Luke Gygax gets to make the decision about who is an 'honored guest' and who is not an honored guest.  He doesn't owe anyone an explanation of the specific allegations that were made or that he witnessed.  He likes Mentzer.  For whatever reason, he felt that honoring Mentzer at this time sent the wrong message.  

If you think Mentzer should be an honored guest somewhere, you should set up a Con like that.  Maybe he'll be an asshole to you, too, and you'll feel like you made a mistake.  Or not.  But ultimately, the people that attend the Con need to have fun.  They're the people that come back year after year, and if they're not having fun, they won't.  And if they don't, there won't be a Con.  If you think Mentzer is being treated unfairly, don't go.  If you think the Con will be better because he's not there, go.  

But ultimately Con organizers have to take steps to make sure that as many guests as possible have fun.  That's the whole point.

Quote from: deadDMwalking;1076022Luke Gygax gets to make the decision about who is an 'honored guest' and who is not an honored guest.  He doesn't owe anyone an explanation of the specific allegations that were made or that he witnessed.  He likes Mentzer.  For whatever reason, he felt that honoring Mentzer at this time sent the wrong message.  

If you think Mentzer should be an honored guest somewhere, you should set up a Con like that.  Maybe he'll be an asshole to you, too, and you'll feel like you made a mistake.  Or not.  But ultimately, the people that attend the Con need to have fun.  They're the people that come back year after year, and if they're not having fun, they won't.  And if they don't, there won't be a Con.  If you think Mentzer is being treated unfairly, don't go.  If you think the Con will be better because he's not there, go.  

But ultimately Con organizers have to take steps to make sure that as many guests as possible have fun.  That's the whole point.

Frank Mentzer may be a senile asshole who probably has come down with the Alzheimer's, but that does not make him a predator, despite what Neo-Bolsheviks like Jessica Price and Daniel Fox may say.

That being said, Mentzer is still a senile old asshat and if Luke Gygax doesn't want to invite him to GaryCon, he does have that right. I'm not contesting that.

What I fear is that the Neo-Bolsheviks at places like RPG.net and Onyx Path Forums will use Mentzer's idiocy as an excuse to unperson him and his works (including BECMI D&D, one of the most influential and successful RPG's of its era) now that they already did it to Zak S.

Zak Sabbath is a rapist and a pretentious punk who made some mediocre no-name gaming products.

Frank Mentzer is just a senile Boomer asshat who says and does dumb shit but also made a very influential and popular RPG back before his dementia started to kick in.

There is a world of difference between Zak and Mentzer.

Not having Mentzer as a guest at GaryCon because he's a senile asshole? Understandable. Luke Gygax is being within reason on that one.

Deciding to erase Mentzer and his work from history? Heinous. RPG.net, Daniel Fox, and Jessica Price are just being authoritarian Neo-Bolsheviks on that one.

Also, I think Sailor Moon has some words for you, as well as Jessica Price, Stacy D., Daniel Fox, Olivia Hill, Holden Shearer, Black Hat Matt, and all the fuckers at RPG.net and Onyx Path Forums...

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The guys at North Texas RPG Con have been in touch with Luke, it seems that there is more to it than just the incident(s) with Price, bolding mine.

Quote from: Michael BadolatoFor those interested, we did ask Frank back again to NTRPG con this year, but he declined due to health reasons.

Doug and I back since the beginning have been adamant about the "no politics" rule at our con, and the fact that people of all gaming interests can game here without issue.

The news about Zak Smith and Frank have generated several posts that have come perilously close to something we don't want, which is real life drama injected into our gaming con. Agree with this or not, we believe people come to gaming conventions to game...and the same with this site, which is about promoting gaming and this convention. While real life concerns often demand we address them in other places, the issue with Frank especially is something between him and Garycon/Luke.

I did talk with Luke yesterday and whether I agree fully with him or not, the issue with Frank was a result of many actions, some we are not privy to, not the Price issue in particular. We haven't had the same issues with Frank so I cannot speak for Luke or anyone else about the decisions they made.

Quote from: Motorskills;1076029The guys at North Texas RPG Con have been in touch with Luke, it seems that there is more to it than just the incident(s) with Price, bolding mine.

I'm not opposed to booting Mentzer from the con if needed.

It's obvious that Frank Mentzer is a senile out-of-touch elderly asshat who probably has the Alzheimer's and isn't quite all there anymore.

Just don't unperson him or his work completely. Thankfully, Luke Gygax doesn't want to do that.

The same cannot be said of the Marxist-Leninist/Anarcho-Communist punk rock scumbags at RPG.net who have the ability to put pressure on WOTC into removing BECMI D&D and any other Mentzer product from DTRPG.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076027Frank Mentzer may be a senile asshole who probably has come down with the Alzheimer's, but that does not make him a predator, despite what Neo-Bolsheviks like Jessica Price and Daniel Fox may say.

'Not a predator' is not a sufficient standard to earn a place as a guest of honor.  If it were, I would be the guest of honor everywhere.  'Predator' should probably be a sufficient standard to lose the status of a guest of honor.  'Asshole' is also usually enough to get you uninvited places.  

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076027What I fear is that the Neo-Bolsheviks at places like RPG.net and Onyx Path Forums will use Mentzer's idiocy as an excuse to unperson him and his works (including BECMI D&D, one of the most influential and successful RPG's of its era) now that they already did it to Zak S.

Then address that specifically and stop with the slippery slope.  You can even phrase it as a positive argument - even if a creator is a terrible person in all kinds of ways, they should still receive credit for their work.  I've already done it several times on these forums recently in relation to Zak S.  

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076027Deciding to erase Mentzer and his work from history? Heinous. RPG.net, Daniel Fox, and Jessica Price are just being authoritarian Neo-Bolsheviks on that one.

Who's calling for this?  Who EVEN COULD call for this?  Like, how do you think that will work?  And if you think that's worth fighting against, go to where those people are talking.  Why bother preaching to the choir?  The only reason to do that is that you like the sound of your own voice more than you care about your stated beliefs.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076031The same cannot be said of the Marxist-Leninist/Anarcho-Communist punk rock scumbags at RPG.net who have the ability to put pressure on WOTC into removing BECMI D&D and any other Mentzer product from DTRPG.

  I wouldn't worry about that; the Rules Cyclopedia is still the #1 WotC product at DTRPG.

  However, checking on that did reveal a bit of historical trivia. WotC's been putting old Polyhedrons on DTRPG, and one of them includes an editorial by Mentzer on the D&D controversies of the early 80s. You can read the whole thing in the free preview at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/265506/Polyhedron-Newszine-V5-5-Issue-26.

Quote from: deadDMwalking;1076032'Not a predator' is not a sufficient standard to earn a place as a guest of honor.  If it were, I would be the guest of honor everywhere.  'Predator' should probably be a sufficient standard to lose the status of a guest of honor.  'Asshole' is also usually enough to get you uninvited places.  

 

Then address that specifically and stop with the slippery slope.  You can even phrase it as a positive argument - even if a creator is a terrible person in all kinds of ways, they should still receive credit for their work.  I've already done it several times on these forums recently in relation to Zak S.  



Who's calling for this?  Who EVEN COULD call for this?  Like, how do you think that will work?  And if you think that's worth fighting against, go to where those people are talking.  Why bother preaching to the choir?  The only reason to do that is that you like the sound of your own voice more than you care about your stated beliefs.

Actually I would take the fight to them, but RPG.net is an authoritarian shithole that perma-bans anyone who even steps out of line with their brand of punk rock communist thought in the slightest.

And as for Olivia Hill and Black Hat Matt, both have a loyal following of Neo-Communists who will dogpile you and shut out any form of opposition, even if it is polite civil disagreement.

Personally, I think the Japanese government should revoke Olivia Hill's legal residency status (since he didn't do anything and is only piggybacking off of his wife's work visa) and ship him off to Portland.

Then if the government actually does have the balls to enact the Second March To The Sea, then that disgusting racist autogynephile commie scumbag can be either shot or detained by the soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic!

Olivia Hill (also known as David A. Hill) is a scumbag who pretends to be transgender so he can just deflect any criticism of his odious behavior and vile character as "transphobia" (which is an insult to actual transgender people)

Hill is a disgusting sexist autogynephile who is both outwardly misandrist but also inwardly misogynist as despite claiming to be a "listen and believe" feminist, he has defended known pedophile and rapist Matt "Black Hat Matt" MacFarland solely because they share the same social and political beliefs and harassed several women who were abused by Black Hat Matt.

David "Olivia" Hill is a literal communist who has engaged in apologism for Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and Trotsky. He is a North Korea sympathizer, and has engaged in systematic doxxing, harassment, and violent threats against innocent people, even fellow leftists solely because they work for a company he personally does not like.

Despite being an American citizen legally living in Japan on his wife's work visa, Hill has made a lot of Anti-American and Anti-Japanese statements and has expressed virulent racism against Whites, Jews, and Japanese.

David "Olivia" Hill is a disgusting piece of shit and a vile excuse for a human being. If there was any one individual that could be the poster boy for a Second March To The Sea, it would be him.

COMMIE PUNKS FUCK OFF!

THE UNION FOREVER! HURRAH BOYS! HURRAH!

So your idea is that the United States army marches on the US West Coast because there's someone you don't like...IN JAPAN?  

So, like, Snowman writes like a 4th grader and your knowledge of geography is worse than a 1st grader's.  I guess you win the stupid contest.

Quote from: deadDMwalking;1076040So your idea is that the United States army marches on the US West Coast because there's someone you don't like...IN JAPAN?  

So, like, Snowman writes like a 4th grader and your knowledge of geography is worse than a 1st grader's.  I guess you win the stupid contest.

You didn't read the part where I said "deport him to America"

Also, David "Olivia" Hill lives in Japan at the moment, but Black Hat Matt currently lives in America.

And Black Hat Matt is the worse of the two.

Looks like you're the stupid one. You seem to be functionally illiterate.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076046You seem to be functionally illiterate.

No doubt it is deliberate. Constantly shifting semantics are essential to the general obfuscation of reality that is the basis of the narrative. Not sure why anyone even tries to converse with these people.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1075857No joke, I would do everything I could to go to a BadWrongCon for RPG's.

Hmmm...maybe we should get Venger, Pundit, Grim, and maybe a few others to get this to happen.

I'd work to attend a real gaming convention like this one. You know, one about ... gaming. No joke.

Quote from: Zalman;1076056Not sure why anyone even tries to converse with these people.

Because we're not censorious, close-minded fucks like other website's forum members and staff?

Quote from: Zalman;1076056No doubt it is deliberate. Constantly shifting semantics are essential to the general obfuscation of reality that is the basis of the narrative. Not sure why anyone even tries to converse with these people.

What people?  People who disagree with you?  

Since Doc Sammy talked about his march to the sea in yesterday in the post quoted below, you can see that originally there was no requirement that any specific individual be included as the target.  I'd also point out that 'really should' would indicate a move from 'just kidding' to 'now I'm serious, or at least moving in that direction'.  

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1075938The more WOTC keeps bowing down to the SJW's and their agenda of censorship and punk rock communism, possibly compromising the integrity of D&D 5E in the process, the more I think our government really should enact a second March To The Sea.

Only this new March To The Sea will be in the West Coast instead of the South, the military will be targeting Antifa instead of the Confederate Army, seizing control of universities and Silicon Valley instead of plantations and railroads, and burning down Portland instead of Atlanta.

Hurrah! Hurrah! We'll bring the jubilee!
Hurrah! Hurrah! So expression can be free!
We'll drive the Antifa commies back into the sea!
While we are marching to Portland!

Here's the thing - you don't need to talk to me.  I'm not your boss and I'm not your mother and I'm not going to tell the other kids on the school yard that you're a mean bully.  But just because you don't have to talk to me doesn't mean you shouldn't.  I'm going to make a positive argument for the things that I believe.  You can feel free to ignore them, but if you choose not to rebut them, other people will see those arguments and they may be swayed.  I'm not worried about labels or being categorized as something that is disliked around here (like an SJW or a Communist or Anti-Fa, or whatever) - those labels cease to mean anything if you apply them universally to people who disagree with you.  

Zak S is a relatively major figure in gaming circles (small though they may be), as is Pundit.  The abuse of women is a real problem beyond gaming circles, but because of that, it also intersects with gaming circles.  Acknowledging that there COULD BE a problem shouldn't be controversial.

Quote from: deadDMwalking;1076063What people?  People who disagree with you?  

Since Doc Sammy talked about his march to the sea in yesterday in the post quoted below, you can see that originally there was no requirement that any specific individual be included as the target.  I'd also point out that 'really should' would indicate a move from 'just kidding' to 'now I'm serious, or at least moving in that direction'.  



Here's the thing - you don't need to talk to me.  I'm not your boss and I'm not your mother and I'm not going to tell the other kids on the school yard that you're a mean bully.  But just because you don't have to talk to me doesn't mean you shouldn't.  I'm going to make a positive argument for the things that I believe.  You can feel free to ignore them, but if you choose not to rebut them, other people will see those arguments and they may be swayed.  I'm not worried about labels or being categorized as something that is disliked around here (like an SJW or a Communist or Anti-Fa, or whatever) - those labels cease to mean anything if you apply them universally to people who disagree with you.  

Zak S is a relatively major figure in gaming circles (small though they may be), as is Pundit.  The abuse of women is a real problem beyond gaming circles, but because of that, it also intersects with gaming circles.  Acknowledging that there COULD BE a problem shouldn't be controversial.

I hate to use the same meme twice in one day, but....

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Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076027Zak Sabbath ... made some mediocre no-name gaming products...

Frank Mentzer ...made a very influential and popular RPG...

There is a world of difference between Zak and Mentzer.

You appear to be advocating for the Kobe Bryant, Roman Polanski, and Michael Vick defense. IE if they are very good at their profession and popular, they deserve more forgiveness than if they are mediocre at their profession and less popular.*

*Of note: I think Zak is talented at RPG writing and I quite liked Vornheim.

Quote from: Doc Sammy;1076068I hate to use the same meme twice in one day, but....

but you're just not creative enough to think of a different one?