TSR Rob Kuntz Recounts The Origins Of D&D

​

In this interesting article from Kotaku, Rob Kuntz relates a history of early TSR that differs somewhat from the narrative we usually hear. It delves into the relationship between Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson (D&D's co-creators) and the actual development of the game, which dates back to Arneson in 1971.

Dungeons & Deceptions: The First D&D Players Push Back On The Legend Of Gary Gygax

Everybody calls Rob Kuntz last, he says. Those who want to know about the history of Dungeons & Dragons start with co-creator Gary Gygax’s kids, one of Gygax’s biographers, or D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast. As they’re wrapping things up, they might get around to dialing up Kuntz, a...

kotaku.com

 

[Hussar]

Huh, when I click the link, nothing happens.

 

[Parmandur]

Huh, when I click the link, nothing happens.

Here's the original story, some interesting tidbits from Kuntz I hadn't heard before, though it seems to match my impression of early D&D days:

Dungeons & Deceptions: The First D&D Players Push Back On The Legend Of Gary Gygax

Everybody calls Rob Kuntz last, he says. Those who want to know about the history of Dungeons & Dragons start with co-creator Gary Gygax’s kids, one of Gygax’s biographers, or D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast. As they’re wrapping things up, they might get around to dialing up Kuntz, a...

kotaku.com

 

[darjr]

I kinda don’t get it. I mean this is the story as I understood from recent times. And I don’t think it’s really that disputed except in minor details.... maybe?

 

[Hussar]

Fascinating read. Good find.

 

[Hussar]

I kinda don’t get it. I mean this is the story as I understood from recent times. And I don’t think it’s really that disputed except in minor details.... maybe?

I think that those of us who are deep into the weeds like we are, probably have gleaned a fair bit of the details over the years. OTOH, outside of us, I think that it's Gary Gygax=D&D. I mean, you have Gygax in all sorts of pop culture references, but, I can't recall ever seeing a single reference to Arneson.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Quote from the article:

One day, he was flipping through a copy of a neighbor’s Playboy magazine when he saw something that captivated his 13-year-old imagination:

Spoiler: No. Something else!

an advertisement for board games.

 

[doctorhook]

This was a good read.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

I think that those of us who are deep into the weeds like we are, probably have gleaned a fair bit of the details over the years. OTOH, outside of us, I think that it's Gary Gygax=D&D. I mean, you have Gygax in all sorts of pop culture references, but, I can't recall ever seeing a single reference to Arneson.

Gary really was the Stan Lee of D&D, with all the good and bad that comes with that compairison.

 

[Hussar]

That's a fairly apt description.

 

[darjr]

I kinda get a Apple Steve’s vibe also

 

[Zardnaar]

Not a lot I didn't know, Gary was good at burning bridges.

 

[Barantor]

I kinda get a Apple Steve’s vibe also

Yeah Arneson is to Gygax as Steve Woz is to Steve Jobs in some ways.

 

[Parmandur]

Not a lot I didn't know, Gary was good at burning bridges.

For me, the new and really interesting information is Kuntz being the first to give specifics on the exact cause of falling out: Arneson suggesting that the company would do better by moving to a major city, namely St. Paul, than staying in Lake Geneva. That would have been legitimately a better business decision, and it is fascinating to consider the alternative reality possiblities of a big city Minnesota TSR.

 

[Sacrosanct]

You know, the more interviews that are done with people from back in the early days, the more people you see that imply Gary was kind of a jerk. But that there’s this aura around him where you don’t dare speak your mind about someone who millions of people worship.

 

[Parmandur]

You know, the more interviews that are done with people from back in the early days, the more people you see that imply Gary was kind of a jerk. But that there’s this aura around him where you don’t dare speak your mind about someone who millions of people worship.

Certainly a deeply imperfect human being with a complex history.

 

[darjr]

Yea, that’s true. I never heard about the moving idea. Huh? The ironic thing is it might have left Gary with a stronger position years later, if the move had made many more smaller investors available instead of one large one in the name of Blume.

 

[Parmandur]

Yea, that’s true. I never heard about the moving idea. Huh? The ironic thing is it might have left Gary with a stronger position years later, if the move had made many more smaller investors available instead of one large one in the name of Blume.

Not to mention that it would have tremendously increased the talent pool for various positions: more talented accountants and other folks in the Twin Cities than the middle of rural Wisconsin. The whole history of the company would have been fundamentally different.

Unfortunately, it seems Gygax interpreted it as a power move, and a threat, and liked being a big fish in a small pond...

 

[MonsterEnvy]

The recent bibliography, does state even that Gary was not a perfect man. He had issues like a temper. Still from the sound of things he was ultimately a pretty good guy.

 

[Shardstone]

The recent bibliography, does state even that Gary was not a perfect man. He had issues like a temper. Still from the sound of things he was ultimately a pretty good guy.

Screaming at people all the time, trying to force out Arneson and rebrand to dodge paying or crediting him, and so on kinda' says the opposite to me.