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.

 

[Jahydin]

I cannot point at a source but I have read he indicated when he couldn't get his daughter involved in D&D he felt the game was for boys. (insert reasons/excuses that most would not consider valid).

An example of him being inclusive, but failing, then trying to understand why.

I recall the cursed magic item that changed your gender... apparently instead of a tool/blessing for achieving a desired end which many might see that to be it was a trap.

My understanding is it was a harmless (but slightly uncomfortable) way to teach new players to be weary of wearing unidentified equipment.

 

[EzekielRaiden]

Again, that statement was made sarcastically and in no way reflects how he treated women in real life.

How do you know this?

I've seen countless positive examples of Gygax's actual behavior towards women, so far zero negative ones.

This is "he can't be racist, some of his best friends are black!" but re-cast for gender. It's not a valid rebuttal.

 

[Jahydin]

How do you know this?

Same way I knew A Modest Proposal was satire the first time I read it?

This is "he can't be racist, some of his best friends are black!" but re-cast for gender. It's not a valid rebuttal.

More like, "I don't think he was ever noninclusive since he made an effort to hire female staff members and seemed to really value their input, so having the opposite picture painted in the foreword is irksome."

 

[DarkCrisis]

I was told people don’t just pigeon hole Gary as a sexist and yet his sexism has taken up the vast majority of this thread about Elon Musk.

As someone earlier also said, “Beating a dead horse.”

But we can’t let it and the dead lie, can we? Because when it comes to Gary, it’s the only thing worth talking about for almost 80 pages.

I wonder if the still living Elon has said any new stupid stuff since yesterday? J/K of course he has.

 

[mamba]

I was told people don’t just pigeon hole Gary as a sexist and yet his sexism has taken up the vast majority of this thread about Elon Musk.

yes, because it keeps getting denied, so what do you think this would be about…

As someone earlier also said, “Beating a dead horse.”

so dead that there was a huge outcry when it was mentioned, with Musk chiming in on it

If it were a dead horse, there would have been a ‘we know’, not an outcry

 

[Hussar]

@Hussar
Yes, I'm the one who posted it...



Personally, I don't think anything written in the foreword accurately reflects Gygax or his intentions accurately at all. Further, I haven't seen anyone who had worked for him or gamed with him back any of these statements up.

"Here's the text. Point to the lie."

To be fair, I thought you were quoting something else. That was my bad. But, sheesh, talk about taking things out of context. Wow. For all the complaininng you've done about context, sheesh.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Again, that statement was made sarcastically and in no way reflects how he treated women in real life.

I've seen countless positive examples of Gygax's actual behavior towards women, so far zero negative ones.

What has that to do with the price of spuds? The foreword is to warn readers that there are texts reproduced that are sexist among other things. A text has been produced that was sexist.
Why do people keep reading beyond the text? What Gary did in reality in the presence of women is not covered in the scope of the foreword.

 

[mamba]

More like, "I don't think he was ever noninclusive since he made an effort to hire female staff members and seemed to really value their input, so having the opposite picture painted in the foreword is irksome."

so full on denial then, not sexist and certainly not misogynistic, in fact ahead of his time?

 

[FrogReaver]

Well, you guys still have a monarchy right?
Probably not King Charles but some of the others.

One good thing about monarchs. When they do something dumb you don’t have to feel any regret about voting for them!!

 

[FrogReaver]

I say this because I don't think there is any way that a Biblical story from many thousands of years ago has an echo into today's world.

This is very offensive. I know you didn’t mean it to be. But it is.