WotC Gale Force 9 Sues WotC [Updated]

In the second lawsuit against WotC in recent weeks (Dragonlance authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman sued the company for breach of contract and other things about a month ago), Gale Force 9 is suing the company for breach of contract and implied duty of good faith.

Gale Force 9 produces miniatures, cards, DM screens, and other D&D accessories. They’re asking for damages of nearly a million dollars, as well as an injunction to prevent WotC from terminating the licensing contract.

From the suit, it looks like WotC wanted to end a licensing agreement a year early. When GF9 didn't agree to that, WotC indicated that they would refuse to approve any new licensed products from GF9. It looks like the same sort of approach they took with Weis and Hickman, which also resulted in a lawsuit. The dispute appears to relate to some product translations in non-US markets. More information as I hear it!

UPDATE. GF9's CEO, Jean-Paul Brisigotti, spoke to ICv2 and said: "After twelve years of working with Wizards, we find ourselves in a difficult place having to utilize the legal system to try and resolve an issue we have spent the last six months trying to amicably handle between us without any success. We still hope this can be settled between us but the timeline for a legal resolution has meant we have been forced to go down this path at this time."

 

[Eltab]

“Grievance Collectors” is one that comes up in opposition to things like broadening accessibility and representation, equality, diversity, etc.

I'm looking from a broader perspective: both sides' most energetic advocates behave in predictable patterns.
When somebody from Those Other Fellows starts the same-old-same-old familiar go-rounds, do not be a stereotype by picking up the next link in the chain. Instead, do something different - eschew slogans and use new wording, leave the bait untouched, keep your own cool so they can keep theirs (at least while talking to you) - and try to reach a different endpoint.

 

[Aaron L]

The usage of such a nickname would almost certainly run afoul of Enworld's "keep it inclusive" rule. You could try using it on Reddit or something, though.

I think Neanderthal could work. I'm not aware of any great Neanderthal presence in the world anymore to be take offense, nor of the specific political affiliations of most Neanderthals.

 

[Dire Bare]

I think Neanderthal could work. I'm not aware of any great Neanderthal presence in the world anymore to be take offense, nor of the specific political affiliations of most Neanderthals.

Well, actually . . . . plenty of modern folks have a bit of neanderthal DNA in their genetic make-up.

But, not really the point. It's best to avoid demeaning insults altogether, regardless if the slur used is racist, sexist, or any other -ist.

 

[Mistwell]

The impetus for suing is simple: WotC wants to cancel their agreements with GF9 for what GF9 deems to be fake reasons (the issues with the Korean and French translating companies). Furthermore, probably because they don’t see the relationship continuing, WotC has started using the same tactics they did with Weiss & Hickman in regards to the ongoing work with GF9 by refusing to approve new releases, without providing any reason or explanation. If GF9 loses their contract with WotC, they’ll become a seriously crippled company; suing WotC may be a negociating tactic, but again, assuming the basic facts outlined in the claims are true, it seems to be a pretty straightforward situation

This is not accurate. It's easy to compare the two events, but with this event we have specific named reasons for why WOTC wants to cease their contract with GF9, and it's concerning the quality of GF9's work on the translations. Maybe they are right and maybe not, but let's not pretend they don't have stated reasons. They do, and they are specific. They said, "On November 9th GF9 breached their prior agreement with WOTC by releasing translations in French and Korean of “certain products [that were] of low quality, including translations that were poorly done and included inaccurate, missing, and offensive translations.”

 

[Azuresun]

I'm looking from a broader perspective: both sides' most energetic advocates behave in predictable patterns.
When somebody from Those Other Fellows starts the same-old-same-old familiar go-rounds, do not be a stereotype by picking up the next link in the chain. Instead, do something different - eschew slogans and use new wording, leave the bait untouched, keep your own cool so they can keep theirs (at least while talking to you) - and try to reach a different endpoint.

That's the ideal, yes. But I'm not sure it's even a viable form of communication nowadays in the Twitter Age. People have just been trained so much to respond to glib, rapid-fire slogans with a superficial veneer of reason smeared over them.

 

[jgsugden]

Never mind... too easy.

 

[Eltab]

That's the ideal, yes. But I'm not sure it's even a viable form of communication nowadays in the Twitter Age. People have just been trained so much to respond to glib, rapid-fire slogans with a superficial veneer of reason smeared over them.

Being reasonable and thoughtful cannot be a hopeless cause - it prompted you to reach out to me !

On say an internet discussion board, whose comments do you think about later, maybe to adjust your own opinion, or because you learned something new? Probably not the argue-er with a 144-character limit but the person who explained their thought and where they were coming from.

 

[Olrox17]

This is not accurate. It's easy to compare the two events, but with this event we have specific named reasons for why WOTC wants to cease their contract with GF9, and it's concerning the quality of GF9's work on the translations. Maybe they are right and maybe not, but let's not pretend they don't have stated reasons. They do, and they are specific. They said, "On November 9th GF9 breached their prior agreement with WOTC by releasing translations in French and Korean of “certain products [that were] of low quality, including translations that were poorly done and included inaccurate, missing, and offensive translations.”

If WotC had solid evidence that GF9 breached contract, they wouldn’t need to resort to the shady tactics they’re using.

 

[twofalls]

We really need a snappy insulting nickname for easily offended, hyper-sensitive, not-bigoted-BUT people who pretend that "I want less representation where I can see it!" is somehow NOT a political stance. I propose "Status Quo Warriors".

So I'm a very conservative Christian who has run D&D games for 41 years, and I do not like the woke direction that WotC is taking the game into. The main reason isn't because I have some deep seated passionate hatred for SJWs or the woke crowd, but rather because it's in my face everywhere I turn. I don't care if you are gay, or black, or a female tribal in papua new guinea, thats who you are and that's great, but the woke group all make a huge deal out of it and tell me that I'm a racist white male pig for no real reason I can figure out other than their own racism and insecurities and hatred of Christians. So I get very tired of all that and just want to be left alone, and so I try to avoid it as much as possible. However I cannot avoid it in my hobby anymore because that is what they are now also promoting (not as nasty as all that but you get the idea). I don't make a habit of going online and crying about it because it's just what the culture is becoming, but I do vote with my wallet and no longer buy WotC product. /shrug I'm not sure that people like me need a snappy nickname, we already have enough pejorative labels as it stands. You do you, I will do me, and there is no constructive purpose for acrimony between us.

 

[Morrus]

So I'm a very conservative Christian who has run D&D games for 41 years, and I do not like the woke direction that WotC is taking the game into. The main reason isn't because I have some deep seated passionate hatred for SJWs or the woke crowd, but rather because it's in my face everywhere I turn. I don't care if you are gay, or black, or a female tribal in papua new guinea, thats who you are and that's great, but the woke group all make a huge deal out of it and tell me that I'm a racist white male pig for no real reason I can figure out other than their own racism and insecurities and hatred of Christians. So I get very tired of all that and just want to be left alone, and so I try to avoid it as much as possible. However I cannot avoid it in my hobby anymore because that is what they are now also promoting (not as rapidly as all that but you get the idea). I don't make a habit of going online and crying about it because it's just what the culture is becoming, but I do vote with my wallet and no longer buy WotC product. /shrug I'm not sure that people like me need a snappy nickname, we already have enough pejorative labels as it stands. You do you, I will do me, and there is no purpose to acrimony between us.

Please review the rules, and take your anti-inclusve rants elsewhere. They have no place on this site.