D&D General Companies Cut Ties With Judges Guild After Owner's Racist Posts

Several game publishers, including Bat in the Attic, have said that they will no longer do business with Judges Guild after its owner posted a number of racist and anti-semitic statements. They don't need to be repeated here; but there are several examples.

Judges Guild has been around since 1976, producing products compatible with Dungeons & Dragons; the current owner, Bob Bledsaw II, is the son of its co-founder, Bob Bledsaw, and has run the company since 2008. The company is well known for 1976's City State of the Invincible Overlord, amongst other classics. Bat in the Attic and Frog God Games both license Judges' Guild properties.

Rob Conley of Bat in the Attic stated yesterday that the company would no longer do business with Judges Guild, or its properties. "Sunday evening, I called Robert Bledsaw II and discussed the issue. I notified him that I will no longer be doing future Judges’ Guild projects and will only continue to sell what I have currently listed. I stated that I will be calling the other Judges Guild licensee and inform them of the situation and of my decision."

Frog God Games, which has been working with Judges Guild for nearly 20 years, followed suit. "Recently the owner of Judges Guild made a series of racist and anti-semitic posts on Facebook. We will not reproduce them here; they are shown on Rob Conley's Bat in the Attic blog, and we are convinced of their authenticity. Rob wrote his post because, as a licensee of Judges Guild property, he felt he needed to state clearly that he would not be doing business with Judges Guild in the future. We have also licensed property from Judges Guild in the past, and we are seconding Rob's example by cutting off all future business with Judges Guild. The posts made on Facebook were completely unacceptable."

UPDATE — DriveThruRPG has severed ties. “The Judges Guild publisher account has been closed and they are no longer available on DriveThruRPG.”

A few years ago, Judges Guild ran a Kickstarter to bring back City State of the Invincible Overlord, with nearly a thousand backers raising $85K. The Kickstarter has not yet been fulfilled. The latest update was in October 2019.

 

[Bolares]

When you've been thrown to the ground and kicked by a group of people, stoned, tripped, spit on, pushed, stabbed, punched, mocked, belittled, and so forth, then you can tell me how you feel reduced.

I was going to respond to that but... I don't really have to prove anything to you to validate how I feel.

I don't personally feel why one gets abused is nearly as important as the fact that they have been. If you have been abused, and made to feel small, regardless of why, you have my full sympathy has someone who has also suffered. If you are trying to tell me that I don't have your sympathy, because I wasn't mocked for the right reasons (reasons I might add you don't know), take a step back and ask if that is reducing other people.

In any moment I accused you of lacking empathy, or said you don't have my sympathy, please stop projecting. There is no "right reason" for being mocked or reduced, and I've never said that, this is a straw man argument.

My point was, just saying "join the club" is very reducionist and treats every trauma as the same. Everyone suffering at some point is not a justification for targeted bigotry.

 

[Celebrim]

Using your personal experiences as a bludgeon with which to deny systemic discrimination and oppression is incredibly short-sighted and narrow minded.

Bludgeon? What is more likely, that I'm using my personal experiences to deny systemic discrimination and oppression, or that you will use systemic discrimination and oppression to deny my personal experiences?

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[ad_hoc]

The proclamations of:

"There are bad people on all sides"
"All people suffer"
"People are being judgmental"
"We need to have a debate and hear both sides"

Are tools of the oppressors and privileged to attempt to keep the status quo. They don't want anything to change so they cry that change is bad. Of course change is bad for them, they have all the power. Some of them are actively evil, some of them just don't see a problem and are without compassion because they don't have the same problems as the marginalized.

I think the internet is definitely a good tool overall. People aren't putting up with that crap anymore. No we don't have to hear the bigots out - no tolerance for the intolerant.

I'm not friends with anyone like that and I don't do business with anyone like that. I don't engage with them and I suggest others to do the same.

That goes for the people like that in this thread too. If they don't like being ostracized they can stop being awful people.

 

[Celebrim]

I was going to respond to that but... I don't really have to prove anything to you to validate how I feel.

No you don't, but it would probably be a close run which of us has more often had a fist in our face by someone calling us "fag". You don't have to tell me what you've been through, but you can at least not assume that I can't sympathize with it.

Everyone suffering at some point is not a justification for targeted bigotry.

Didn't say it was, did I?

 

[Bolares]

Not every suffering is the same, not every reaction to suffering should be the same. Those are facts, and none of those mean that my suffering is larger than yours, when I say I feel reduced by you generalizing my suffering I'm not trying to say mine is worse than yours. But trauma has nuances, and has to be dealt in different ways for different people. i'm sorry you suffered to, but please, don't tell me to "join the club" or try to tell me how I should feel

 

[Celebrim]

but please, don't tell me to "join the club" or try to tell me how I should feel

Are you telling me how to feel?

Here's the thing. I believe in rules that depend on reciprocity. You tell me that when you have to think that your suffering is comparable to the suffering of other people, it makes you feel "reduced". Ok. But I'm not the one then setting myself above other people. Even if you are saying it's on the basis of your suffering that you feel above other people, I'm not really comfortable with that.

 

[Celebrim]

The proclamations of:

"There are bad people on all sides"
"All people suffer"
"People are being judgmental"
"We need to have a debate and hear both sides"

Are tools of the oppressors and privileged to attempt to keep the status quo. They don't want anything to change so they cry that change is bad. Of course change is bad for them, they have all the power. Some of them are actively evil, some of them just don't see a problem and are without compassion because they don't have the same problems as the marginalized.

I think the internet is definitely a good tool overall. People aren't putting up with that crap anymore. No we don't have to hear the bigots out - no tolerance for the intolerant.

I'm not friends with anyone like that and I don't do business with anyone like that. I don't engage with them and I suggest others to do the same.

That goes for the people like that in this thread too. If they don't like being ostracized they can stop being awful people.

Be careful that all that rhetoric isn't just an excuse for drawing a circle around your tribe and raging against everyone else.

 

[Bolares]

Are you telling me how to feel?

Here's the thing. I believe in rules that depend on reciprocity. You tell me that when you have to think that your suffering is comparable to the suffering of other people, it makes you feel "reduced". Ok. But I'm not the one then setting myself above other people. Even if you are saying it's on the basis of your suffering that you feel above other people, I'm not really comfortable with that.

No, I'm not telling you how to feel, in any moment I've tried to tell you how to feel.

You didn't say "your suffering is comparable to the suffering ofother people". You said, "Join the club, everyone suffers at some point." please tell me you can see the difference.}

I NEVER stated that I feel above ofother people, in fact, you were the one that tried to compare sufferings to prove that I shouldn't feel reduced because, based on nothing, you've assumed I've never been beaten up for being who I am.

 

[Celebrim]

You didn't say "your suffering is comparable to the suffering ofother people". You said, "Join the club, everyone suffers at some point." please tell me you can see the difference.}

Not really. If there is some fine distinction, it was not meant.

]I NEVER stated that I feel above of other people

Then why do you feel "reduced"?

in fact, you were the one that tried to compare sufferings to prove that I shouldn't feel reduced

That's not why I did it.

because, based on nothing, you've assumed I've never been beaten up for being who I am.

And that's not what I said. If you can hold up me for stereotyping, it's because I assumed that you had been beaten up - not that I assumed you hadn't been.