Kickstarter - Gygax Memorial Fund - Put a Fork in IT!

Nope - It won't even be a picnic table

Short of some MAJOR Angel Backers stepping up - and they would have done already if they planned to at all, you can call this done.

The Gygax Memorial Fund Kickstarter is NOT going to fund. It's currently sitting at $47,333 with two weeks to fund - less than a third of its goal. Paul hasn't posted an update in over a week.

Personally, I feel this was a foolish way to try to put money into the GMF, but what do I know? I've only followed this trainwreck for over a decade...

Baggage is just that - baggage - it weighs you down. This Kickstarter had enough baggage to choke a whale.

Gygax Memorial Fund - Once More Into The Breach

So, I've come into some new information, and it looks like it's time for me to dive back into the Rabbit Hole, otherwise known as the Gygax Memorial Fund. With nearly NEGATIVE $10k in net assets as of 2023, and a Kickstarter "in the works" seeking to raise nearly $1 Million USC "coming soon", I think it's time to start asking some questions. Not that I expect answers from the GMF itself, as the Gygax Memorial Fund hasn't updated its tax returns since 2021, when it still had net assets of nearly $194k. Now, with over 200k spent by the fund and negative assets, no more updates. Interesting.

Apparently, the load was shot in 2022. What was going on in 2022? According to the GMF website, nothing could account for a net expense of $170,626. 

I have a few folders of info to dig through. This might not get completed until after Shire Con.

Hey, maybe the GMF Kickstarter will launch by then ;)

 

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The Kotaku Article Dropped - Gail Fluff Piece with No Fact Checking

https://kotaku.com/graphic-novel-about-d-ds-creator-is-enchanting-but-fal-1795058665
A quote from our Intrepid Reporter

When an article’s subject, Gail Gygax, reaches out to a website to get a fluff piece written about her and instead I suspect most readers feel sympathy for Gail. Not because she is a victim, but because she appears to have mental health issues. I've suspected such but this article provides much of the evidence.

Of course, Our intrepid reporter doesn't no shit from fact-checking. Here's my small piece from the article: Fantasy's Widow: The Fight Over The Legacy Of Dungeons & Dragons
  https://kotaku.com/fantasys-widow-the-fight-over-the-legacy-of-dungeons-1833127876

Gail used to attend the show (Gary Con), but stopped in 2016 (I saw Gail in attendance at my first Gary Con in 2017.) She said that a man named Erik Tenkar, who runs a blog about old-school role-playing games, had in private conversations joked that Gail would try to trademark the word “cunt,” and that he would burn the rubber bricks she’d use for her memorial. (Let me understand this - Gail is the one supplying the quotes. From some unknown private conversation with who exactly? No wonder there are no screenshots. No wonder I don't recall saying any of this. Great reporting. Someone got paid to write this shit?) In his public blogs, he had meticulously documented, and often criticized, Gail’s every public move on behalf of Gary’s legacy. (Negative. I reported on the Gygax Memorial Fund. I documented evidence to support my postings. Any of that in this story? Mind you, story is the keyword here) Gail said she planned on attending the VIP dinner at Gary Con until Luke told her that she would not be comfortable there since Tenkar would be in attendance. (I have never been a VIP at Gary Con, nor have I attended a VIP dinner nor been invited to such 

Later, on his blog, Tenkar wrote in an open letter to Gail that “the attendies [sic] of Gary Con are pretty negative about your presence.” I reached out to Tenkar to ask about his views. He declined to be interviewed for this story, then posted our entire email exchange on his blog. (yes, I did. Got your knickers in a bind, diidnt it?) When Kotaku sent another email to Tenkar for fact-checking, he did not respond, but posted that email on his blog, too. (Yes, I did. And your implied threat) Tenkar continues to attend Gary Con, and Gail said she is still afraid to be around him. (with the apparent state of mind the article shows Gail to be in, she seems to have many fears)

Let's be clear, none of the Gygax children, not even Alex, agreed to be interviewed for this article. As of yesterday evening, our intrepid reporter was still seeking to interview members of the OSR community to flesh out this article.

I feel bad for Gail. She needs help and I hope this article results in her getting the help she needs. Let the memorial fade away. The community doesn't need it - we have Gary Con, a living memorial.

edit - it appears both jokes were said by me - I answered in the comments, but I'll repeat it here for clarity:

JRT - Welcome back. Its been a while.

Chatwing - technically, not said in private, as the entire conversation could be read from the blog’s home page at the time, live - no log in to the app required. So yes, I used the word publicly.

As I said prior, I certainly do use THE word. As this reference was clearly a joke and the context was obviously at the time made in reference to the fiasco surrounding GYGAX magazine, it was certainly made in jest. Perhaps not in good taste, but I own to making the joke and using THE word.

As for the burning of rubber bricks - that one I both own and do apologize for. It has context - the brick sale that still hasn’t happened for the memorial - but it is neither funny nor does in make sense.

In any case, If I knew then what I know now about Gail’s mental state, I would have advocated for her to get the help she needed and worried less about the GMF.

Hindsight is 20/20.

The Tavern Chat Podcast - E139 - Gygax Memorial Fund - 2017 Tax Return is In - Not What I Expected

You know when you expect one thing and get another, and the other you get does answer a question, but not the one you really wanted an answer for. That is this. We sill don't know where the monies that WotC states they are sending the Gygax Memorial Fund from the sales of the POD and PDFs of the core AD&D 1e books, but Alex Gygax is now listed as a "Director" on the Fund's tax return. He still hasn't made the Fund's webpage yet. And what's up with the left justification?

Back in early June of this year, Alex Gygax messaged me to let me know that the latest filed tax return was being updated and refiled. I thought that meant an accounting of the monies WotC indicated it had been forwarding to the Fund since 2015 for the 1e reprints. I thought wrong...

Link to Episode 139 -  https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E139---GMF---2017-Tax-Return-is-In---Not-What-I-Expected-e2auqn

Link to the Gygax Memorial Fund - http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.org

Link to the Gygax Memorial Fund's Tax Returns - http://www.gygaxmemorialfund.org/fund-info/financial-info

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #28 - GMF Update, #ConManKen Update and Kickstarters

I can't believe we've hit 28 daily episodes of The Tavern Chat Podcast. Thank you all :)

It's a pretty full episode (and four full weeks of daily podcasts). We look at the Gygax Memorial Fund and the POD AD&D 1e reprints over at RPGNow - is there money going to the GMF from these sales? What's #ConManKen up to and where is he at? Oh, and Kickstarters. Can't forget the Kickstarters ;)

Link to Episode #28: https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-28---GMF-Update--ConManKen-Update-and-Kickstarters-e1ksq0

Link to The Curse of Roslof Keep Kickstarter:  bit.ly/Roslofkeep

Link to Vault of K'Horror A Tunnels & Trolls GM Adventure Kickstarter:   http://bit.ly/VaultHorror

Link to Secrets of the Nethercity Kickstarter:  http://bit.ly/Nethercity

Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode #5 - Gygax Memorial Fund - Part 1

Yeah, I know it should be episode #4 but I goofed - I'll put a bonus episode up later today to correct that goober ;)

In any case, episode #5 of the Tavern Chat Podcast is the first in a series recapping The Tavern's articles on the Gygax Memorial Fund. Please join us for a ride that begins even earlier than you might expect (or that I initially remembered)

Remember, you can leave feedback and questions via voicemail using the Anchor app on your smartphone.

Links:

A Closer Look at the Gygax Memorial Fund - Looking for Questions to Ask Gail Gygax in Regards 11/15/15

Butt Kicking For Goodness - Trying to Peek Behind the Curtain of the Gygax Memorial Fund 12/14/2012

Gygax Memorial Fund Update - Who's Dave?

Yesterday I remarked that the Gygax Memorial Fund website was down for over a month and that the GMF Facebook page hadn't been updated in over two months.

Low and behold, what pops up on Facebook but the above (it also popped up on Twitter too).

Now, while it's nice to know that SOMEONE at the GMF reads The Tavern on a regular basis, the above screenshot leads to further questions beyond "Why the heck is the Gygax Memorial Fund website STILL offline?"

- Who is Dave? Seriously, who is he?

- Why tell Dave his shirt is coming via Facebook and Twitter? Wouldn't email be more efficient? He may follow neither Facebook nor Twitter. If such is the case, Dave still doesn't know his shirt is on the way. Ah yes, tell the world you still exist WITHOUT acknowledging either The Tavern's article or the fact that the Fund's website is down.

- Doesn't the shirt also come with pencils?

As far as I can tell, the only way to order a shirt is the GMF website, which has been down for over a month. Which means Dave has been waiting a fairly long time for his shirt.

If you are going to use Facebook and/or Twitter to update the status of the Gygax Memorial Fund, why not actually address the elephant in the room? What happened to the fund's website?

A Month Later, Still No Gygax Games Website / Gygax Memorial Fund Page Still Offline

Remember the announcement from April 17th of this year, abut the Gygax Games / Fig partnership to use Gary's IP for computer games? Well, there still is no website for Gygax Games 30 days later.

At the same time, the Gygax Memorial Fund's webpage has been offline for at least as long.

I can chalk up the lack of a Gygax Games website to poor planning, but having the Gygax Memorial Fund's page offline is simple mismanagement. Being that Gail and Alex are the main folks behind both projects, this doesn't bode well for either at this point.

(I also checked the GMF's page on Facebook - no update since March and no explanation as to why the website is down)

As per the Gygax Memorial Fund 2016 Federal Tax Return - Memorial to be Completed by May 25, 2018

Thanks to a Tavern Reader, I was pointed to the Gygax Memorial Fund's 2016 Federal Return, which was filed on May 25th, 2017.

The first thing that stood out to me is that the Fund raised a whole 10 bucks in 2016. That takes some special effort to have that little a return. The Fund spent over $3,300 over the same period.

But what really stood out was the Schedule O page.

Isn't that exciting? The Memorial will be completed by May 25th of this year! Just over 3 months away. I need to get my plane tickets and a hotel.

BTW, the 2015 return promised the memorial in 2 years and the 2014 promised it in 5 years. They should have stuck to the initial time frame.

Oh, notice objective "E" above? The Fund was founded in 2010. They STILL haven't started a scholarship?

Like previous years, the Fund has accomplished nothing and keeps losing money.

Another year without even minimal interest being earned. 1% interest would have covered half the expenses - and would have returned over 200 times what their fundraising did. I can see why they haven't uploaded this return to the GMF website - its embarrassing.

For those playing along at home, the year end balance of the GMF since its inception. (note - most recent tax return back to the Fund's first tax return)

2016    $213, 713

2015    $217, 042

2014    $220, 449

2013    $222,165

2012    $129,162

2011        $9,774

2010       $7,232

Gygax Memorial Fund - Alex Gygax Was Added to the Board in August... or Was He? (Oh, and other observations...)

So, back on August 17, 2017, the Gygax Memorial Fund announced that Alex Gygax was joining the Fund's Board of Director. You can see it announced here:

As you can see from the first screenshot, he STILL hasn't been added to the listing of the members of the board. Which says a lot about the lack of professionalism with how the GMF Page is maintained. Great way to encourage people to donate when you show you just don't care enough to update what is effectively (or ineffectively) your sales page.

So, Alex is going to help design the memorial? I guess this designed got shelved?

Are we no longer using the guy who made the Fonz statue for the memorial?

Where's the 2016 tax return? The 2015 return was posted in June of 2016. Shouldn't the Fund be filing its 2017 taxes soon? And about that audit that was promised back in 2016... wasn't that supposed to be publicly shared by now? Is the audit why we have no posting of the 2016 return? (and no, deleting posts from Facebook does NOT mean it wasn't promised - remember, we screenshot EVERYTHING)

At least they don't charge extra for "Gamer Size". I was scratching my head as to why they would include 2 #2 pencils until it was pointed out to be that The Trust probably wanted to get the Gygax Trademark on writing implements. I wonder if the Fund is paying a licensing fee to The Trust? Well, its a good way to preempt #ConManKen ;)

Gary Con is in less that three weeks...

Its Been Two Years Since I Focused on the Gygax Memorial Funded - Oh, and the Death Knell of Gygax Magazine is Two Years Ago Too

Hard to believe its been two years (and a day) since I kicked the hornets nest known as the Gygax Memorial Fund.

Now, what did we accomplish?

• Posting of missing tax returns
• Promise of an audit (posting since deleted)
• Threat of legal action for saying something I never said
• Accused of harassing sweet little old lady over the mismanagement of nearly $250k of publicly donated money
• Pissed off the youngest child of said sweet old lady

No memorial. No bricks sold. Heck, Gail hasn't even presented in front of the Lake Geneva City Council or any of its sub boards in over 2 years (I know - I've checked the records) - last we heard the two sides were still in disagreement over the location of the monument.

Then there is the demise of Gygax Magazine due to legal actions taken by Gail Gygax / The Gary Gygax Irrevocable Trust. Two years and a day or two more ago.

Next book to be published by the Gygax Trust - How to Make Friends & Influence Others Through Threats of Legal Action. Wait, that would be the first book published by the Trust...

Gygax Memorial Fund - Nearly 2 Years After The Tavern Started Digging - Still Little to Show

I really started picking over the carcass of the Gygax Memorial Fund nearly two years ago - November 25th, 2015 to be exact. What, too damning a description? Perhaps. But if it ain't dead yet, its certainly dying.

Halfway through November of 2017 and we STILL don't have the 2016 tax returns posted. Nor do we have the promised audit (the promise has since been deleted but I've shared the screenshot on previous posts)

Now, why would that be? If I were a betting man, I'd surmise that the promised audit revealed some issues that had to be corrected and / or brought up other interesting questions that have been posed at The Tavern already - such as why the funds - over $200k last we checked, haven't earned a penny of interest in the last seven years of tax returns. That much money sitting in ANY account would earn some sort of minimal return - monies that could offset office costs or fund that scholarship mentioned on the Fund's site. Not earning any sort of interest seems fiscally irresponsible when every penny counts.

Did I mention that the Fund's assets are heading in a negative direction?

2013  $222,165

2014  $220,449

2015  $217,042

2016  ? Note - 2016 is expected to have some significant expenses. or was that 2017?

What about the cash cow of selling "bricks?" What ever happened to that?

Now, Alex Gygax was added to the GMF Board in August of this year:

Or maybe he wasn't. Four months later and the listing of the board members hasn't changed.

As for Coordinator of Educational Programs and Special Projects - Dianne Curtis - what has she done in this regard? Wonderful title but I can't find ANYTHING educational done by the Fund.

I guess Busness Manager (gotta love the typo that I never caught until now) is in charge of shipping shirts and pencils. Anyone buy them? Can you speak on the quality?

And what ever happened with this?

Sadly, the Fund and other related projects don't ever seem to move forward. Its almost like an extremely late unfulfilled Kickstarter - actual completion makes everything come due so best to just punt the ball time and time again and never actually get to the end.

Wow. Yeah, being sick is making me one heck of an ass ;)

Another Gygax Memorial Fund Update - Alex Gygax Joins the Board of Directors of the GMF

I'm putting this squarely in the "Holy Shit I did not see this coming!" category. I always saw the Gygax Memorial Fund as Gail's personal albatross. Although her sister and brother in law are also board members, Gail has frequently - well, more than once, pointed out that she is the one doing it all.

Now that Alex Gygax is on the board I expect to see some movement on the project. I know the lad hates my very being (and I truly do understand why) but I sincerely wish him only success in his new position. He is what the GMF needs - young blood that want's to do right by his father's legacy.

I suspect we'll be seeing more updates soon.

Huzzah!

Next #ConManKen will announce the release of the KotDT LAS ;)

Update - Gygax Memorial Find - A Plaque, T-Shirts and Pencils!?!

Its Gen Con time, so news and updates as it trickles in.

Gail Gygax presented Gen Con with a plaque celebrating its 50th show. I know, pics or it never happened ;)

(note - screenshots are from Gail's FB page. I'm blocked so these shots were sent by another. As always, a HUGE thank you to The Tavern's Community for all the help)

See that comment about shirts and pencils? Hold on to your hats, boys and girls, because this shit is going to get real!

Here's the link to the GMF shirts with pencils.

I must admit, Gail has done something that #ConManKen has been unable to do - produce and sell custom pencils.

Now that the Fund appears to have an income stream again, perhaps things will be moving forward.

The shirt looks nice. I should do a GoFundMe to buy one and take a pic in it ;)

Gygax Memorial Fund - Updates and Deletions - The Good Fund Giveth and The Good Fund Taketh Away

Wait, you really expected the Gygax Memorial Fund (GMF) to provide updates? You're too funny ;)

In all seriousness, the GMF website hasn't been updated since July 27, 2016. You know, the announcement that the Transformers producer Tom DeSanto was going to do great things with Gary's IP. Yeah, hasn't happened.

But what about the Facebook feed for the GMF? Surely there are updates there. Well, the good fund giveth, and the good fund taketh away.

There were two updates on the GMF's FB page on July 27th, Gary's birthday. Apparently, Gail, Luke and Alex with be presenting Gen Con with a plaque in honor of Gen Con's 50th anniversary.

In all, that makes four updates for 2017.

2016 had one update. Wait, that's not right. It had at least three updates. They deleted two of them. Why would you delete updates from the Fund's Facebook feed?

I can easily surmise why the above update was deleted. The Gygax Memorial Fund no longer intends to release the audit that was promised 15 months ago. As for WHY they would no longer intend to release the audit, I haven't a clue. If I had to guess, I would assume it involves words such as "lawyers."

As for the "call to order", those that were on standby may now stand down.

The real shame of the deletion of the above post is that this is the most detailed explanation of what is going on with the project to date.

Strangely enough, the above post was deleted too. It talks about breaking ground for the Gygax Memorial in 2017. I'm fairly sure that isn't happening. Gail has not been before The Planning Commission nor the Lake Geneva City Council in 2016 nor 2017 thus far, so no presentation has been made and no final approval is pending. How do I know? I went to the Lake Geneva city website and scoured the minutes and meetings for this year and last year. There are only two mentions of "Gygax" during that period - both times was in reference to Alex Gygax renewing his bartender's license.

Remember, the GMF wants the memorial in a place that was not designated by Lake Geneva. So, there's still a lot in play. Rather, there is still much that needs to be resolved and it doesn't seem to be getting any closer.

Total aside, but as we are talking about updates, I was wondering why there hasn't been a new testimonial on the Gygax Memorial Fund website in over four years. Well, I figured out why:

Uhm, there is no Captcha code given, nor any place to enter it. Has it really been broken for over four years? Someone needs to tell the Webmaster.

So, what comes to fruition first? Ken Whitman's various Kickstarter scams, Gareth's Far West Fiasco or the GMF actually breaking ground? Remember, no wagering...

Is the Gygax Memorial Fund Deleting Posts from their Facebook Feed? Audit Post Gone Missing

So, I got to thinking - didn't Gail Gygax promise an audit of the Gygax Memorial Fund last year on the Fund's Facebook Page as well as promising to post said results?

So, I dug out the screenshot I took at May 1st of 2016 and lo and behold, she did say such on April 30th of last year. Strangely enough, I can no longer find it in the GMF Facebook feed. I had this issue a few months ago with trying to find the same post and assumed it was Facebook's new algorithm screwing with the posting order. This time i read the whole feed. Nada

Above is the screenshot I took last year.

Why delete such a detailed posting?

Well, we are still waiting on said audit.

The internet has a long memory. You really can't "delete" anything. Especially when folks screenshot your words, like I do.

The feed actually IS in post order, so the post in question HAS been deleted.

Gail, all we want in the truth. Is it that much to ask for? Why are you constantly making enemies out of potential allies?

Try some transparency for once. Seriously. Don't simply promise it and then pretend you never did.

And please remember, the internet has a long memory. It doesn't forget.

We HAVE a Gygax Memorial! No Silly, Not THAT One!

A few quick comments, because otherwise the quote from the Gygax Memorial Fund speaks for itself:

1 - As someone else just said to me, thank God Alex designed the plaque and not his mother.

2 - Didn't see Gail but I heard she was there. Met Alex. His heart's in the right place. If there is going to be a Hail Mary with this fiasco, Alex will be the one throwing it.

3 - "This is NOT the memorial you are looking for. Please move along."

Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust

It's frustrating when members of our community mix apples and oranges freely. The differences between the Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust couldn't be huger, but the main point is - they are completely separate and independent entities even if the one calling the shots behind both of them is the same person.

The Gygax Memorial Fund Inc "is a public charity non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. The fund's tax identification number is 30-0580070." That's a mouthful but it establishes it as a public charity recognized by the US government and subject to Wisconsin laws.

What actually defines section 501(c)(3)?

Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations.

How does a memorial fall under this section? It's an interesting solution that was used for this.

The specific objectives and tax exempt purpose of this 501(C)(3) organization shall be:

• To commission and place a memorial in a public park of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to honor Gary Gygax by commemoration of literary achievement in the creation of Dungeons & Dragons and other published works
• To maintain this memorial in perpetuity
• To sponsor informational events open to the public which focus on his work
• To engage in other activities related to educating the public about his achievement
• And to establish a scholarship program in his name for students with a demonstrated need for assistance to study at an accredited college or university.

Notice those last two bullets? That firmly establishes and defines the Gygax Memorial Fund as a 501(c)(3) for IRS purposes. It would be interesting to see the monies spent on those last two bullet points as I have heard little if any discussion of efforts to fulfill those objectives. The scholarship program should have been an easy one to kick off.

The Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust is a strange beast, but the very nature of Revocable Trusts in the State of Wisconsin is strange:

What is a revocable living trust? 

A trust is a written document that names someone to be responsible for managing property for the benefit of others. A revocable living trust (also called a "living trust" or "revocable trust") is one type of trust. 

It's a "living" trust because you create it while you're alive. It's "revocable" because, as long as you're mentally competent, you can change or end the trust at any time, for any reason. You need no one's permission to do so unless you have created a joint trust with your spouse. In Wisconsin, a trust is revocable unless it specifically states it is irrevocable in the trust document. Usually a living revocable trust becomes irrevocable (not open to changes) when you die. 

A trust involves three parties: 

The settlor or grantor is you, the person who creates the trust. 

The trustee is the person who agrees to accept your property and manage it as the trust agreement directs. You can name more than one trustee, thus creating co-trustees who must act together. Usually you are the trustee during your lifetime. 

The beneficiaries are those who will receive the income from the property in the trust and, with your direction, the property itself.

It is the Trust, not the Fund, that controls Gary's IP. While the Fund is subject to public scrutiny, the Trust is not. Do NOT confuse the two. Gary's IP is not linked to the memorial and it never has been. While the Trust could, in theory, donate money to the Fund, the Fund could not give monies to the Trust.

Is the Gygax Memorial Fund still Funded? Where is the Audit?

I woke up to phone calls and private messages in regards to +Tim Kask  's post on Facebook. "What do you know? What can you tell us? who are the sources?"

Well, I spoke with Tim a little while ago and he revealed to me, in confidence, one of his sources and exactly what was said. His source is certainly legit and honest, but would only have direct knowledge if Gail divulged directly or if the source had access to "the books". While the first is certainly a possibly the second is unlikely - hell, I'm still waiting on the Magical Mystery Audit that was promised last April.

If Gail would like to communicate with me directly to explain this current supposition I am all ears. She most certainly knows how to find me, but I suspect she will put her head in the sand as is her standard operating procedure.

Alex Gygax is more than welcome to communicate with me. I met him on Saturday night at the hotel bar (I am fairly sure he did not initially know who I was and if he did, avoid playing poker with him ;) Alex seems genuinely interested in the Gygax Memorial and the Gygax Memorial Fund and ensuring it bears fruit. At the very least, he should be taking over communications for the Fund, as he seems to have both the energy and the interest to do so effectively.

Questions that are left unanswered often breed their own answers. This issue could be easily put to bed if Gail were to open the books. I'd be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement to view said records and be able to say "all the monies are accounted for" or "there is a discrepancy" with no further details divulged. I don't think such a legal step is necessary, but with lack of public disclosure being the Fund's standard operating procedure, I figured I'd offer a potential solution to finding the truth the community so desperately desires.

As I've stated before, the Fund and the Trust are two entirely separate entities. I'll do a follow up post to explain this in full, but for now, remember the Fund is just the Memorial, not the IP.

Gygax Memorial Fund - When Does Failure Become the New Reality?

You know, it blows my mind that it is 1 week short of 15 months that I first kicked the tires of the Gygax Memorial Fund. Admittedly, I should have been looking sooner, as someone "in the know" raised some flags with me over beers a few years earlier, but then we had Hurricane Sandy the next day and it got forgotten.

Not that an earlier look would have made a difference. I would have received the same non-answers then as I did in November of 2015.

Looking at 2016, the only Fund News on the website was the Tom deSanto announcement in July. What little info I had of going ons regarding that dried up months ago (I know someone that knows someone that...), and although I am not at liberty to discuss details, I think its safe to say there is little going on on that front right now.

As for Facebook, the Fund had two posts in 2016. The July deSanto Announcement and this:

Break ground in 2017? Sure. And @ConManKen is honest and kind to his backers,

Now, for some reason I can't find this post in the GMF Facebook feed:

Its from the end of April, 2016. That would make three posts. Now, Facebook can be finicky at times, so maybe someone else can find it. I'd hate to think it was deleted.

Nearly 10 months since the audit was announced. Yep. Not holding my breath, either.

Anyhow, about the statue that has no land (because Gail doesn't like the land designated by the City Council) and the bricks that were to have been sold years ago - this really has turned into one of those fucked up Kickstarters.

I'm still amazed that the money in the fund isnt invested in a low interest earning account. I mean, its free money, and as the Fund is no longer in the habit of raising money from donors, you think they would go for the low hanging fruit. If that isn't mismanagement (not criminal, put just piss poor) I don't know what is.

You know what is truly sad? If it weren't for The Tavern's posts, no one would even remember the Fund these days.