D&D and the Unabomber: One Roll Away from Chaos

The Unabomber was an infamous eco-terrorist that ushered in an era of fear—that is why I decided to listen to a nearly 5 1/2 podcast about him on my daily commute to work. The podcast was an apple original called Project Unabom and focused on the 18 year bombing spree told from the perspective of David Kaczynski (the brother that turned him in), the Unabomber’s own writing, and primarily, the perspective of the FBI agents who worked to solve the case. While the Feds worked to solve the case, an unknowing group of Dungeons and Dragons players get caught in their crosshair and ended up becoming a strange part of the Unabomber story.

Cover Art for ***Project Unabom: An Apple Original***

Where This Adventure Started

The story of this close knit D&D group, caught in the FBI’s crosshairs during the infamous Unabomber case, reads like a surreal blend of true crime and geek culture (Stranger Things gone wrong?). It’s a chapter in history that feels more fitting for a chaotic D&D campaign than a federal terrorism investigation.

Greg (last name never mentioned for privacy), was an engineering student at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, when he found himself caught in this investigation due to a series of bizarre coincidences.

In 1978, a bomb addressed to Greg’s old professor, E.J. Smith, was traced to a return address linked to Northwestern University on the packaging that the bomb was sent in. Greg’s mother worked as a secretary for Professor Buckley Crist at Northwestern, bringing Greg under FBI scrutiny. What began as a focus on him soon extended to his circle of friends back home in Chicago, a group of friends that hang out due to their love of Dungeons & Dragons and war games.

The overlap between Greg’s academic connection to E.J. Smith and his mother’s professional association with Buckley Crist raised enough red flags for the FBI to begin investigating Greg. The FBI’s misunderstanding of D&D, coupled with the cultural climate of suspicion around the game, further deepened their interest in Greg and his circle of friends.

***D&D and the Unabomber: One Roll Away from Chaos***

It was a perfect storm of mistaken connections and cultural bias, which thrusted Greg and his group into the crosshairs of one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history.

The FBI’s fixation on Greg and his friends reflected deeper cultural anxieties of the time. Dungeons & Dragons was often mis-characterized as a dangerous, occult game during the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s (read more in our article here about the Satanic Panic). This backdrop, combined with the FBI’s need to explore every lead in the expansive Unabomber investigation, turned an innocent gaming group into suspects in one of the most high-profile manhunts in U.S. history.

Jeff Ward, one of Greg’s close friends, became a central figure in the investigation. Under intense pressure from FBI interrogations, the group’s friendship began to unravel. As Benson relays “This wasn’t just a story about the FBI pursuing these Dungeons & Dragons suspects; this was a story about this close-knit friend group that ended up kind of turning against each other and breaking up under the pressure of this FBI investigation.”

Dave White, another member of the group, remains convinced that Jeff might have been involved in the early bombings—a belief that highlights the deep scars left by the ordeal (this has today been proven to be widely untrue). Greg, meanwhile, endured years of FBI scrutiny, losing professional opportunities and ultimately leaving Chicago to escape the eye of the feds. Participating in the podcast allowed Greg to reclaim his narrative after decades of silence. As Benson notes, “I think he’s been happy that his voice is in there.”

This wasn’t just a story about the FBI pursuing these Dungeons & Dragons suspects; this was a story about this close-knit friend group that ended up kind of turning against each other and breaking up under the pressure of this FBI investigation
-Eric benson, Host of Project Unabom

The Unabomber case itself was one of the most extensive and expensive investigations in FBI history. Between 1978 and 1995, Theodore Kaczynski targeted academics, airlines (which the UNA in Unabomber stands for—University N Airlines), and corporate executives, killing three people and injuring 23 others. His manifesto, “Industrial Society and Its Future,” expressed his anti-technology ideology and ultimately led to his capture when his brother David recognized his writing style and turned him in.

The FBI’s suspect list reached over 2,400 names, a reflection of the immense challenge posed by Kaczynski’s calculated methods and isolated lifestyle.

For Greg and his friends, being included on that list turned their lives upside down. The FBI’s interest in D&D players, fueled by misconceptions that were generated by the Satanic Panic and a lack of tangible evidence, further hurt their friendship and didn’t help them get the Feds off their back.

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According to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request by MuckRock, the FBI’s view of D&D as potentially linked to deviant behavior mirrored radical societal fears. The investigation into Greg’s gaming group was as much a product of these fears as it was a symptom of the FBI’s exhaustive approach.

For Greg, the ordeal caused emotional and professional trauma. Jeff found accusations not just from federal agents but from within his own friend group.

The Unabomber’s arrest in 1996 closed a dark chapter in American history, but for Greg and his friends, the memories of their entanglement with the case remain vivid. Their story, as surreal as it is a reminder of the unexpected intersections between culture, coincidence, and the law.

It’s a slice of history where truth is stranger than fiction, a reminder that sometimes the dice roll in the most unpredictable ways.

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