Judges Guild and the Wilderlands

Gradine · Feb 17, 2020

Oh, several-year-old spoilers for The Good Place, I guess? But seriously, you should be watching The Good Place.

RogueRonin · Feb 17, 2020

Looks like Goodman Games is still going forward with the JG volume 2 book. Part of the money from the Kickstarter going to charities, including Bledsaw's royalty.

Gradine · Feb 17, 2020

I was about to say, there are a lot of worse ways to honor the legacy of JG without supporting JG directly than by supporting whatever it is Jennell Jaquays is up to these days. Looks like this is probably the best outcome one could have hoped for beyond completely scrapping this product. While I would have gone with different charities personally, I think this is probably the best we could have asked for.

Not exactly timely... but then I'm sure there was a lot of back-and-forth and probably some legal stuff involved in getting to this point.

Eltab · Feb 17, 2020

Morrus said:
If JG goes under due to people not wanting to give money to its owner, supporting a company which has bought the IP from JG's owner has the same effect, surely? So I'm not sure what the ethical route would be for a customer who (a) wants JG material and (b) doesn't want to support its current owner.

Paying a person to go away / retire / golden-parachute, and future money will move through a different channel nowhere near that person, is a reasonable solution to the problem of separating the noxious person from the IP &c. It will not happen for free.
The desired future: future RPG'ers can buy and use quality material, and not suffer from twinges of conscience - because they paid Goodman / whoever, not the noxious individual, for the book.

Retreater · Feb 17, 2020

Gradine said:
I was about to say, there are a lot of worse ways to honor the legacy of JG without supporting JG directly than by supporting whatever it is Jennell Jaquays is up to these days. Looks like this is probably the best outcome one could have hoped for beyond completely scrapping this product. While I would have gone with different charities personally, I think this is probably the best we could have asked for.

Not exactly timely... but then I'm sure there was a lot of back-and-forth and probably some legal stuff involved in getting to this point.

Jennell Jaquays has always been a favorite designer of mine, and I look for anything she's worked on.

darjr · Feb 17, 2020

Ralif Redhammer · Feb 17, 2020

Not the response I expected, but a heavy funneling of moneys into charities is no bad thing. Nor is celebrating the work of Jennell Jaquays.

Very surprised to hear that Bledsaw II is also donating to those charities, though.

darjr · Feb 17, 2020

darjr · Feb 17, 2020

Copy here
Joseph Goodman and I had the opportunity to get together on Sunday at Dundracon (neither of us were attending, it was just a good place to meet) and share our thoughts on what just happened this week with Judges Guild, a company I used to work for over 40 years ago as a designer/artist, creating a good share of their more memorable products, including Dark Tower for AD&D, Caverns of Thracia, and The Book of Treasure Maps (also Duck Tower, and Hellpits of Nightfang).
I'm currently working with Goodman Games on their second retrospective book on the history of Judges Guild, primarily featuring my work for them, and work of mine that was later republished by them.
The take away, if you don't want to listen to us talk about the product is:
1. We both condemn the racism and anti-Semitism expressed by the Bledsaws in their recent social media postings.
2. We are still going forward with the book. It is about the history of an important company in the earliest years of the RPG games and not the people currently handling their forebear's legacy.
3. The Bledsaws/Judges Guild will receive no money from the sale of this book. Joseph and I have chosen a pair of non-profits that deal specifically with anti-defamation and plan to give twice the royalty payment amount that would have gone to JG to them. I say "Would have gone" because JG has asked that their royalty be added to that total.
Special thanks to Rebecca Heineman who did our camera work for this video.
Goodman Games Comments On Judges Guild|Goodman Games

der_kluge · Feb 18, 2020

You know, I'm not a huge fan of Goodman Games in general (I find their stuff to be TOO old school for my personal taste, but it's a personal preference), but that statement warms the heart, and I might have to make a point to pick up what their working on just on the principle of the matter.

Good stuff