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.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

You mean, like Gary saying "damn right, I'm a sexist?" Assuming we can agree that Gary knew Gary.

Or the many times he said that he was a biological determinist and that women just didn't like games because of their brains.

Look, I truly love Gygax's work. But anyone who says that he wasn't a sexist is someone who hasn't bothered with any of the actual history- just repeating cherrypicked things that they have heard. These are the easy things; certain other things from his past are a little less easy.

He wasn't a "bad man" or "evil," but he had flaws - like we all do. When you are releasing those original '70s texts (THANK YOU!) having a preface that states that some of it is reflective of different values, without so much as naming names and detailing the worst of it? That's fine.

 

[Jahydin]

You mean, like Gary saying "damn right, I'm a sexist?" Assuming we can agree that Gary knew Gary.

Yes, yes, I think we've covered Gary was being an &*#$ and made a mean, sarcastic statement once. TO DEATH.

I was asking about anyone addressing the actual foreword.

 

[ECMO3]

Many progressive or liberal thinkers experience Twitter as a playground for bullies so if they need to leave to avoid feeling victimized, that's not on them, that's due to the lack of moral moderation within Twitter.

Ironically, many conservatives say the exact same thing. In fact they formed parlor and many boycotted X because of the way they were supposedly victimized and bullied on X.

Today pretty much everyone is victimized - rich, poor, liberal, conservative, white, black, Latinx, man, woman, transgender ...... It doesn't matter, we are all victims in modern western society.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Yes, yes, I think we've covered Gary was being an &*#$ and made a mean, sarcastic statement once. TO DEATH.

He didn't do it once. He did it many times. As has been pointed out to you, and you even acknowledged it being pointed out. Why are you still saying "once"?

I was asking about anyone addressing the actual foreword.

Well, as they said, Gary knows Gary, right? The only thing in that forward was the dig at women's lib, and we have Gary's literal own statement saying that. I'm mean, why would you ask for anyone's collaboration on a claim made in the forward when we literally have Gary's quote? What's to collaborate? It's literally right there. Nothing in that forward was super damning (which was the point Morrus was making in the very first page of this massive thread), and the parts that are there have very clear receipts.

So I gotta ask, why do you keep saying it's only "once" and why do you keep asking for 3rd party collaboration on something we have the actual evidence on? What are you trying to accomplish here?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Yes, yes, I think we've covered Gary was being an &*#$ and made a mean, sarcastic statement once. TO DEATH.

I was asking about anyone addressing the actual foreword.

You mean ... a large book that is both packed with great history (thank you, Peterson!) and has original source documents as well as reprinting of OD&D, which is, AGAIN, a love letter to the game ...

And one which I own and love ... do you?

That has a small preface that correctly points out that the materials contained within contain some things that are no longer within D&D. But they are in the book because, AGAIN, it contains the original stuff!

So just a note saying that some of the stuff (from today's POV) is insensitive or derogatory? That fighting-man is used, or slavery is pretty rampant and treated lightly? That there is a lot of what we think of as cultural appropriation?

So what? That's true! Why do you care? Do you own this book? Do you play OD&D as originally written?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think we've covered Gary was being an &*#$ and made a mean, sarcastic statement once.

You're skimming past all the other times he said it, then.

This is not a one time statement. He was very clear and consistent over almost 50 years.

Short of him calling you from beyond the grave on the telephone, there's not much more he could do to convince you that he was being sincere.

I'm not sure why you're committed to not believing Gary about Gary's views, but the issue isn't a lack of first-person statements.

 

[dbolack]

Woah.

Took part of the weekend off, and there are, like, FIFTY PAGES OF COMMENTS!

Have we learned anything? Yes. I know I have!

And what did Snarf learn?

When in doubt, call that thing at the front of the book the fourward forward foreward fourword ... PREFACE.

I'm partial to Frontmatter...

 

[Jahydin]

And plenty of people who were there working for TSR who all have similar stories. I've had one female employee tell me, and another confirm it later, that he'd tell her:

"Women are only good for two jobs: secretaries and housewives. Anything else and they're a whore."
(Upon returning from first trip to California) "Don't go to California if you hate Jews." (She is Jewish).

Take that what you will. I tend to believe it, since the first person was credible and it matched other stories, and the other person knew Gary about as closely as anyone who worked in TSR and was there in the earliest days.

I don't doubt he actually said this.

Personally, what people do will always trump what they say. Despite making comments like this, he did in fact hire women very early on that went on to do some really neat things for the hobby. For me, that's what's important.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I don't doubt he actually said this.

Personally, what people do will always trump what they say. Despite making comments like this, he did in fact hire women very early on that went on to do some really neat things for the hobby. For me, that's what's important.

Again, how much of the actual history do you know? Not cherrypicked examples... the actual history?

I gave you a few places to start. Do you want to know, or do you want to just argue and pretend that you're right?

Gary did a lot of good. As I keep saying, he put out more good into this world than bad- by far!

But arguments like the ones that you make that deny the actual history and facts? They aren't helping. If you know the history, then by all means, let's discuss. Or, if you don't, please look into it.

But if you just want to be right, carry on. And if you want to "help" Gygax, please stop. He doesn't need your help. His legacy doesn't need lies to defend it- his work speaks for itself.

 

[Dire Bare]

I don't doubt he actually said this.

Personally, what people do will always trump what they say. Despite making comments like this, he did in fact hire women very early on that went on to do some really neat things for the hobby. For me, that's what's important.

And you should listen to what some of those women have had to say about Gygax's sexism.

You can hire a woman to your company and also be sexist at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive things.