA the Second- Finally, I will reiterate that Gygax's legacy doesn't need Elon Musk, or an army of grognards, swooping in to "defend it" with lies and attacking the historical facts. He (and Arneson) created D&D and the TTRPG field, and arguably helped bring nerd culture to the mainstream. His legacy is secure, and will survive historical inquiry, and accurate facts. As I wrote before, it's not like he killed a woman and a waiter, like the scoundrels OJ never found before he died. I mean, it's not like we are talking about his bimbos and cocaine days, or his time during his first marriage, or the ways that he treated people on his way up, or some of his other issues (again, nits, etc.). But he'll be okay, because he did something amazing, and will be remembered for that first.

 

[abirdcall]

You're a man telling a woman she should communicate to you more nicely during a discussion of sexism. The words "be nicer" are pretty culturally loaded when given to women. I know it's not your intent but it's not a great look. I'm not judging you, but suggesting that if the tenor of the conversation is not working for you, there are many ways to disengage without telling someone else how they should post.

I am aware of the irony.

Edit: and also, on reflection, thinking that no one asked for my opinion or advice or help, so I'm going to show myself the door, now. I apologize.

I appreciate it.

You're not talking over women. It's exhausting to be the only one speaking out. More voices = good.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Betty Friedan was born in 1921.

EDIT:
@Steampunkette made the same point upthread:

And so did I. Like I said, I had a great aunt born in the 1910s* who was a feminist. I grew up mostly in New England where there were plenty of progressive movements in the 19th century. You had older people who were more progressive on these fronts. But in my experience, most people I interacted with who were born in those years up through the 30s were tilted more towards Gygax's way of viewing the world. The issue I was raising is it wouldn't have been at all unusual to hear someone Gygax's age, even into the 2000s, saying things that were not in step with current thinking, or using outdated language. I think when you are evaluating a person, you need to take the overall context of their times into account

*I think. Possible she was born in the 20s

 

[Krachek]

I think Wotc make it right.
Keep the focus on Gygax, and leave the game in peace.
I don’t want to recite a long disclaimer before using Tiamat in a game.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Anyway, I wanted to add something.

I think that the issue with discussing inclusivity, especially as compared to the past, is two-fold.

First, when you bring up examples like the issue about Gygax (or countless others), people who liked and played those games back then get defensive. Instead of thinking about the issue, they feel like you are "yucking their yum." But you're not! Things were different back then. I mean, if you look at almost any popular culture from the '70s or '80s, it will contain elements that both reflect the times and can seem ... questionable ... at times. That doesn't mean that people were bad or evil back then, just that the cultural mores were different, and that we should be aware of that and that we can do better now!

Second, a lot of people are blind to the issues. When I was growing up, it was common to bike everywhere. I remember it as a time of unfettered freedom. Think of it like Stranger Things. Day or night, I could be on a bike, out somewhere. Anywhere. Sometimes in packs of kids, sometimes alone. It was awesome. It is one of my most treasured childhood memories.

So I was talking to a friend of mine. She grew up in the same place. Same time. And we were discussing biking. And she agreed it was great, but she said that she never, ever, biked alone at night, and wouldn't even bike alone in remote areas. And I was kind of stunned- because, you know, it was safe, right? But she explained that there were older men in some areas that would catcall and harass girls. Middle school girls. And she just felt that lack of safety. Thing is- I never knew that. I had no idea. I just assumed everything was the exact same, because ... why wouldn't it be? But from a young age, her experience was already very different than mine (in a lot of ways, I know, but I'm just pointing this one out).

In other words, people can be blind to certain things because their experience is not universal.

But unfortunately, this isn't just a relic of the past. A while ago (but not that long ago) an associate of mine who was amazing was complaining that the opposing side was being jerky, and wouldn't agree to a reasonable settlement. Now, I thought that I was awesome, so I said I'd help out (I was listed on the action) and I reached out, and came to a reasonable agreement that actually had better terms for our side than what my associate would have agreed to! Because I am awesome and reasonable.

But she said, "No, Snarf. It's because the other side is represented by sexist jerks." And I didn't agree. Because I'm awesome, and this is the 2020s. We had heard about this thing that some other people did, and we agreed to switch our emails for a week to communicate on different cases that we shared. And you know what? A lot of the people ... suddenly, they were being real jerks ... to me!

Not all of them. But some. Which is too many. I realized that, yeah, on some cases with some people .... she always had to overcome something that I didn't even know existed. In these times. If I hadn't seen it, I still don't think I'd believe it.

Anyway, it's really hard to understand things you haven't experienced, which is why listening can be so important. As @Clint_L said.