"the author painstakingly reverse engineers the RPG that the movie depicts in terms of actual mechanics. The game is a convoluted, unplayable mess in case you were wondering."
Not to be snarky, but that describes OD&D (white box) and a lot of Fantasy Heartbreakers as much as it does Mazes & Monsters. I've definitely got to check out this reverse engineered game. Maybe I'll "update" it to make it playable.
1. If it’s not obvious from my profile pic, “Mazes & Monsters,” and the character of Jay Jay, is where I acquired my love for quirky hats.
2. The novel explicitly states that Jay Jay goes to the caverns to commit suicide and then, realizing it would be the perfect setting for a Mazes & Monsters game, changes his mind. (Yes. That’s stupid. And, yes: I’ve read the novel. Multiple times. And it’s just as entertainingly sentimental and cheesy as the film.)
3. The idea that the 1980s RPG community was a rainbow coalition featuring all kinds of people and personality types is sheer presentism, the fallacy of projecting the present on to the past. In the 70s & early 80s, the total population of the United States was roughly 80% White. The UK was similar. And the US and UK were •the• market for D&D. So, back then, D&D players were largely White, male, and well-educated, with most players being college students or “gifted” middle- and high-school students — A very small sliver of society. And, mostly, we were reviled as nerds both in the community and in the media.
Great job on the album. I listened to it 2x this morning. Wish it was closer to the weekend. Ready to play!
"the author painstakingly reverse engineers the RPG that the movie depicts in terms of actual mechanics. The game is a convoluted, unplayable mess in case you were wondering."
Not to be snarky, but that describes OD&D (white box) and a lot of Fantasy Heartbreakers as much as it does Mazes & Monsters. I've definitely got to check out this reverse engineered game. Maybe I'll "update" it to make it playable.
Great Article.
1. If it’s not obvious from my profile pic, “Mazes & Monsters,” and the character of Jay Jay, is where I acquired my love for quirky hats.
2. The novel explicitly states that Jay Jay goes to the caverns to commit suicide and then, realizing it would be the perfect setting for a Mazes & Monsters game, changes his mind. (Yes. That’s stupid. And, yes: I’ve read the novel. Multiple times. And it’s just as entertainingly sentimental and cheesy as the film.)
3. The idea that the 1980s RPG community was a rainbow coalition featuring all kinds of people and personality types is sheer presentism, the fallacy of projecting the present on to the past. In the 70s & early 80s, the total population of the United States was roughly 80% White. The UK was similar. And the US and UK were •the• market for D&D. So, back then, D&D players were largely White, male, and well-educated, with most players being college students or “gifted” middle- and high-school students — A very small sliver of society. And, mostly, we were reviled as nerds both in the community and in the media.
4. What? No Bandcamp for your music?
James was, in fact, dead by the time the movie premiered. His third suicide attempt, on August 16, 1980, was successful.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/178793293/james-dallas-egbert
> it sparked conversations within the RPG community about the need for responsible gaming and the importance of distinguishing fantasy from reality
I'd be curious to hear more about this. I can imagine the movie sparking these conversations but I'm sort of dubious of the need to have them.