"Jeffrogaxian D&D"

Insane Nerd Ramblings · April 04, 2025, 08:27:16 PM

I'm sure a number of you have been following the drekfest over on Twitter involving the BrOSR. My few interactions with them have been a mixed bag. Harmony Ginger is pleasant, but a bunch of others have been, to be even remotely charitable, obnoxious a-holes. I hadn't ever heard the term Jeffrogaxian until just recently (hey, gimme some slack, I DO live under a rock). This term is, quite honestly, baffling. If the BrOSR zealots are right and 'this is how it was always played in 1EAD&D', then shouldn't it just be Gygaxian? How can something be 'the one true way' if it's an idea spun out from someone that wasn't involved in the creation or production of classic D&D? If its some new evolution, then shouldn't it just be Jeffronian D&D?

Ratman_tf · April 04, 2025, 08:38:11 PM

Quote from: Insane Nerd Ramblings on April 04, 2025, 08:27:16 PMI'm sure a number of you have been following the drekfest over on Twitter involving the BrOSR. My few interactions with them have been a mixed bag. Harmony Ginger is pleasant, but a bunch of others have been, to be even remotely charitable, obnoxious a-holes. I hadn't ever heard the term Jeffrogaxian until just recently (hey, gimme some slack, I DO live under a rock). This term is, quite honestly, baffling. If the BrOSR zealots are right and 'this is how it was always played in 1EAD&D', then shouldn't it just be Gygaxian? How can something be 'the one true way' if it's an idea spun out from someone that wasn't involved in the creation or production of classic D&D? If its some new evolution, then shouldn't it just be Jeffronian D&D?

Wut? Can you catch me up on what Jeffrogaxian is supposed to mean?

Insane Nerd Ramblings · April 04, 2025, 08:43:10 PM

Quote from: Ratman_tf on April 04, 2025, 08:38:11 PMWut? Can you catch me up on what Jeffrogaxian is supposed to mean?

I think it's supposed to be the 'One True Way' that Gygax played AD&D and wrote into the rules as given by his Prophet Jeffro Johnson (or something like that, I'm not even sure).

jeff37923 · April 04, 2025, 09:11:21 PM

I don't think that you are dealing with something intellectual with the BrOSR. It sounds more like a cult of personality centered around its leader.

bat · April 04, 2025, 11:24:39 PM

Quote from: jeff37923 on April 04, 2025, 09:11:21 PMI don't think that you are dealing with something intellectual with the BrOSR. It sounds more like a cult of personality centered around its leader.

This. Who cares what that echo chamber rattles about? I just do my thing, undaunted by others, and am happy in my little world.

Venka · April 04, 2025, 11:49:38 PM

> If the BrOSR zealots are right and 'this is how it was always played in 1EAD&D', then shouldn't it just be Gygaxian?

Lol, that's a really great point. If Jeffro is The Best Historian, then it's Gygaxian. If Jeffro is The Guy With The Best Idea, then it's Jeffronian, as you say. They have to hold two false assertions to both be true. It's like something that can only exist as a result of some neural mistake, like that blue-yellow color.

yosemitemike · Reply #6 - Re: "Jeffrogaxian D&D"

The only reason I have even heard of the Brosr is Pundit's videos mentioning them. I don't know who this Jeffro guy is beyond the name and I don't care what he has to say about anything. He doesn't seem to really be any sort of authority on what Gygax did at his table and I don't particularly care about Gygax or what he did anyway. From what I can tell, this is the OSR's tendency toward one-true-wayism cranked up to absurdity.

S'mon · Reply #7 - Re: "Jeffrogaxian D&D"

Jeffrogygaxian is a sort of purist 1e ADnD. Gygax himself didn't even run 1e, he used a form of OD&D. However there are some play style elements of Gygax's style the BrOSR promote that are not always clear in the 1e DMG,like multiple play groups and downtime,and an assumption of 1:1 time. Gygax was not nearly as doctrinaire ofc.

RPGPundit · Reply #8 - Re: "Jeffrogaxian D&D"

Jeffro is a grifter and a liar, and uses Gygax to reinforce his own idiotic ideas about AD&D which were not how anyone actually played.
Most of the BroSR don't actually play D&D. They just enjoy being in an online community where they can brag about how tough they are and being a community where they feel safe to share how anti-semitic they are.

The awful thing is that Shadowdark's author recently said she thought they had interesting ideas. I'm guessing no one has told her about all the antisemitism and anti-gay diatribes by Jeffro. I tried, but she might have me muted, because like a lot of people she doesn't know who her real enemies are.