D&D: Gary Gygax og Tolkien

Jeg nevnte i den forrige posten at Gygax hentet informasjon blant annet fra Tolkien, og listet opp noen lenker som også nevner det (skjønt, jeg har ikke funnet en side som strengt tatt kan kalles «offisiell». Men, jeg fant et intervju med ham som var interessant lesning. Her er noen sitater fra det:

1. Do you enjoy the works of JRR Tolkien? If so, How did he influence your work?

Oh-oh! I am going to be in trouble from the get-go! I loved THE HOBBIT, read it once to myself, then about three or four times aloud to my children.
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How did it influence the D&D game? Whoa, plenty, of course. Just about all the players were huge JRRT fans, and so they insisted that I put as much Tolkien-influence material into the game as possible. Anyone reading this that recalls the original D&D game will know that there were Balrogs, Ents, and Hobbits in it. Later those were removed, and new, non-JRRT things substituted–Balor demons, Treants, and Halflings.

2. Did you actively base D&D on Tolkien's world, adopting some of the preferences of the species, and their behaviours and all that from Tolkien?

No. As a reader of fairy tales and myth from childhood, and later fantasy and history too, I used all manner of interests I had to create the D&D game. It sprang from an amalgam of medieval history and miniature wargames set in that period, then the fantasy material as originally covered in the supplement of the CHAINMAIL rules as published in 1971.
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Frankly, I used as many sorts of fantasy and horror concepts as I could (…) so as to cover as much as possible in a small work…

3. As many D&D fans know, the game has taken flak in the past from (…) groups regarding (…) its supposed occult/Satanic influence (…). How would you respond to those that say D&D is a "gateway" to Satanic or dangerous practices?

By saying, "Utter rubbish!" there isn’t a single documented instance of any such "Satanic or dangerous practices" anywhere. Frankly, this subject is one that deserves a rather long and complex answer (…).
That dedicated Christians might believe that the mention in a game of "magic", and "Demons and devils" and the like is bad can be understood. However, in all, it is actually nothing more than a game. (…) As to "occult", how can a game played by millions be "hidden", "Secret" and the like? Complete nonsense.
As to being dangerous to the minds of players, there is no basis for such assertions either. The vast majority of qualified mental health experts have no such concerns in regards normal persons. (…) Those who claim such an effect [player's losing touch with reality (egen merknad)] is possible, are the ones who have lost touch with reality.
In all, the majority of attacks on RPGs seem to have stemmed from cynical media exploiting matters so as to take advantage of sensationalism to attract viewers and readers, a small group of persons who likewise sought to exploit the sensationalism for profit, and then some larger number of sincere but misguided persons reacting to the initial coverage. Of the lot, concerned parents are the main element, and the group that can be most easily shown that the game is at worst entertaining, at best developmental and educational.

Hele artikkelen kan leses på TheOneRing.net. Gygax går inn på flere interessante, øvrige elementer, blant annet hvordan D&D ble utviklet, hva han holder på med (den gang da – han er dessverre død nå, for de som ikke vet det) og hva han tenker om fremtiden.