TSR Just when you thought it was all over.... now there’s a fourth TSR!

In the story that will never end, after having this week turned itself into Wonderfilled, Inc, and deleted its Twitter account, TSR is BACK AGAIN! Like again, again, again, again. Complete with old-school logo! And Michael appears to actually exist!

Michael K. Hovermale says in a press release that an unnamed individual (I’m guessing Stephen Dinehart) apparently ran all the social media accounts for TSR, Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum, Ernie Gygax, Justin LaNasa, and Giantlands. He goes on to say that this person has been replaced, and that all posts on those social media accounts are "invalid". There's no mention of Stephen Dinehart's social media accounts though.

Dinehart has left TSR3, taking Giantlands with him. Given that Star Frontiers mentions have been quietly removed a week or so ago, that would leave TSR3.5 without any roleplaying game products, as far as I can tell.

The existing (TSR3} website still says it's WONDERFILED (sic), Inc. However there’s now a NEW one at TSR Hobbies. We’ll call that TSR3.5 for now. I’m struggling to distinguish TSRs from tribbles at this point. They just keep on coming!

TSR - TSR3 Throws In Towel, Rebrands Wonderfilled

In the news story that never ends, after reversing its position earlier and admitting that it was NOT the original TSR reincarnated, the new TSR company, embroiled in acrimony for the last two weeks, and having blamed the widespread criticism it has received on Wizards of the Coast, has deleted...

www.enworld.org

I don't really know what to say anymore, but my job is to report the news. So here's the news.

TSR Appoints New Public Relations Officer; Responds to Social Media Mismanagement - PR.com

TSR has replaced the individual that was serving as both social media manager and information technology manager for TSR and The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum.

www.pr.com

TSR Appoints New Public Relations Officer; Responds to Social Media Mismanagement​

Lake Geneva, WI, July 09, 2021 --(PR.com)-- TSR has replaced the individual that was serving as both social media manager and information technology manager for TSR and The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum. This individual was also the social media manager for Giantlands, Justin LaNasa, and Ernie Gygax.

All posts on all social media accounts for TSR and Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum should be considered invalid.

All posts on all social media accounts of Justin LaNasa and Ernie Gygax should be considered invalid.

TSR is in the process of recovering the social media accounts of TSR, The Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum, and the personal Twitter accounts of Justin LaNasa and Ernie Gygax.

Michael K. Hovermale
Public Relations Officer
TSR

Ernie Gygax:
“I wish to speak directly to the transgender community regarding this incident. The individual who was speaking to you on Twitter does not represent me or TSR in any way. Trans people are always welcome to play with us. Everyone is welcome at our table.”
Contact
TSR LLC
Michael K. Hovermale PR Officer
(209) 819-7504

 

[Cadence]

Some good examples there and one objective one we can measure. Tim Kask got his "most number of views ever" and it's....5000 views. In a hobby of 20 million.

The OSR facebook group is so small it doesn't even show up on the first page of search results for that topic.

If Matt Colville talked about it, I cannot find it on either of his channels as a topic. Slyflourish talked about it and got...4000 views.

You're talking about a big splash in a very tiny pond. These are rounding error numbers in the number of D&D players out there.

What size are the biggest/most visited/most used D&D discussion boards/groups/whatnots?

(The MagicTCG Reddit has 469k people with 7k on right now, for example, for me trying to compare sizes to things I know).

 

[Ancalagon]

But that doesn't make this stuff important, or well known across D&D consumers.

So... what "stuff" is not important? Inclusivity? how to deal with bigotry? Is that the stuff?

 

[Mistwell]

So... what "stuff" is not important? Inclusivity? how to deal with bigotry? Is that the stuff?

LOL no of course not.

Three TSR companies imploding as we watch the car crash is the "stuff" I mean (which again I find both interesting and newsworthy - I just don't think Giantlands or the destruction of that company was ever important in itself). Of course inclusivity is important. Do you imagine these TSRs exploding before our eyes is in some way key to making inclusivity happen? Because I thought it was, yah know, actually making things inclusive which was important to inclusivity.

 

[Charlaquin]

But that’s a completely different set of people. No Venn overlap.

Huh? There’s absolutely overlap between TERFs and other anti-trans groups…

 

[Umbran]

Mod Note:
@darjr and @Mistwell How about you guys take a step back from each other from a bit. Thanks.

 

[Dyson Logos]

A whole new Starfrontiers splinter group was made and blew up over it.

Yeah, anyone daring to question the "New" Star Frontiers was immediately banned from the main Star Frontiers group on FB.

Make any remarks about how it won't actually be Star Frontiers except in name? Gone. Say anything negative about TSR3 at all? Gone.

 

[Grendel_Khan]

But we're looking at word of mouth. Social media IS word of mouth these days, right?

This might be industry news (I don't know - something tells me Paizo doesn't care a whole lot about multiple new TSRs other than in a brief watching-a-train-wreck sort of way) but we were not discussing "industry" we were talking about consumers of the game.

I genuinely think if there is an epicenter for discussion of this topic, we're in it right here right now. Some other places are discussing it, but this is the apex of the discussion. And I think people here are looking around at how hot the topic is here, and assuming that must mean it's hot everywhere. I don't think that's the case. This is gossip level stuff about a few minor companies which were not even producing or planning to produce anything for D&D or any of the 10 major RPG brands below D&D. And I am not knocking gossip level stuff by the way. It's very interesting stuff (again in a train wreck sort of way) particularly when there isn't a lot of other game-related news going on right now.

But that doesn't make this stuff important, or well known across D&D consumers.

So which is it--if its word of mouth, then as others have pointed out this topic has hit multiple forums, and is being discussed by lots of high-profile TTRPG Twitter accounts.

Is it about visibility, meaning where consumers might come across discussion of this topic? There've been multiple stories across various TTRPG sites.

But I guess ultimately you're making a super narrow point: That based on your personal experience--never mind any evidence presented to the contrary--this is not a big deal to "D&D consumers."

That's a truly weird term, and distinction, right there. As though this entire issue was only ever relevant to "D&D consumers," never mind that GiantLands isn't a D&D product and there was no indication that TSR3, 4, etc. was going to do D&D products.

But, more importantly, I don't get why you can't ever just take the L. I know this is a forum and that's basically how it goes, but it's worth trying out from time to time.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Yeah, anyone daring to question the "New" Star Frontiers was immediately banned from the main Star Frontiers group on FB.

Make any remarks about how it won't actually be Star Frontiers except in name? Gone. Say anything negative about TSR3 at all? Gone.

Ugh. Star Frontiers deserves better than to be associated with this circular firing squad.

 

[Sacrosanct]

That's a truly weird term, and distinction, right there. As though this entire issue was only ever relevant to "D&D consumers," never mind that GiantLands isn't a D&D product and there was no indication that TSR3, 4, etc. was going to do D&D products.

Meanwhile, there is a Gygax who is releasing D&D products. This one just came out. Please go support it. And no, I'm not affiliated with Luke in any way, shape, or form despite my best efforts to keep showing up at his doorstep with a box of chocolates asking to be my friend.

 

[Stephen Shomo]

But I guess ultimately you're making a super narrow point: That based on your personal experience--never mind any evidence presented to the contrary--this is not a big deal to "D&D consumers."

I zero in the on the Mistwell: "but that doesn't make this stuff important...."

Bigotry off the beaten path is still a problem.