The Town Crier's Gone Mad! Commentary by Gary Gygax Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Scurrilous Insults and Attempted Assassinations Most Foul! You have been insulted a lot lately. Maybe you don't know it, maybe you do. I for one am not going to let it happen without putting up a bit of a fight, as they say, delivering some well-aimed return fire on all our behalf. I often wonder what motivates some critics and those who publish their so-called critical reviews. Is it honest opinion? Or is there some hidden or not-so-hidden agenda at work? More importantly, I wonder what fans of the derided work think... what feel those who happen to disagree with the detractor when they read something nasty hurled at what they happen to like? There has been a fair amount of scurrilous material printed lately regarding the Dangerous Journeys* Game System and the Mythus* Game. The most evident has been that piled onto the pages of a couple of otherwise unremarkable gaming publications. Now I don't get angry when somebody says something bad about me or my work. Being an author means I have to put myself in plain view for all to target for pot-shots. I'm fair game. If I was afraid to stand on the work I do, I'd never have the courage to get it published. It is obvious that nothing ever published can please everybody. Diversity of taste is, in addition to being the spice of life, what makes the marketplace. Similarly, to knock something is fair enough. In a nation where we still have a fair degree of latitude when it comes to freedom of speech, that's one's right. Yet, when the material is evidently aimed at besmirching, not enlightening, I examine motives, sometimes wondering why it was done, sometimes seeing the obvious motive. (Remainder omitted for this excerpt, except to note that it's Gary's old fiery self) The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of Gary Gygax and do not necessarily reflect those of the Publisher, Editor-in-Chief, or any of the other staff of or contributors to this publication. © 1993 Gary Gygax. All Rights Reserved. * Trademark, all rights reserved (see statement in Table of Contents)