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

 

[This Effin’ GM]

True and you are perfect right about a proper apology.

That does not excuse the online attacks that drove Ernie to stay safe by having to abandon Twitter.

You keep saying that, did Ernie tell you that’s why he left or are you just repeating that over and over til it’s assumed to be the case.

 

[Mannahnin]

Anyone can be bullied
Anyone
Your boss can be a bully. A coworker can be a bully. A lover
You're dismissing victims if you cannot view grown adults as potential targets of bullying

And Ernie is vulnerable in this case. Because the mob has the power. It has the numbers. Control of the platform. It knows his name and they're all faceless eggs

If the comments were entirely focused on the business and his role as the spokesperson that would be one thing. But they were personal

So Ernie can say things which are personally insulting to them, but none of them are allowed to be personally insulting in return?

Even if I were granting the premise that he was receiving a great deal of personal abuse (a claim which hasn't been supported with evidence), that seems a bit absurd. If I pick a fight I don't get to complain when I get punched in the nose by the person I took a swing at; or their friend.

This "mob" language also implies real violence or threat of harm which don't exist here. These are individual humans, at their individual computers and phones, in their individual homes. Not a crowd of people on the street outside his house with torches.

Anyone can be bullied
Anyone
Your boss can be a bully. A coworker can be a bully. A lover
You're dismissing victims if you cannot view grown adults as potential targets of bullying

I'm not dismissing grown adults as being victims. Obviously one's boss can be a bully. They have you in a vulnerable position. Same with a lover. Ernie is not in a position where any of these people have or are exercising power over him, except via the means you've affirmed that they should do so; raising awareness and boycotting.

 

[Dessert Nomad]

I think it's interesting that these tough guys have a sign at their museum saying "Better not play here if you're easily offended", likely because they consider themselves rugged specimens of True Manhood unlike the wimpy pronoun-shifting youth of today. Yet when those wimpy youths and their allies say 'what you said was bad, I'm going to respond to it, avoid doing business with you, and tell my friends they shouldn't do business with you', they suddenly delete their accounts and their allies and supporters start talking about 'mob justice', 'cyber-bullying' and threaten to get the police involved.

I think it's pretty clear who is actually thin-skinned here.

 

[embee]

True and you are perfect right about a proper apology.

That does not excuse the online attacks that drove Ernie to stay safe by having to abandon Twitter.

Ernie was, is, and will continue to be safe.

He left Twitter because he doesn't like the responses to the dumb stuff he's been posting.

It's not about him wanting to be safe; it's about him not wanting to be criticized.

 

[mythago]

Wait, wut? Ernie posted a tweet that WoTC is picking them and made a threat that they better stop before people get hurt, and your interpretation is that Ernie is the victim here? The only people to make an actual threat of harm on twitter were Ernie, Justin, and the rest.

Get outta here with your nonsense.

Ah, but you see, to a bully and their admirers, there is no greater injustice in the world than one of their victims hitting them back. The bully's speech is just 'edgy' or 'being provocative' or 'telling it like it is'. The victim's assigned role is, well, to be the victim; to absorb the abuse because they deserved it, or at most, to respond following Marquis of Queensbury rules that never apply to the bully.

That's why you see these overdramatic complaints likening criticism to mob justice or executions and inventing horrible, disproportionate consequences they imagine the bully surely must have suffered. That's also why they'll tie themselves into knots trying to explain why their no-tagbacks arguments are just about fairness and kindness.

Think of it as that viral tweet about sowing/reaping.

 

[Mannahnin]

But there are also many on Twitter who did not behave thoughtful. They formed an incessant online assault upon Ernie's mental and emotional well being.

Ernie Gygax had to leave Twitter for his own safety.

According to whom?

How do you know he didn't just do it because he was embarrassed, or possibly because an attorney friend told him that his and Stephen's last pair of coordinated Tweets alleging a conspiracy by WotC looked incredibly bad and were potentially even more damaging to his company than what he had posted already?

 

[This Effin’ GM]

I think it's the third time (or maybe even the fourth), but the bait is written pretentiously enough that a newcomer to the conversation might mistake it as an actually cogent argument. We can't let that nonsense have free reign of the discussion.

Starting to suspect I may be a newcomer in this case

 

[cmad1977]

If you think the criticism he faced was "damaging to his mental health" wait til you get a load of what it's like to be a trans woman on the internet.

But… if you would only consider both sides…

 

[Neonchameleon]

There are many folk who are peaceful and called Ernie out without a falling into outrage..

But there are also many on Twitter who did not behave thoughtful. They formed an incessant online assault upon Ernie's mental and emotional well being.

Ernie Gygax had to leave Twitter for his own safety.

Of course Ernie Gygax started the whole thing by saying:

I would hope so but they just put out a big disclaimer recently trying to divorce themselves from the ethics and style of play that was involved in the origins of the game. They're basically trying to say 'we're a better company and a better type of person' than those who started playing. At least that's somewhat of the impression they've given and 'please switch over and be part of the new wave'. You know. Join the pack of lemmings, oh yeah!

If consistent and continual harrassment is (and it is) bullying then Ernie Gygax started this whole thing by mocking an attempt to reduce the amount of harassment in the world by acknowledging that it is wrong.

It is not justice but it is poetic justice that someone who started the whole thing by saying that bullying is just fine gets bullied. And then to nail his colours to the mast with his pointed refusal to apologise to certain groups?

The key difference here, of course, is that Twitter is a hellsite. It is not a good place - and it's no one's home. The bullying Ernie Gygax sought to not just excuse but continue was in books produced for fun for everyone. Ernie Gygax can just avoid Twitter and he loses very little of value. And if he is being bullied it's because of his own actions. Meanwhile the people he personally wants to see bullied are bullied for unchangeable things about who they are - and rather than avoiding the hellsite they'd have to avoid the entire hobby.

Nothing I have seen any evidence of directed to Ernie Gygax is remotely as bad as the harrassment and bullying he sought to excuse and perpetuate. And when the issue is "bully can't stand the heat and gets out of the kitchen" is your big issue all I can say is cry me a river.

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

So Ernie can say things which are personally insulting to them, but none of them are allowed to be personally insulting in return?

If they want the moral high ground? Yes!

Just like if I personally insult you, the mods here won't allow you to freely say whatever you want to me

Even if I were granting the premise that he was receiving a great deal of personal abuse (a claim which hasn't been supported with evidence), that seems a bit absurd. If I pick a fight I don't get to complain when I get punched in the nose by the person I took a swing at; or their friend.

I'd look for comments, but with his account deleted, responses to his tweets are harder to find
And if you pick a fight, that doesn't mean anyone who liked the person you swung at can come over at take a free shot

Also, if you bootstomp someone into the pavement after they clipped you in the chin, the cops won't buy "he swung first" as an excuse

This "mob" language also implies real violence or threat of harm which don't exist here. These are individual humans, at their individual computers and phones, in their individual homes. Not a crowd of people on the street outside his house with torches.

Words hurt
People kill themselves ALL THE TIME because of cyberbullying
In part because of cyberbullying, suicide passed the homicide death rate for kids 10-24

I'm a grownup. I was brigaded once. And it SUCKED
Ask Kelly Marie Tran if words from strangers on the internet hurt
The difference is people think Ernie deserved it and she didn't

I'm not dismissing grown adults as being victims. Obviously one's boss can be a bully. They have you in a vulnerable position. Same with a lover. Ernie is not in a position where any of these people have or are exercising power over him, except via the means you've affirmed that they should do so; raising awareness and boycotting.

Are you implying he deleted his account for fun then?
He had the power, his feelings weren't hurt, and he wasn't driven offline?