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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 6 - When James Dallas Egbert goes missing, the press and concerned parents start to question the influence D&D holds over impressionable young minds. As a result: the game explodes into the national consciousness and Gary Gygax becomes a multi-millionaire.

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Satanic Panic

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