{"store":{"baseInfo":{"podcastTitle":"When We Were Wizards","slug":"tractionmediaproductions","podcastDescription":"WHEN WE WERE WIZARDS (W4) is a 14-episode podcast series that charts the rise and fall of Gary Gygax, co-creator of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. Taking a journalistic approach to blow open the known ”gospel” of D&D history, W4 draws from nearly 30 interview subjects – including Gary’s ex- wife, two children, employees, friends, and partners. From Gary’s basement in the early 60s to the 1985 boardroom coup that ripped the game from his control, W4 is a sweeping story about the cost of the American Dream when idealistic ambition is corrupted by greed, lust, and human folly.","podcastLogo":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/19334841/24_WhenWeWereWizards_ApplePodcasts_v6x9ny.jpg","podcastShareLogo":"https://d2bwo9zemjwxh5.cloudfront.net/image-logo/19334841/24_WhenWeWereWizards_ApplePodcasts_v6x9ny_1200x628.jpg?s=1a7ecf3e2338d2a156881a13ea9abc30&e=jpg","podcastUrl":"https://tractionmediaproductions.podbean.com","podcastCanSearched":true,"feedUrl":"https://feed.podbean.com/tractionmediaproductions/feed.xml","theme":"elegant","podcastDeepLink":"https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-hk96g-12706b9","removePodbeanBranding":"no","brandingLogo":null,"timeZone":{"timeZoneId":15,"gmtAdjustment":"GMT-05:00","useDaylightTime":1,"value":-5,"text":"(GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)","daylightStartTime":"Second Sunday Of March +2 Hours","daylightEndTime":"First Sunday Of November +2 Hours","timezone":"America/New_York"},"podcastDownloads":null,"totalEpisodes":15,"showComments":true,"iOSAppDownloadLink":null,"customizeCssUrl":null,"androidAppDownloadLink":null,"showPostShare":true,"showLike":true,"author":"Traction Media","engagementStatsBaseUrl":null,"shareEmbedLink":"https://admin5.podbean.com/embed.html?id=pbblog-hk96g-12706b9-playlist","language":"en","sensitivitySessionExpireTime":3600,"podcastApps":[{"name":"Apple Podcasts","link":"https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/when-we-were-wizards/id1631699827","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/apple-podcast.png","title":null},{"name":"Podbean App","link":"https://r4j68.app.goo.gl/?link=https%3A%2F%2Ftractionmediaproductions.podbean.com%3Faction%3DopenPodcast%26podcastId%3Dpbblog19334841%26podcastIdTag%3Dhk96g&dfl=https%3A%2F%2Ftractionmediaproductions.podbean.com&utm_campaign=pb_web&utm_source=podbean_web&utm_medium=dlink&imv=670&amv=530&isi=973361050&ibi=com.podbean.app.podcast&ipbi=com.podbean.app.podcast&apn=com.podbean.app.podcast","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/podbean-app.png","title":null},{"name":"Spotify","link":"https://open.spotify.com/show/7pcZ1tc0riPb1IarAXnIqS","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/spotify.png","title":null},{"name":"Podchaser","link":"https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/when-we-were-wizards-4772701","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/Podchaser.webp","title":null},{"name":"BoomPlay","link":"https://www.boomplaymusic.com/podcasts/108780","image":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/fs1/site/images/admin5/BoomPlay.png","title":null}],"components":{"base":[{"id":"MainStyle","val":"light"},{"id":"Font","val":"Geometric Humanist"},{"id":"SecondaryFont","val":"Geometric Humanist"},{"id":"PlayerColor","val":"#8fc31f"},{"id":"PlayerStyle","val":"player2"},{"id":"PlayerWave","val":"show"},{"id":"Favicon","val":null},{"id":"CookiesNotice","val":"hide"},{"id":"CookiesNoticeContent","val":"

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When We Were Wizards

WHEN WE WERE WIZARDS (W4) is a 14-episode documentary podcast that charts the rise and fall of E. Gary Gygax, the co-creator of the role-playing-game phenomenon Dungeons & Dragons and co-founder of the company that produced it, TSR Hobbies. It’s a story about the personal toll success can exact on friendships and families, especially when corrupted by greed, lust, and human folly.

This year, D&D is celebrating its 50th anniversary and the game is more popular than ever. According to its publisher, Wizards of the Coast, more than 13 million people play the game now and more than 50 million have played since it was created. In 2022, Forbes estimated that D&D generates between $100 and $150M in annual revenue.

Furthermore, D&D’s influence has been a primary driver in the explosion of fantasy films, TV series, and video games in recent years - from GAME OF THRONES, LORD OF THE RINGS, and HARRY POTTER to WORLD OF WARCRAFT and LEGEND OF ZELDA.

W4 is the story of how we got here, told in the voices of the people who were there. From Gary’s basement in the early 60s all the way to the 1985 boardroom coup that drove him out of TSR, never before has this tale included so many astounding insights, discoveries, heart-wrenching recollections, and stunning revelations.

Created for an audience beyond just gamers, this is a story for anyone interested in unique subcultures, Americana, history, cautionary tales, and human drama.

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Chapter 9 - With Gary distracted, TSR’s lack of corporate leadership and vision creates a vacuum for Kevin Blume to assume even more control. What he lacks in experience, he makes up with confidence. Flush with money and the promise of future sales, Kevin, Brian, and Gary focus on acquisitions and ambitious expansion.

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Rope of Entanglement

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