Why do we put ourselves through this stuff?

This article was tough to write. I think I’m doing myself a favor by not being triggered. Thanksgiving almost gave me things to not be thankful for this year.

It was more like triggered Thursday when I found out Jason Tondro, who is a Senior Designer for Dungeons & Dragons, ran his mouth about us old guys in the hobby again. From there things got somewhat political.

I’m somewhat annoyed with this guy, Jason Tondro, on multiple levels.

Yay for him because he made “senior designer” for Dungeons & Dragons. I’d be jealous if Wizards of the Coast wasn’t such a dumpster fire. Not to mention the guy has only been in the hobby for a decade, maybe less. Then there’s the fact that he started the union at Paizo and bailed on them to work for WotC. We won’t even get into the shlock piece he wrote for the Preface of the 50th Anniversary D&D book that premiered in June 2024.

Yay for him for having various Pathfinder and Starfinder credits to his name. That’s an accomplishment, I guess. Although one has to wonder how someone with practically no gaming experience lands a job with Paizo and jumps right into the credits with the big names. If Paizo gave me my big break, or any company for that matter, the last thing I’d do is run to their largest competitor the minute I got the chance.

Then there’s the ultimate slap in the face. Why, oh why would anyone in their right mind take pot shots at the late E Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson? Mr. Tondro, have you not the common sense to respect the people who created the hobby that gave you your big break?

Here’s where I’m fortunate.

Didn’t anticipate alienating the D&D community that spends money on your product? Huh…

See, I know Jason Tondro will never read my blog. He’ll never hear this video. Why? Because without ever seeing me, meeting me, or knowing me, I’ll already be the bad guy. How’s that? Because I’m automatically an “Old Grognard.”

According what Jason Tondro said in his Facebook post, “I (Tondro) consider those people (Grognards) not worth listening to…”

That’s the kind of thing that makes me want to challenge this dude to a no holds barred steel cage match. Lol! But the good news is that he won’t hear my challenge or care because I’m one of “those people” who’s “not worth listening to.” That kinda stuck up nonsense gets on my last good nerve.

I will rest easy at night knowing that spineless, no-good, self-hating pile of gelatinous slop will never get to hear me call him out and instead leave the likes of Bob Worldbuilder and This Effin GM to fight his battles for him.

That’s where it gets political, and I’m out!

Tondro’s crass, disrespectful remark came following other remarks from earlier in the week. None other than Elon Musk himself told WotC to “go burn in Hell” after he caught wind of Tondro’s Preface in the 50th Anniversary D&D book. Elon then flippantly asked how much it would cost to buy Hasbro once the pot had been thoroughly stirred.

Good old Bob Worldbuilder got off of X (Twitter) as a result of Elon’s comment and my friend Will Tramp aka This Effin GM backed good old Bob up. Lots of love and respect for Will, I just don’t agree on this one. Bob said some pretty sketchy things that make him sound even more like a WotC shill in that video. Yay for speaking up, but -1,000 XP for turning your back on the D&D community.

I’m tired of it.

I’m ready to do an entire month on my blog and on YouTube about my Dragonbane characters. I know it will probably bore people to tears, but anything has to be better than the stupid controversy. I see where Ms. [REDACTED] has made another edgy video bound to enrage some of the Grognards, too. I’m so done.

Pardon my negativity, please. I’m so sick and tired of being judged by people who have clearly never met me. They see the bald head, the beard (gray and all,) and presume my gender and sexual identity automatically. I’m sure many of them think they know how I voted (LOL!!! NOT for Trump.) because I’m in my 50s and from the Midwest. (Oh, hey. Gygax and Arneson were from the Midwest, too!) I’m tired of people presuming they know what I’m about when they have no idea.

Here are my bottom lines: (in a convenient bullet point list)

• There are plenty of games out there besides Dungeons & Dragons. Stick around long enough and I’ll name lots of them. Most of whom have companies who respect their communities.

• Yes, I use the word “conspiracy” liberally and frequently. Please do NOT associate me with MAGA, Trump, or anyone else or cast aspersions on my mental health.

• Stop villainizing anyone and everyone who disagrees with the “DungeonTubers” or “D&DTubers.” Just because the game is made by a big corporation, doesn’t mean they’re right and we’re all wrong. There are ways of paying a spokesperson that don’t involve cash.

• Stop villainizing people who criticize Wizards of the Coast. Let their Public Relations people handle their terrible reputation. No, it’s not okay to threaten, harass, or disturb their individual employees if that truly happens. However, comments openly made on social media are fair game for rhetoric. (Jason Tondro even admits that on his Facebook page.)

• Very few people actually know ME. Those who follow my blog know I’m pretty damned quick to print a retraction if I think I was wrong or I screwed up. Sometimes I make errors in judgement. I’m happy to apologize and make amends if people feel they’re unjustly hurt. (*I’m a freak when it comes to that according to contemporary social media etiquette.)

• Some people need to figure out how money gets into the TTRPG hobby. They also need to get a grasp on how the foundation of D&D and other TTRPGs were built. There wouldn’t be a hobby were it not for that one stereotype everyone seems to complain about. Sorry, but it’s true. We can’t rewrite history, only learn from it and move forward.

• If you’re going to write a 50th Year Anniversary of D&D book, maybe interview some of the living contributors that are still around? Just a thought. The next big step is not dumping all over your community when you’re finally ready for it.

• Stop assuming all of us “Old White Dudes” who play TableTop RolePlaying Games are all the same and “can’t get out of the hobby fast enough.” Yes, there are some kind of scummy people out there on the Internet. They don’t speak for all of us and there’s no official “society of old white dudes.” I’m completely burned out on having to come out about once per month in defense of “old white dudes” (like me) on the Internet, especially social media. We’re not all The Devil.

I’m ready to go back to talking about Dragonbane, Shadowdark, ICONS, horror games, mecha games, and other fun stuff. Could WotC and their assorted COBRA buffoons take a break until the end of the year, please? I want to hear TTRPG discussions about peoples’ characters, campaigns, dungeons, villains, and other assorted cool stuff. I’d rather hear about someone’s D&D character than about how “woke” is bad, that I’m terrible, and old white guys don’t belong in the hobby. Just give it all a rest and go back to having fun for a while.

Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.