Dragon 315: "The Suits"

[Kichwas]

I'll take Reynolds to Otus any day. Even though it has dropped a bit, it is still a huge leap over where it was.

I'd flip that. They've yet to match what Otus delivered in terms of mood. Otus created the feel for classic DnD and it's just gotten blander and blander since.

 

[Mordane76]

She who cannot be named?

Perhaps I'm just a little dense or just never paid attention in those days, but who exactly does this term refer to from TSR? I mean, I was pretty young in those days (like 14-16), so I wasn't really reading who's name was on the covers back then, and didn't really get hardcore into D&D until I graduated high school (was a big WoD player in high school), so I think I missed this person.

 

[Staffan]

Perhaps I'm just a little dense or just never paid attention in those days, but who exactly does this term refer to from TSR? I mean, I was pretty young in those days (like 14-16), so I wasn't really reading who's name was on the covers back then, and didn't really get hardcore into D&D until I graduated high school (was a big WoD player in high school), so I think I missed this person.

TSR used to be owned and run by a woman named Lorraine Williams, who according to all sources didn't exactly like gaming. As an aside, she was one of the heirs to the guy who wrote Buck Rogers, so if you wonder why TSR kept making Buck Rogers RPGs, it was because she wanted to move money out of the company covered as license fees.

 

[Bloodsparrow]

TSR used to be owned and run by a woman named Lorraine Williams, who, according to all sources, didn't exactly like gaming. As an aside, she was one of the heirs to the guy who wrote Buck Rogers, so if you wonder why TSR kept making Buck Rogers RPGs, it was because she wanted to move money out of the company covered as license fees.

Okay, that's rather sucky on a number of levels.

So a) why must she not be named? Is it just that "we" don't like her, or is there a more... legal reason? and b) what sort of control does she have now a days?

 

[mythago]

The Easley, the Elmore, the Parkinson, and the Caldwell, I can hang with. But the Brom? Ugh!

Funny, that's what I was about to say about the Elmore.

 

[Staffan]

Okay, that's rather sucky on a number of levels.

So a) why must she not be named? Is it just that "we" don't like her, or is there a more... legal reason? and b) what sort of control does she have now a days?

A: As far as I know, it's just something that has stuck.

B: None, unless she's a Hasbro shareholder. WOTC bought TSR lock, stock and barrel. For what it's worth, I vaguely recall Sean Reynolds or some other TSR employee posting "Ding dong, the witch is dead" to various places online just after the sale of TSR to WOTC was finalized.

 

[francisca]

Okay, that's rather sucky on a number of levels.

So a) why must she not be named? Is it just that "we" don't like her, or is there a more... legal reason? and b) what sort of control does she have now a days?

She's long gone, since TSR was sold to WotC.

And I refuse to name her, as like many unspeakable evils, the mere mention of the name may summon it forth....

you know, basic D&D fare

 

[francisca]

I vaguely recall Sean Reynolds or some other TSR employee posting "Ding dong, the witch is dead" to various places online just after the sale of TSR to WOTC was finalized.

Forgot about that!

Thanks for reminding me!

 

[Orius]

Okay, that's rather sucky on a number of levels.

So a) why must she not be named? Is it just that "we" don't like her, or is there a more... legal reason?

From what I've read, she basically had no respect for gamers (her customer base) whatsoever, she had a reputation for looking down her nose at gamers. My guess is that she was pretty much why people started referring to TSR as T$R, for several reasons. First, the way I understand, she saw gamers as morons that would buy just about any old crap the company would produce. Secondly, she didn't seem to have any creativity or imagination whatsoever, TSR's business plan in her days were basically to come up with a product that would sell and be as popular as Dragonlance, hence the reason 2e sprouted like a half a dozen different campaign settings. And there was also the early days of the Internet, back when people started sharing D&D related material on the net, TSR started cracking down on them and threating them with lawsuits. I guess that's what started the spread of terms like T$R and "They Sue Regularly". So it's little wonder that long time D&D players have very little love for Lorraine.

 

[Beretta]

What about Sam Wood? I'm surprised that he doesn't rate more of a mention.