TSR I think we’ve finally made it!

[toucanbuzz]

Underdark has been trademarked or copyrighted? Thought it was a generic term.

The term Underdark was created in the 1980s by TSR, so TSR owned that as copyright material until bought by Hasbro. They've specifically given notice that word is off-limits (for sake of the OGL folks to make their lives easier), so they haven't constructively abandoned it.

It wouldn't stop someone from publishing an adventure that mimics the Underdark. But they'd have to call it something different, like the Depths.

 

[Smackpixi]

“can be played in one or two sessions depending how the players drive the game.” So 15 bucks for a one shot?

 

[darjr]

Also, besides the logo, would the mimicking trade dress cause issues?

 

[Hussar]

“can be played in one or two sessions depending how the players drive the game.” So 15 bucks for a one shot?

Totally off topic but 15 bucks seems pretty reasonable for four to eight hours of entertainment for five people.

The undervaluing of rpg products is a long standing issue totally removed from this paricular dumpster fire.

 

[Yaarel]

Based on the recent history of the Nu TSR company, this product appears to be reallife hatespeech.

The "cult" appears to be demonizing innocent gays and transsexuals.

The hatespeech literally demonizes these innocents, while invoking the demonic concept of "Abaddon" from the Christian Bible.

Meanwhile, the product even repurposes hatespeech tropes that historically demonized innocent populations, such as "poisoning wells", in order to saturate their product with hate against reallife modern innocents.

If there is a reallife fringe religious cult that the NuTSR content creators belong to, that teaches them to hate innocents, then they need to pick a new religion. Religions can be tolerant and compassionate, and able to coexist alongside other humans.

 

[darjr]

Wait the author is Vincent who is The EvilDM who has since stepped away from NuTSR?!?

I didn’t know that.

 

[Deset Gled]

LaNasa and co. seem to suck plenty, but even Freud acknowledged that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Normally, I would tend to agree with you to not read too much into things. Abbadon and the Red Hand are common enough, and I generally give people the benefit of the doubt.

OTOH, I think it's unlikely that LaNasa would take swipe at ENWorld but not at anyone else. And NuTSR has a history of bigotry. If anyone ever needed a cultural editor so that they didn't accidently offend anyone, it's NuTSR. Unfortunately, it looks like they didn't budget much for any editor at all.

 

[Deset Gled]

Wait the author is Vincent who is The EvilDM who has since stepped away from NuTSR?!?

When did EvilDM step away from NuTSR?

 

[Maxperson]

Based on the recent history of the Nu TSR company, this product appears to be reallife hatespeech.

The "cult" appears to be demonizing innocent gays and transsexuals.

The hatespeech literally demonizes these innocents, while invoking the demonic concept of "Abaddon" from the Christian Bible.

Where are you getting that from? I don't see anything on the cover or in the release language that says or implies anything about gays and transsexuals.

 

[Yaarel]

Where are you getting that from? I don't see anything on the cover or in the release language that says or implies anything about gays and transsexuals.

Based on earlier NuTSR "public relations", it was pretty much the topic of transsexuals that caused the brains of its "spoke persons" to fall out.

Ernest Gygax is guilty here too.

Yes, there is sharp edition warring, against non-1e D&D gaming styles.

But it is the topic of gender identity that correlates their descent into full-on (maybe even legally actionable) hatespeech.