TSR Did TSR Sue Regularly?

Shannon Appelcline (Designers & Dragons) talks about it here! With infographics!

"Every company interacts with the rest of the industry in a different way. For Chaosium it's been more than 40 years of licensing, while Target Games created and defined roleplaying in its home country of Sweden. Dave Nalle's Ragnarok Enterprises instead influenced designers and publishers through interactions in A&Eand Abyss. As for TSR, the founder of our industry: as wags have put it: they sue regularly."

Advanced Designers & Dragons #47: TSR Connections: Licenses & Lawsuits - RPGnet

They also sued WotC once!

 

[MGibster]

They also sued WotC once!

It must have been very embarrassing when TSR had to turn over the keys to D&D just a few short years later.

I’ve had letters from WotC’s lawyers more than once. Does that count?

It's a rite of passage. It means you've hit the big time.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I owned a copy of Cyborg Commando. Sometimes I wake up in cold sweats during the middle of the night shouting about cyborgs and Xenoborgs.

When I think of Cyborg Commando, two words come to mind:

Crushing disappointment.

Rarely have I bought an RPG with such high expectations, only to have those hopes dashed upon the hard rocks of the reality of the product.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

@Rob Kuntz which title are you looking for? I might have it.

Already made a request through Aaron Leeder at Noble Night Games to send me a copy that was in stock. As we are friends I doubt there will be a problem. Thanks for the offer!

 

[Rob Kuntz]

I owned a copy of Cyborg Commando. Sometimes I wake up in cold sweats during the middle of the night shouting about cyborgs and Xenoborgs.

Believe it or not Tom DeSanto (having not read either the game or the novels by Mohan, et al) thought that this Gygax property was prime for development (there's a follow-up to the story of how he was dissuaded from that route). The best product put out by NIPI was Bob Blake's Town of Baldemar.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

I’ve had letters from WotC’s lawyers more than once. Does that count?

Close. Did they invite you for tea and a slice? Or just offer a "slice"?

 

[Helldritch]

If TSR had taken a cooperative approach to the D&D line, they might have kept their product. 3PP is not a bad way to do business. Coopération is always better than confrontation IMHO.

Now, if WotC could just open that DMGUILD on Greyhawk...

 

[Sithlord]

I am a diehard lover of the Fez series of modules by roleaids. I reworked them for d&d decades ago. They were great. May do that again with 5E or brp.

 

[MGibster]

If TSR had taken a cooperative approach to the D&D line, they might have kept their product. 3PP is not a bad way to do business. Coopération is always better than confrontation IMHO.

TSR's business model was deeply flawed but their gaming books were selling fairly well. I really doubt allowing third party publishers to produce D&D gaming material would have made much of a dent in their financial woes which were largely caused by mismanagement.

 

[Helldritch]

TSR's business model was deeply flawed but their gaming books were selling fairly well. I really doubt allowing third party publishers to produce D&D gaming material would have made much of a dent in their financial woes which were largely caused by mismanagement.

I fully agree. It would also have helped them sell even more books and to reduce the bloat they tried at the end in favor of better and more polished products.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

TSR's business model was deeply flawed but their gaming books were selling fairly well. I really doubt allowing third party publishers to produce D&D gaming material would have made much of a dent in their financial woes which were largely caused by mismanagement.

As I note in the semi-biopic novel that I'm finishing, Lake Geneva Days, TSR's business acumen was zero. IP theft (WotC instituted a relief/settlement program for such claims many years ago), lawsuits, backstabbing among themselves and others, broken contracts, nepotism, and the list goes on with over confidence (LJN fiasco, movie venture, et al), some embezzling stories, etc. That they lasted so long speaks to the strength of their primary property D&D. For how, given that monumental breakthrough. could have anyone dropped that large a leap? TSR: "Hold my beer."