D&D General The First Demise of TSR: Gygax's Folly

[Staffan]

It was the scenario when the leader with his minions at his back declares that he will any foe, only to realize that everyone backing him starts easing out of the line of fire. If it was a palace coup, it was done with the full support of the country's ministers.

"After all, it is necessary to get behind someone before you can stab him in the back."—Sir Humphrey Appleby.

 

[Parmandur]

During the ambush, someone said to Gary something along the lines of, "We hope you will continue with TSR in a creative capacity." Did they mean it? Maybe? After all, the company was selling a lot of books with Gary's name on it. And given that Gary had been there from the beginning, they might very well have figured he'd be unable to let go.

I believe that they really did want to get Gygax today on in a non-management role.

 

[Nikosandros]

While I find the history of D&D a very fascinating topic, I'm somewhat baffled by how intense the feelings about this topic seem to be for some people. Gygax idolized and Lorraine despised? Vice versa? I've never met those people and, while I dearly love D&D, it is still just a game to me.

 

[Nikosandros]

I believe that they really did want to get Gygax today on in a non-management role.

As someone said upthread, it would probably have been good for him and good for TSR, but he was too proud (and also hurt) to accept.

 

[MGibster]

While I find the history of D&D a very fascinating topic, I'm somewhat baffled by how intense the feelings about this topic seem to be for some people. Gygax idolized and Lorraine despised? Vice versa? I've never met those people and, while I dearly love D&D, it is still just a game to me.

Have you seen some of the discussions here and on other forums about something as innocuous as preferred game play styles? Those discussions can be really, really heated. I'm with you though. I never really had a glowing admiration about Gygax because I knew nothing about him other than he "created" D&D. I respected him for that, but by the time I started playing AD&D he had been out of the company for two or three years.

 

[Zardnaar]

Have you seen some of the discussions here and on other forums about something as innocuous as preferred game play styles? Those discussions can be really, really heated. I'm with you though. I never really had a glowing admiration about Gygax because I knew nothing about him other than he "created" D&D. I respected him for that, but by the time I started playing AD&D he had been out of the company for two or three years.

For .e Gary was just the name in the front of several books and the fireworks in them.

Gary seemed to be the type of guy you love or hate. Lorraine mild dislike I don't think she socialized much with staff vs Gary running games.

 

[MGibster]

Gary seemed to be the type of guy you love or hate. Lorraine mild dislike I don't think she socialized much with staff vs Gary running games.

He was probably a lot of fun if you were just gaming. I have some gaming buddies like that. One of them talked to me about running a game store together, but I knew we'd start butting heads over stupid stuff like grooming and how to dress when you're working retail.

 

[humble minion]

While I find the history of D&D a very fascinating topic, I'm somewhat baffled by how intense the feelings about this topic seem to be for some people. Gygax idolized and Lorraine despised? Vice versa? I've never met those people and, while I dearly love D&D, it is still just a game to me.

I suspect this might be a bigger deal for a lot of people who were deeply involved in the hobby at the time. Back then, Gygax’s name was in everything, he’d stick his oar in on debates in Dragon. He’d created the whole hobby, he was the face of the hobby and it gave him a level of aura.

I was 8 years old when Williams ousted Gygax, so I learned about all this stuff much later and it’s less personal to me. I did and do dislike Williams because of the mess she made of things in the late 90s which was when I was getting seriously into the hobby, and it looked very much like the game would die for good from sheer mismanagement. We all have our formative moments.

But the gygax ouster was a different level of personal impact, I think. Even from people who had clashed with him or been ripped off by him were shocked because he and the game were just so synonymous. It reminds me a bit of some of the history I’ve read around the public reaction to the execution of Charles I or to the French Revolution. The sheer impossibility of what’s just happened is profoundly disturbing. When the king is the foundation of the world, it doesn’t matter if you dislike him, it’s still going to be a deep shock when someone cuts his head off and leaves you wondering what the hell comes next and what in the universe can be relied on.

 

[Dire Bare]

While I find the history of D&D a very fascinating topic, I'm somewhat baffled by how intense the feelings about this topic seem to be for some people. Gygax idolized and Lorraine despised? Vice versa? I've never met those people and, while I dearly love D&D, it is still just a game to me.

I've never heard of anybody idolizing Williams. I've seen nuanced takes, that she first saved TSR from Gygax and the Blumes folly, but then eventually ran it into the ground herself.

I've also never heard of anybody despising Gygax . . . but it wouldn't surprise me if they are out there. He was not always a kind man . . .

 

[billd91]

I've also never heard of anybody despising Gygax . . . but it wouldn't surprise me if they are out there. He was not always a kind man . . .

Oh, they're definitely out there. They were out there when Gygax was alive at least as far back as the 1980s. They were just a lot less numerous and visible than the idolizing fans.