D&D General When We Were Wizards: Review of the Completed Podcast!

[piper909]

The way Rose Estes is treated by everyone was appalling. And even after she, in the 21st century, is confronted with how little they liked and respected her, she still has their back. She was a better friend to them than any of them deserved.

I recall that Rose Estes hand-made the Bolotomus soft toys that were available in very limited numbers back in 1980-81. At least, I think it was her. I wish I still had mine! Sold it for pennies, basically, in 1998. If only I'd held onto so many items that are now high-dollar collectibles. Like the official D&D TSR t-shirts from that era, given away to uncaring nephews and nieces and then worn into oblivion.

 

[piper909]

TSR offered employees a chance to buy shares of stock during my time there (1980-81) but it was incredibly expensive to us in the design (Product development) wing. We are being paid by the hour, something like three or four bucks (if that) and the stock was priced something like $600/share. I didn't have that kind of spare cash on hand. I was also concerned that we wouldn't be able to sell it back to the company as promised and get that money back, at least. A couple of my compatriots did buy a few shares and when they were cashiered in 1981, they were able to sell them back to TSR at got their money back, maybe a little bit more if the value had increased? Hard to recall; these shares weren't being sold on an open market so the company had total control over the price and whatever value was being added. But it worked out for those guys and they were able to use that dough to return to California and have a little cash in their pockets to get resettled. Folks like LJS and Zeb may also have gotten some stock in those days? Lawrence was paid better than the rest of the Product development staff but he was still the lowest-paid senior management head in the company.

 

[piper909]

When two Chaotic Neutrals meet, bad things will happen.

 

[MGibster]

Companies that you might have think "made it" also didn't ... not really. West End Games went bankrupt at the same time ('98). Chaosium was destroyed by the failure of their card game and had to split the assets into new subsidiaries. And so on.

That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die.

 

[piper909]

I don't think any of the Product Development staff knew that Gary was being paid royalties while we were denied them (having to sign "work for hire" statements as a condition of employment). That's news to me, reading over this topic. I think we sort of assumed as a president of the company, his salary was such that royalties per se were irrelevant. So it's interesting to discover that he was being two-faced about the royalty/bonus situation when it came to the later hires.

I have heard about this podcast series and really need to try and access it! I know I was interviewed for it years ago, as was my wife Mary (see pic in the Dungeon Hobby Shop, 1981) but we were never informed by the producers as to when these came out or how to find 'em.

 

[Parmandur]

I don't think any of the Product Development staff knew that Gary was being paid royalties while we were denied them (having to sign "work for hire" statements as a condition of employment). That's news to me, reading over this topic. I think we sort of assumed as a president of the company, his salary was such that royalties per se were irrelevant. So it's interesting to discover that he was being two-faced about the royalty/bonus situation when it came to the later hires.

I have heard about this podcast series and really need to try and access it! I know I was interviewed for it years ago, as was my wife Mary (see pic in the Dungeon Hobby Shop, 1981) but we were never informed by the producers as to when these came out or how to find 'em.

Yeah, not only was he bring two-faced about royalties, but his royalties came close to destroying the conpany.

Podcast is pretty readily available, may be bloodpressure raising for you...

 

[piper909]

Heh! I dug up a copy of my first TSR weekly paycheck from May 1980. I was making $3.60/hour and punched in for 37 hours that first week. So you can guess how much I took home after taxes and Soc Sec.

I can't post the image here because of SS number.

 

[piper909]

Yeah, not only was he bring two-faced about royalties, but his royalties came close to destroying the conpany.

Podcast is pretty readily available, may be bloodpressure raising for you...

I'll make time this week. I'm fairly equanimous (Oops, that's not a word!) about it all by now. I wasn't there for the later civil wars or purges. It remains my best job experience to this day, looking back! Despite the rancor so many of us felt at the time.

Hey, I figured out how to make a reply with a quote! Give that man a Coke and a kewpie doll!

 

[Bravesteel25]

I've been working my way through these, thanks for bringing them to my attention Snarf!

I think the thing that has stood out the most to me, compared to other accounts of TSR's history that I've read, is how much Gary was actually aware of in terms of the mismanagement and strategic corporate blunders. He knew about much more than I was originally led to believe and seemingly abandoned the creatives that he was supposed to be in charge of. Super interesting listen so far!

 

[Clint_L]

Heh! I dug up a copy of my first TSR weekly paycheck from May 1980. I was making $3.60/hour and punched in for 37 hours that first week. So you can guess how much I took home after taxes and Soc Sec.

I can't post the image here because of SS number.

To put in context, I got paid $3.00/hour to start as a teenager at McDonalds just a couple years after that ('83). So...that's a pretty low wage!

Edit: In fact, as I recall $3.60/hour was the minimum wage for 18 and older at that time, at least where I lived; we got paid less because there was a reduced wage for high school students.