Original Dungeons & Dragons Creator Robert J. Kuntz Destroys Modern D&D As "A Fitful, Tragic Ride"
Dungeons & Dragons received mainstream attention recently after it was revealed how Wizards of the Coast lead designer Jason Tondro attacked creator Gary Gygax in a recent book detailing the history of the tabletop RPG. Now, Robert J. Kuntz, student of Gygax and one of D&D’s original founders has chimed in with his disapproval of the current iteration of the game.
D&D is in dire straits with the 2024 edition of the game pushing woke concepts that have no place at the gaming table. The new edition has removed a background of one of the races having slavery, made a “safe space” element to the game to that players can stop a game any time they feel triggered, and, most famously, has turned Orcs into Mexicans in recent game art to try to change the evil fantasy race into a real-world allegory.
All of these events have upset long-time players of the game. Still, the most egregious situation in the current iteration is the industry's lack of respect for its creator, Gary Gygax. Woke activists have taken over Dungeons & Dragons, which led to The Making Of The Original Dungeons & Dragons bizarrely attacking Gygax with misinformation maligning the D&D creator.
In the preface written by Jason Tondro, a Senior Designer on Dungeons & Dragons, and shared to X by user dLsd_25, Tondro attacks the original creators writing, “Some language in the first iteration of D&D presents a moral quandary. The documents reproduced in this book include many pages of charts and tables alongside lists of monsters, spells, and magic items. But that game content also includes a virtual catalog of insensitive and derogatory language, words that are casually hurtful to anyone with a physical or mental disability, or who happens to be old, fat, not conventionally attractive, indigenous, Black, or a woman.”
Tondro continued, “Some people have charitably ascribed this language to authors working from bad assumptions. In the 1970s, historical wargamers in America were predominately white, middle-class men; it isn’t surprising that they would dub a class of soldiers the ‘fighting-man.’ But when, in the pages of Greyhawk, the description of the Queen of Chaotic Dragons includes a dig at ‘Women’s Lib,’ the misogyny is revealed as a conscious choice. It’s an unfortunate fact that women seldom appear in original D&D, and when they do, they’re usually portrayed disrespectfully.
Tondro went on, “Slavery appears in original D&D not as a human tragedy that devastated generations over centuries, but as a simple commercial transaction.”
“The cultural appropriation of original D&D ranges from the bewildering (like naming every 6th-level cleric a ‘lama’) to the staggering; Gods, Demi-gods and Heroes (not reprinted in this book) includes game statistics for sacred figures revered by more than a billion people around the world,” he wrote. “Were players expected to fight Vishnu, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, kill him, and loot his ‘plus 3 sword of demon slaying’?”
Tondro concluded the preface writing, “Despite these shortcomings, D&D has always been a game about people choosing to be someone unlike themselves and collaborating with strangers who become friends. It has slowly become more inclusive, and as the player base has become more diverse, the pool of creators who make the game has expanded to include people with a broader range of identities and backgrounds. As these new creators make the game more welcoming, the game has attracted new fans who, in turn, continue to make the game more inclusive. The future of Dungeons & Dragons, here at its fiftieth anniversary, is bright.”
An X Account who goes by “DragonSlayersUK” put in his two cents about the latest controversies putting a positive spin on Dungeons & Dragons, saying “The game has evolved to meet the needs of its audiences. It isn’t chess, it’s a gaming phenomenon that’s lasted 50 years, and you’re a part of the celebration.”
Robert J. Kuntz showed his disdain for the woke mind virus corrupting his and Gary Gygax’s creation, saying “Haha! No.”
This prompted pop culture commentator Kneon from Clownfish TV to talk about D&D. Kneon posted, “Robert Kuntz, one of the OG Dungeons & Dragons creators, doesn't seem to think too much about the current iteration of DnD or the "modern audience" that plays it. And no, he ISN'T part of the celebration. WotC celebrated the 50th anniversary of the game by low-key denigrating the very people who MADE it.”
Kneon followed up, “The game has "evolved" to appeal solely to theater kids and Tumblr users. Fixed it.”
Robert J. Kuntz seems to agree with Kneon’s analysis of the situation, saying, “Thank you Kneon. When I come on your podcast I will detail the descent of D&D AND the gradual ostracizing of Gary and myself from the equation, an attempted mending of that by Paizo, and then back on track to no where. It's a fitful, tragic ride which apparently has a final sign ahead: ‘Hereat lies Ingratitude’.”
Many original players and creators are upset with the way Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast has treated Dungeons & Dragons as their personal sexual fetish playground and leftist identity politics lecture hall. Will Wizards of the Coast realize their fanbase is fed up with the pushing of evil ideologies and get back to fantasy gaming again?
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