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

 

[imagineGod]

I am staring to think this is some crazy marketing campaign exploiting the seduction of negativity on social media to make people talk of TSR Games.

For example, I might have seen the Ernie Gygax Kickstarter of The Marmoreal Tomb, but skipped it and forgot it.

Now all the recent fracas brought it back into the spotlight, so a Kickstarter I skipped initially, now if it ever gets published by Ttoll Lord games, I have it on my wish list.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

There is no evidence for the last sentence you seem to attribute to Ernie Gygax.

Valid criticism is well and good, but if we stoop to dirty insinuation. what moral alignment makes this okay?

Not in defense of Ernie AT ALL but maybe an insight into his a-political, ambivalent mind: Creed. In his mind this would resolve the matter. HOWEVER, he attacked and diminished a specific creed, not a race or culture, and needed to specifically and not generally deal with that fact alone, this is what I told him. He instead avoided the specifics and hand waved it with a general response book ended by non sequitors.

creed
noun
1 people of many creeds and cultures: faith, religion, religious belief, religious persuasion, church, denomination, sect.

2 his political creed: system of belief, set of beliefs, beliefs, principles, articles of faith, ideology, credo, doctrine, teaching, dogma, tenets, canons.

 

[imagineGod]

Not in defense of Ernie AT ALL but maybe an insight into his a-political, ambivalent mind: Creed. In his mind this would resolve the matter. HOWEVER, he attacked and diminished a specific creed, not a race or culture, and needed to specifically and not generally deal with that fact alone, this is what I told him. He instead avoided the specifics and hand waved it with a general response book ended by non sequitors.

creed
noun
1 people of many creeds and cultures: faith, religion, religious belief, religious persuasion, church, denomination, sect.

2 his political creed: system of belief, set of beliefs, beliefs, principles, articles of faith, ideology, credo, doctrine, teaching, dogma, tenets, canons.

I believe nobody is praising the actions of Ernie Gygax.

Sadly, he has been hounded off Twitter, so has suffered the fate of many a person in entertainment whose mental health was threatened by the hostile and repetitive Twitter comments, targeting him personally in a Twitter's incessant staccato attack pattern.

Just an hour ago TSR Games sent a cryptic tweet. Was it about Ernie's condition?

Still suspect some crazy marketing, for many recently heard more about TSR in days than in recent years across social media.

 

[Yaarel]

View attachment 139384

LOL! Empathy machine?

TSR is trafficking with racist supremacists and hatespeaking against trans.

TSR the RPG is a psychopathy machine.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

I believe nobody is praising the actions of Ernie Gygax.

Sadly, he has been hounded off Twitter, so has suffered the fate of many a person in entertainment whose mental health was threatened by the hostile and repetitive Twitter comments, targeting him personally in a Twitter's incessant staccato attack pattern.

Just an hour ago TSR Games sent a cryptic tweet. Was it about Ernie's condition?

Still suspect some crazy marketing, for many recently heard more about TSR in days than in recent years across social media.

View attachment 139384

Yes. It's the cynical make noise and be controversial, damage, use and manipulate both sides against the middle and then see what is caught in the net. Even IF Ernie thought he was doing this for his Dad's legacy--a stretch indeed--this is the exact opposite route one would take, it's the path of lunacy and destruction. Luke has already done his father's legacy good; and therein lies another issue with Ernie which is part a catalyst in this...

@Umbran offered a good summary in a comment (somewhere) that points to this cynical, take no prisoners, approach backfiring in TSR's face as they attempt to cash in on the many divisions now apparent in the US. I sensed this too.

The "empathy" tweet is not as cryptic as it is a sad reckoning, for TSR has shown no empathy at all.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Well, all Ernie had to do to is just... sincerely apologize. Like "I've said some pretty stupid and ignorant things, but now I understand my mistakes. Here's how we will proceed, and hired a trans person to consult with". Puff! Crisis averted. Instead, he and TSR doubled down on things that rightfully got them ostracized.

I was a young jackass, like I think a lot of people are. The first time I realized, without parents or teachers or mentors, that I needed to make a sincere, honest and complete apology, owning up to my faults, I knew I had passed an important and often unstated threshold into adulthood. It always shocks and saddens me when adults older than me have never had the maturity I had as a jackass in my 20s. I still don't think of myself as particularly mature, and Ernie is failing to meet even that low bar.

 

[Ancalagon]

I don't know anymore, whether to feel cringe, anger or just laughing my ass off.

I think that all are appropriate. ...

 

[Ancalagon]

, we can deduce he was bullied off Twitter.

Can we though? Other members of the team left twitter at the same time, after they all made very similar tweets challenging WotC. The timing seems... odd, doesn't it?

 

[Mannahnin]

Can we though? Other members of the team left twitter at the same time, after they all made very similar tweets challenging WotC. The timing seems... odd, doesn't it?

This doesn't look like bullying. It looks like pushback on a guy and a company saying offensive stuff.

Ernie's a grown human being. As far as I can see he's reacting to justified criticism by playing victim. And he seems to be doing so also as part of a coordinated media strategy by his company, albeit one that looks about as unprofessional as everything else they do.

 

[Ancalagon]

Not in defense of Ernie AT ALL but maybe an insight into his a-political, ambivalent mind: Creed. In his mind this would resolve the matter. HOWEVER, he attacked and diminished a specific creed, not a race or culture, and needed to specifically and not generally deal with that fact alone, this is what I told him. He instead avoided the specifics and hand waved it with a general response book ended by non sequitors.

creed
noun
1 people of many creeds and cultures: faith, religion, religious belief, religious persuasion, church, denomination, sect.

2 his political creed: system of belief, set of beliefs, beliefs, principles, articles of faith, ideology, credo, doctrine, teaching, dogma, tenets, canons.

He did not attack a creed. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community (or an ally) isn't a "creed". I have never, ever seen it describe it thus. If you had said he had attacked a specific subculture I might have agreed with you (it's not 100% right either, but the difference is small enough I wouldn't have bothered posting about it).

Now, I'm not disagreeing with you about this to be pedantic though, it's an important point because you know him so well. If Ernie also believe that creed "encompasses" sexual orientation, gender expression etc., then his apology looks better. But he needs to realize that to many, creed doesn't "cover" the group he offended, and that this is in part (only in part!) why his attempts to apologizes have failed so badly.

I hope that this commentary will be useful to you.