D&D General When D&D Co-Creator Dave Arneson Asked WotC For A Job!

Back in 1997, after WotC had purchased the failing TSR (and D&D), and just prior to the launch of D&D 3E, Dave Arneson -- who co-created D&D in the 1970s along with Gary Gygax -- wrote to WotC president Peter Adkison asking to be put in charge of TSR.

Ben Riggs -- author of Slaying the Dragon -- discovered Arneson's letter to Adkison while researching his history of D&D.

Newly Discovered Letters Reveal D&D's Co-Creator Asked to be put in Charge of D&D in 1997 and it Did Not Go Well — Ben Riggs

While writing my book, Slaying the Dragon , I discovered a number of fascinating historical documents hidden from public view until now. Over the coming months, I’m going to be sharing some of these captivating documents with you. The first is a 1997 letter from D&D co-creator Dave Ar

www.writerbenriggs.com

The letter was full of typos -- Arneson even got Adkison's name wrong! According to Riggs, Adkison did not reply, and Arneson wrote to him a second time.

 

[R_J_K75]

I just looked at about 20 applications for a position, and nary a cover letter between them.

Do you use recruiters ans software to narrow down the applicants to the 20 you reviewed? Do you even want cover letters?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

We have an application portal that is used for posting jobs and receiving applications. This wasn't using recruiters, and we did the narrowing ourselves.

I don't know how other people feel about cover letters, but I don't even want them. There's also increasing talk about filters to remove information that could potentially bias people in the hiring process. Stuff like removing people's names and even educational background.

Do you use recruiters ans software to narrow down the applicants to the 20 you reviewed? Do you even want cover letters?

 

[R_J_K75]

There's also increasing talk about filters to remove information that could potentially bias people in the hiring process. Stuff like removing people's names and even educational background.

I can understand removing names. What benefit is there from removing a person's education? Wouldn't that be biased to younger people just out of college and entering the work force in favor of someone who has 20 years of experience?

 

[Von Ether]

I can understand removing names. What benefit is there from removing a person's education? Wouldn't that be biased to younger people just out of college and entering the work force in favor of someone who has 20 years of experience?

I was thinking more if the schools are Harvard vs a state college. You get the same years of schooling but there's a lot more implied in that Ivy league degree.

I switched from several years of being a journalist to joining a public relations firm. My coworkers were just fresh out of their masters and this firm was their first real job and made more money than I did. They thought they could schmooze journalist like you do tech bros at a network meeting.

Guess who taught them the ropes but was laid off first during the tech crunch of 2001.

Come to think of it. That was the big failing my farmer kid background did to me. I didn't know that business culture assumes you have no ambition if you only get a four year degree. No masters, never promoted.

 

[R_J_K75]

No masters, never promoted.

I got an Associates in Drafting, then got a Bachelors in Industrial Tech. I saw 100% more return on investment from my associates than I ever saw from Bachelors.

 

[Eubani]

There are 3 things Arneson could of done that would of immensely helped him in his endeavor to join WotC or any position in the gaming industry. 1. Take creative and technical writing classes 2. Seek counseling regarding his motivational issues and general inability to finish projects and 3. Seek professional help in the creation of introduction letter + resume. Instead he wrote a letter that made him come across as an entitled buffoon who unfortunately had a reputation of over promising and under producing. I am reminded of a saying about drilling a hole in a ship and then blaming the shipwrights.

 

[Von Ether]

I got an Associates in Drafting, then got a Bachelors in Industrial Tech. I saw 100% more return on investment from my associates than I ever saw from Bachelors.

I've since learned it can depend on the industry. I've seen 1,000% ROI on my 1 year Licensed Practical Nurse vocational certificate than in my B.A. + President and Deans Honor Roll.

On a related note, a law degree seems to be the most universal degree you can get. No one asks why you are running anything if you're a lawyer, except for surgery. But during the malpractice suit, guess who asking the surgeon all the questions.

 

[R_J_K75]

I've since learned it can depend on the industry. I've seen 1,000% ROI on my 1 year Licensed Practical Nurse vocational certificate than in my B.A. + President and Deans Honor Roll.

Timing also has a lot to do with it as well the industry.

 

[grimslade]

I don't see the big deal. Adkinson knew enough of the history of D&D to recognize the good and ill of Arneson. The letter quickly confirmed the hearsay. Arneson was not hired or even considered for anything because WotC was buying a dead company's assets out of a sense of nostalgia and appreciation. I am not going to drag Arneson. Both he and Gygax, rightfully, have a lot of warm feelings for what they brought into the world, but neither could have done any of it without a lot of luck and a lot of help. We like to, as a society, elevate individuals as being the 'parent' of ideas or inventions, but it is never the case. It is a cult of personality and a desire to simplify things. It is also a bit of a projection of what we want. We want some untapped genius in the wings to solve our gripes with the game. The rightful heir who will return to fix all our problems with the game. Arneson was not that guy. There never is, and never was a 'that guy'. They are all human beings with ugly parts and bad habits who threw a bunch of ideas into a stew. D&D was the result.

 

[MGibster]

I don't know how other people feel about cover letters, but I don't even want them. There's also increasing talk about filters to remove information that could potentially bias people in the hiring process. Stuff like removing people's names and even educational background.

I was speaking to some students at a local university and one of them asked me about cover letters. I told them I don't read them, but some recruiters do. The first thing I do is scan the resume to see if they meet the minimum qualifications for the job regarding education and experience, and if not I reject it right then and there. The recruiter told them that she absolutely reads the resumes. So you never know.