TSR TSR3 Blames Widespread Pushback On WotC

In an unexpected turn of events, the primary individuals behind TSR3 have claimed the pushback they've received on social media and elsewhere was orchestrated by .... D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast (a company which has thus far remained completely silent on recent events).

TSR3 is run by Justin LaNasa, Stephen Dinehart, and Ernie Gygax. The controversy has been raging for over a week, since TSR3 announced itself with a press release.

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...

www.enworld.org

Stephen Dinehart and Ernie Gygax have since deactivated their Twitter accounts; Justin LaNasa doesn't appear to have one, but it is believed he is the person operating TSR3's Twitter account. A couple of days ago, Ernie Gygax posted about recent events on Facebook (note that he edited the post, but the original can be seen here).

I wish to state in the strongest terms that I never meant to hurt anyone of any race, creed or color. My video From the Bunker caused some to feel that they would not be welcome or would be looked down upon. That was never the intent, I was reacting to focus of modern role play into a more background and Role Play rather than the wargame that so made so many lives happy over 40 years ago.

As a gamer it meant that most of us were not worthy of any attention from others of our own age. We were Nerds. We were brainy-acks and others would snicker. Older classmen would ask to "borrow" something of ours to then pass back and forth a game of keep away. I used to receive some special attention from about 4 Juniors in my Freshman year. I played the Violin and often I began to wish that I had Super Powers, perhaps become a Giant.. I was far to shy and then embarrassed as attractive ladies would just lower the eyes while the jocks or other socially vibrant fellows had some fun at another geeky nerds expense. Thank goodness I grew 4 inches my junior year.

The only real comfort zone we all could share was a table in the lunch room. At least the fledgling TSR found fertile minds in those who had only those like us - gamers. Rather than have to risk embarrassing myself, since Phy Ed was going to force us to dance with those wonderful and yet scary girls. Well to get my Diploma I had to slave for a month to Mr. Gerber the head of the Phy Ed department. Fortunately I knew all about janitorial work as before D&D and TSR dad only made $5,000 as a Cobbler (five children) and we had food stamps and even free school lunches. Yes you had to go to the councilors office every week to collect your free lunch passes. Obviously you could feel all the eyes on you and the talk about....

Everyone has been welcome at my gaming table and multitudes of new friends have been created by the time spent playing the games we Love. Look at pictures of gaming on my site or anywhere I run games. Everyone is welcome, just like a Boot Hill game leave your guns at the bar until you leave town. If you come to the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum Jeff R. Leason will show you courtesy and a smile and you will see that gaming with elder gamers is a safe and entertaining environment.

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

 

[DemoMonkey]

But we're not disputing Twitter IS a cesspool, right?

 

[RFB Dan]

To my surprise, the public seems to care more about what clothing people wear than who is having sex with who.

Sometimes. I know that if I see someone with a Blind Guardian, Judas Priest, or Anthrax t-shirt at a gaming con they get an approving set of the horns thrown that way \m/

 

[VelvetViolet]

Being one does not override the other.

I didn’t say it did.

To my surprise, the public seems to care more about what clothing people wear than who is having sex with who.

Drag queens have always been a thing

 

[Stephen Shomo]

Did Ernie ever say that women shouldn’t play RPGs?

His dad said women were not capable of liking RPGs.
TSR failed... WotC has a lot of female customers.

 

[CleverNickName]

But we're not disputing Twitter IS a cesspool, right?

I think we're agreeing that Twitter is beside the point.

 

[Jimmy Dick]

This junk sounds so familiar. Let's see how that playbook reads, "Anger people you don't like by insulting them, cash in on the anger from the crowd that still thinks like you do, and then complain that you're the victim of the people you don't like." Yep, sound real familiar. Screw TSR3. They can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk.

 

[RFB Dan]

His dad said women we no capable of liking RPGs.
TSR failed... WotC has a lot of female customers.

Ya know, that's the irony here. So many in the OSR-type groups that I'm in like to complain about 5e and usually spout the same stupid line of "get woke go broke." Huh, WotC seems to be doing very well for itself, and 5e may just be the most popular rules set of D&D ever, bringing in more players and more revenue. So much for that dippy line...

 

[darjr]

Wow, you folks should see their discord. All business.

 

[mythago]

Weird Al considers it a professional courtesy to ask permission from the artist. He doesn't ask the label - which likely owns the legal rights to the song in question - but the person who actually wrote/performed the song. It's come up a couple of times where permission was denied and the song was released anyway. Weird Al has not released his Prince parodies because Prince personally objected. A few songs like "Chicken Pot Pie" (parody of Paul McCartney's "Live or Let Die") and "Snack All Night" (parody of Michael Jackson's "Black or White") have only been performed live due to artist objections to recording them (McCartney because he's a vegetarian and Jackson because he felt the material too serious to joke about). He's also released videos and songs for free after the artist approved the parody but not the record label, such as "Perform This Way" (parody of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way") and "You're Pitiful" (parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful"). And of course, there's the whole "Amish Paradise" fiasco where the label gave permission, Coolio didn't, Weird Al didn't find out until Coolio was doing interviews slamming him for it, and eventually Coolio agreed he was being "cocky" and "stupid" (his own words) and gave his blessing.

Either way, Weird Al doesn't need permission to do his parodies. He does so anyway because he feels he should. He doesn't care about who owns the legal rights (because he doesn't have to), but the artists whose work he's satirizing.

He doesn't need permission to do a parody song. But besides it being a nice thing to do, it avoids expensive proceedings where somebody decides to pick an expensive fight over whether a song falls under the legal definition of 'parody'.

 

[Yaarel]

Drag queens have always been a thing

I have the impression that drag queens differ from transgenders. Maybe one is about an archetype, being larger than life. (Which the traditional public can appreciate on a stage for entertainment.) The other is a normal self-identity.

The first time I consciously thought someone was transgender was in college. There was a guy who was member of an LGBTQ group, who I assumed was gay. But on Halloween, for a party, he dressed as a female nurse. It struck me, there was no sense of theatrics or playfulness in a costume. "He" was simply a calmly feminine person in a nurse uniform. Oh, shes a woman.