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.

 

[Azzy]

Apart from Internet discussion boards... A biography of Gygax. A book about TSR like The Game Wizards, and similar scholarly works. I would prefer a nuanced discussion rather than poo-slinging though. Gygax to me seems a rather complex character, and I would like to see discussion of his attitudes acknowledge that.

So, it's bad to mention it in the foreword of a book that reproduces the text of the original game, a text of which, has mysogynic content?

 

[Sacrosanct]

A lot of people will not be satisfied by what I'm saying here.

Sure. because...

So I take judgments of the man's character with more than a grain of salt. Especially when that judgement is made by a risk-averse corporation that is certainly not saintly.

the judgement people are making isn't anything to do with what WotC wrote in the forward, but based on all this other stuff outside of the forward. I'd be willing to be that everyone who has made a judgement on Gary one way or the other has done so with that forward having 0% impact to their decision.

So throw out that forward. Especially since they aren't judging Gary in it. Look at what everyone else has presented.

 

[Azzy]

IMO It's distasteful, unbecoming and a betrayal of the man's legacy. I don't know if you accept these characterisations, but that's what makes it bad to me.
But it's not illegal for them to publish it.

A betrayal? That's wild.

 

[Sacrosanct]

IMO It's distasteful, unbecoming and a betrayal of the man's legacy. I don't know if you accept these characterisations, but that's what makes it bad to me.
But it's not illegal for them to publish it.

Is it distasteful, unbecoming, and a betrayal of the Founding Fathers to say most of them had slaves? Should we just not ever mention any of that? Is that what you want?

 

[Remathilis]

Approximately 80% of communication is non-verbal. If it's not that, it's something close. What makes us so certain it isn't a joke or a tongue -in-cheek comment? What gives WotC the right to make the ultimate decision on the intent? A lot of people in the comments section seem to think "if I think so, then that's wrong". Well no, it's not quite that simple. We've all had the experience of being misinterpreted.

A lot of people will not be satisfied by what I'm saying here. They will say, yes, but he also did this. And he also did that.

Well, he also inspired Kelsey Dionne to pursue her passion. So I take judgments of the man's character with more than a grain of salt. Especially when that judgement is made by a risk-averse corporation that is certainly not saintly.

I once asked Gary what the hell he was thinking when he created the Cavalier. He told me "the record speaks for itself". I am taking his statement to heart. I don't know if it was a joke, because ALL THERE IS WAS THE WRITTEN RECORD that he chose to publish. If it was a joke taken out of context, he had 30 years to correct the record and didn't.

I don't know if he meant what he wrote. I also don't know if Thomas Jefferson or Hitler meant what they wrote. I can only judge what they committed to the written record. If what they wrote is insufficient to determining what they mean, the whole realm of literature and historical study is pointless.

I will judge Gary by what he chose to publish because he had ample opportunity to change or at least reflect on it but didn't.

The record speaks for itself.

 

[polyhedral man]

For the zillionth time, no one attacked the character or legacy of Gygax in the foreword- they wrote a disclaimer that some of the old skool writing included things that were, and are, sexist. They didn't even mention Gygax by name.

You know what is morally bankrupt and cowardly? Refusing to actually look at the words on display. Asserting that there's nothing to see there when you can actually look and see it. Insisting, repeatedly, despite the actual words in the foreword, that the foreword is an attack on Gygax and not a cautionary note that people might find offense in some of the works on display.

Am I right to think that what you did there was to insinuate that I am being morally bankrupt and cowardly?

Even if you were a WotC shareholder, I wouldn't think that's warranted.

Anyway, I'm not interested in continuing the conversation with you until you clarify who you meant. I was very clear in my case, I said WotC was, if (emphasis on if) they acted like that to appease their perceived audience. But that doesn't give you the right to casually sling insults.

 

[Remathilis]

Is it distasteful, unbecoming, and a betrayal of the Founding Fathers to say most of them had slaves? Should we just not ever mention any of that? Is that what you want?

Sounds like the current trend in primary school history textbooks.

 

[Queer Venger]

Im chuckling! Aren't all D&D gamers going to hell anyway?? LOL

 

[Justice and Rule]

Is it distasteful, unbecoming, and a betrayal of the Founding Fathers to say most of them had slaves? Should we just not ever mention any of that? Is that what you want?

As frustrating as it is to deal with that, I have had at least one parent ask why I didn't extoll the virtues of Robert E. Lee before. I had to take a breath before responding to that one.

 

[polyhedral man]

So throw out that forward. Especially since they aren't judging Gary in it. Look at what everyone else has presented.

The foreword is a big part of the topic though, and I'd rather stay on topic. People's opinions of Gygax are their business.