Elon Musk Tells WOTC to Burn in Hell - Lazy RPG Talk Show

[@Gumby-vx7ki]

I don't need to believe E. Gary Gygax. was a great guy in order to love the amazing game he shepherded into existence. Thank you, Mike, for having a reasonable, two-sided point of view.

[@hanszurcher]

I'm always surprised to hear a reasoned rational response to an internet controversy. Well said.

[@crepusculum7472]

10:52 Wait, are you actually saying they should get credit for NOT ALTERING OR EDITING HISTORICAL TEXTS? That's like, the absolute minimum standard for a historical book.

[@mooxim]

After such seriousness responding to Elon's comment, it was a lovely moment of levity we don't often see from Mike, having a hearty chuckle at his accidental Amazon recommendation.

[@runopologist]

I burst out laughing at that part :D

[@andrewshears2077]

Such a huggable moment. Mike is a great human being.

[@xmikenecrofentx]

Mike, you should have won that top spot a really long time ago bro. Your channel/material is easily the most helpful and straight forward resource I’ve found for DnD online, and I’ve been following along for a very long time now!

[@HN-qc8io]

It's weird that people can't handle shortcomings in people, ourselves included. Most of us love HP Lovecraft, we also all know the crazy racist stuff he said. That hasn't stopped us from enjoying his works or creating books like Lovecraft Country which fuses Lovecraftian horror with Jim Crow horror. We've all done dumb stuff and believed stupid things.

[@reneesteeves3698]

That we see the shortcomings lets us move forward more kindly. Those that cant see them just double down, get defensive and look ignorant. You’re absolutely right we’ll make mistakes. Its what we do when called out on them that makes the difference!

[@el.gato.mp5]

Yeah, now go on and play CoTC with a completely different aesthetic and storyline just bc someone said HP was 'complicated' and, actually, this new north or way of doing things is better bc it is (insert a generic adorable word here, such as 'inclusive' or any)

[@reneesteeves3698]

@@el.gato.mp5 but you dont have to. You have your old books. If you dont like the new inclusive books dont buy them. That’s the thing with inclusivity, there is something for everybody now. What’s the problem with that?

[@el.gato.mp5]

@reneesteeves3698 see, the problem is not the concept. It could be any other Word, it just shouldn't be a pass for doing whatever they want with the work. If it is different and people who buys it dont see a good reason; if the product lack their attention on topics they want to see, and, on the other hand offers consistently bad quality content, they have the right to dislike.

[@reneesteeves3698]

@ and yet more people than ever before are buying the product. D&D has never been more popular. You can dislike it all you want. A WHOLE lot of people like it just fine.

[@sawyerhudson843]

The Musk story was a great gateway to a nuanced take on an often inflammatory topic. I appreciate your care and attention with tough topics - you always do a good job highlighting other voices who are more directly impacted by the flaws you talked about within the history of the game. Thanks for your thoughts, Mike!

[@junesoler]

Thanks for that nuance! This is missing in many covos nowadays. Thanks Mike.

[@Aikolon]

On the question with the favorite monster abilities as a player: 1. Small monsters that explode when killed. (5 ft radius dex save for half damage) With low HP. At first players got scared. Then started pushing them in other enemies or waited for them to move and and attacked them in choke points to get chain reactions. It was big fun and a lot of players told me they enjoyed it. 2. Also monsters that throw smaller monsters. like an ogre that throws goblins behind the front line or directly at casters. 3. But the classic Vulnerability always works. players ( when I'm a player I do too) love to find out the damage type that is not just not resisted but deals double. Always a fun moment in a fight.

[@blindfreak01]

MCDM's Flee Mortals works great for me during prep. The stat blocks are generally very crunchy (by design) but all based around the fiction of the monster, so I often find just the description of the abilities is enough to inspire me during play. For example, the troll has a smash through ability to burst through walls, etc. which inspires me to include columns and walls to surprise players with. The hill giant has a rule where it can be easily be confused by the players and force it to attack with disadvantage. That's a detail the characters pick up after the first attack. I don't really play 5e anymore but I still pull the book out and see what kind of abilities a monster can use and do a quick conversion to the system I am playing.

[@Mystic-Arts-DM]

Right on all counts about two seemingly contradictory things can be true at the same time.

[@MGunnarson]

re: In-person mapping, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of standing up a portable monitor to show the general layout/dungeon being explored (connect it to a laptop/tablet and use the VTT of your choice!), but when it comes time to roll initiative or drill down to specific locations, I use dry-erase tiles (they're about 5x7") to draw zones. In a campsite ambush, the campfire will be a zone, the sleeping area is a zone, the nearby beach is a zone, the treeline is a zone, etc. This works SUPER well for Shadowdark, my current favorite game.

[@welovettrpgs]

1E AD&D DMG is still my favorite.

[@garryame4008]

Why do you prefer it over the others?

[@welovettrpgs]

@@garryame4008 It's probably not good for new 5E players but I've used mine since it was first published. It has a ton of charts and random tables with a lot of useful DM extras. It got me through all the subsequent editions. Now however, you can find equally and in some cases more useful supplements (on DMs guild for example, the "100 items" booklets that cover just about ever need.) Additionally, the first edition AD&D DMG had rudimentary conversion info to combine Boothill and Gamma world into AD&D. Meaningless now but back in the 80s it got me interested in blending genres which is something I still do today.

[@corporeal5980]

Rose tinted glasses​@@garryame4008

[@theredgem]

@@garryame4008 It supports gameplay that diverges from HeroQuest

[@andythompson3707]

Wise comments Mike re: the Gary Gygax discussion. Human beings created D&D and human beings are flawed. Recognising our flaws is an act of self-recognition and allows us to learn and grow.

[@MonkeyKongBippy]

Thanks!

[@SlyFlourish]

Thank you!

[@willmendoza8498]

Love the tactics used by the players. Like a more chaotic version of Yojimbo

[@thebigfriendlygoliath]

"It's not about shaming Gary Gygax for being a bigot; its about recognizing the bigotry in our hobby, so we can do better going forward." That is brilliant. Its truly unfortunate how many supposed adults take the mere acknowledgement of problematic elements in fantasy and mythology as a personal attack against their way of life.

[@DoomSausage1]

Problematic lol. You people are so soft.

[@thebigfriendlygoliath]

@@DoomSausage1 😘

[@KingZNIN]

​@@DoomSausage1that's why you things dick ride for a living. Keep riding that hog there's definitely going to be a payout in the end. Hahahajajaja

[@geoffdewitt6845]

​@@nowayjosedanielNo, they don't. They're not trying to persuade you or care about your bad faith BS. They're just stating an opinion.

[@theredgem]

@@geoffdewitt6845 An opinion that is baseless and violent in nature

[@mooxim]

I feel like the word situation is trending in D&D prep. It turns up loads in the new DMG, including Adventure Situations by Level and Step 1 of running encounters: Describe the Situation

[@MichaelHolland]

Well said, Mike. Well said.

[@volcangames]

Well said, I guess all this podcast experience has made you very eloquent

[@davec1]

The question about more viable healing spells in combat is: What does it do to the (much-bemoaned) length of combat? The beauty of healing spells that aren‘t optimal choices in most combat situations is that you can rely on hitpoints inexorably decreasing towards a conclusion. Personally, I think that used to be great design. We want stuff to happen and in-combat healing basically means stuff happens, then consequences are erased, then more stuff needs to happen at a higher rate than it gets negated. People think the Twilight Cleric and regenerating Monsters are a PITA? Well, that‘s not gonna get better if healing spells and abilities become attractive in a large number of situations…

[@andrewshears2077]

Sly Flourish has always been at the top of my list for D&D content. I’m thankful every time I see a video drop on this channel. He’s a good man, and thorough.

[@kquixotic]

Congrats on being #1, MIke! Also bravo on being a positive voice against the gross online discourse.

[@nick-qb5wu]

Players get excited to see monsters that let them use their abilities. Monks like archers, Clerics like undead, etc. It comes back to the old shoot your Monks advice.

[@brands248]

what a title, hadn't seen that and clicked imediatly

[@SortKaffe]

Yeah, normally I just wait till I get to it in my podcast feed, but this time I went directly to the time stamp

[@montymontymonty1000]

I don't know if my players remember the abilities of a monster, but they love overcoming a challenge

[@imayb1]

RE: Gygax controversy, Thank you! I felt a lot of the controversy was virulently "anti-woke" and inflammatory. As a long-time female GM since early 2E, I have plenty of experience with sexism in gaming. I did not feel that it was out of place to have a preface regarding the historical context of D&D. I feel it is perfectly okay for today's iteration of D&D to distance itself from its early roots, much as other 50 year-old+ brands have done. I can appreciate what Gygax did for the game and still acknowledge he did some seriously crappy things, too.

[@CooperativeWaffles]

03:50 · Recommended Resources Additional tools for DMs of all game systems to consider. · WotC - D&D One/2024: Dungeon Master Guide · Level Up - Advanced 5e: Trials & Treasure Book · Tales of the Valiant: Game Masters' Guide The more read, the more known.

[@boxxie]

Great episode, this game is bigger than any one person! No matter how rich or talented. This is why you have the number one TTRPG podcast in all the realms. Keep up the good work.

[@nandomax3]

This week I'll run my first session using the lazy dm prep :)

[@loki.odinson]

When I am recommending books to other Game Masters, especially new Game Masters, I always recommend Sly Flourish's The Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master.

[@FrostSpike]

53:32 When I went back to DMing in-person, I found that players sort of just expected an "online" experience in terms of handouts! Online, they would get handouts - pictures or document snippets, etc. which are relatively easy to do, but in-person those need to be physical artefacts and that takes time.

[@vegaserik44]

HP Lovecraft was problematic but I still love Call of Cthulhu! Joss Wedon as well and Firefly, Buffy, and Angel are all on my favorite shows ever list!

[@adamstephens8852]

Will you, at a later date, make your Key of Worlds campaign path available to buy? Unfortunately, I can't commit to patreon.

[@greegan6373]

I think WotC really missed an opportunity to make money on licensing collectible products. How many of you would buy a license plate with a 50th anniversary logo in the corner of your license, making limited editions for each state/province in NA would have brought in a ton of money.

[@jesmichan]

me: this gygax quote can't be that insane can it? me, 15 seconds later: holy shit

[@jeffw991]

Yeah, wow.

[@SortKaffe]

Yeah, don't look it up if you don't want your mood ruined (even more)

[@bluechill3]

Sometimes things get taken out of context, so it's important to check the full context yourself. Sometimes the full context makes it even worse, this is one of those times.

[@stephaniesheen6405]

Support your local gameshop by buying a copy locally! I agree wholeheartedly. You've just gained a subscriber! ❤

[@DocEonChannel]

Your take on the so-called "trashing" debate is without a doubt the most thoughtful and well-reasoned one. I agree with it 100%.

[@nightlight-zero]

More than specifically cool monsters, my players really appreciate how monsters belonging to a specific faction my game have a unique, internally consistent design. They’re essentially magitech illithids, but they have clear focus areas in their ability design that’s focused on psychic damage, dunamancy spells, adaptability (they change their approach encounter to encounter in reaction to how the players approach them), etc. This all comes together to make “them” a distinct them.

[@Zr0din]

Sorry for the watch time deficit. I had to skip the Musk part. OMG, LOVED THIS MISSION DESCRIPTION!!!!! I enjoyed this episode much more than normal and how you tied it back to the 8 steps and such. Excellent. I ended up watching that section twice. Sorry I was bitching about Musk.

[@breakerpressgames]

Your nuanced take on Gygax and our changing culture is the best I've stumbled upon thus far. Well said.

[@telarr9164]

Question - what's the sourcebook that Mike is using for the world in his Dragon Empire game ? I"m intrigued by this concept

[@garryame4008]

I'm just so so exhausted hearing about Musk.

[@garryame4008]

What upsets me about this is that Elon is being disingenuous. He doesn't actually care about DnD or Gygax, he just wants to stoke the culture war. He's just trying to make everyone upset

[@lokerola]

@@garryame4008 Yep, pretty much.

[@CecilQuetzalcoatl]

I completely agree

[@DoomSausage1]

@@garryame4008and what’s your evidence of this? How do you know if he plays d&d?

[@anselmoffrisia2930]

​@@garryame4008I wondered if he felt the need to weigh in since he isn't universally liked and he sees that people will be ripping on him even past his life. That's got to suck to know your legacy is getting dunked on for the foreseeable future. 😅

[@junderlandgames1186]

Mike do you think of the 4th edition DMG? Do you think it’s information is competitive with your forge of foes, DMG 2024, tales of the valiant gmg , and a5e trials and treasures?

[@SlyFlourish]

I really have to dig in deeper to it but I don't think its super-relevant to 5e. I know people adore it though.

[@bengoodwin2988]

What a stellar episode to showcase just why you won that award. In particular, your nuanced consideration of Gygax's views and our relation/reaction to them was great.

[@Kafeen220]

When you were talking about multiple ways to enter, I can't help but think about Forged in the Dark games. Do you think running Blades in the Dark helped/influenced how you think through these situations?

[@mithren86]

I think it'd be good to put more emphasis on the importance of clocks / slowly increasing enemy response. If you had played it that the dwarf seeing his mate dimension door started yelling out and had all the units charged down it could have been a tpk. Or the guards all heard the first fight and all rush down with the same issue. Instead by having the slowly increasing clock it gave characters time to react. This seems to be very important in scene style play.

[@taliavaryn4393]

You have the source of the Gygax quote? The zine? "EUROPA 10/11 August-September 1975" Somebody have the source, right? Ben Riggs have it, right? The "April 75" is on Internet Archive but the police and typing were VERY different, a few months apart. If the quote is that important, it would be nice to share the source. The wording of the quote from a wargame zine in 1975 is somewhat strange..has it been adapted for modern audience?

[@arcanescroll]

It was a zine, everything was hand typed and photocopied, as someone who worked on a number of zines in the 80's, I can tell you even at that later date no two issues looked even closely the same.

[@arcanescroll]

BTW, it's scanned in on the Internet Archive for anyone to read. Page 92.

[@taliavaryn4393]

@@arcanescroll Thanks. I eventually posted the link (badly referenced on Internet Archive). Let's just say my post was deleted because external links are no longer allowed. ONLY 50ish people read the source before me. "The quote" is not from an interview but alleged readers letters , in response to a horrible sexist article by an alleged woman (April 75 zine). Example of the article: "Wargamers are ALL homicidal maniacs."

[@LUZ_TAK]

Loved the "scenario based prep" example🏆

[@wilesps]

Love the DM tip. There have been so many times as a player where we tried to plan out a heist, but the dm seemed uninterested in rolling along with it and the game just turned into the normal big fight. Granted, player plans are often wonky and have holes in them, but it is better to throw complications at the players that still let their crazy plans progress, rather than just stopping them in their tracks.

[@StephaniePlaysGames]

Great response to the super weird Elon Musk weight in! 😂 I think a lot of people have a hard time divorcing the idea that they can like a thing but not certain aspects of it or certain aspects of it's creators. Well very said Mike!

[@headapollo]

Stop giving the attention demon attention

[@jacobsisson416]

BRO thank you so much for bringing your intelligence and wisdom to responding to the Musk quote. You totally rolled a 20 on this and THAT is why I watch your channel and read your blog. You are a professional! Great job!

[@zirakz1649]

Thought it was a pretty clear 1 tbh

[@PaulMcMahon-sj8jq]

Players love spell casters when they have counterspell.

[@RPGMusings]

I agree with your overall conclusion, Mike, and of course I agree that we can love this game and Gary's contributions despite his personal beliefs... but I think your reasoning is slightly flawed on the matter of his sexism because it isn't about the times when he was defending himself in that article... saying he is a product of his time means that the ideals of the society and his family and church when he was coming of age are what is important - he is a product of that and could never grow out of those ideas. THAT is what was problematic about his beliefs... it's not that he was sexist at some point in his life, it was that he never grew out of that, no matter what changed in society - he wasn't able to learn and change his position. THAT is why he needed to defend himself, because he WAS a product of his time AND was choosing not to move beyond it.

[@IncaSteppa420]

I'm pretty sure he's just tweeting this to make himself look cool to his existing fanbase

[@garhent]

Musk is Gen X, he's going to have a mainline nerd reaction from that generation. Look at WotC today, Kyle Brink told his audience he can't wait for white people to leave the game. WotC puts out the Radiant Citadel where the selling point was whitey wasn't allowed to write (it was one of WotC's lowest selling 5E module to date). WotC is an ideologically leftist homogenous company and that is the views you will get from them. The US is a center right country, always has been and always will. People don't buy leftist products. This book forward that WotC used to get rage advertising isn't going to get more sales but less. Short of Gygax refusing to hire women, gygax or minorities (he hired woman, gays and minorities), you are going to have a hard time damning the man. You judge a man on his actions not his words. A lot of women, gays and minorities worked at TSR. A lot of women, gays and minorities played D&D in the 70's and 80's. Find a hobby shop that excluded anyone in the 70's or 80's, you won't, they were running on paper thin margins and needed as many customers as they could get.

[@armorclasshero2103]

​​@@garhent Wotc nor Hasbro are leftist. They're corporations that both have a history of racist hiring practices as recently as last year. Corporation are incapable of true ideology. It's all performative. Gygax was pro native genocide. So no, he was an asshole.

[@KingZNIN]

​@@nowayjosedaniel Maybe they should try being cool dudes instead? Oh wait you just made being straight whit men your entire personality lol

[@KingZNIN]

​@@garhentsome day your balls will drop. To bad I can't say the same for your V card.

[@scroogemcj7851]

​@garhent that and we didn't care if you were gay or a minority. It's only a big deal now because the left keeps pushing it. 😢

[@harmless6813]

You are too nice, Mike. Elon's criticism wasn't really about Gygax; it was about the criticized views Elon himself shares.

[@bonderoff]

Will you be at PAX Unplugged?

[@kidmythicgames]

Awesome analysis of controversy and a way to put Amazon out of business! Great episode! 😂

[@peterclose1545]

Thanks so much in your insights and helpful game master opinions.

[@moralessanchezoscarelias6412]

I was hesitant about this episode, because I'm kind of tired of drama surrounding that guy, but this was actually a good and nuanced take. I really appreciate you for using your reach to talk about this topic without shortcutting to an explanation in black and white. I'm glad I listen to your show.

[@Kafeen220]

Great EP and take on the Elon Musk comments. PS. Demiplane (now part of the Roll20 Umbrella) is hiring, as an interesting way for someone to make this hobby their career path as another type of creative outlet, I thought it could be interesting to talk about.

[@VitoWolf-me3tq]

Great points!

[@seasidelion13]

Bravo! Well thought out and said.

[@darkienescariot9361]

Such a goated take here. Thank you for such a measured response to the lack of nuance in this discussion!

[@hermesalexandria]

People can be complicated, you could be one of the greatest proponents of renewable energy in the world and still promote a political party of climate change deniers.

[@richardrose3304]

I suspect that a big chunk of your viewers may not have lived through the 70s and 80s, and experienced the various positive changes made over the years. I think when a book dedicated to D&D starts off by feeling the need to call out the creators for various negative things, i think what you're saying is that the book's intro is being written for a different generation that hasn't lived through that era. So things that my age or older would take for granted as being just the way things were back then, for a younger group, i guess these things need to be spelled out and addressed more? Not all of us have your skill for being able to understand how the younger generation thinks, so don't judge us too harshly, Mike :)

[@armorclasshero2103]

The fact gygax had to defend himself back in the 70s means he was considered a sexist even for his own time.

[@SalsaDoom1840]

I think the language used in the introduction of the book of the makers was a bit provocative. It certainly didn't come across in the same balanced and measured tones that you are using - "The cultural appropriation of the original D&D ranges from the bewildering to the staggering" - referring to the stat blocks given to historical deities including Celtic and Norse gods.

[@janeost_]

Thank you for having a good take on the nonsense controversy whipped up by Musk.

[@AMRosa10]

This is about the best handling of the Elon Musk controversy that I have seen. Mike makes some excellent points. I played D&D and AD&D in the 80's and then went away from the hobby for over 35 years, only recently coming back to it, mostly because of the media coverage of the 50th Anniversary. I even play weekly at the local game store now. If D&D today was the D&D of my youth, I likely would never have gotten back into it. There were too many problems with those versions of the game to have felt comfortable playing those games now. I am not an adolescent or teenager anymore. I have grown, matured, and gained a much broader and more nuianced view of the world. I feel strongly about inclusion and diversity and were actually impressed by the efforts that WotC and Hasbro have made to try and make D&D a game that everyone can feel comfortable in.

[@brianmarchetti6110]

While Gygax may have said some troubling things, there is nothing in any Dungeons and Dragons book that I have ever come across that even suggests that women or minorities are not welcome to play. The first person I approached about playing D&D was an African American in 1992. Our Dungeon Master for a number of years was the child of Mexican immigrants. I still regularly play with this group which includes a female and an additional African American. I've been going to Gencon with this group since 1993 and we've never had any issues regarding racism or bigotry. I guess I am considered a white sis male, though I am the son of an Italian immigrand and I lost my eyesight to an inherited retinal disease some eyars ago, so maybe I'm allowed to have an opinion on this. I can't speak to what happens in the industry, and I have no doubt sexism and bitgotry reared itsugly twin heads especially in the early days of the TTRPG's development, but in my experience, D&D and games like it brought me more diverse friends than I would have ever met if I never got into this hobby. Please don't take this as a slight. I love your channel and I look forward to your advice. Running games without eyesight is definitely challenging and your blogs and podcasts have definitely helped. Keep up the good work.

[@CecilQuetzalcoatl]

I agree. I'm Pakistani and I've never seen anything in an edition of D&D that would discourage play from anyone who's not a straight white male. I think it's kind of a strawman argument where people try too hard to rectify supposed problems with historical media. I also think the racism and sexism in terms of D&D content gets exaggerated too.

[@garhent]

@@CecilQuetzalcoatl Bingo. go back to the late 70's and 80's it was the social outcasts playing D&D they would take whomever they could get to play. The fallacies spread by people of the far left is just getting out of whack. Only people on the left have the moral high ground, listen to them, ignore the creators of the past they were bad people, here play our way where they see orcs as black people because they are moral people. The more you listen to a leftist game designer go into racial politics and history for gaming, you realize you are talking with a crazy person. They claim they were a victim and couldn't play D&D. TSR sold their products to anyone and everyone. Hell, for Greyhawk the Lendore Isles were created by a gay man. The map everyone loves for Greyhawk was painted by Darlene. All of this was done in the 70's. I mean nothing screams bigot than a company of 9 people doing that.

[@armorclasshero2103]

Guess you missed the part where the books say female heroes have different stat rules than male characters...

[@CecilQuetzalcoatl]

@armorclasshero2103 where and in which book?

[@delax000]

​@@CecilQuetzalcoatlnot to get into it, but since i read it recently: The AD&D strength table on pg 9 of Players Handbook is likely what they're talking about. There's tables for the limits on Int/Wis/Cha on different races/species too. Its also summarized on page 15

[@Winterwilde]

Great take on the Gygax situation, very measured. Plus, you’ve made me want to buy a 500 page book on the history of D&D :D

[@Runehammer1]

brilly

[@geoffdewitt6845]

Red Eagle? Tai'shar Manetheren, Mike.

[@dylancox631]

Well said, Mike

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Two quick points: good take on the Gygax controversy (the Problematic Artiste question that has dogged us for many years in many arts) and I also liked you take on Musk's unsolicited [aren't they all] opinion. The Problematic Artiste question springs up in many disciplines: Wagner's work was almost an obsession with the Nazis--which is almost bad enough all by itself (but did Wagner ADK that Hitler be a fanboy?). But worse, Wagner himself expressed opinions that are beyond the pale these days. Some orchestral musicians refuse to play his music. I have to just say that I love Ride of the Valkyries despite Wagner being a bastard. Then there's thr Harvey Weinstein debate: he was part of the making of so many great movies. Those movies are great DESPITE Weinstein being a terrible excuse for a human being.

[@langwaters9653]

Wrt Elon: The position that you take is known as the Whole Man Theory. To brutally oversimplify--people are complicated in exactly the way you describe. The WMT is used to defend the contributions of, for example, people like Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence and also owned slaves. Do we therefore ignore TJ's contributions and tear down his statues? I for one wouldn't . The issue is.....complicated. There's probably a line somewhere and we each draw the line in a different place. My line is right about exactly where you described it wrt Gary Gygax. I'm not bothered by the old stuff that's clearly dated. Nor is my hair on fire about mentioning this fact. But we aren't allowed to have complicated or nuanced opinions anymore. Very out of fashion. I also liked Bob World Builder's take on this--E makes money on his platform by sowing division. Don't bite at the pandering.

[@grainofrice3989]

The whole take on the Elon/Gygax stuff is the healthy response to take on any organization/product. Well said

[@GreylanderTV]

#2 "smoothing the power curve" is a wrong headed wish that sounds good in principle (I'm sure I advocate similar "balance" type ideals at one time or another) but is ultimately a bad idea. Real life isn't balance, fantasy life isn't either (e.g. in movies & novels). Wizards _should_ be ridiculously OP at high levels -- it is the reward for surviving being underpower at low levels. And there's a reason clerics topped out at 7th not 8th lvl spells: gods keep the truly good stuff for themselves. Wizards on the other hand are dabbling in secrets the gods would prefer they didn't. If you really must have "balance", leave the wizards just as powerful, but make sure there is a price to be paid for that power.

[@lonic123]

Thanks

[@kevinmccormick1886]

I liked THAC0, it was easier than memorizing the 1st edition tables.

[@ogreboy8843]

I know I'm supposed to be happy when my enemies fight each other, but honestly Elon? Go find your own staw man!

[@jarrettperdue3328]

Heidi Gygax Garland's response was thorough, thoughtful, and really says all that needs to be said.

[@michaelmullenfiddler]

Blackfire!? Do you have a plan for something called The Backfyre Rebellion? Just kidding 😁

[@Middleman35]

So generally I dislike commenting before watching, but in this case it might be appropriate. I really wish we could all just ignore whatever Elon is spewing. Not analyse how bad a take it inevitably is. Not refute it. Not argue with it. Actually ignore it. We should all know that you don't feed the trolls.

[@andymeechan3924]

My take away from the WHEN WE WERE WIZARDS podcast, was that Gygax was a narcissist. Or at the very least, his [on-show] selfishness was enabled by those around him.

[@enriquekahn9405]

Elon fancies himself a general in the culture wars

[@carolxs]

Curiously, those are the same words I have for Elon Musk himself. He didn't say that because he likes the "genius", but because he is a bigot himself, he thinks the conversation is about himself

[@Ironcaster]

The problem stems from a general exhaustion around always feeling like theirs a constant need to be reminded of these sorts of apologies for the past.

[@antvd888]

👌

[@apstrike]

I think Musk has a much longer list. And I couldn't care less whom he puts on it.

[@reneesteeves3698]

Mike Shea the champion we all need!!!

[@francisxavier8374]

it's hero worship

[@thenannymoh]

an amazing take, great vid as usual

[@memeslich]

Great things are happening over on X. 💀

[@ichifish]

Well said, Mike. As usual, Musk shows off his fragile ego. For a guy who talks about freedom of speech he sure doesn't like other people's.

[@williamatkins3465]

As I said on BWB and PDM's video's on this...WotC and Elon, two things I care less and less about as time passes

[@sullivan108]

AKA Elon asks one of his peons what would "really whip up the incels?"

[@ZeKiwiOfTheNorth]

+

[@happychap8457]

The number of people who hear GG was sexist or that other problematic people or attitudes exist in the hobby and immediately come back with 'im not sexist'. dude, no one said you were. its not all about you.

[@elk7308]

There's plenty to be angry with WotC about, Musk & co's manufactured 'culture war' nonsense is definitely not one of them

[@orangelunacy]

Damn wild to find out how fast I wind up taking WotC's side

[@Invader_Rin13]

Careful, you might upset some Musketeers.

[@lextheap1638]

Says the guy who I would bet has watched none of this show yet. Why do people always rush to make negative comments?

[@malkyn9998]

​@@lextheap1638 Bruh. They were mocking fans of Elon's Musk. That level of defensiveness doesn't do anyone any good. Breathe a little.

[@Hugh839]

@@lextheap1638 Did you? Because Mike says that musk is wrong.