Judges Guild Makes Statement About Goodman Controversy [Updated]

Judges Guild--the company which owns the City State of the Invincible Overlord property which Goodman Games has controversially licensed for an upcoming crowdfunding campaign--has put out a statement covering the situation, amongst other things.

Much of the lengthy statement by JG owner Bob Bledsaw II is a political monologue about keeping politics out of games while simultaneously speaking at length about Bledsaw's own political views and positions, and his criticisms of opposing viewpoints. It's not entirely clear why everybody else is expected to keep politics out of gaming while Bledsaw himself won't stop talking about them, but for those who wish to read it in full, it can be found here. [edit—the post seems to have been deleted now, but you can read it at the end of this article]

However, the update does raise some interesting facts:

• Joseph Goodman originally asked to make City State of the Invincible Overlord in 2010, but it was not until 2022 (two years after the 2020 outbursts which caused Goodman Games to cut ties with Judges Guild) that Bledsaw agreed to it.
• Goodman Games will be producing 5 years of the Dungeoneer fanzine, after which Judges Guild will take it over.
• Judges Guild has plans for a range of products over the coming years.
• The charitable donations on sales of JG products on GG's website being made after the 2020 outbursts were ended in 2022 because JG and GG agreed it was time for the Guild to make some cash.

This information, if true, stands in contradiction to Goodman Games' own statements. In February 2020, Goodman Games said:

• Goodman Games has stopped selling our previous Judges Guild products through all distribution channels.
• Judges Guild will no longer receive income from Goodman Games products now that sales of their titles have ceased.
• We have one remaining product to release, which is a collector’s edition focused on the works of Jennell Jaquays.
• After this final volume, we have no plans to release future Judges Guild titles.

It's not clear how all these statements line up, given that some contradict others. Judges Guild products are currently available on Goodman Games' website.

I did reach out to Goodman Games, but was just referred to their public statements on the subject.

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Bob Bledsaw II (Judges Guild)'s statement in full:

Hello Friends and Guild Family,
As the Guild's 50th Anniversary approaches, I wished to let you all know about plans we have set for the coming few years. Some are thru licensees and some through our own internal processes. We have good things in the works for 2026, and beyond.
Let me remind you all that I am no liar. Keep that in mind. I have always been honest with others in this industry, and my record will show my candor, generosity, and good-will toward all. Like my father, I encourage other game publishers, welcome joint ventures, and leave politics out of my business life. I consider that a part of being an American. I do not expect others to conform to my way of thinking, but the weaponization of politics to harm people, or the competition in our industry, is becoming more and more common. I find it hypocritical that persons who would cancel, or effect a boycott, against an individual would themselves support laws that would criminalize the boycott of certain countries. But there you have it; laws for thee, none for me. It will ruin our industry, as it has others.
Dave Arneson foresaw all this, and we spoke in 2008 of what would happen as more liberal johnny-come-latelies pushed into our industry. Regardless of what the woke may wish, it was an industry created largely by White, Christian, stragegists; most very active in their respective churches. Sadly, the current trends would attack or change the achievements of others; burn an industry down, rather than create their own. It is always easier to destroy something than to create it. I created the company logo at age 13, but only with my father's instigation, but I challenge you to find a more bad-ass company logo anywhere in the world.
Dave believed that once the game industry made more money than the movie industry, they would come in a wave like it was the California Gold Rush... producing small private game companies, likely producing a lot of bad games, and moving them thru their own small game stores, while touting them thru media outlets. He said it would be no different than the way they pushed poor films thru their own small theaters for decades. They would flood the market with so many distractions that honest publishers would not stand a chance against their profit margins. And, as for the big players, "they do not care about what we created, they are fine with destroying it."
Dave knew that what Gygax had done was all sold, and he advised me to never allow the Wilderlands, or the Guild IP as a whole, to be sold away to "the heartless beast," as he called it. He understood that the Guild represented what was left at the heart of it all. It created the game-module, it created the stand-up, it proved the market to TSR. But 50 years later, TSR is no more, and the industry pioneers are dying away from us, and D&D suffered a dismal 50th; due largely to leftist posturing, and everyone wishing for more of this or less of that.
The founders were all good men, family men, and people who understood humor without pearl-clutching, yet we work to include everyone at our game-table, even today. We are not out to promote a way of thinking, or an agenda. We try hard to make good products at a fair price, but the Guild must compete against publishers who use cheap Chinese labor houses. Once, Joseph Goodman came to me, having found paper like our original maps had been printed on, but I said no to it, because the paper came from China. He knows what people want, so I trust he will always make top-notch products. We just could not find it in America.
That is not always easy here. Our policy from the beginning was to produce ALL AMERICAN products, and we always have. We were literally founded on July 4th 1976, on the nation's bicentennial. I remember the day well, and watched the fireworks over the lake from Bill Owen's hilltop home. Joseph Goodman recently commented on how much he loved my father's work, and I do not doubt that sincerity, but it set wrong with me, maybe it is my age talking, but I was there! It was my work also; from the company logo, to the first map, and Tac Cards on... It was MY work also. Many of the covers, much of the layout; I was a part of the Guild Family, and that included everyone working with us. There were Whites, Blacks, Muslims, Jews, Gays, Catholics, Native Americans, South Africans, City Intellectuals, and Country Farmers, all working under the Guild banner, in-house, and in all those years, never an argument over politics or religion. THAT IS AMERICA, a mutual respect for diversity! Not at all what overshadows our industry today, and I see all that for what it is; a self-righteous power-grab.
Nevertheless we work on, and the Overlord is Invincible. As it is currently planned with Goodman Games, City State of the Invincible Overlord, our flagship, will see revisions in 5th Edition, and Dungeon Crawl Classics. Now, the Goodman folks jumped ahead of us; we were to have a planned rollout in July of this year. The Guild version, in Bob Bledsaw's JG Universal format will include materials Bob wrote but has never been used. The page count has doubled, and will likely come in 2 Volumes. We know this will make for a great product, because the same process of applying Bob's draft content to The Thieves of Badabaskor resulted in many great reviews and happy letters.
It is true that Joseph Goodman has long wished to do CSIO, and asked about it as far back as 2010, but I was always opposed to that as D&D was becoming more magic-heavy with each new rule-set, and my father's original Wilderlands was magic-light. I did not think it was a good fit. But by 2022, after having seen the successes of his DCC system, and always assuming that our own version would come, I agreed, because it would allow a whole new generation to see the City State with the lenses of their choosing. He told me it was bound to be grand, shipped internationally, and for the first time, printed in 5 languages! That is great guns! Joseph has a great team and he will always be considered a dear friend.
Now back in 2020, I had no problem with giving the Guild's royalties to the ADL, as it seemed the right thing to do after my irrational posts, but we agreed it was time for the Guild to make some cash, and so it was set down in 2022, but I allowed Joseph to pick his own timing, because he had more important projects, after having acquired Dark Tower and Caverns of Thracia. I assumed Jennell Jaquays would be working with Goodman over the next several years; so I provided her with copies of her many Guild letters from our files to help stir some creativity. I also hoped to gain her help on another project I will mention later, after having given her the freedom to produce a revision of Night of the Walking Wet. Sadly, Jennell passed away, and it made me all the more glad for that hug at our last parting. I always respected the talented artist she was.
Also, speaking of unpublished material, our Imperial Pegasus magazine will see revival, as a periodical, but with a likely format change. It will certainly not be a 94 page monster, but will allow us to produce all manner of content, crawls, Wilderlands expansions, sci-fi material, industry comment, and reviews. As planned, Goodman Games will produce 5 years of Dungeoneer, whereupon JG will take over production of the classic fanzine, and this will allow us to use all the Jennell Jaquays material and art that was unpublished. You may wait a bit longer than that, but the Jaquays influence will live on in the coming Dungeoneers; her original dream. As a fellow artist, I think it is fitting that those works see use in this way. I still have some of her original paintings that would make lovely prints or future covers.
Other products are here being readied for release before our Anniversary: Village Books I & II, Book of Rumors I, Amulets & Talismans, Island Book II, Washbears of the Wilderlands, Citadel of the Lion, and a first ever fantasy novel set in the Wilderlands. The Book of Rumors will be a series, providing detailed lore for each of the Wilderlands Maps areas. Island Book II, will host islands, less Mediterranean, but with a Coral Sea flavor. My fiance of 3 years, her father a provincial healer of Bukidnon, has provided much rare folklore from the Islands of the Philippines, translated from Bisayan and Mountainyard languages. And although the 2014 Maps cannot be completed, a friend from my college years has just this month found us very similar paper, made in America, that will be test printed in the coming days. Over the coming months of 2025, we hope to make use of our YouTube Channel, and provide more support for our product line, in the form of free downloads. I hope news brings many smiles. We are happy to be working with good-hearted partners, and we do thank you for supporting us all.
Sincerely, Bob Bledsaw II

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UPDATE! Goodman Games Says Bledsaw Is Not Correct!

Wobblerocket reached out to Goodman Games and got a response from Joseph Goodman who said that Goodman Games is NOT going to be producing the Dungeoneer fanzine. In Bledsaw's statement (above), Judges Guild said "As planned, Goodman Games will produce 5 years of Dungeoneer, whereupon JG will take over production of the classic fanzine". Joseph Goodman says "I think it’s best if Goodman Games speaks for what Goodman Games is doing. And Goodman Games is definitely not doing Dungeoneer."

He only refutes Bledsaw’s claim that Goodman Games will be producing Dungeoneer. He does not respond to the questions about the timing of the Invincible Overlord agreement, and was not asked about the redirection of the charity donations back to Judges Guild.

Wobblerocket: In a post on Facebook yesterday, Judges Guild stated that they agreed to allow Goodman Games to publish City State of the Invincible Overlord in 2022, two years after Goodman Games stated they were no longer going to be publishing Judges Guild projects.

Judges Guild also stated that Goodman Games is planning to publish Dungeoneers, but you have stated in your videos that you aren’t publishing any more Judges Guild projects after CSIO. I couldn’t find any information about this on your website.

Could you clarify for me if this information is correct?

Joseph Goodman: Hi — in short, this information is not correct.

Wobblerocket: Thank you.

What are the plans for the Dungeoneer magazine? Is that an IP that Goodman Games licensed from Judges Guild?

Joseph Goodman: Hi – to make a long story short, Goodman Games has or had rights to quite a few Judges Guild titles, and we have no plans to release any except CSIO.

The contracts have confidentiality clauses so I’m quite limited in what I can say. But in short…the information you emailed about is incorrect. I think it’s best if Goodman Games speaks for what Goodman Games is doing. And Goodman Games is definitely not doing Dungeoneer.

 

[BryTheOld]

You are who younchoose to support. I'm done with Goodman. They've had plenty of opportunities. To break ties now would be not a moral choice on their part but a survival one. Which isn't sufficient.

 

[Morrus]

It appears that Goodman Games had sunk costs into this project before or at the time the white supremacist ranting started.

But the Judges Guild and Goodman Games only agreed to to make it in 2022, two years later. Why would they be sinking costs into developing a product which the IP holder had refused them permission to make? As far as I can tell, unless GG contradicts me, there were no sunk costs in 2020, and development didn't start until 2 years after those events.

 

[TuskaloosaTim]

But the Judges Guild and Goodman Games only agreed to to make it in 2022, two years later. Why would they be sinking costs into developing a product which the IP holder had refused them permission to make? As far as I can tell, unless GG contradicts me, there were no sunk costs in 2020, and development didn't start until 2 years after those events.

I stand corrected then! If the deal was made in 2022 that is very grim indeed given the statements GG made.

 

[Willie the Duck]

Dear Joseph Goodman/Goodman Games,

I sit here in my attic office, not going into the office because no one will be around right before Memorial Day. I do so while reading this truly execrable post from the younger Bledsew fellow, wrapping himself and his positions up in the flag those soldiers we are to remember on Memorial Day fought and died for. I do so knowing that many, probably most, of those soldiers would be sickened to know that this individual believes he represents their social, moral, and political positions, and/or the ideals for which that flag stands.

I do so also within grasping distance of a number of IP products that mean or meant a lot to me. Novels by Orson Scott Card, albums by Michael Jackson, three copies of Bill Cosby's To Russell, My Brother, Whom I Slept With --two of which are basically unusable because I listened them so many times that I scratched or wore out the vinyl (but which I couldn't make myself throw away). These creators have revealed themselves to be, stand for, or have done things which make me unwilling to provide them (or in Jackson's case his peer-age family heirs who were adults at the time of his behavior, yet enabled it rather than stopped it) with further revenue. That does not retroactively make their work not have been amazing, nor a huge influence on my life.

I say this to make clear one thing to you. It is okay to like things by people with horrible behavior. It is definitely okay to like things made by people whose heirs that now own their IP have horrible behavior. However, it is also okay (admirable, and in my opinion advisable) to not promote or provide revenue to people with horrible behavior. Especially when there is no specific urgency. It is not make-or-break for the City State of the Invincible Overlord. You are not saving this thing from your past that you love. A few more years of languishing in obscurity might convince Bledsew II that it requires removing him from the equation for it to once again be a viable product. Regardless, it is not your responsibility, and you should not feel the need to shoulder it with the poison pill with which it comes.

And the poison is very real. Now, we have every reason not to trust Bledsew II. However, in this most recent tantrum (and that's what it was), he made statements which directly contradicted your public pronouncements. These indicated more cooperation between your organizations and more direct benefit to them than you indicated in your public statements -- you know, the only communication you are providing to your actual loyal customers and fanbase. Whether true or not, these statements suggest that you are lying to your customers to benefit someone they detest and falsely minimize your association with said detestable individual. This is the kind of thing that ends up being a point of stasis, sea change, or watershed moment. It is where people move, in the eyes of others, from ignoring or excusing the transgressions of others to enabling or cooperating with them. Allowing Bledsew II's statement (if false) to stand, or continuing with such cooperation and obfuscation (if they are true) will have the effect of tarring you with the same brush as them and Judges Guild.

This is your moment to make a choice. This is your opportunity to say, 'I'm sorry everyone, I wanted this too much, and I let it get in the way of my better judgement.' I think most people will understand that, and you can mostly return to the way things were (publicly) a few months ago. Otherwise, it can be your moment to say, 'I am publicly taking a stance that I consider my goals regarding CSIO as too important to me to care about the concerns others have with Judges Guild, Bledsew II, and what they stand for. Make your decisions accordingly.' This is also your moment to say, 'He's lying/telling the truth,' with regards to Bledsew II's divergent position on the level of cooperation your two organizations, and the revenue you will be sending their way. At this point, even despite Bledsew II's know tendency towards falsehood, I think there will be considerable burden on you to back up claims that he is being false here.

What it is not time for (and that time has clearly passed) is any form of silence, non-transparency, non-decision, or hoping to have it both ways on this. You are not going to get to work with Judges Guild but not suffer the massive reputation hit that entails. You are not going to be able to frame this CSIO project as harmless for those who wish it not the benefit JG. These are not dictates on my part, I have no influence over the situation. It is simply my appraisal of the reality of your situation.

I hope you make the right decision. Best wishes on your current and future endeavors that align with that right decision, and best wishes in life in general.

 

[TuskaloosaTim]

There are several 'worst case' scenarios for GG. Imagine if Tucker Carlson or some other extremists, 'replacement theory' advocates, get wind of this relatively small controversy and decide to make common cause with GG/JG to defend them from"woke nonsense." The core fanbase of GG will leave and they will be left with a customer base from the dregs of 4chan and Truth Social.

 

[Umbran]

Because, what this project needed, more than anything else, was for Bledsaw to drop trou in front of the entire market.

 

[Cordwainer Fish]

Something GG should have kept in mind.

 

[zottel]

There are several 'worst case' scenarios for GG. Imagine if Tucker Carlson or some other extremists, 'replacement theory' advocates, get wind of this relatively small controversy and decide to make common cause with GG/JG to defend them from"woke nonsense." The core fanbase of GG will leave and they will be left with a customer base from the dregs of 4chan and Truth Social.

As I see it, GG is a business. The goal of a business is to make money.
If appealing to certain ideals makes money, a business will want to do that. If there is more money in ignoring these ideals later, they will be ignored.
It takes some thick moral backbone to stand firm and let the money pass. Might even talk yourself into ignoring your morals, if you have employees that need the paycheck, or any other innocent reason.

 

[schneeland]

The whole affair is quite sad - DCC is one of my favourite systems and I had a generally good impression of Goodman Games, and I feel, even if they completely severed the ties to Judges Guild/Bledsaw right now, they have already tarnished their reputation. I still hope GG take this step soon, because if they think they can get out of this without upsetting a lot of people, they are massively misreading the room IMO.

And because it seems quite fitting, here's the picture of another burning dumpster, that at least looks cute:

 

[TuskaloosaTim]

As I see it, GG is a business. The goal of a business is to make money.
If appealing to certain ideals makes money, a business will want to do that. If there is more money in ignoring these ideals later, they will be ignored.
It takes some thick moral backbone to stand firm and let the money pass. Might even talk yourself into ignoring your morals, if you have employees that need the paycheck, or any other innocent reason.

Seems like a risky gambit for GG--trying to find out if there's more money to be made appealing to white supremacists than sticking with your original customers.