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Game Historian: Gygax Swiped Fantasy Rules From a Forgotten 1970 Wargame (blogspot.com)
An anonymous reader writes: According to game historian Jon Peterson, Gary Gygax's Chainmail fantasy wargame (which became the basis for Dave Arneson's Blackmoor and later Dungeons & Dragons) borrowed heavily from an earlier set of rules published by Leonard Patt, a long-forgotten member of the New England Wargamers Association. Among the appropriations were rules for heroes and wizards including the iconic fireball spell, which ended up in everything from Magic: the Gathering to World of Warcraft, as well as monster rules for dragons, orcs, ents, and other Tolkien creations. Gygax had something of a reputation for borrowing things without giving proper credit, and this latest revelation shows how the open and collaborative environment of early gaming was quickly exploited for commercial purposes.
Information wants to be free, provided you roll a 13 or above.
...how does one get to be a game historian and get paid for it?
Some people don't believe in fairies. I don't believe in The Patriarchy.
Good artists copy. Great artists steal. And they get all the chicks, too.
Ancient Aliens who got it from time travelers from the future, who got it from the library of congress of The Disney States of the Western Hemisphere, who got it from Disney Games, who got it from Parkbro, who got is from Hasbro, who got it from Wizards of the Coast, who got it from TSR, who got it from Gygax.
It wasn't swiping. Swiping is clearly defined on page 125. The ability Gygax used mimiced this power but isn't defined as swiping and therefore not subject to defined swiping rules.
That's why I only play Pathfinder.
So thats what happens when you fail a Wisdom check...
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range