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.

 

[dbolack]

Loved your post, disagreed with this part. Ignore is the worst feature of this site (which is lovely in all other ways frankly); shuts down discussion and is often used as a passive-aggressive weapon. But more importantly and unfortunately, it creates echo chambers, and puts the power to create an echo chamber in the hands of a single, angry person. In the real world, it's good for you to hear things you don't like.

I thought a lot like this at times in the past and then I remember the Wisdom of James Wallis. "Life's too short to deal with F*Wits." You don't owe anyone discourse.

 

[Zardnaar]

And if the majority does something it's okay.

My family sure if glad Abe Lincoln didn't agree with that.

Up to a point yes. Society determines it's social mores.

In a democracy it's exactly that. To change things you need a consensus failing that you need to win.

 

[Velderan]

8 billiion people on the planet over 7 billion would likely fail a purity test.

Western values are not the norm. Even in our own societies it's very split.

That's basically what I mean with product of their time/place.

This is such a strange take to me. Because some people on this planet, however many it is, are awful we should just shrug our shoulders and go about our day?

 

[mamba]

Western values are not the norm.

no, they are ideals we strive towards

 

[mamba]

It can't. At best, even if he believed he was a outlier, and the letter doesn't even prove that belief, he could be wrong

I did not say he believed to be an outlier, and how I interpret that letter is up to me

 

[Zardnaar]

This is such a strange take to me. Because some people on this planet, however many it is, are awful we should just shrug our shoulders and go about our day?

No but you can't piss off everyone either and expect them to support you either.

That's what Elons trying to do. Get everyone angry. Why? Because it works.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Welp, I take it back. I thought it was just a couple people stamping their feet, demanding ever more proof of sexism (while also saying you can never really know what's in someone's heart, or that even if someone says they're sexist that doesn't mean they are, and so on, forever and ever, until the entire internet is drowning in a cacophony of sea lion barks). But there's a new shift punching in to wonder "what is sexism, really" and other cool things.

Carry on shouting at them.

 

[mamba]

No but you can't piss off everyone either and expect them to support you either.

and you cannot convince everyone either, so I am fine with pissing of some that cannot be convinced

 

[Zardnaar]

no, they are ideals we strive towards

In a practical PoV it's how you get there.

I don't really like Gary's work tbh. I prefer Lorraine's TSR. But what he did or says doesn't bother me.

Digging it up isn't going to help. Doesn't solve anything. Doesn't improve anyone's life directly in any concrete way.

 

[Vaalingrade]

No but you can't piss off everyone either and expect them to support you either.

For reference, the action that made 'everyone' mad was... citing facts about the works included in a history book.