TSR TSR3 Throws In Towel, Rebrands Wonderfilled

In the news story that never ends, after reversing its position earlier and admitting that it was NOT the original TSR reincarnated, the new TSR company, embroiled in acrimony for the last two weeks, and having blamed the widespread criticism it has received on Wizards of the Coast, has deleted its own Twitter account and rebranded its website, misspelling it’s own name in the process.

In just a week a much-loved trademark, which was associated with the creation of our entire hobby, and which generally attracted nostalgic affection as recently as a fortnight ago, has been utterly trashed in an astonishing display of self-destructive publicity and incompetence. Two companies (one of which was directly responsible for the damage) have now divested themselves of it, and most major conventions have banned the company behind it, due to the actions and statements of three people: Justin LaNasa, Stephen Dinehart, and Ernie Gygax. "TSR" is no longer a brand which anybody wants to be associated with — not even the company which ‘relaunched’ it two weeks ago, let alone the company they sniped it from. It has been a spectacular masterclass in how not to manage a brand.

This followed an astonishing day of activity where one of the three TSR3 founders, Stephen Dinehart announced - publicly! - that he had blocked WotC and Hasbro on Twitter. After everybody thought things couldn't get any more ridiculous, they did.

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As TSR2 rebranded to Solarian this week (after TSR3 sniped their name and trademark due to a missed filing), we've now gone from two TSRs to zero TSRs in the space of a few days.

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Most people assume that WotC (or Hasbro) has been in contact with TSR3 regarding its use of copyrighted imagery.

Meanwhile, search teams have been sent out for Michael, the mysterious PR officer announced last week who made two posts and then was never heard from again. In the meantime, somebody has set up a parody Twitter account for him.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

It does, though the three (and a fourth unpublished, apparently) Choose Your Own Adventure-style game books TSR published when they had the Lazer Tag license from Worlds of Wonder in the 80s weren't written by Ward.

Series - Lazer Tag Adventures - Demian's Gamebook Web Page

Ward wrote a rule book full of different scenarios and rules for play:

TSR - Jim Ward: Laser Tag and TSR

In the '70s and early '80s the United States military used a system of infrared beams called the MILES system. The beams would hit sensors on a chest set of units and start beeping. This would cause the hit soldier to know they took a deadly strike. Training with these systems was an effective...

www.enworld.org

This is the best Laser Tag lore, though.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean, the OGL (and more importantly at the time the d20 trademark) were explicitly a way to try to distance themselves from the legacy of TSR. Instead of suing small game companies, Wizards was saying "hey we'll provide a license so that you can make D&D products and so long as you follow these rules you don't even have to ask us to do it". That was revolutionary at the time but it was needed because TSR had been so heavy-handed with licensing that Wizards had a lot to prove.

That sounds ahistorical. As I recall, at the time -- the first iteration of ENWorld was up and running at this point -- this was basically Ryan Dancey's lone crusade and he got massive pushback from WotC management (and those naysayers eventually won out with the 4E GSL garbage).

If this was a corporate initiative intended to create goodwill, it wouldn't have been a fight before, during and after the release of the OGL.

 

[darjr]

It’s funny. Ryan Dancy was corporate management. Not all of it no, he did need to make his case, but he was an officer of WotC.

He was basically the boss of WotC owned TSR.
And TSRs previous litigiousness and bad behavior was part of his argument for the OGL.

edit to add: now that I think about it he was the third in line, Gary then William’s, then Ryan.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Legal Kaiju

I’d watch that show.

Godzilla, Attorney at law:

Opposing counsel: “Objection your honor- grandstanding!”

Judge: “Agreed. (gavel bang) I’ll have no more of that in my courtroom, counselor!”

 

[Mannahnin]

That sounds ahistorical. As I recall, at the time -- the first iteration of ENWorld was up and running at this point -- this was basically Ryan Dancey's lone crusade and he got massive pushback from WotC management (and those naysayers eventually won out with the 4E GSL garbage).

If this was a corporate initiative intended to create goodwill, it wouldn't have been a fight before, during and after the release of the OGL.

Eh. It was Dancy's idea, but if management hadn't been on board, it wouldn't have happened just on his say-so. There was substantial staff and management turnover even by the time 3.5 came out, let along 4E, so I'm not sure it was the same naysayers either.

Yes, it looks like that was a victory for the sort of mentality Dancy no doubt had to argue against, but it sure looks like his vision won out in the long run.

 

[Parmandur]

That sounds ahistorical. As I recall, at the time -- the first iteration of ENWorld was up and running at this point -- this was basically Ryan Dancey's lone crusade and he got massive pushback from WotC management (and those naysayers eventually won out with the 4E GSL garbage).

If this was a corporate initiative intended to create goodwill, it wouldn't have been a fight before, during and after the release of the OGL.

The OGL also isn't entirely selfless, part of Dancey's plan was to nuke non-D&D rulesets by creating an environment where making D&D compatible product was a no-brainer and create a loop that benefited WotC's bottom line. Which, actually, worked.

 

[darjr]

Yea, the OGL was pure genius

 

[Stephen Shomo]

Yea, the OGL was pure genius

OGL - Make Believe Happen

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’d watch that show.

Godzilla, Attorney at law:

Opposing counsel: “Objection your honor- grandstanding!”

Judge: “Agreed. (gavel bang) I’ll have no more of that in my courtroom, counselor!”

The trick, of course, will ge getting someone who can do Godzilla’s japanese with Foghorn Leghorn’s voice & accent, so he can claim to be just a “poor, country Kaiju lawyer”.

Also- should Gamera sound like Joe Peschi’s Vinnie?

 

[Paul3]

Slightly off on a tangent here, but there is one thing I wanted to add to this whole mess that I haven't seen expressed (though I admittedly have not read every post in every thread). Knowing that TSR2 dropped the ball on their trademark renewal surprises nobody who purchased their version of "Top Secret". "Nuff said.

TSR is one of those nostalgic things from many of our pasts that is best served there...in the past. I like to recount the days packed into the back seat of a station wagon with my siblings driving through South Dakota in 100+ degree heat with no air conditioning back in the early 1980's. That doesn't mean I in any way want to go back.

I enjoy pulling out the old PHB or an adventure module that might be problematic by today's standards, and reflecting on the nostalgia, but the world has moved on, which is a good thing.