TSR Just when you thought it was all over.... now there’s a fourth TSR!

In the story that will never end, after having this week turned itself into Wonderfilled, Inc, and deleted its Twitter account, TSR is BACK AGAIN! Like again, again, again, again. Complete with old-school logo! And Michael appears to actually exist!

Michael K. Hovermale says in a press release that an unnamed individual (I’m guessing Stephen Dinehart) apparently ran all the social media accounts for TSR, Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum, Ernie Gygax, Justin LaNasa, and Giantlands. He goes on to say that this person has been replaced, and that all posts on those social media accounts are "invalid". There's no mention of Stephen Dinehart's social media accounts though.

Dinehart has left TSR3, taking Giantlands with him. Given that Star Frontiers mentions have been quietly removed a week or so ago, that would leave TSR3.5 without any roleplaying game products, as far as I can tell.

The existing (TSR3} website still says it's WONDERFILED (sic), Inc. However there’s now a NEW one at TSR Hobbies. We’ll call that TSR3.5 for now. I’m struggling to distinguish TSRs from tribbles at this point. They just keep on coming!

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...

www.enworld.org

I don't really know what to say anymore, but my job is to report the news. So here's the news.

TSR Appoints New Public Relations Officer; Responds to Social Media Mismanagement - PR.com

TSR has replaced the individual that was serving as both social media manager and information technology manager for TSR and The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum.

www.pr.com

TSR Appoints New Public Relations Officer; Responds to Social Media Mismanagement​

Lake Geneva, WI, July 09, 2021 --(PR.com)-- TSR has replaced the individual that was serving as both social media manager and information technology manager for TSR and The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum. This individual was also the social media manager for Giantlands, Justin LaNasa, and Ernie Gygax.

All posts on all social media accounts for TSR and Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum should be considered invalid.

All posts on all social media accounts of Justin LaNasa and Ernie Gygax should be considered invalid.

TSR is in the process of recovering the social media accounts of TSR, The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum, and the personal Twitter accounts of Justin LaNasa and Ernie Gygax.

Michael K. Hovermale
Public Relations Officer
TSR

Ernie Gygax:
“I wish to speak directly to the transgender community regarding this incident. The individual who was speaking to you on Twitter does not represent me or TSR in any way. Trans people are always welcome to play with us. Everyone is welcome at our table.”
Contact
TSR LLC
Michael K. Hovermale PR Officer
(209) 819-7504

 

[Remathilis]

I guess this all goes to show you can't spell Transphobia, Sexism and Racism without T S R.

 

[MGibster]

I don't get all the hub-bub over "TSR". I was playing in the early 80s and I know what TSR is, but I don't understand why do people care about this name so much.

I'm honestly not sure a lot of people really care all that much. We're certainly talking about it a lot, but we're kind of a self-selected group and this place is hardly representative of the gaming community at large. TSR went defunct 24 years ago and most current players were either very young or hadn't been born yet so they won't have any fond memories of the company. And Gary Gygax's involvement with D&D ended 35 years ago with his exodus from TSR so I don't think his surname name has any particular power over most players these days. (And, honestly, I had Cyborg Commando so I knew the Gygax name didn't automatically turn anything it touched to gold!)

I care a little bit. Most of my memories associated with TSR from the 80s and 90s are positive as most of their gaming material was pretty good -not you, Maztica- and of course D&D, Marvel Superheroes, Gamma World, and other games are tied up with memories of my friends and where I was at various points in my life. So, nostalgia I guess. Over the years I've grown to appreciate people like Gygax, Arneson, Greenwood, and others while simultaneously being amazed at how successful TSR was despite the myriad of problems they had actually running a business. But now when I think of TSR, not that I think about it frequently, I'm going to think about Ernie Gygax. And that's kind of a bummer.

 

[MGibster]

That's very true. OTOH, I recently DMed a 5e game for a group of 40-52 year olds, all of whom came away buzzing in a way that I absolutely recognised from when I first played Basic D&D. We may not be able to go home again (and, dammit, DMing feels like a lot more work than it used to when I was in my early teens), but at least we can still invite others into that home for the first time.

Don't get me wrong, I still have fun playing the game otherwise I wouldn't be playing. I'm just not trying to recapture the same feeling in 2021 that I had in 1988. Though it's delightful to game with new players because they often see the game with fresh eyes and come at it with a different perspective and that's always fun.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I mean, that storyline was bad enough that I sort of tuned out of Marvel comics entirely: a textbook shark jumping moment.

There was a glimmer in the first issue of how they had probably pitched it -- Captain America is still an idealist, but now he's a Hydra idealist -- but then it fell apart into the mess everyone expected it to be.

A nuanced handling of the forces of evil is probably beyond the capabilities of a big Marvel crossover event to pull off. Mark Waid did a credible job in his Empire indie book, but that petered out before too long.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Who are the five rogues?

Well, there is Rod, Vince, Dave, and his brother Michael and his other brother Michael (newhart reference for you young 'uns)

Also, both Michaels are totally fictional

 

[Faolyn]

Heck. If they don't announce 5e Dark Sun at D&D Live this year I will write a Swords and Sorcery setting that is similar enough to fulfill the same niche without stealing the names and we can release it as a PDF for however much you want, Sacrosanct...

And I'm not kidding.

...How close would you make it to Dark Sun? Because I am interested in an S&S setting, but I don't want one that's Dark Sun with the serial numbers filed off.

 

[Faolyn]

Even at the time, it was obvious something was up with Charisma Carpenter in Buffy.

That said, the Boom Comics reimagining of Buffy is great, and either purposefully, or through a happy accident, seems to be a conscious corrective to a lot of the Whedon failings of the series.

I almost certainly missed that in BtVS (I can be oblivious; her crappy treatment in Angel was much more obvious) but I just know if I rewatch the shows now, I'll see all those bits.

I didn't like the first year of the Buffy or Angel comics since they seemed... a bit silly at times (I recall Dawn turning into a centaur, I believe), but I may give the more recent ones another go.

 

[Steampunkette]

...How close would you make it to Dark Sun? Because I am interested in an S&S setting, but I don't want one that's Dark Sun with the serial numbers filed off.

I took about 10 minutes earlier to write up a "Highlight Pitch".

1) Regional Cultures. While there are different player races they're all culturally mixed up within the City-States around the area. Some tribal groups maintain "Racial Traditional" cultures, but mostly it's a blend.

2) Horrible Gods. A departure from Dark Sun that hearkens to older works. There are divine entities but they're largely either wicked or uncaring. There's probably a good deity but their worship is cult-like and small in the world while the other gods get constant appeasement to avoid harm.

3) Largely desolate environment. What arable land exists is largely owned by evil people and worked by slaves to provide food for society, most of which goes to the fewest people. Herding scrub-eaters and hunter/gathering are the most common ways for tribes to survive in the wild.

4) Small forests, sun-parched savannahs, lots of desert, lots of rocky terrain, mud flats and oases. Fragile ecosystems, everywhere, ready to collapse if abused.

5) Psionics are something that mark someone as "Different" or "Special". It won't get you a free pass to the king's table, but being born with Psionic Potential basically tells everyone you're probably going to survive to adulthood and be someone important. Also not something so trivially common that everyone has some.

6) Sorcery/Magic is largely viewed as FOUL because of terrible kings and horrible people performing profane rituals. Rather than defiling the world, it corrupts the body. Purification rituals have to be performed often to keep the naturally corruptive nature of magic from taking hold of the spirit. But people who purify themselves face no problems in the long term. (Might be short-term use problems, will work on a system later)

7) Ancient Ruins from Earlier Ages. Pretty much everyone "knows" that the gods were angered by mortals and sent down terrible curses and unleashed the yawning maw of hell. What great offense that was is lost to time, but might be found within the ruins.

8) Unknown cosmology. There is no Planar Travel magic. Maybe because the planet is cut off from the planes, maybe because the people just never strove to leave their world. There's practically no knowledge of the planes whatsoever beyond broad sweeping generalizations of the Gods living in their "Own" places and monsters coming from "An Evil Place".

9) Dangerous World. Between strange beasts, hell's spawn, harsh weather, and the curse of the gods, the lands are a place few can safely travel alone. Tribes can move through the wastelands by staying close together and in large enough number to ward of large threats, with enough cooperation to move the supplies needed, etc. But small groups... Delightful Targets.

10) Mutants and Monstrousness. Cannibalism is a thing. And there are tribes that have been struck down to small enough numbers they have to Raid to survive. And horrible actions can be just as corrupting as magic without purification. Add to that the curse of the gods and degenerates tend to degenerate into more and more monstrous forms with every evil act. (Note: No racist connotations for corruption, nor ableist ones. Things like cat-eyes and claws, mouths full of too many teeth, horror stuff)

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I took about 10 minutes earlier to write up a "Highlight Pitch".

1) Regional Cultures. While there are different player races they're all culturally mixed up within the City-States around the area. Some tribal groups maintain "Racial Traditional" cultures, but mostly it's a blend.

2) Horrible Gods. A departure from Dark Sun that hearkens to older works. There are divine entities but they're largely either wicked or uncaring. There's probably a good deity but their worship is cult-like and small in the world while the other gods get constant appeasement to avoid harm.

3) Largely desolate environment. What arable land exists is largely owned by evil people and worked by slaves to provide food for society, most of which goes to the fewest people. Herding scrub-eaters and hunter/gathering are the most common ways for tribes to survive in the wild.

4) Small forests, sun-parched savannahs, lots of desert, lots of rocky terrain, mud flats and oases. Fragile ecosystems, everywhere, ready to collapse if abused.

5) Psionics are something that mark someone as "Different" or "Special". It won't get you a free pass to the king's table, but being born with Psionic Potential basically tells everyone you're probably going to survive to adulthood and be someone important. Also not something so trivially common that everyone has some.

6) Sorcery/Magic is largely viewed as FOUL because of terrible kings and horrible people performing profane rituals. Rather than defiling the world, it corrupts the body. Purification rituals have to be performed often to keep the naturally corruptive nature of magic from taking hold of the spirit. But people who purify themselves face no problems in the long term. (Might be short-term use problems, will work on a system later)

7) Ancient Ruins from Earlier Ages. Pretty much everyone "knows" that the gods were angered by mortals and sent down terrible curses and unleashed the yawning maw of hell. What great offense that was is lost to time, but might be found within the ruins.

8) Unknown cosmology. There is no Planar Travel magic. Maybe because the planet is cut off from the planes, maybe because the people just never strove to leave their world. There's practically no knowledge of the planes whatsoever beyond broad sweeping generalizations of the Gods living in their "Own" places and monsters coming from "An Evil Place".

9) Dangerous World. Between strange beasts, hell's spawn, harsh weather, and the curse of the gods, the lands are a place few can safely travel alone. Tribes can move through the wastelands by staying close together and in large enough number to ward of large threats, with enough cooperation to move the supplies needed, etc. But small groups... Delightful Targets.

10) Mutants and Monstrousness. Cannibalism is a thing. And there are tribes that have been struck down to small enough numbers they have to Raid to survive. And horrible actions can be just as corrupting as magic without purification. Add to that the curse of the gods and degenerates tend to degenerate into more and more monstrous forms with every evil act. (Note: No racist connotations for corruption, nor ableist ones. Things like cat-eyes and claws, mouths full of too many teeth, horror stuff)

Real good.

Would be even better if the land was broken, so all remaining lands are floating ''islands'' in an endless sky!

Sorry...I just love me some Skies of Arcadia/Baten Kaitos


Oh and I'd also make the ''gods'' reside somewhere IN the plane instead of them being OUT. So they are within your reach, you can even meet them, but they are not ''good people''. That makes them even more unlovable: they are not distant and uncaring, they are uncaring in your face.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

In a lot of S&S settings, powerful magic is rare, either as items or casters.