Eric and the Gazebo
Encyclopedia
The Tale of Eric and the Dread Gazebo is a role-playing game
(RPG) anecdote
, made famous by Richard Aronson (designer of The Ruins of Cawdor
, a graphical MUD). Aronson's account first appeared in print in the APA
Alarums and Excursions
in either 1985 or 1986 (accounts vary). It was reprinted in Mensa
's RPG APA, The Spell Book in 1987, from there (with one jump) to The Mensa Bulletin in 1988, and then it jumped to the internet
. It has remained popular and been frequently plagiarized ever since.
The tale features a player who is dumbfounded by the gamemaster
's description of a nearby gazebo
, as he has never heard of a gazebo. Convinced that he has encountered some sort of monster, he queries the bewildered game master for its specifics in meticulous detail then proceeds to attempt wounding it with an arrow (and, obviously, fails). By the end of the encounter the player, lacking the means to harm a gazebo, opts to flee in desperation; the frustrated game master responds "It's too late. You've awakened the Gazebo; it catches you and eats you."
The impact of this anecdote on the RPG community is visible to this day. The first issue of the comic book Knights of the Dinner Table
contains a retelling of the story (and makes a similar reference to a davenport
in a Flash
animated short), and a gazebo features prominently in the winter 2006 issues of Nodwick
. A Gazebo monster card appears in the Munchkin card game
. In addition, in the MMORPG
RuneScape
, examination of a player-constructed gazebo results in the message, 'Run for it! It's a gazebo!'. The MMORPG Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO) also makes a mention of this story. At least two gaming-related businesses have drawn their name from this story.
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
(RPG) anecdote
Anecdote
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
, made famous by Richard Aronson (designer of The Ruins of Cawdor
The Ruins of Cawdor
The Ruins of Cawdor was the last of three graphical MUDs for the online community The Sierra Network, which later became The ImagiNation Network...
, a graphical MUD). Aronson's account first appeared in print in the APA
Amateur press association
An amateur press association is a group of people who produce individual pages or magazines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group.-Organisation:...
Alarums and Excursions
Alarums and Excursions
Alarums and Excursions , is an amateur press association started in June 1975 by Lee Gold...
in either 1985 or 1986 (accounts vary). It was reprinted in Mensa
Mensa International
Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
's RPG APA, The Spell Book in 1987, from there (with one jump) to The Mensa Bulletin in 1988, and then it jumped to the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. It has remained popular and been frequently plagiarized ever since.
Gamemaster
A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...
's description of a nearby gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
, as he has never heard of a gazebo. Convinced that he has encountered some sort of monster, he queries the bewildered game master for its specifics in meticulous detail then proceeds to attempt wounding it with an arrow (and, obviously, fails). By the end of the encounter the player, lacking the means to harm a gazebo, opts to flee in desperation; the frustrated game master responds "It's too late. You've awakened the Gazebo; it catches you and eats you."
The impact of this anecdote on the RPG community is visible to this day. The first issue of the comic book Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table
Knights of the Dinner Table is a comic book/strip created by Jolly R. Blackburn and published by Kenzer & Company. It primarily focuses on a group of role playing gamers and their actions at the gaming table, which often result in unfortunate, but humorous consequences in the game...
contains a retelling of the story (and makes a similar reference to a davenport
Davenport (sofa)
Davenport is the name a series of sofas made by the now-defunct Massachusetts furniture manufacturer A. H. Davenport Company. Due to the popularity of the furniture at the time, the name "Davenport" has become a genericized trademark. It is often used as a synonym for "sofa", especially in the...
in a Flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
animated short), and a gazebo features prominently in the winter 2006 issues of Nodwick
Nodwick
Nodwick is a comic strip created by Aaron Williams, based around the conventions of fantasy role-playing games, in particular Dungeons & Dragons . It debuted in Dragon magazine issue #246 , first with short strips, and later receiving a second strip in Dungeon magazine, making fun of one of the...
. A Gazebo monster card appears in the Munchkin card game
Munchkin (card game)
Munchkin is a card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins ....
. In addition, in the MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
RuneScape
RuneScape
RuneScape is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in January 2001 by Andrew and Paul Gower, and developed and published by Jagex Games Studio. It is a graphical browser game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering...
, examination of a player-constructed gazebo results in the message, 'Run for it! It's a gazebo!'. The MMORPG Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO) also makes a mention of this story. At least two gaming-related businesses have drawn their name from this story.