D&D General Companies Cut Ties With Judges Guild After Owner's Racist Posts

Several game publishers, including Bat in the Attic, have said that they will no longer do business with Judges Guild after its owner posted a number of racist and anti-semitic statements. They don't need to be repeated here; but there are several examples.

Judges Guild has been around since 1976, producing products compatible with Dungeons & Dragons; the current owner, Bob Bledsaw II, is the son of its co-founder, Bob Bledsaw, and has run the company since 2008. The company is well known for 1976's City State of the Invincible Overlord, amongst other classics. Bat in the Attic and Frog God Games both license Judges' Guild properties.

Rob Conley of Bat in the Attic stated yesterday that the company would no longer do business with Judges Guild, or its properties. "Sunday evening, I called Robert Bledsaw II and discussed the issue. I notified him that I will no longer be doing future Judges’ Guild projects and will only continue to sell what I have currently listed. I stated that I will be calling the other Judges Guild licensee and inform them of the situation and of my decision."

Frog God Games, which has been working with Judges Guild for nearly 20 years, followed suit. "Recently the owner of Judges Guild made a series of racist and anti-semitic posts on Facebook. We will not reproduce them here; they are shown on Rob Conley's Bat in the Attic blog, and we are convinced of their authenticity. Rob wrote his post because, as a licensee of Judges Guild property, he felt he needed to state clearly that he would not be doing business with Judges Guild in the future. We have also licensed property from Judges Guild in the past, and we are seconding Rob's example by cutting off all future business with Judges Guild. The posts made on Facebook were completely unacceptable."

UPDATE — DriveThruRPG has severed ties. “The Judges Guild publisher account has been closed and they are no longer available on DriveThruRPG.”

A few years ago, Judges Guild ran a Kickstarter to bring back City State of the Invincible Overlord, with nearly a thousand backers raising $85K. The Kickstarter has not yet been fulfilled. The latest update was in October 2019.

 

[Bolares]

I clicked through it as well. Like it or not, my statement stands.

Then, so what there is judgment? judgment is not an inherently bad thing.

 

[Gradine]

I think, minus any additional context to these statements, I'm gonna go with "or not"

 

[jasper]

70% of my posts are guaranteed to be 60% accurate.

He lies. Our mind flayers overbeings say he is only 13% accurate.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

Okay, so.. it isn't actually a line of reasoning. It is a point. You need multiple points to make a line.

The world is, in fact, measurably safer, and all that. This a point of fact you can see in a ton of statistics. That does not in any way mean that we don't still have a whole lot of work to do. "Safer" does not mean "safe enough."

If we never recognize that progress has been made, we cannot examine and adjust how we proceed in a rational manner. We cannot tell what does and doesn't work unless we acknowledge what has been achieved, and what was necessary to achieve it. Also, if we never admit that we make progress, despair is just around the corner.

So, yes, we can and should honestly say that we are moving in the right direction, and the world is better than it used to be. What we cannot do is take that as justification for resting on our laurels.

A lot of people do take it as a reason to not attempt to make the world better.

And for some people, "making the world a better place" essentially "killing everyone who isn't me".

Maybe we'll just have to agree to disagree, because I know for a fact that I am a massive cynic, and not a lot is going to change that for me.

 

[Bolares]

I'm so tired of these broad statements that mean nothing... "there is judgement" means absolutelly nothing. And trying to use it as a balance to antisemite and racist comments....

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Celebrim]

...you have to put up with constant harassment and verbal abuse.

Join the club. I think pretty much everyone gets some sort of constant harassment and verbal abuse from some quarter. Something about rejoicing when people say all manner of evil against you falsely because sometimes, it puts you into pretty good company.

*That falsely is pretty important.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Every time I see something that shows how our hobby is becoming more accepting of diversity, something like this happens and I’m reminded how we still have pockets of gamers who are bigoted or sexist. I’ve seen the commentary over the years about whether or not the internet has made it worse, and if social media is a good thing or a bad thing.

I guess my take is this. Forums and social media allow me to identify people who hold unacceptable views easier, and makes it easier for me to not play with them. As far as I’m concerned, these people can sit to the side, watching their pool of gamers who will play with them dwindle smaller and smaller. hopefully they begin to disappear. I have no sympathy.

 

[Bolares]

I think pretty much everyone gets some sort of constant harassment and verbal abuse from some quarter.

Maybe I didn't understand what you were saying here, and if that's the case I apologize, but... this seems very simplistic of a statement. When you say the verbal abuse and harassment I feel for not being straight (or in the case discussed here, a jewish person for their religion, or a black person for the color of thir skin) is similar to the kind of abuse everyone gets from some quarter makes me feel reduced.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*