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.

 

[Azzy]

 

[FrogReaver]

That's not dehumanizing. Stop with your false equivalency.

It actually is though.

 

[Azzy]

It actually is though.

No, no it isn't. Just stop.

 

[Mistwell]

You mean like dehumanizing someone by calling them a racist and anti-Semite? Or that’s okay dehumanization because it’s true?

Look, I know how you think such things work. But i also know that the reason you show such outrage instead of just defending Your position is because you’ve likely never really thought about it and tried to scrutinize it.

Hey, dude? I explained in detail the harm it caused me. You opted to not reply. Is there some reason for that?

 

[Bohandas]

Stop broad brushing. If you believe this guys speech was harmful to Jewish people then you should be able to articulate why.

Its harmful independent of ethno-religious considerations.

1.) He's promulgating untrue information, which increases the chances of people who trust him believing and acting on untrue information.

2.) The fact that he's randomly trash talking people for no reason and means it marks him as a d-bag regardless of whether or not the trash talk is racist or sectarian in nature

EDIT:
3.) He's also a blowhard, as he talks a big game about things he's clearly ignorant about.

 

[FrogReaver]

Hey, dude? I explained in detail the harm it caused me. You opted to not reply. Is there some reason for that?

I didnt realize that was the intent of your post.

I will go back and read it in that light.

by the way, try a little less “hey dude” tone in the future. Comes across as you trying to be condescending.

 

[FrogReaver]

Hey, dude? I explained in detail the harm it caused me. You opted to not reply. Is there some reason for that?

I am having trouble finding this particular post. Your assistance is required.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

So I'll ask you as well, who did his behavior harm?

Proverbs 18:21 puts it this way: “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

Research has backed that up, showing that bigoted, dehumanizing language makes it easier for the listener to commit harm (of all kinds- physical, psychological, economic, social, etc.) against the slurred.

IOW, once you start using slurs, it’s easier to become a bully. That’s bad for both sides of the power equation.

 

[Warpiglet]

The internet is hilarious.

if you are offended by the whack job’s comments don’t buy his company’s products. If you aren’t offended, do whatever.

easy.

I would not want my kids around someone who talks like that. If I wanted a product and remembered someone involved was this kind of jerk it would give me pause.

then again if I am that scrupulous, I would watch few movies and buy very little music. So if I really wanted something it might not matter.

in other news, a company should cut ties if not doing so hurts them. Nothing is stopping them. Nothing to do with “rights.”

cancel culture really sucks if someone is repentant about a mistake from a ages ago. Avoiding someone who actively acts like an ass to the present is doing what is natural.

not rocket science

 

[Umbran]

But I'm curious - what harm did he cause to Jewish people?

Mod Note:

Now... the question is... what harm does expressing anti-semitism do to Jewish people?

Really?

This thread is done. Good night everyone.