D&D General When We Were Wizards: Trailer for the Podcast

[Iosue]

I see it, and I started it to make sure it was there. It was. Check and make sure you didn't accidentally delete it?

About an hour after my post, I got another notification, and this time it was there. I suspect there may have been some issue with the initial upload, so it was deleted and re-uploaded.

Back to the subject of the general podcast, two things I thought were pretty interesting. One was, how just about everyone interviewed agreed that Gary was right to press his rights for royalties, despite the strain the put on the company. The other was the constant refrain (from Gygax and various interviewees) about Williams not knowing anything about gaming, and therefore the gaming industry, and therefore that she was unqualified to run the company. And in the latest episode, we hear about Gygax belittling her about this going on to contribute to the rift between them.

And am always like (as I am when similar sentiments are expressed about the WotC CEO du jour), what does playing the game have to do with running the company? TSR had obviously not been run especially well when the gamers were in charge.

 

[Parmandur]

Ooooooof, that dramatic re-enactment of the board meeting was heart- reading and painful.

For the first time, I really feel like I have a 360 degree picture of what everyone in the room was Ted and was trying to do: I think theybreally did want Gygax to stay on at that time as a creative leader. Complete tragedy.

 

[Parmandur]

I am not a lawyer, but Gygax's legal theory of how contracts work sure is...something.

 

[M.T. Black]

I was chatting with one of the producers, and they hope to turn this into a film:

 

[Parmandur]

I was chatting with one of the producers, and they hope to turn this into a film:

View attachment 374578

I mean, get the right film-maker and actors snd thus could be a profoundly poignant film.

 

[Nikosandros]

Ooooooof, that dramatic re-enactment of the board meeting was heart- reading and painful.

For the first time, I really feel like I have a 360 degree picture of what everyone in the room was Ted and was trying to do: I think theybreally did want Gygax to stay on at that time as a creative leader. Complete tragedy.

Really? I totally did not know that, I'll have to listen to that episode. And what a shame, I think it would have been to the benefit of TSR, AD&D and Gary himself if he could have remained as a creative director.

 

[darjr]

I was chatting with one of the producers, and they hope to turn this into a film:

View attachment 374578

@ newbiedm on twitter. He's in the tv industry.

 

[TiQuinn]

Fantastic show so far - I’m up to Chapter 7 The Snake Pit now.

There are a few things that I wish I could ask based on interviews I’ve heard from folks like Jim Ward. Ward swore up and down that the Satanic Panic had companies like JC Penney ready to pull their account with TSR which was his defense for why devils and demons in the book went away and were replaced with baatezu and tanarii. However, Episode 6 makes it sound like sales went gangbusters due to the Satanic Panic and the Penney’s account was gained in the midst or even after most of the Egbert and BADD stuff had occurred.

 

[Malmuria]

I just started this thanks to @SlyFlourish. It's very well done

 

[Parmandur]

Fantastic show so far - I’m up to Chapter 7 The Snake Pit now.

There are a few things that I wish I could ask based on interviews I’ve heard from folks like Jim Ward. Ward swore up and down that the Satanic Panic had companies like JC Penney ready to pull their account with TSR which was his defense for why devils and demons in the book went away and were replaced with baatezu and tanarii. However, Episode 6 makes it sound like sales went gangbusters due to the Satanic Panic and the Penney’s account was gained in the midst or even after most of the Egbert and BADD stuff had occurred.

I recommend reading Jon Peterson's book Game Wizards, much better for those business timelines.