Following the unexpected success of Long & Dragon in the late 70s, actors Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson waged a long battle over who should be considered the real creator of D&D. Sports historian Jon Peterson describes these challenges in his new book Game Wizards: Epic Battle for Dungeons & Dragons.
“I was able to find enough sources that most of the questions that I thought were interesting I could answer,” says Peterson in Section 489 of Geek design in Galaxy Podcast. “A lot of people don’t have clear answers, but I think I can draw a complete picture.”
Game of Thrones it may surprise many D&D fans. Peterson’s story quotes a lot of words from the beginning, including letters and legal documents, many of which portray Gygax and Arneson as wrong people. “It’s not fun to write something that ends up being wrong,” Peterson says. “But at the same time, I think it’s important. If you do not understand the legal and legal issues, there are reasons and difficulties that you will not understand. ”
Peterson endeavored to honor all the characters. “Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone had their own ideas and everything,” he says. “But I think he was trying his best to make sure no one expected him to meet them. Suddenly he came in, and what did he do? So I hope no one can be seen as evil.”
In the case of the question of who should be considered the real creator of Long & Dragon, Peterson believes the game was a test team. “It’s drawing on these different things and experiences, and these different inputs that came in – though Tears, although it is a variety of events that take place in D&D, ”he says. “It is never good to ignore the design of such an object and culture in one person.”
Listen to the full interview with Jon Peterson in Section 489 of Geek design in Galaxy (above). And see some of the highlights from the discussion below.
Jon Peterson at Dave Arneson:
“There were three awards presented D&D [at the 1978 Origins Game Fair], including the award for “Best Playing Rules of All Time.” It is a rewarding ceremony, and it is not great, but TSR the staff go out to pick up their cup, thank the people, and sit down. Arneson ran to the platform to pick up a copy of his regular routine, and there was little controversy. Should the courses go to the company that published the game, or to the manufacturer? Arneson conducted a public awareness campaign to convince people that such rewards should go to manufacturers and not to companies. … But in the end there was no mercy, even among the publishers of the game, because of his position, and he did not win his three trophies. ”
Jon Peterson on Gary Gygax:
“Gygax was great in the face. Everyone he met – before he was ‘Gary Gygax’ and everyone had all the rage at the success of D&D-He just mentioned his desire for help, how he wants to sit down and play with you, help you make a game, help you fix your rules. He was a good man at heart and could rarely do any harm to anyone. … It is when these skills begin to be used to run a medium-sized business, where there are now more employees, there are more managers, there is a way, and the group must accept this group, and they I have to do this, and you can not control anything, , adangoida. He wanted to get out. ”
Jon Peterson pa The Dangers of Satan:
“You see people [at TSR] saying things like, ‘Yes, there is a whole grind of magic, but the reason people love them is that there might be – maybe something else.’ I don’t think he means anything more to this than he does, say, astrology. When you read your horoscope in the newspaper, is there anything? Probably not, but there was this foundation, especially from the 1970s, crystals and New Age-ism and American spiritism poured down. And I think they wanted to get along with it — or not know it was part of the market that was out there. “
Jon Peterson on Ben Riggs:
“Ben Riggs is releasing a book that will be released next year, titled Killing the Dragon. It focuses on the present – but not the only – in the future Game of Thrones imatha. … Soon Game of Thrones announced, many of Ben’s followers, who knew his book was coming, were like, ‘Oh my god. Does anyone want to hit you? Is Peterson trying to evade this in front of you? ‘That’s why we made a video to Gen I this year simply said, ‘Instead, we are green. We know that we all use the books on a regular basis, and we have been working with them to make sure they stay on the same page. ‘This isn’t going to be something you’ll be asking,’ Is Riggs right or is he just Peterson? ‘ We hope we have put it together as best we can. ”