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 am a fan of Gygax and these other creators (warts ans all), and I have read tge while book. It is a love letter to Gygax's work and legacy...just an honest and historically complete one.

That's the thing. Nobody is getting "cancelled" here. To the contrary, this is only an issue (in the minds of some) because WotC went to all the trouble and expense of putting this gorgeous book out in tribute to Gygax and Arneson to begin with.

I own the book. I love it. It is a lavish celebration of Gygax and Arneson's most important legacy. And yes, there is some stuff in it that was offensive to a lot of folks then, and to even more folks now. Acknowledging that up front, rather than waiting for the reaction, is sensible, but the salient thing is that a huge effort was put into giving the game's creators this tribute, among many others.

A lot of folks seem to have the perspective that if you like something, you can't criticize even 1% of it. Everything has to be black or white. But the world isn't like that. People are complicated. Their creations are complicated. Times change. This is all normal and healthy, and it's okay to acknowledge the bad even as you celebrate the good.

 

[Parmandur]

That's the thing. Nobody is getting "cancelled" here. To the contrary, this is only an issue (in the minds of some) because WotC went to all the trouble and expense of putting this gorgeous book out in tribute to Gygax and Arneson to begin with.

I own the book. I love it. It is a lavish celebration of Gygax and Arneson's most important legacy. And yes, there is some stuff in it that was offensive to a lot of folks then, and to even more folks now. Acknowledging that up front, rather than waiting for the reaction, is sensible, but the salient thing is that a huge effort was put into giving the game's creators this tribute, among many others.

A lot of folks seem to have the perspective that if you like something, you can't criticize even 1% of it. Everything has to be black or white. But the world isn't like that. People are complicated. Their creations are complicated. Times change. This is all normal and healthy, and it's okay to acknowledge the bad even as you celebrate the good.

Honestly, I haven't even heard anyone say zilch about the worst things in the book, which are entirely in the source documents (particularly, Arneson's After Action Reports of Blackmoor paint, uh, quite the picture).

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Do you deny that he wrote the things he wrote in the book?

Do you deny that he said the things he said at the interview?

If not, I'm not sure what the problem here is. It is possible to evaluate the works a person made and the statements they made in an interview even if you aren't one of their family members....especially when, even in attempting to defend the person in question, one of those family members explicitly says, "In my adult opinion, yes, this is sexist and doesn’t hold up to our more enlightened standards today." Those were Heidi Gygax's own words to describe the words written in the books. I'm sure she would say the same thing about the interview, though it would be utterly unacceptable to seek her out for comment outside of genuine journalistic work (and she would be under zero obligation to accept any such inquiry regardless.)

I appreciate what you're saying, but I don't think the person you're responding to was saying any of that.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Honestly, I haven't even heard anyone say zilch about the worst things in the book, which are entirely in the source documents (particularly, Arneson's After Action Reports of Blackmoor paint, uh, quite the picture).

What are those worst things?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

I appreciate what you're saying, but I don't think the person you're responding to was saying any of that.

Then what were they saying? Because the point of their post--as far as I could tell--was "nobody can judge whether Gary Gygax created works with sexist content or espoused sexist beliefs unless they knew him personally."

 

[beaumontsebos]

What?!?!?! A billionaire raised in apartheid South Africa is fine with cultural insensitivity and misogyny? NO WAY!

 

[Parmandur]

What are those worst things?

As I said, the After Action Reports that Arneson wrote up foe the Blackmooor crew, without any external commentary are...something. They are right there in the book, go read it. They speak for themselves. There is plenty if other stuff, mostly without any sort of editorial comment whatsoever from Peterson and Tondo, just the raw original text

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

Then what were they saying? Because the point of their post--as far as I could tell--was "nobody can judge whether Gary Gygax created works with sexist content or espoused sexist beliefs unless they knew him personally."

I think the point was that people who were closest to him are the best judges of what he was actually like. Not the only judges mind you... just the best ones. To your point, that doesn't preclude anyone else offering an opinion. The post you're responding to doesn't make any judgements regarding what anyone else is allowed to say, or whether what they say is valid.

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

As I said, the After Action Reports that Arneson wrote up foe the Blackmooor crew, without any external commentary are...something. They are right there in the book, go read it. They speak for themselves. There is plenty if other stuff, mostly without any sort of editorial comment whatsoever from Peterson and Tondo, just the raw original text

I don't own the book. I was hoping for some quotes or paraphrasing.

 

[DarkCrisis]

Then what were they saying? Because the point of their post--as far as I could tell--was "nobody can judge whether Gary Gygax created works with sexist content or espoused sexist beliefs unless they knew him personally."

Judge all you want with the info you have. At the end of the day his friends and family knew him best.

That doesn’t mean he was want a tad sexist, it just wasn’t his defining personality trait like a lot of people like to pretend it is.

As others have said, he was human and no human is perfect.