TSR Companies & Freelancers Distance Themselves From The New TSR

The new TSR (which I refer to as TSR3 to avoid confusion) has doubled down on its stance--which has been widely condemned online--via an ongoing series of tweets and replies from its TSR Games, Giantlands, and Dungeon Hobby Museum social media accounts (possibly operated by Justin LaNasa) in an astonishing PR campaign which makes the original interview which sparked off the controversy look mild in comparison. Various entities are moving to distance themselves from the company and its activities, including TSR2, the company founded in 2011 by Jayson Elliot, which has now declared that it will not be using the name TSR any longer. Other companies including Gen Con and freelancers such as Jeff Dee have also made statements.

For reference -- TSR1 is the (no longer existing) company which launched D&D in 1974, TSR2 is the company founded by Jayson Elliot in 2011 to create Gygax Magazine and which currently publishes the Top Secret RPG, and TSR3 is the newly launched company.

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Catch up on my previous coverage of this story:

TSR - Ernie Gygax on New TSR, WotC Beefs, Trademarks, Licensees, 5E, & More

A YouTube channel, 'Live From the Bunker', interviewed Ernie Gygax about the new TSR. I've watched and decided to try to transcribe the most relevant parts of it, but the full hour-long video is below if you want to see the whole interview and full context. Ernie Gygax is one of D&D...

www.enworld.org

TSR - TSR (2) Confirms TSR (3)'s Acquisition of Trademark (Updated!)

Jayson Elliot registered the TSR trademark back in 2011 and used it to launch Gygax Magazine along with Ernie and Luke Gygax. The two Gygax's left the company a few years later after Gary Gygax's (co-founder of TSR (1) back in the 1970s) widow, Gail Gygax, forced the closure of Gygax Magazine...

www.enworld.org

A TSR Announces a Star Frontiers Reboot

One of the new TSRs (yes there are now two TSRs!) has announced a reboot of Star Frontiers, the sci-fi game made by the original TSR back in the 1980s. Star Frontiers was a percentile dice roleplaying game set in a galaxy with four races (Human, Dralasite, Vrusk, and Yazirian) which were re-used...

www.enworld.org

TSR - TSR Is Back.... Again!

TSR is back... again! A new company, using the name and logo of the original publisher of Dungeons & Dragons has just been launched, along with a limited edition new game called Giantlands, and a theme park! But first, some history! Because this isn't the first time TSR has been resurrected...

www.enworld.org

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TSR3's social media accounts initially sought to distance the company from Ernie Gygax's statements, but within a few hours had reversed course and doubled down on his stance. Note that there have been dozens of social media posts from the company over the last few days, and still continuing as I type this, and I don't intend to share them all here.

(Thanks to Daniel Fox for sharing screenshots below via Twitter).

TSR2 -- "Update to our earlier tweet - we will NOT be licensing anything from the new company claiming rights to the TSR logos. We are not working with them in any fashion."

Gen Con -- "Gen Con is not associated with TSR Games and we don't support their recent statements. While the foundation of Gen Con is tied with the history of TTRPGs, our goal is to build off the good, acknowledge the bad, and work toward a present free from racism, misogyny, and homophobia."

Gen Con has also indicated that they do not intend to allow TSR3 at the convention.

GAMA (the Game Manufacturers Association) -- "We’re aware of the appalling statements published by TSR Games and their founder - GAMA does not condone nor agree with any part of it. We pride ourselves on supporting and promoting inclusivity always. Our motto is “A game at every table, a table for everyone”. Transphobia, racism, and sexism will not be tolerated. That means that TSR is not welcome at Origins Game Fair, GAMA Expo or any event affiliated with our organization."

Jeff Dee -- "There is a rumor going around that I am part of this new TSR company. That is not accurate. I have done some work for them as a freelance artist. That’s how I make my living, and spreading the misinformation that I’m now employed full-time by one particular client could stop other clients from approaching me and hurt my business. So, please do not spread that rumor. If I ever become a full-time employee anywhere again, I will announce that myself. Thanks. UPDATE: After investigating reports about statements made by representatives of this new TSR, I have determined that I can no longer do business with them in good conscience. I've returned their downpayment on the next piece of art I was scheduled to do for them. And yeah, I could sure use some new commissions to make up for this big hit on my cashflow"

Jim Ward, an original TSR alumnus and who wrote Giantlands, TSR3's flagship product -- "At the present time I know little or nothing about the relaunch of TSR. Right now I don't see how anyone could pick up where the old company left off. Yes it's a name with some logos, that is all I know."

Luke Gygax -- "FYI- I am not involved with any TSR company nor is Gary Con nor anyone else in my family outside of Ernie. Full stop. That is all ... I have reasons for distancing myself. The way TSR treats people online in their public exchanges is rude. The museum is a for profit business and was asking for donations. Using names of people to promote without their knowledge. Going out of the way to talk gender/woke stuff ... Also basically jacking the TSR logo from Jayson Elliot. The bombastic press releases and claims to old IP. Making a quick nostalgia money grab based on my fathers name and not much else. So I’m making it clear I don’t like this style and I have ZERO to do with TSR"

TSR3 responds to Luke Gygax​

Tim Kask, an original TSR alumnus who worked at the company until 1980, spoke at length on this topic in a YouTube video (below). I've transcribed some bits, but he says a whole load more (ellipses represent sections I have not included, for reasons of brevity), so check out the video for the whole thing.

"There has been bandied about in social media over the last several days several claims about what's going on in Lake Geneva right now. Ernie Gygax made a most egregious mistake in an interview he did on a podcast. He basically waved his bare ass in front of everybody that's concerned about pronouns, and woke, and all that right now in the industry and thumbed his nose at them. The transcript of his podcasts are there for everyone to read. That they were men, and they didn't give a sh*t, and la la la.

But right there they alienated three quarters of the gaming industry. Probably more than that, I don't believe that there's a quarter of the gaming industry that still are the neanderthals that he would make us out to be.

That's another thing. This whole thing has brought the OSR (the old school revival) into serious disrepute. Now there are some little Karens going on some of the social media and painting with the same brush all of us that were there back then based on the stupid ass sh*t that Ernie just said. No. We weren't all like that. And we aren't all like that now. He's a troll, a troglodyte, a neanderthal, if he really means that. It's a foolish person that doesn't wet his finger once in a while and feel the wind shift.

Now there've been claims in a couple of posts, one of which is by Ernie, about how the stalwarts, the old TSR are flocking to the banner. Bullsh*t....

... There is no one of the creative side of TSR from the early days involved with the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum. No one. Not one creative person. No matter who might be claiming what, they simply do not have the credentials. Being named DiMaggio does not mean you can hit a lot of home runs. Or that you even hit any home runs ....

... Just because you say you're TSR doesn't mean you are."

​

 

[Catulle]

Oh come on. This is a perfect example of someone being held accountable for their actions, not of some mob justice nonsense. Nobody is suggesting attacking Ernie, only not giving him our dollars. Nobody is obligated to buy from the man, especially given his historical lack of delivery on promised products.

"mob justice" is just a synonym in some quarters for "collective action" - the same reactionary argumnets were being rolled out in the civil rights era #philochswehardlyknewye

 

[Zardnaar]

Publicly speaking out is vastly superior to silence. Silence only hurts the oppressed.

Sorta. There's a lot of evidence emerging it can do the opposite. Going into to much detail is against the rules here though.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

?

Please elucidate. Because it's my understanding that when matriarchy is portrayed (by men), that it is - mythographically speaking - as a cautionary tale; usually with dire moral consequences.

I'm pretty confident that patriarchy has been in the firm ascendant since at least the Neolithic Revolution, and probably before. But I'm certainly amenable to having my views on the subject changed.



Interesting. Because it's my understanding that when "evil women" are portrayed in myth, it is generally as a seductress and/or as a foil to the heroic male protagonist. Could you give some examples of where this isn't the case?

Where to start. Circe. Try some of the constellations as well.

Matriarchy was more prevalent in pre-ancient times, yes. That ascendancy diminished the matriarchy but never ended it. Kush (Nubia) is perhaps the best example of that where women gained the ascendency and there was an equality built into their society. Kush also ruled Anc, Egypt for two dynasties (25th and 26th IIRC). Strangely, IMO, it is the last major cite to be excavated and it was started way late compared to other lessor archeological digs. I have my theories on why.

Other than that, I would say that the current "West" is deep into a matriarchal shift that a decaying and descending patriarchy is in some respects still resisting.

Now back to the Great Hunt!

 

[mythago]

Silly? Oops. Well we are no longer in discourse, rather you have an agenda provable at all costs.

So, my parting remarks, and last ones, are these: The Amazons. Familiar? Parse it.
Go forward and study the Lost Civ fictions. Haggard (She), Merritt (various) in particular. Parse those. oh yes, "She" may frighten you as Imperialistic literature, but stripping that out, you might find some more signs of the Matriarchy, which has been fast-forwarded from, as I've said, ancient times, tis why I started with the Amazons.

Nice talking in passus. I am back to the Great Hunt.

Rob, I have no idea what 'agenda' you're talking about, and your assumptions that nobody with the necessary background could possibly disagree with you are both patronizing and unfortunate. Since you've indicated you have no further wish to discuss this, I'll leave it at that.

Interesting. Because it's my understanding that when "evil women" are portrayed in myth, it is generally as a seductress and/or as a foil to the heroic male protagonist. Could you give some examples of where this isn't the case?

"Myth" is awfully big and there are so, so many portrayals of 'evil women' that it would be a mistake to generalize. But, again, the depiction in the classical D&D drow society isn't La Llorona or Ereshkigal or any other individual female figure; the matriarchy is one more way that the drow are the evil antithesis (dark instead of light, below ground instead of above, worshipping demons instead of good gods, etc. etc.) The worship of mate-eating female spiders isn't a particularly subtle flag for how their matriarchy is evil and a dangerous inversion.

 

[Malmuria]

Go forward and study the Lost Civ fictions. Haggard (She), Merritt (various) in particular. Parse those. oh yes, "She" may frighten you as Imperialistic literature, but stripping that out, you might find some more signs of the Matriarchy, which has been fast-forwarded from, as I've said, ancient times, tis why I started with the Amazons.

I said this in another thread, but "She" is what I always think of when it comes to the Drow. And "She" is both a very fun adventure novel and horrendously racist and sexist. It's really not possible, for me, to strip out the imperialistic aspect of lost world fiction because the whole premise is imperial and shaped how British youth understood the project of empire (his works were for "big and little boys"). To the extent that Haggard is an influence on 20th century pulp fiction and thus dnd, well I think that's very telling.

fwiw, I never really got into drow when I was young. I also remember being really into Indiana Jones, but I've only seen Temple of Doom once because once our family watched we decided not to do that again. I wouldn't have been able to articulate why these sorts of things felt off to me at the time, but they did. That's what a lot of people of color do--you just kind of edit around the parts of the culture that are targeting you and move on. It's not that no one noticed, it's that you have to survive and live with the situation with the hopes that maybe it won't be that way in the future.

 

[Catulle]

I think the war generation got a free pass on Germans and Japanese.

My grandmother was not impressed in 1992 when we had a Japanese girl stay with us.

But they lived through that era, saw what happened either first hand or heard about it directly and brothers, boyfriend's etc didn't come home or if they did may not have been intact.

Nobody gets a pass on racism, ever.

An oppressed people do not have to be defined by their oppressors; only the oppressive class

Is that in some way unclear to you?

 

[Catulle]

Patriarchy was explained to me thus.

"When one gender can easily beat the other to death".

Original D&D group all the players came from broken homes apart from one.

Hf of the broken home players had domestic violence.

The one player with both parents they got divorced once the kids left home.

Maybe you should do your own reading?

 

[Catulle]

?

Please elucidate. Because it's my understanding that when matriarchy is portrayed (by men), that it is - mythographically speaking - as a cautionary tale; usually with dire moral consequences.

I'm pretty confident that patriarchy has been in the firm ascendant since at least the Neolithic Revolution, and probably before. But I'm certainly amenable to having my views on the subject changed.



Interesting. Because it's my understanding that when "evil women" are portrayed in myth, it is generally as a seductress and/or as a foil to the heroic male protagonist. Could you give some examples of where this isn't the case?

Yeah, I'd be super-careful about who is telling me the story of oppressive -archy, since you know, equality feels like oppression to those accustomed to...

 

[Yaarel]

Where to start. Circe. Try some of the constellations as well.

Matriarchy was more prevalent in pre-ancient times, yes. That ascendancy diminished the matriarchy but never ended it. Kush (Nubia) is perhaps the best example of that where women gained the ascendency and there was an equality built into their society. Kush also ruled Anc, Egypt for two dynasties (25th and 26th IIRC). Strangely, IMO, it is the last major cite to be excavated and it was started way late compared to other lessor archeological digs. I have my theories on why.

Other than that, I would say that the current "West" is deep into a matriarchal shift that a decaying and descending patriarchy is in some respects still resisting.

Now back to the Great Hunt!

Regarding the West, I view it as matri- and patri- becoming more egalitarian.

Something like.

In the Paleolithic, women were perceived as the source of life. (Apparently the delay between conception and birth was less understood, or at least less socially significant. So women spontaneously brought forth life.) With Neolithic and planting seeds, men were perceived as the source of life. (Men were almost literally understood to be "planting seed in soil".)

But in the modern world we have awareness that both the sperm and the ovum are equally sources of life.

This egalitarian view correlates with money being powerful, regardless of whether a man or a woman owns it. And so on.


The shift from matriarchy to patriarchy seems gradual. While the shift from patriarchy to egalitarianism is drastically sudden (from an archeological perspective).

 

[mudbunny]

Yep. Weird Al ASKS before he records any parody. And his work is parodying the song, but not generally making fun of the artist.

I know more than one artist has said they only felt they had truly hit it big when they got a call from Weird Al asking permission to satirize one of their songs.