So, Erik Sofge, was the payment of thirty pieces of silver pilfered from the Orc's treasure worth it for writing this obviously engineered piece of 'opinion'?

As a response to all the praises heaped upon Mr. Gygax, this rebuttal of yours rings as hollow as claiming that Bill Gates is a so-so programmer. (Which, arguably, he is...his genius is really the EULA).

Mr. Gygax knew it was better to be king of Hell, than serve in Heaven.

As I wrote previously, it is not that Mr. Gygax was anything more nor less than a salesman of a particular brand of reality, it was that the players were actually responsible for creating and enjoying that reality.

And we were acutely aware of that.

The lessons of D&D were not those of rules and regulations that some dwarfish mind imposed upon us, but of social engagement, and realization that these scenarios crossed over into REAL LIFE.

The hours we 'played' could maybe be considered mis-spent, if one considers getting on one's knees and worshiping some 'imaginary' deity or spilling blood for them to be a waste.

Come to think of it, we never did play on Sunday...but I digress.

I don't know your religious bent there, Erik, but your article smacks of the dogma inherent in all the 'damned to hell' social clubs that pass for organized religion today.

I for one would rather entertain myself in the 'evil' world of D&D with a group of close friends than waste another second in the presence of hypocrites whose only claim to fame is that their 'game' has been around for a couple of thousand years.

BoyHowdy

BoyHowdy, you've obviously got an ax to grind here, as religious beliefs simply weren't approached in this article. I didn't agree with what Sofge wrote in any way, but it sounds like you're imbuing his writing with your frustrations and interpretations. In saying that, I note that I *was* reproached on a few occasions by thumpers who believed I was engaging in an evil act, but, on the whole, far less than I was reproached for being, say, pro-choice.

I have plenty of sharp axes from playing all those damnable RPG's thanks for asking.

I merely noted that Sofge's criticism reeks in the same manner as someone condemning another for a failure to 'get real' and repent.

How is it that the 'Christian' imaginary realm is any more 'real' than the one Gygax birthed?

Because someone claims it is? Or because they've been selling their books longer?

Please.

The article smacks of hypocrisy, was my point.

And what better way to underscore this point by using an example Christianity as one of the longer-running RPG's who have been criticizing the 'competition', as has been its wont to do over the decades?

Those bible thumpers wish they had 20 sided dice to give to the masses, but they settled for Bingo.

So much easier for people to play. Not much thought involved, you see?

Sorry, I need to go bite the head off my chicken, in preparation for tonite's Santeria rituals.

BTW, is it hotter in here or is that just my Level 2 imagination?

BoyHowdy

Ignorance, not christianity has everything to do with it.

Considering that 19 out of the 24 people I tabletop with are christians, Including myself, I'd like to point out that not all christians are fire and brimstone thumpers.

A good friend of mine once said, "If we surrounded ourselves by only the people who shared our beliefs or shared our opinion on everything, we'd live our entire lives by ourselves."

I'm not too sure how you make your connections . . .

i'd always defended D&D to those thumpers (who said it was devil worship) by saying it was me applying my morals in a world where they were most needed.

I knew sooner or later a response like this would come up. Sofge is not one of us Christians. I love DnD, I've played it since I was seven, which was twenty-seven years ago, and I am a Christian. I don't care what you are, BoyHowdy, but your attitude is just as venomous as Sofge's and as equally narrow-minded. It's because of attitudes like yours that the thumpers who DO want to stir things up can do so when they would otherwise be overlooked by the rest of us Christians. Gary Gygax had a very clear sense of morality. I don't think he's in Hell at all.

Liberally, of course, there, TC.

BoyHowdy

>>I don't care what you are, BoyHowdy, but your attitude is just as venomous as Sofge's and as equally narrow-minded. It's because of attitudes like yours that the thumpers who DO want to stir things up can do so when they would otherwise be overlooked by the rest of us Christians. Gary Gygax had a very clear sense of morality. I don't think he's in Hell at all.<<

Pardon me, but can I say firmly and loudly that you, sir or madam or dog, are full of s**t?

You have obviously missed the point of my post, and having to explain it down at your level is making my head hurt, once again. I was merely underscoring that PEOPLE tend to treat all manner of things LIKE A RELIGION.

And, in the case of Christianity, it's veracity is every bit as fragile as any of the worlds imagined by the players of D&D.

Oops! Did I just insult someone's belief system? Crap! That's probably enough to start a fight in some dungeon somewhere.

NARROW-minded people BELIEVE things that are unprovable, and hang on to them for dear life.

If playing D&D taught me anything, it was that there's a lot of room for people to hold differing beliefs, but that doesn't mean they are the correct beliefs or true at all.

It's all filtered by perspective.

MY attitude is that Gygax was a man who understood his market, and brought many hours of fun to people who may not otherwise have had it.

The article went on to lambaste him and go off on stupid tangents about GLURPS or whatever. It was the same as the people who just bash D&D because they feel it is 'evil' or 'satanic'.

It required so little thought to attack Gygax in this manner that it was predictable.

The man created a unique adventure game. It was brilliant for its time.

Kind of like, oh let's use for an example, an organized religion, such as...wait for it...CHRISTIANITY.

I'd expect that 2000 or so years from now, people might be STILL playing D&D in some form.

Given the tendency for imaginary game-playing, the masses being sheep, and how much people like to be distracted from their woes, it might even BE the one true word by then.

What would Gary do?

BoyHowdy

Why are you so bitter?

Nice try, BoyHowdy, but if you actually believed your response to me then you'd win the prize for densest person on the planet. All your post is is a rant against Christianity. You don't even bother to understand who Gary Gygax really was. This quote is all I need to prove this:

"Mr. Gygax knew it was better to be king of Hell, than serve in Heaven."

Nonsense. Gygax created a game in which Demons and Devils were physical manifestations of evil. Hell and the Abyss were places where those who served evil went to. Granted, his game system always had a polytheistic theme, largely based on his incredible wealth of knowledge concerning folklore, mythology, and religion. It is your statement above that, aside from the rest of the overwhelming evidence in your post as well as its title, proves your real intentions concerning this post and your lack of understanding concerning Gary himself. Moreover, your attacks mean little to me, only further evidence of the unintellectual child that you are. The only thing that stinks around here is you.