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.

 

[Umbran]

Are you denying the ability of human beings (particularly the straight white male variety) to be able to empathize and understand and have perspective about what happens to those in groups outside their own?

I don't think a person's own experience is strong foundation for a claim of really understanding of what it is like to be someone else with a significantly different background or experience. My getting punched in the face once doesn't really tell me what it is like to be beaten once a week by an abusive father, say.

I think I can come to have perspective on another person's experience if I engage with that other person, and really listen to them. I don't think you gain reliable perspective on your own, without major input from others.

 

[Alzrius]

....but only because they do?

They really do. I've been doing it for years now.

 

[Gradine]

You must think half the newspapers in the UK are alt-right, then.

I mean...

 

[Gradine]

Yea but keep in mind, there was once a time when a woman "not knowing her place" was objectionable. - The point being that a majority finding something objectionable doesn't make it objectively so.

May we all live to see a more enlightened future, where Nazi ideology is no longer seen as universally objectionable.

 

[Dausuul]

There is a case to be made that the Internet in general, and social media specifically, amplifies "mob" behavior and that it can cause damage to people's lives and businesses far out of proportion to anything they actually said or did.

This incident is not an example of that.

In fact, it's a pretty good example for the counter-argument: There have to be consequences for bad behavior--offensive or hateful speech very much included--or the trolls take over everything. Just look at ENWorld and compare it to similar forums with less (or no) moderation. ENWorld is far more civil and pleasant, and that's because the mods take action when somebody starts behaving badly.

Bledsaw may still spew his bile after this, but he will have a less visible platform to do it from. (Not that he was all that visible to begin with, but now he is even less so.) And considering that he was running--badly, from what I hear--a business inherited from his dad, it isn't like he's losing something he built up by his own sweat and tears. I think JG going under is an entirely proportionate response.

 

[Umbran]

This incident is not an example of that.

This deserves to be in bold italics.

 

[Morrus]

Both sides or no sides please. If you care a whit about my perspective that is—and you certainly don’t need to!

I don’t know what that means. I’m just reporting what happened. What’s the “other side” I’m missing?

 

[Dausuul]

This deserves to be in bold italics.

Good point. Done.

 

[Mallus]

If this thread serves no other purpose than to get a few more people to watch ContraPoints, it has done ENWorld a service.

Also, if you want to read good writing about Very Online culture (which is where ‘cancel culture comes from/developed alongside), check out Jia Tolentino. She’s staff at the New Yorker now and has a recent book called Trick Mirror. I think she’s one of the best young writers today.

As for The Publication-House of the Antisemitic Overlord, Jr... this really doesn’t read like the typical Internet furor. More of a public service announcement from a disappointed business relationship, followed by reasonable response from other parties who don’t want to be associated with a guy who was public with his reprehensible views.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

As for The Publication-House of the Antisemitic Overlord, Jr...

From what I read, Bob Sr was not publicly anti-semitic...

 

[Mallus]

From what I read, Bob Sr was not publicly anti-semitic...

That why I added the ”Jr.”!

 

[HarbingerX]

I was a young teen in the 80s when 'politically correct' became a thing, and I heard all the same arguments we hear today trying to justify using derogatory terms for minority groups and rights to free speech. The arguments failed then and then got revived on the internet because it's so much easier to amplify a single person or small groups speech. I'm optimistic that we'll find ways, like what people are doing here, to remove the message amplification the internet brings. Then the haters can just hate in their pocket universe.

 

[Gradine]

I also don't really get all this talk about an "angry mob". I am, as the kids say, terminally online. And yet I did not hear about these statements until this thread, when two companies had already dropped him. And I didn't hear about Drive Thru being involved in this at all until they announced they were dropping the JG books.

There's a lot of talk of "generalities" which makes me think some people are using this incident as a proxy for a very different battle. This isn't the hill to die on, folx.

 

[Panda-s1]

From what I read, Bob Sr was not publicly anti-semitic...

I mean, idk if you saw the comment I found but: Concerning Judges Guild

 

[Rikka66]

I mean, idk if you saw the comment I found but: Concerning Judges Guild

One random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man didn't hold any such beliefs. Another random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man made some troubling statements in private 40 to 50 years ago.

I'm inclined to say there's no documented proof, and therefore think it's best not to engage in any speculations about a dead man's possible hidden bigotry.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I will also call you out for not actually reading what I am saying.

When you start having to repeat this, it's time to consider that you aren't communicating your point as well as you think you are.

 

[Mistwell]

For those saying we should try to persuade people rather than lock them out, I did try. I felt I gave it a pretty good effort until he disappeared.

 

[Mistwell]

One random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man didn't hold any such beliefs. Another random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man made some troubling statements in private 40 to 50 years ago.

I'm inclined to say there's no documented proof, and therefore think it's best not to engage in any speculations about a dead man's possible hidden bigotry.

Just to be clear, the first person who says he did not hold those beliefs is not anonymous - he's pretty well known actually, he just doesn't post here at ENWorld much anymore (this may have been his first post here in many years). His recollection is also backed up by James Mishler over on James' website. I don't know the person who said Bob Sr. did hold those beliefs, but he may not be anonymous either.

 

[Panda-s1]

One random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man didn't hold any such beliefs. Another random anonymous person claiming to know Bob Sr. claims the man made some troubling statements in private 40 to 50 years ago.

I'm inclined to say there's no documented proof, and therefore think it's best not to engage in any speculations about a dead man's possible hidden bigotry.

well due to the first anonymous person's claim people are willing to prop Bob Bledsaw Sr. up as faultless, he would never say anything like that your copies of old JG stuff are totally okay to keep and use don't worry!

which honestly makes me uncomfortable, he's from a time where low levels of racism were completely tolerated and oh hey it turns out he wasn't perfect. I still don't regard him as bad as his son or grandson.

 

[Mistwell]

well due to the first anonymous person's claim people are willing to prop Bob Bledsaw Sr. up as faultless, he would never say anything like that your copies of old JG stuff are totally okay to keep and use don't worry!

which honestly makes me uncomfortable, he's from a time where low levels of racism were completely tolerated and oh hey it turns out he wasn't perfect. I still don't regard him as bad as his son or grandson.

Two non-anonymous people who did know Bob said it. Can we stop with the claims they're anonymous? They're not. These are two people in this industry.