MGibster
Legend
This Gygax tangent got me thinking on something more aligned to the thread. The very public "reconciliation" that WotC had with the creators made players hyper aware of the names and early history of the game. This inevitably brought Gygax departure from TSR to the public eye. Which coupled with the recent C&Ds and TSR failure on recent memory created a narrative of "ding dong the witch is dead" that maligned and vilified Lorraine Williams. In an effort to be seen as the rightful keepers of the game, WotC ended up casting Lorraine as the evil corporate villain that had kept the game hostage and it was now being rescued by the true gamers!
While I've been advocating for a re-evaluation of Williams' time at TSR, I think it's fair to say that it was her own actions that cast her as the villain. She is the proverbial captain who who is responsible for running her ship aground. And let's talk about the connection between Williams and D&D fans and for now we'll ignore whether or not she had contempt for bother games and gamers. What connection did Williams have to D&D fans? She wasn't the driving force behind the creative process that brought us AD&D settings, adventures, or miscellaneous sourcebooks. I might have some connection to George Lucas and Harrison Ford, but I don't really care who was the CEO of Paramount Pictures in 1981. There really aren't any strong connections between D&D fans and Williams.
Do you really think Williams wanted anything to do with D&D after TSR was sold to Wizards? The company failed on her watch and that's embarrassing. If I were in her position I sure as hell wouldn't want to be involved in any events with the people who bought my company. Even if I didn't have any hard feelings against them it's just a reminder of my embarrassment.