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.

 

[CleverNickName]

@numtini : That seems to be the case, I haven't been able to find anything to suggest otherwise. I guess that's some relief? Still, what a bummer.

 

[Eltab]

Wow, I'm quite upset about this and have several Judges Guild products created for the d20 System. I've already purged my hard drive and now I'm going to have to dump my print products at a used bookstore or game shop for whatever I can get.

I won't throw them in the trash. As a writer, I can't do that.

Wait a bit and let your cooler head prevail. "The Boss is a jerk" does not mean the company's products are contaminated with it too. JG is, I believe, bigger than a one-man shop; give the other folks in there a chance to do something to address the situation. If they do nothing, then you may be on the right path. But suppose they force the motormouth to retire? Such action ought to be supported, I would think.

 

[Sadras]

More often what happens is that the problematic person calls for people to debate them to try to convince them of the error of their ways. This gives them a platform to talk about their views as well as cost those who are well intentioned their emotional labour. Even worse, sometimes those who don't want to put in work trying to convince the abusive to stop being abusive are called lazy or selfish for not putting in the labour to do that.

No, better I think is to let the person know in no uncertain terms that their actions and views are unacceptable by not engaging with that person anymore.

Either they change because they don't want to be left out in the cold anymore or they don't and they stop having power over others because those people have turned their back on them.

A win either way and requires much less effort.

For someone who has the profile pic of a starfleet officer (and particularly of the Next Generation series), you certainly do not espouse the go-to dialogue style of resolving/diffusing tension/misconceptions/beliefs that was so indicative of such series.

I'm not saying one has to be the likes of the amazing Darrel Davis but your comment gives them a platform to talk skirts dangerously close in the wrong direction IMO and that is all I will say about that, given board rules.

 

[tommybahama]

Antifascists are merely communists. Fascism and communism are like the devils and demons of the D&D world. Both are evil yet always fighting one another.

How about some even moderation around here?

 

[Panda-s1]

For someone who has the profile pic of a starfleet officer (and particularly of the Next Generation series), you certainly do not espouse the go-to dialogue style of resolving/diffusing tension/misconceptions/beliefs that was so indicative of such series.

I'm not saying one has to be the likes of the amazing Darrel Davis but your comment gives them a platform to talk skirts dangerously close in the wrong direction IMO and that is all I will say about that, given board rules.

I like the implication that somehow white nationalists don't actually want to do away with me and I just misinterpreted their whole agenda. my bad.

EDIT: I realize now someone might say "no one brought up white nationalists before!" but 1) yes we did, 2) in most of North America and Europe they go hand in hand with facists. I'm just going by the reality of my life.

 

[Umbran]

How about some even moderation around here?

Mod Note:

You got it! No more of this thread for you!

Now... how about we up the ante? Next person I feel needs to get a no-politics warning will also get - a one week no-expenses paid vacation away from EN World!

 

[Lanefan]

I don't think there's any real company here. Just the family licensing their father's work from 40 years ago. And running the odd kickstarter and not fulfilling it.

Last GenCon I was at (2016) they had a booth* with I think a few people staffing it, which tells me the company was more than a one-man show at that point.

* - which might - I'm not sure - have been shared with another much more acceptable company I won't name in order to avoid any guilt by association

 

[Eltab]

I don't think there's any real company here. Just the family licensing their father's work from 40 years ago.

I have no 'inside baseball' knowledge, but I hope you are wrong about that.

 

[Ancalagon]

I'm very leery of "cancel culture". It can be very destructive.


On the other hand... wow that is some pretty vile antisemitism. Can't support that :O

 

[Panda-s1]

I'm very leery of "cancel culture". It can be very destructive.


On the other hand... wow that is some pretty vile antisemitism. Can't support that :O

yes, destructive, Bill Cosby didn't do anything wrong, he just happened to get called out on it