The Dungeon Master

[Billy A. Anderson]

Back on the old board, I started a thread on the short life of the teenage genius James Dallas Egbert III, called The Dungeon Master, in a book by that title, which I had in paperback, purged from my collection, then got an interlibrary loan of a hardcover of the book, to discuss the case in my thread.

So far, I don't remember if I marked it for saving from the old board, or not, but when and if I ever do complcete that project, I think I will save the thread.

I have a sympathetic interest in ill-fated people, whether short lived, as in the case of Dallas, or those who live into old age.

I suppose that one of the most Indecent Desires a person can be accused of, is that of being interested in another person and their life and times, "out of curiousity."

I am interested in people like Dallas, because I have suffered from the disease of life, and I have a sympathy and feeling for others who have suffered from that disease.

I do not consider this interest on my part the Indecent Desire (title of a Doris Wishman film) of Curiousity, but my sympathy for my fellow human beings.

I would like to know more about this ill-fated youngster, and his short life and times, and it appears that other people also share this interest.

Here is a liink to another person such as myself, and I'm hoping that I can learn more about the unique person of James Dallas Egbert III.

boingboing.net/2014/11/11/the-truth-about-the-dungeon-ma.html

[Deeky]

They made a movie about him.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Deeky, I am late for work at my job, but will check out the movie.

That link I posted was very good, and shows that there are other people like myself, who do remember Dallas, and care about him.

There were also a lot of replys to that link, which was apparently a post to a message board.

I suppose the story is often repeated, a "gifted" person who has something good, cannot enjoy life and resorts to suicide.

Of course, people who aren't "gifted," and don't have anything of great value in society, as in the case of Dallas, high intellegence, also give up on life, and commit suicide.

It seems that with the case of Dallas, many interested people have totally lost sight of Dallas as a person to care about, and have instead used his sad story and have used it as an "axe to grind," about their own ideas and beliefs about things not really related to Dallas as a feeling human being (Chicago Trasit Authority lyrics).

Got to get on the highway to earn my next paycheck, but I do plan to continue my efforts to learn more about Dallas and his short life and times.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Deeky, I watched all of the film clips, both the one you posted (which was also included in the link I posted), and the ones in the link.

And, here's annother link from the link that I posted:

www.theescapist.com/basic_gaming_faq.htm#reputation

[Billy A. Anderson]

I hope that there will be a web page with a respectful memorial to James Dallas Egbert III.

Does Facebook have any pages in memory of deceased persons?

[Billy A. Anderson]

Until I get my preferably hardcover copy of The Dungeon Master, I'll continue net searches and see if there are any dignified, respectful memorials to James Dallas Egbert III as a feeling human being, I'll continue to do net searches.

Here is one on Legends and Myths of the Michican State University Campus.

onthebanks.msu.edu/Exhibit/1-6-13/campus-legends-and-myths

[Killer Goldfish]

Jul 10, 2019 18:12:50 GMT -5 Billy A. Anderson said:

I hope that there will be a web page with a respectful memorial to James Dallas Egbert III.

Does Facebook have any pages in memory of deceased persons?

Probably countless ones.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Thanks for the post, Goldie. I think I did a search on Facebook for memorial pages for Dallas, but if I did do that search, I don't remember finding anything of signnificance.

Maybe my memory of doing that net search is a false memory.

I did locate the Dungeon Master thread on the old ZAQB and found some very significant stuff there that I saved and will put on this new thread.

One thing that really fascinates me is that when some computers at wright patterson AFB needed repairing, that Dallas (at what age?) was brought in to do the repairs.

I just wonder if that event received any press coverage.

Just what was Dallas's IQ?

He was called a "genius," and that designation, as well as others of higher and lower intellegence, do have various score ranges.

IQ tests have been challenged in more recent times, and I fully support such challenges.

Also,, some of the lower designataions such as "idiot," and "Imbicle," for example, are considered degrading things to call those who score so lowly on the tests.

I have been taking some IQ tests myself, but being affected by Beetle Bailey laziness have not completed the tests. I can say that some of the answers to the questions could be arguable.

I'm not intending to get into IQ test challenges and criticisms in this thread.

I am sure that Dallas did have very high intellegence, and it is regrettable that he gave up on life before he could have used that intellegence for something to better this vale of tears for all of us.

One writer said, when he could have been designning space ships for NASA, why would he want to go to work on an oil drilling rig?

Maybe even a super intellegent person sometimes likes to do work that is not all that cerebral.

Or, could a person with high intelllegence find challeneges in such a job?

[Deeky]

Another D&D murder:

[Billy A. Anderson]

Deeky, don't know if I should "like" a post about a film about a murder "based on a true story," or not, but thanks for the post and the link to the video, which I will check out.

None of us really know why Dallas found life so unbearable that he decided to end it.

But for those with a Cause, an Axe To Grind, A Chip On Their Shoulder and I'm sure there are many other ways of expressing it, the story of Dallas disappearing from Michigan State Uni (don't know why Uni hasn't caught on in the USA like it has in other countries, but I'm doing my part for that Cause), and his eventual suicide, was and still is used and exploited for their own purposes.

I hope that in starting 2 ZAQB threads about Dallas, that I am not among the Guity exploiters, although I won't say that for for certain, but I do think some of those who condemn the "exploiters" of this sad story, might very well be exploiting it, as much as the exploiters that they condemn.

I have refrained from using the word,tragedy for Dallas's story, for reasons I could and might go into in a long post about the semantics of that word.

Another Tenet to add to my Crapulous Creed, along with "All Is Contradiction": All Is Semantics.

[Billy A. Anderson]

OK, Deeky, I have watched the trailer, and the film looks intriguing. I'll take things slow with this thread, my first priority after updating from the earlier post on the old ZAQB, to get a copy of The Dungeon Master. I have been informed by an informant (that is called being "redundant") that The Dungeon Master has actually gone thru more than one printing, and more than one edition, so I could very well wind up getting all of the different editions.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Some of these web pages want to separate the truth from the facts about both the disappearance of Dallas Egbert, as well as the Fantasy Role Playing Game, Dungeons and Dragons.

I am not familiar with that game, have never played it and have never known anyone who has played it.

How about you other ZAQBers?

Any of you ever play D & D, or know anybody who plays or has played the game?

Is Dungeon Master the highest ranking player in D & D, or are there any higher ranking players?

And, was Dallas ever actually a Dungeon Master when he did play D & D?

[Deeky]

I've never played but I am vaguely familiar with it. The dungeon master isn't a player, he is the host. He tells the story and introduces the monsters, etc. that the players battle against throughout the campaign.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Jul 22, 2019 11:27:21 GMT -5 Deeky said:

I've never played but I am vaguely familiar with it. The dungeon master isn't a player, he is the host. He tells the story and introduces the monsters, etc. that the players battle against throughout the campaign.

Well, Deeky that  helps some.

If my memory from reading Detective Dear's book is correct, Dallas was asked to leave the D & D he was in at MSU.

Would the other, older students in the D & D group Dallas belonged to, have appointed him to be their host?

This story is filled with so many cliched, stereotyped views of people, and their behavior and interactions with each other, 
as well as tired old "explanations" as to why people do what they do, that this poor boy who, sad to say, decided that 
life was not worth living, and just wanted to give up on life has become a cliched "political football," for people with
all kinds of differing and often diametrically opposed viewpoints about all kinds of issues.

While it is cliched, the fact that Dallas was, at MSU, among youngsters who were older than he was, and this was a part of
his many problems, is a valid one.

It also leads to the idea that parents can ruin a "gifted" child's life by pushing them too hard in using their unique 
talents and abilities.  In this case some of the "critics?" should we call them? or call them "know it alls?" who seem to
have The Answer to Any and Every Question, blame Dallas's parents for sending him to college at too early an age.

I remember a story in an old Life magazine of the mid 1960s, which probably would be worth locating, about a very intelligent
youngster, who from my memories of the photos, looked even younger than Dallas, this youngster being very skilled at mathematics,
and he was sent to college at a very early age.

I would like to locate that story, and see how things turned out for him in life.

Since he left MSU it is obvious he didn't want to be there, but blaming his parents as the cause of all his troubles, and his eventual
suicide seems wrong and unjust to me, when a lot of the people who made that accusation might not have known any more about Dallas and
his parents than I do, although from what I remember from reading Detective Dear's book, Dallas definitely did have problems with
his parents, but I don't see those problems as a catch-all Reason that lead to his eventual suicide.

[Billy A. Anderson]

I've found many good links, to many good web pages on the case, which are not advocacy pieces of some political cause.

The one below is especially good.

home.earthlink.net/~duanevp/dnd/jdegbert.htm

[Billy A. Anderson]

First post to thread of old board.

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[Deeky]

He lost me at "gay lifestyle."

[Billy A. Anderson]

From the Dungeon Master thread on the old ZAQB, the second post.

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[Billy A. Anderson]

Jul 23, 2019 11:55:36 GMT -5 Deeky said:

He lost me at "gay lifestyle."

Deeky, I don't know if I should like your post or not, since you were "lost," by what the writer said.

I am assuming you are referring the the D & D player who the link I had posted to his writing, was the last new link I have posted on this thread.

I liked his writing because he did not seem to have a chip on his shoulder and start denouncing those who exploited the sad story of James Dallas Egbert III to oppose the role playing game.

The page the guy wrote was very long and I need to re-read it as I further explore this subject.

In re-reading the thread from the old board, I did read that Dallas had reportedly joined a Gay Student Union while he was at MSU.  I don't recall if The Dungeonmaster book gave many, or any details about his involvement in that group.

And, it could be a bit too early to discuss the claims that I have read by some people blaming Dallas's suicide on predjudice against GLBTs.

I'll have to re-read those links to find that claim, and also the claims that today with  GLBTs are more accepted by American society at large, that Dallas would have had less reason to commit suicide if he were living today, in the same situation he was in in 1979.

While Dallas's sexuality was a part of his life story, I don't think that anyone can say that was the reason for his eventual suicide.

[Billy A. Anderson]

Third Post to the Dungeonmaster thread of the old ZAQBoard.

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