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.

​

 

[Abstruse]

Unfortunately, the name "TSR" will keep them alive even if we ignore them. They have already gotten their name (along with the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum) onto Wikipedia, Forbes' website, and into local travel media in the Lake Geneva area like madison.com and Yelp. There are lots of people that will be suckered in by the name alone. The target market isn't people like us, it's people who will visit their museum and buy their stuff online based on the name alone. That's why WotC's legal battle against them is so important; ignoring them will not make the problem go away.

That being said, I do try and avoiding typing out the name of Dave Johnson's magazine into the internet as much as possible.

This is pretty much it. Without the name of "TSR", nobody would have noticed these guys and the only thing that would've gotten reported about them was Ernie Gygax's live stream. Once the lawsuit finishes and they lose the trademark (which it's highly unlikely for the trial to go any other way), they won't be "TSR" anymore unless they keep using the trademark in violation of the court order. At that point, they'll quickly vanish outside the little niche of problematic, toxic creators.

 

[DLIMedia]

In case anyone is doubting the authenticity, there are a few Twitter posts that track with his Facebook posts. Like these, posted on the same day.

ETA: And he kept location tracking on in Twitter.

 

[hunter1828]

This is pretty much it. Without the name of "TSR", nobody would have noticed these guys and the only thing that would've gotten reported about them was Ernie Gygax's live stream. Once the lawsuit finishes and they lose the trademark (which it's highly unlikely for the trial to go any other way), they won't be "TSR" anymore unless they keep using the trademark in violation of the court order. At that point, they'll quickly vanish outside the little niche of problematic, toxic creators.

But that shouldn't be the end of it. Out of sight, out of mind shouldn't be the end goal for people like this. I don't want them gone from the small circle that is tabletop gamers and creators; I want them, and their hateful kind removed from mainstream society as a whole. I don't want them influencing or being influenced by others like them to commit heinous crimes like those in Buffalo or Laguna Woods in the past few days. As someone who is of Native heritage, who is pansexual, who is overweight, who is an outspoken liberal, I am among several of his and his kind's targeted groups, as are many of my family members and friends, and the way this jackwagon and others like him think terrifies me.

 

[Professor Murder]

Given how awful the stuff on that Twitter feed is, I'm surprised it hasn't been shut down entirely. Surely it violates all sorts of Twitter's TOS?

Oh my sweet, summer child.

 

[overgeeked]

In case anyone's curious but doesn't want to click on the link: This is not subtle. This is not dogwhistles. This is not "if you read between the lines" or "place it in context with other posts" or anything like that. This is a collection of overt, blatant, and straightforward declarations of the worst and most vile hate you can possibly think of directed at pretty much every single marginalized group in the most disgusting ways possible.

Wish I hadn’t clicked the link. I need a shower.

I think the thread is titled the way it is for legal reason. There is no question given the content in that link.

 

[Professor Murder]

Scratch a lie, find a thief. Thinks like this are why being ambivalent about White Supremacy can just be a public cover for good old fashioned enthusiastic endorsement.

 

[Abstruse]

But that shouldn't be the end of it. Out of sight, out of mind shouldn't be the end goal for people like this. I don't want them gone from the small circle that is tabletop gamers and creators; I want them, and their hateful kind removed from mainstream society as a whole. I don't want them influencing or being influenced by others like them to commit heinous crimes like those in Buffalo or Laguna Woods in the past few days. As someone who is of Native heritage, who is pansexual, who is overweight, who is an outspoken liberal, I am among several of his and his kind's targeted groups, as are many of my family members and friends, and the way this jackwagon and others like him think terrifies me.

When it comes to reporting on problematic and toxic individuals in the RPG industry, there's a balancing act. Yes, we want to expose these toxic and problematic elements so that people know who and what they are. However, we also have to be careful we're not ourselves platforming them in the process. You can't deplatform and expose them - you have to choose. Therefore, we typically choose those who already have a platform and/or whose actions are so egregious that exposing them is the better option.

 

[Charlaquin]

Disgusted but not surprised

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Surely people aren’t still surprised that TSR3 are just as horrible as we thought they were right at the beginning?

 

[DLIMedia]

Surely people aren’t still surprised that TSR3 are just as horrible as we thought they were right at the beginning?

I admit I knew they were bad, but not quite this bad...