Did Gygax owe a bit of thanks to WotC?

[Raven Crowking]

The guy's dead. The guy made huge contributions to gaming. Let's not kick mud on his grave, nor erect a solid gold colossus in his image.

This.

There are definitely things I disagreed with Gary about. As time has gone on, though, I have come to realize that he knew much more about game design than he is generally credited with. I gained an appreciation of the man's work with time, even as the OGL allowed me to change it considerably!

 

[pawsplay]

I've read both his books on gamemastering/design, and the guy had a lot to say about game design that most people are probably unaware of.

 

[Melan]

I think J. R. R. Tolkien owes a bit of thanks to Tolkien Enterprises for managing his intellectual property and using it to leverage core brands to drive customer satisfaction. What icould be a more heartfelt hommage to the Professor's work than a well-managed revenue stream? What could be more true to his entrepreneurial spirit in creating valuable brands and a lasting fantasy franchise than the penetration into newer and newer cutting edge media, including the digital frontier? From his humble handwritten notes, Tolkien Enterprises has raised a modern merchandising juggernaut, a tremendous testament to the creative imagination and wonder of Middle Earth.

 

[Elphilm]

I think Melan just won the thread.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Except that, no credit is due.

If anything, WoTC (and all of us) owe Gary, not the other way around.

Ken

"Need"? Dude, "needs" are things like food, water, oxygen, and shelter. Except perhaps in terms of the well-being of various employees, nothing in gaming is "needed".

So, I'd say need has little to do with it. Nobody "needs" accolades. Does that mean someone shouldn't be given them when they deserve it?

It comes down to this - should we not give credit where credit is due?

 

[The Shaman]

I reckon this very thread owes its popularity so far to the name of Gygax -- not to the name of Bullgrit!

"You must spread some Experience Points around before giving to Ariosto again.

 

[Bullgrit]

Am I just imagining it, or have some folks taken serious offense at my OP?

I reckon this very thread owes its popularity so far to the name of Gygax -- not to the name of Bullgrit!

Well, the thread is about Gygax, not about Bullgrit.

Now, if I was asking should I thank EGG for creating this game -- I would say, "I did thank him." But according to some people here, I didn't owe EGG a thank you, because, after all, I paid him for everything he gave me -- it was a business transaction.

Bullgrit

 

[Obryn]

Am I just imagining it, or have some folks taken serious offense at my OP?

When you make a provocative post, you probably shouldn't be surprised when it provokes people.

-O

 

[Shazman]

I don't really think that Gary owed WotC anything. They wanted to use his name to give 3E some more legitimacy. It's not like he was living on the street and WotC made him extremely famous and wealthy overnight. They took the game he co-created and took it in a direction he didn't like and he said as much. If anything WotC owed Gary. Thankfully they at least gave him some credit for 3e and 4E and a dedication from 4E. Saying that Gary owed WotC is like saying that Ed Greenwood owes WotC thanks for nuking the Forgotten Realms with the spellplague to shoehorn it into 4E's power system and cosmology.

 

[Rykion]

Now, if I was asking should I thank EGG for creating this game -- I would say, "I did thank him." But according to some people here, I didn't owe EGG a thank you, because, after all, I paid him for everything he gave me -- it was a business transaction.

Bullgrit

I wouldn't say you owed him any thanks. I would say it is up to you personally to decide if the enjoyment you gained made you feel like thanking him.