I was going to talk about Ben Riggs’ X (Twitter) comments, but I just can’t…

Ben Riggs on X (Twitter.)

Here’s a link to the start of the thread in case anyone is curious.

You know what? I just don’t have the argument in me at the moment. Okay, Ben Riggs is totally right. The Golden Era of Dungeons & Dragons is behind us, and Gary Gygax is a misogynist. Where does that leave us?

For the record, I doubt Gary Gygax was as bad as everyone likes to say in the current media. I met him at Gen Con and got his autograph. I think he was an upstanding guy. For all we truly know, both points of view are correct depending on where you stand. He was an upstanding guy, but he hated women. We’ll never know for sure.

Disclaimer: Statements expressed in this article are strictly my opinion. If you disagree or have a different opinion, that’s okay. I’m not an expert on everything. I’m not always right. I’m just writing from my experience as I know it. Your mileage may vary.

What are people going to be saying about me or Ben Riggs in 50 years?

I know for a fact I’ve said several things on this blog just in a couple of short years that aren’t judged too favorably by the extreme left or the extreme right. At one time in my life, I said some pretty awful racist sh🦆🦆 that I completely wish I hadn’t said. I did a lot of things before I started my spiritual journey in earnest that I still regret.

That’s something Ben Riggs and I have in common. Time marches on regardless of regrets or lack thereof. I can only apologize the same as anyone else. I can only try to make amends while I’m alive the same as anyone else. That’s where the late E. Gary Gygax is at a bit of a disadvantage, though.

Once someone transitions to the afterlife, that’s it. They can’t defend themselves, correct statements previously made, or make amends. They’re just gone. We’ll never know what was meant, why, or if things changed. We all make mistakes.

Ignore the hype engine and use your own discernment.

Personally, I think Ben Riggs might just be trying to hype Wizards of the Coast and their $100 anniversary thing. I doubt it has much to due with Gary Gygax. I think it has everything to do with people jumping up and down yelling, “Look at me!” People mistakenly believe it’s just an advertising gimmick. The problem is, it cost WotC sales with their target audience for a historical piece whether they want to admit “old white dudes” still buy their products or not.

I applaud Ben Riggs for getting his name out there. It was great promotion for his blog and his book. Great idea, I guess. Some bridges got burned, and fences mended. Maybe it’s a net sum gain for him after the dust settles. Believe it or not, I try to stay as neutral as I reasonably can when it comes to certain battles on social media. It’s not worth the added social anxiety.

I doubt Jon Peterson and Jason Tondro mind, either. They’re part of the team that set out to make the old T$R staff look terrible because of a misguided belief that it sells more books. Suppose anyone will remember their names at this time next year? Doubtful. Tondro gets to go down in history as the guy who brought the union to Paizo and then went to work for Hasbro on this project. (Sarcastically, there’s some loyalty and union values right there…)

I believe consumers are smarter than most corporations give us credit for. I trust people will look at the D&D 50th Anniversary book for what it is- a cash grab disguised thinly as “historical.” Those first four pages of preface along with all the sales it likely drove off wasn’t worth the commotion. We’ve already paid too much attention to, yet another WotC manufactured controversy.

Onward and upward.

I’ve already spent far too much time talking about that ampersand game company and their shenanigans. They have plenty of their own shills. They certainly don’t need me hyping them up. I shill for other companies that will hopefully someday lead the roleplaying game industry. People sell smaller companies short the same way they sell contemporary blogging short.

I keep saying write about what you love. I keep reminding myself of that mantra. It’s important to remember that love goes a lot farther than hate. Sure, maybe hate and negative attention sells in the short term. It’s like an old style flashbulb, though. It burns fast and bright, but then it’s burnt out. Whereas love is forever.

Love of the game, any game, goes farther than hate on one game or edition. Talking about the game you love, such as my endless talk of Dragonbane, ICONS, and Shadowdark RPGs, means far more to me than dissing on WotC and the ampersand game yet again. I just wish more people understood that loving feeling for something they truly enjoy over trash talking someone else’s ideas.

I highly doubt Ben Riggs reads my blog. If he sees this- Hey, I respect you. I respect your writing. My only request is next time maybe just write about how much you love the new WotC book? I don’t agree that it was somehow warranted to drag the names of a couple of deceased creators through the mud. My guess is some of the living TSR crew are going to have some pretty harsh comments coming up. (Personally, I would never want to run afoul of Rob Kuntz. I have wayyy too much respect.)

So many new games on the near horizon.

Free League Publishing is rocking title after title on Kickstarter and in everyday sales. Third Party 5E publishers are also still somehow selling products for however long it lasts. ICONS is still going strong after how many years in its current edition?!? We have so many new and old games to talk about in our hobby.

I’m particularly passionate about Dragonbane at the moment. We’re well beyond passing fancy at this point. I’m going to have another love letter to that particular game coming up soon. The gosh darn thing is just so good on so many levels. The same can be said about Index Card RPG, which I have not mentioned in a while and probably should. Sometimes simpler is truly better.

I found out today that my copies of World of Myrr as well as Grimtooth’s Traps for Dungeon Crawl Classics are coming in the mail soon. Woohoo! I can’t wait to review both of them. Also: conversions to Dragonbane. I’m debating about the best system for World of Myrr.

Someone mentioned to me that I don’t give Castles & Crusades enough love. I probably should. I’ll be curious to see what the revised edition looks like. Hopefully it retains all of the charm of the previous edition.

So many other things we could discuss tonight that I think should wait for another time. We’re going to be discussing neurodivergence in gaming sometime very soon. (Roll 4 Initiative made a fabulous video on the topic recently.) I could go on about different games all night if given the opportunity, but sleep calls.

Thank you for being here today with me. I appreciate you. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy.