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]

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.

As far as I know, that's the only statement he's made to that effect and the only one that's been thrown around here ad nauseam.

Apologies if I missed something important.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

As far as I know, that's the only statement he's made to that effect and the only one that's been thrown around here ad nauseam.

Apologies if I missed something important.

What?

I provided the links to when he made statements here, on enworld.

Or you can listen to the podcast with people who will tell you. I gave links to my review, and you can check out the podcast.

You can look at some of the history. Start with the Peterson works, and go from there.

Once you've done that, I can provide more sources.

Or, you know, there's also his written statements- his work.

I am having difficulty accepting that you are looking into this.... and can only find "one statement," which is the same one that is being bandied about on certain social media platforms. I again extend to you the invitation that it entirely possible to both love Gygax's works and recognize that he had flaws.

That is why, the last time the website had this exact same debate before Elon Musk chose to stir the pot because no one had mentioned him for 10 minutes, I wrote this essay...

D&D General - Let He Who Is Without Sin Cast the First Magic Missile: Why Gygax Still Matters to Me

I am not a role model. I am not paid to be a role model. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models. -The Round Mound of Rebound, his excellency, Sir Charles Barkley I realized that while I have discussed, in depth and several times (most recently here), the...

www.enworld.org

 

[Sacrosanct]

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.

When I first got out of the army after being overseas for 6 years continuous, I got a job selling cars (worst job ever, but I digress). Every car dealership hired an 18-20 year old female receptionist. Every one. Does that make them not sexist? The opposite actually, since they were all beautiful and hired solely as eye candy for management. Every single one. In the 9 months I had that job (worked at 3 different dealerships, which wasn't usual for salespeople to move around like that), there were 6 sexual harassment settlements from these women because the managers and closers were not shy about their intentions. Every time, the company settled and moved on (I think it was around $25,000 on average). The company just viewed that as another operating expense.

 

[pemerton]

the foreward, which I have read is dripping with condensation

Kind-of like an air conditioner?

 

[Jahydin]

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?

I asked for examples since it was going to be awhile before I could listen to the podcast, I don't remember you responding though....

I'm getting like 20 notifications at time, if I missed it, I'm sorry.

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.

I'm interested in learning. I love the history of D&D.

To me, most of my back and forth here feels like:

Me: "I think that foreword inaccurately characterizes Gygax, especially his views on women.
Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: "Oh, well he hired women early on and put them in important roles that shaped the hobby as we know it. So despite what he said, I don't think he was so bad."
Stranger: "But he went ballistic that one time and wrote that he was!"
Me: "To me, it looks like he was just being a jerk and purposefully hyperbolic, so not going to take anything there at face value... Have any other examples?
Another Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: Here we go again...

 

[Sacrosanct]

Me: "I think that foreword inaccurately characterizes Gygax, especially his views on women.
Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: "Oh, well he hired women early on and put them in important roles that shaped the hobby as we know it. So despite what he said, I don't think he was so bad."
Stranger: "But he went ballistic that one time and wrote that he was!"
Me: "To me, it looks like he was just being a jerk and purposefully hyperbolic, so not going to take anything there at face value... Have any other examples?
Another Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: Here we go again...

Yeah, this is not true. At all, and I'm not sure why you keep repeating this falsehood. Myself and others have literally pointed you to other citations and evidence of other things he said and did and you continue to act like that never happened.

Don't appreciate the gaslighting so I'm out. Not sure what your goal is here, but it's definitely NOT "I'm just trying to learn". The above is a blatant lie. And the rest of us aren't idiots who won't notice.

 

[Jahydin]

Yeah, this is not true. At all, and I'm not sure why you keep repeating this falsehood. Myself and others have literally pointed you to other citations and evidence of other things he said and did and you continue to act like that never happened.

Don't appreciate the gaslighting so I'm out. Not sure what your goal is here, but it's definitely NOT "I'm just trying to learn". The above is a blatant lie. And the rest of us aren't idiots who won't notice.

I went through all your posts like you asked. I responded to the only one that seemed relevant with my thoughts.

Why are you so angry with me?

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I asked for examples since it was going to be awhile before I could listen to the podcast, I don't remember you responding though....

I'm getting like 20 notifications at time, if I missed it, I'm sorry.


I'm interested in learning. I love the history of D&D.

To me, most of my back and forth here feels like:

Me: "I think that foreword inaccurately characterizes Gygax, especially his views on women.
Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: "Oh, well he hired women early on and put them in important roles that shaped the hobby as we know it. So despite what he said, I don't think he was so bad."
Stranger: "But he went ballistic that one time and wrote that he was!"
Me: "To me, it looks like he was just being a jerk and purposefully hyperbolic, so not going to take anything there at face value... Have any other examples?
Another Stranger: "Gary said women should never work, so he's a misogynist!"
Me: Here we go again...

First, start with the essay that I just gave you the link to. That was what I posted the last time this exact debate was held.

It's a lot, but the thesis statement is this-
I think it's time to take a deeper dive into how I reconcile my thoughts- my love for 1e and OD&D, my continued admiration for the good that Gygax did, as well as my acknowledgement that history is what it is, and that it's okay to understand and acknowledge that people are flawed.

If you don't know, you can either take the words of people who clearly have agendas, or you can look at the various histories. Or his actual words in OD&D and AD&D. I gave you links to what he said on this website in 2004 and 2005- but there's a lot more statements from him about how women just don't have the same "brains" and therefore don't like games the same way men do.

You can listed to the podcast, and hear what some of the women have to say- including his first wife. In their own words.

If you want to know, and not just believe strangers telling you what he said, I have given you the resources. Use them, and then I will be happy to talk. But it's hard to converse when you won't believe people that have done the work, but you keep insisting on a stance that is very incorrect.

Feel me?

 

[mamba]

This all may seem very weird by today's standards, but the Gygax house did host a variety of people in its day from convention-goers nobody else really knew to TSR itself at one point. So hosting a job applicant when TSR itself was unlikely to ( or be able to) foot the bill for a hotel room? Not all that surprising then.

convention goers are probably people Gygax knew from his wargaming / roleplaying circles.

As to money for a hotel, you flew her there, you had that money.

Again, did male job applicants also all get to stay there? If not, when why the one girl? If this was the norm, fine, different times, if she was the exception however…

 

[Ulorian - Agent of Chaos]

You know, you might be right. Sure, my paternal biological grandfather was a convicted pedophile who took pictures of naked pre-pubscent children to sell to his friends, but my Mother should have approached him with kindness and consideration, not demanded that he never be allowed near me or my sisters before we were 18. Why, my youngest sister was Thirteen when he died, and he didn't even get to know she existed.

Or my emotionally abusive father, who has taken every chance the legal system could grant him over the last four years to try and beat my mother (emotionally) into submission so he doesn't have to spend a dime on alimony, after she scuttled her own career prospects to raise him up during their marriage. I mean, he makes a mere 96K a year to her current entry level job making around 33K a year. I should approach him with kindness, consideration, and an open heart as he tries to force her to sell her home out of pure spite that she's divorcing him.

I mean really, what does it say about you, if you can't tolerate people who hurt you, make you feel small, or abuse you?

Oh? This is completely different because these are people from my life I know personally, not some distant figure I've never met. True, true, we should be entirely open and kind to people who want to kill us, beat us, remove our rights, remove our freedoms, or simply treat us as lesser. I mean, if you aren't kind to a person who denies your capacity to be human, then really, you are the problem, right?

I'm sorry you had to go through that, honestly. I grew up in an environment that would make you blanch, and if I told you the details, you'd likely apologise to me for trying to use your story, as tragic as it truly is, as a weapon in this discussion.

Practicing tolerance and understanding despite our pasts is what makes the world a better place. Having said that, your story is terrible... my sympathies. It appears though, that what you are saying is that it's okay to not listen to others or see their side of a story or consider that they are human beings because something bad happened to you? I don't feel that way. I hope that I am misreading what you're saying too.