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!

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Well, that's been a, to date, dead issue, yes. But I will not speak for Terry. I have had many ruminations about the matter over the years, covered in part in my ongoing work (coming 'round a bend and racing for the home stretch) Lake Geneva Days.

You're welcome! All my earliest days with the LGTSA and TSR were golden as we pursued a dream for all. I'm glad that you received a slice of it!

Yeah, I have to say that we were all pretty blown away. When I HEARD about the idea of D&D (I think I was 11 or 12, but I loved wargames already back then) it was like a bolt of lightning struck. THIS IS IT! It actually took a couple years to get hold of enough of the rules and people to play regularly (the big kids would have none of us, we got to play with them once, when our Boy Scout leader told them they weren't allowed to leave people out, lol). Once we got started it was pretty cool.

In terms of who got what out of the whole TSR thing... I got involved with some game development in the late 70s, and got to know some of the Game Science, and Metagaming/Steve Jackson guys and soon learned, there's no money in this! I mean, we were simply utterly thrilled if someone used our stuff at all. I remember writing a space combat game that MANY people played for years, and we even hacked together RPG rules and whatnot, but who ever made a dime off that, really? I guess my point is, your brother was probably just thrilled at the time that his awesome monster was all over the game and got used a lot. I doubt he even imagined there would be money involved in any significant quantity. But that's just my guess, maybe things were different in Lake Geneva. Gary certainly operated at a bit different level from everyone else, lol.

 

[JustAnIdea]

Correction. Terry was not employed by TSR at the time he showcased his short story about the Beholder, first to me and then to Gary, this as Gary and I were finishing Sup 1 to D&D, Greyhawk (its FC is where the Beholder (drawn by Bell) first appears as an illo).

@ALL: As I've indicated I am not going to get into the matter, any further than I already have, on these boards.

You have been extremely generous with your person insight on this history. Can I ask you one final question? At the time that you and Gary were " finishing Sup 1 to D&D, Greyhawk" what was your official job title? I had actually heard some where your job was in the shipping department. And you did not really "officially" hold any creative development type title.

 

[JustAnIdea]

That 'My Good Bear' is the understatement of the year.

You have been extremely generous with your person insight on this history. Can I ask you one final question? At the time that you and Gary were " finishing Sup 1 to D&D, Greyhawk" what was your official job title? I had actually heard some where your job was in the shipping department. And you did not really "officially" hold any creative development type title.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

You have been extremely generous with your person insight on this history. Can I ask you one final question? At the time that you and Gary were " finishing Sup 1 to D&D, Greyhawk" what was your official job title? I had actually heard some where your job was in the shipping department. And you did not really "officially" hold any creative development type title.

Actually I'd rather not derail the topic any further through focusing upon my general history. If you have personal or commercial interests in that line of questioning I'd rather be contacted off-board: Go to Three Line Studio and scroll down to my estate's contact e-mail.

Thanks!

 

[Weiley31]

From what I've heard, quite a lot.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

From what I've heard, quite a lot.

A Company named "Sue"...

 

[RealAlHazred]

A Company named "Sue"...

"And if we ever rebrand as a company
We'll name it
Gleemax or Wizards or Hasbro
Anything but TSR!"