Robert Bledsaw I (herein “Bob,” the only one worthy of the
name) would not have put up with any of the filth his son and grandson cleave
to, and would be ashamed and heartbroken to know what they have become.
In the 10 years of my friendship with Bob we spoke not only
of games and gaming, but also of life, death, philosophy, politics… the full
spectrum of human life. And I know he had no truck with any of his son and
grandson’s beliefs. He was a gentle, kind soul, wishing harm to none and good
toward all.
And so, I have chosen not to allow the gross moral and
ethical failings of his son and grandson to taint Bob and his legacy.
After all, Judges Guild is not Bob’s Legacy.
Bob’s Legacy lives in every fantasy role-playing game campaign;
is reflected in the glint in the eye of every player-character who sought fame
and riches in strange cities and fantastic lands.
True, Blackmoor was the First Fantasy Campaign, and Greyhawk
the second. But it was the City State of the Invincible Overlord and the Wilderlands
of High Fantasy that spawned or most greatly influenced the development of Dungeons
& Dragons campaigns at thousands of tables over the last five decades.
Far more campaigns, I’d wager, than even Dragonlance or
Forgotten Realms.
And most folks never even know it.
In the early days, Blackmoor and Greyhawk were merely mysterious,
legendary names – the Temple of the Frog all but a myth. Far more player
characters in those days explored the streets and alleys, palaces and dives of
the City State than ever even saw the walls of Greyhawk; far more adventurers earned
fame (or infamy) and won riches (or death) in the wilds of the Wilderlands than
ever explored the forests and swamps of Blackmoor.
From the judges who ran those games to the players whose
characters experienced the City State and the Wilderlands, Bob’s creative “DNA”
spread out to become the grandfather of far more campaigns and the ancestor of more
adventurers than anyone can ever count.
No two damn fools can ever destroy that Legacy!
The Wilderlands has survived worse; the Invincible Overlord
is, after all, invincible for a reason.
And so, while I will not have anything to do with Judges
Guild so long as it is owned, operated, or benefits unrepentant Nazi- and Confederate-
sympathizing, Holocaust-denying, Anti-Semitic Racist Misogynistic Dominionists, I will not
let that stop me from enjoying Bob’s Legacy.
And that includes the City State, the Wilderlands, and everything
in between.
Fortunately, my collection of classic Judges Guild materials
is one of the few series of lines I own that remains essentially intact; and of
course, I have almost 40 years of my own developments to fall back on, when I
encounter lacunae in the canon (such as one can say there is “canon” for the City
State and the Wilderlands).
Others may not be so fortunate. To you, I say, seek out
those who run a City State and/or Wilderlands campaign; join in a campaign exploring
Tegel Manor or the Glory Hole Dwarven Mine.
Take a sheet of blank hex paper and build a world; create a
new region of the Wilderlands or generate something entirely new!
Judges, let your dreams run riot, build empires of
imagination; players, seek out the rich kingdoms of your judge’s world, shining
jewels each and every one, and crush them under your sandaled feet!
Take Bob’s Legacy and run with it; expand and build upon it;
share your creations and discoveries; but above all, take what you find, and make
Bob’s Legacy your own.
Have fun.
That’s what Bob always wanted you to do.
