Does TSR3 Have Nazi Connections?

Evidence has been compiled by an anonymous website which suggests that TSR3's Star Frontiers: New Genesis (Star Frontiers being one of the trademarks under legal 'dispute' with WotC right now) is written by an author with extreme Nazi sympathies.

TSR - The Full & Glorious History of NuTSR

Because the Saga of TSR3 has been ongoing for a while, with many landmarks, I thought I'd do a quick timeline for those who haven't had the time (or, frankly, inclination) to keep up with the whole palaver. As multiple entities refer to themselves as TSR, I will use the nomenclature (1), (2)...

www.enworld.org

I'm not going to directly post the hateful images and tweets here because the content is extreme. It's one of the most focused outpourings of hate that I've personally seen.

But there is a website [CONTENT WARNING -- I need to post the link as evidence but I honestly do not recommend that you click on it] where somebody has anonymously and comprehensively compiled screenshots which indicate that a Twitter feed called 'DaveFilmsUS' (that they allege belongs to New Genesis author Dave Johnson) is filled with hate speech and Nazi imagery. These tweets include racist, homophobic, and transphobic content, along with Nazi and white supremacy memes. There are images of swastikas, and messages about the 'replacement' of white people. The tweets cover a long period of time, going back to at least 2017. They are extreme.

Star Frontiers: New Genesis is a book whose existence many doubt. It shows up as 'sold out' on TSR3's webstore on Dungeon Hobby Shop. Earlier this year, TSR3 posted manipulated images of piles of books (below) made to look like they were Star Frontiers stock. To the best of my knowledge, nobody has seen this book. The game was announced in June 2021.

Meanwhile, Star Frontiers owner Wizards of the Coast continues to sell the game on DriveThruRPG. TSR3 attempted legal action against WotC last year with the goal of claiming ownership of some of WotC's IP; WotC responded with a countersuit which is still ongoing.

Johnson, who runs Dave Johnson Games, also publishes an ezine called Alarms & Journeys, a name presumably 'inspired' by the the well-known zine Alarums and Excursions by the award-winning game designer Lee Gold. Alarums and Excursions has been running since 1975, and is still published to this day.

TSR3 is run by Justin LaNasa (a tattooist, weapon designer, and briefly a politician who refers to himself as Sir Justin LaNasa), who sent (real) TSR alumnus Tim Kask profane messages in January of this year. TSR3 is the third company to bear the name, and is in no way connected to the TSR which published Dungeons & Dragons from the 1970s to the 1990s.

WotC's countersuit against TSR3, which names the company and Justin LaNasa personally, currently remains ongoing.

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[Steampunkette]

The amount of "Fighting back creates more Nazis!", here, is just disturbing.

Fighting back doesn't create more Nazis. It exposes more Nazis that already existed and you didn't know about.

Or. More likely. It stops Nazis.

See, Nazis want debate. They want to put on a fancy tie and attend a political dinner and turn their genocidal politics into topics of polite debate. Into "Interesting Hypotheticals" that you can consider over tea. Because the more you separate the horror of their intentions from discussing those intentions the easier it is to convince someone of their validity. Or, at least, the validity of "Just Talking".

This is what Spencer was all about. 'Til he got decked on camera and disappeared. Know what else disappeared? All those articles about the polite and kind alt-right that various magazines spent thousands of dollars on. The white-washed bellybutton gazing articles that gave Spencer and his ilk a platform.

You don't talk to Nazis. You don't give Nazis the chance to spread their hatred as polite conversation. This is what the Paradox of Tolerance is all about.

If you punch a Nazi, and someone else goes "That's not fair, he said nothing wrong! You're gonna make me join his side!" then that person was already a Nazi, they were just too cowardly to say it with their full chest before you punched a Nazi in their presence.

Because you don't go down the Genocide track over a fistfight. You were already riding that train, you just leaned out the window to complain.

@GuyBoy is right. You never let the Nazis congregate in public. It makes them feel accepted, welcomed. Makes them feel like they can say hateful things with impunity. Makes them feel -supported-.

Nazi bars, Nazi clubs, Nazi dance halls... All need to go. And if you've got one in your city? You have precious few options for dealing with it.

Shut them down. Kick them out. Nazis don't get peace.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

The only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. We cannot tolerate Nazis in any form, or they will win. We cannot allow Nazism to survive, or it will eventually win. It's the Paradox of Tolerance.

Nazism is one of the few examples of true thoughtcrime. Genocidal monsters don't deserve and should not be allowed a spot in the public forum.

if you lock them all up and teach tolerance to all I see no reason to believe you need to kill them.

Heck there are some that are all talk, and the danger they pose is in inciting those that are not... if you can find way to get to those that MIGHT be prone to be a danger and talk to them first, turn them from that path, then those that are all talk are all just wind bags.

I will never fault someone for physical violence in defense of self or other, I will rarely condemn someone for violence in a hot blooded rage. I however can not get behind cold logical sitting in calm safe places and saying "the people who think and say evil things must be killed"

and as I said that simple statement has made me enemies of good people who in there hearts think they are doing nothing wrong.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

That is kind, but I'm just the messenger here. Somebody else did all that work, and folks here on EN World pointed it out. I can't take the credit.

do not be too modest. Others did the leg work and others brought it to you. This is a team effort... but the same was true for every major reporter sitting behind a news anchor desk. You did your part. You showed and exposed and brought this too us (even if it meant possible repercussions big or small).

I respect you for that.

 

[DLIMedia]

That is kind, but I'm just the messenger here. Somebody else did all that work, and folks here on EN World pointed it out. I can't take the credit.

Although I was one of the people who brought the link to light, you're one of few that did what we were unwilling to do... properly and professionally report on it. Thank you for that.

 

[mudbunny]

That's an unhealthy tract. Advocating or implying imprisonment or government censorship for bad thought is overplaying your hand, as you have no way to actually make it happen and anyone with even the slightest sympathy for them will view them as slightly more reasonable for receiving such comments. Making this an existential "it's us or them" issue is what these bastards want, don't give it to them.

I apologize for getting political, but most countries do in fact ban hate speech. It IS an "us or them" when the whole philosophy of transphobes, nazis and white supremacists is the elimination of an entire group of people. As soon as you start wanting to allow their opinions in public and start discussing it, you are accepting that some of their points of view are acceptable.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

That's one town over from me. I had no idea. It is one thing to know this type of hate is out there, but to Know how close is truly just grossed and icky and scary. I have a son that this man would gleefully do harm to for no reason other than being who he is.

I am sorry, I hope your family is as safe as it can be. I too have family and friends that would be in that danger. I would like to think noone in my city, no one in my area at all... but I know that is not true, and I fear everytime I see a slight political difference "how far is that person, is this minor or danger?"

but we all need to know that this story COULD have been 3-5 houses away from any of us.

I hope you hug your son tonight. I hope that there is never anyone actively moving against them and anyone else... I just know the odds are not in our favor.

 

[Steampunkette]

if you lock them all up and teach tolerance to all I see no reason to believe you need to kill them.

Heck there are some that are all talk, and the danger they pose is in inciting those that are not... if you can find way to get to those that MIGHT be prone to be a danger and talk to them first, turn them from that path, then those that are all talk are all just wind bags.

I will never fault someone for physical violence in defense of self or other, I will rarely condemn someone for violence in a hot blooded rage. I however can not get behind cold logical sitting in calm safe places and saying "the people who think and say evil things must be killed"

and as I said that simple statement has made me enemies of good people who in there hearts think they are doing nothing wrong.

When you lock up a bunch of White Supremacists what you wind up with is more well connected White Supremacists.

Same thing with Nazis or any other bigot.

See, the problem with "Teaching Tolerance" is that they have to want to -learn- to be Tolerant. But that's almost never the case.

Sure. Maybe you can talk a handful off the ledge. Maybe you can work with some.

But. The amount of harm that is caused while you delicately try to work that person into less of a dumpster fire is massive.

Meanwhile, you punch a Nazi and they learn that Nazism isn't accepted within arm's reach of you. Everyone punches the Nazis and they learn there's nowhere that is safe to be a Nazi. That they have to hide it. That it's something society considers to be unacceptable.

Then they have a choice. Stop being a Nazi (or at least openly so), or keep getting punched in the teeth.

Dick Spencer stopped showing up in public for a reason. His political aspirations collapsed for a reason. His connections dried up. His wife left him. All for a Reason.

And that reason was a right hand to the side of the head followed by a strong elbow.

 

[Horwath]

I apologize for getting political, but most countries do in fact ban hate speech. It IS an "us or them" when the whole philosophy of transphobes, nazis and white supremacists is the elimination of an entire group of people. As soon as you start wanting to allow their opinions in public and start discussing it, you are accepting that some of their points of view are acceptable.

Let them.

We had presidential elections in 2019 and we had one far right candidate that was in some polls in the lead, but he got trashed in all debates and lost lots of support just for having world views that he had.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

If you punch a Nazi, and someone else goes "That's not fair, he said nothing wrong! You're gonna make me join his side!" then that person was already a Nazi, they were just too cowardly to say it with their full chest before you punched a Nazi in their presence.

Because you don't go down the Genocide track over a fistfight. You were already riding that train, you just leaned out the window to complain.

this assumes people are 'born' or 'always' evil. that no one was ever persuaded by evil. that no one ever started down a dark path and was brought back.

that person that said you shouldn't have hit them MIGHT be a nazi, but they might also be someone that I could talk to and show that as much as the fistfight was a bit much, that the nazi DID start it with proposing violence against others.

Yes the world need soldiers, the world needs cops. The world needs people who are willing to punch Nazi's... but the world also needs psychologists and aid workers and organizers and peaceful protesters... and people willing to talk, people who can pull people back from the brink.

Have you ever noticed dispirit lone people are all evil? of course not. but alot of those evil people can convince dispirit lone people to join up...

 

[Vaalingrade]

Well, letting them fester quietly in a society, infiltrating the government for twenty years clearly worked.

And letting them fester quietly in our society for fifty years, infiltrating the government for fifty years clearly worked.

So I'm sure letting them fester loudly and openly in our in our society openly holding positions in our government, media and corporations is going to go stellar.