TSR TSR3.5 Launches IndieGogo Campaign to "Stop" WotC

The latest in the TSR3 saga, which has gone quiet for a while, is a new IndieGoGo campaign launched to "stop Wizards of the Coast". They cite wrongful bullying of TSR, and refusal to answer requests that WotC show TSR "proof of their claims" (although the campaign page doesn't mention what those claims are).

The IndieGoGo campaign was launched yesterday and has so far raised $675 (at the time of writing).

The action TSR seeks is a "Trademark Declaratory Judgement of Ownership" which is a court declaration about the status of something in dispute.

TSR has launched a campaign to stop Wizards of the Coast

Become a Champion of TSR and Support TSR’s campaign against Wizards of the Coast!

TSR is taking a stand against Wizards of the Coast (“WOTC”) and its wrongful bullying of TSR, our trademarks, and its public libeling and slander of all those who helped create TSR based Dungeons & Dragons and products.

Wizards of the Coast has continually bullied TSR regarding TSR’s legally owned Trademarks. Wizards of the Coast has refused to answer all of TSR's repeated requests that they show any proof of their claims. Wizards of the Coast has the vast resources behind them and is implying to bring them to bear down on TSR.

The new TSR suffered widespread pushback when it launched, which they blamed on WotC, claiming that they were under a "coordinated assault across various channels being mounted.... by [WotC]" The company announced itself earlier this year, having acquired the TSR trademark after the previous holder accidentally let it lapse. It was run by Ernie Gygax, Justin LaNasa, and Stephen Dinehart. After several weeks of controversy, the company split into two -- Wonderfilled (Stephen Dinehart), and TSR (Ernie Gygax and Justin LaNasa).

TSR - TSR3 Blames Widespread Pushback On WotC

In an unexpected turn of events, the primary individuals behind TSR3 have claimed the pushback they've received on social media and elsewhere was orchestrated by .... D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast (a company which has thus far remained completely silent on recent events). TSR3 is run by...

www.enworld.org

The page also indicates an intention to "fight to have WotC's legacy product disclaimer removed" from older products (that's the disclaimer on the older books available on DMs Guild which indicates that those books are products of their time) by claiming that the disclaimer portrays the creators of those older products as "as supporting those alleged prejudices, stereotypes and bigotry, wrongfully claimed to be part of those products".

TSR will also Fight to Have the WOTC Legacy Disclaimer Removed

TSR is suing WOTC for Trademark Declaratory Judgement of Ownership . TSR will also pursue in the near future having WOTC remove the legacy content disclaimer placed on TSR based Dungeons & Dragons and other products, and retractions of any other libel and slander which alleges that racism and other heinous beliefs are incorporated into those products.

This disclaimer attempts to make a statement of fact argument, and therefore paints all of the writers, editors, artists and consumers of those products as supporting those alleged prejudices, stereotypes and bigotry, wrongfully claimed to be part of those products. This statement by Wizards of the Coast opens the possibility for the producers and players of these "Legacy Products" to face ridicule, and face the labeling as "bigots", "racists", "misogynists", and worse Cyber & Physical Attacks!

Wizards of the Coast legacy content disclaimer.

"We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end".

TSR3's Justin LaNasa spoke about the campaign in a YouTube video.

TSR - Companies & Freelancers Distance Themselves From The New TSR

The new TSR (which I refer to as TSR3 to avoid confusion) has doubled down on its stance--which has been widely condemned online--via an ongoing series of tweets and replies from its TSR Games, Giantlands, and Dungeon Hobby Museum social media accounts (possibly operated by Justin LaNasa) in an...

www.enworld.org

 

[darjr]

Clownfish has almost a quarter million subscribers, and that video they just released has over 500 comments already of people saying the same ignorant thing.

And so very many of them have stepped up to the plate and put their money on the line.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

If you're defending TSR3000 in anyway, that's when you're supposed to know that you're in the wrong. No one is being slandered by WotC's disclaimer on older products, just like no one is being slandered by Disney's disclaimer on older movies. And if someone feels like they're being attacked by the disclaimer, that says way more about their own character than that of the people that wrote it.

This is just plain nonsense.

Again circle logic, the idea that putting up a defense against an accusation is in itself am admission of guilt is patiently absurd. But clearly you can't be reasoned on this issue, with so respectfully I shall not waste any of my time. Have a wonderful day.

 

[Mistwell]

Unfortunately it turns out our parents were wrong - ignoring them doesn't make them go away. Nothing will make them go away. We're stuck with them.

I mean, how would we know? With the modern internet, it's kinda impossible to achieve actual ignoring of...anything. Some meaningful number of people will pay attention to people doing bad things, and let other people know about it.

 

[Dire Bare]

Clownfish has almost a quarter million subscribers, and that video they just released has over 500 comments already of people saying the same ignorant thing.

For this reason, TSR might actually raise a significant sum . . . . . for WotC. It's ironic, really.

 

[Jer]

I mean, how would we know? With the modern internet, it's kinda impossible to achieve actual ignoring of...anything. Some meaningful number of people will pay attention to people doing bad things, and let other people know about it.

Worse - if you do ignore them they won't ignore each other. They accrue around each other and reinforce each other forming a bigger group. The internet makes that easier to do than ever.

Ignoring people so they'll go away is predicated on the idea that if everyone denies that person reinforcement they'll change their behavior. With the internet you can always find a group to reinforce any behavior. They're never actually "cut off" from anything, they just have a new social group who will tell them what they want to hear (and that's how you end up with stuff like Q...)

 

[AncientPenguin]

Worse - if you do ignore them they won't ignore each other. They accrue around each other and reinforce each other forming a bigger group. The internet makes that easier to do than ever.

Ignoring people so they'll go away is predicated on the idea that if everyone denies that person reinforcement they'll change their behavior. With the internet you can always find a group to reinforce any behavior. They're never actually "cut off" from anything, they just have a new social group who will tell them what they want to hear (and that's how you end up with stuff like Q...)

That's entirely fair. Echo chambers. Yay.

I did watch the video from the beginning of this thread.

This is my response to it.

[Your INT has dropped by 3d6 points]

 

[Umbran]

And so very many of them have stepped up to the plate and put their money on the line.

Rest easy in some comfort in that they are at least fleecing the sort of folks who are driven to hand over cash for so small a thing as a mild disclaimer.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Worse - if you do ignore them they won't ignore each other. They accrue around each other and reinforce each other forming a bigger group. The internet makes that easier to do than ever.

Ignoring people so they'll go away is predicated on the idea that if everyone denies that person reinforcement they'll change their behavior. With the internet you can always find a group to reinforce any behavior. They're never actually "cut off" from anything, they just have a new social group who will tell them what they want to hear (and that's how you end up with stuff like Q...)

That's entirely fair. Echo chambers. Yay.

I did watch the video from the beginning of this thread.

This is my response to it.

[Your INT has dropped by 3d6 points]

Yep. You literally described an echo chamber Jer, and I'm reminded of a study done by Stanford (IIRC) where they did analysis, and directly linked the rise of extremism and acceptance of conspiracies to echo chambers in social media.

In summary: Before the internet, your crazy neighbor largely was alone and it was very hard for them to find like minded individuals. Their crazy conspiracies were never acknowledged as legitimate by 99% of the people they saw and interacted with on a daily basis. Their fringe beliefs remained fringe among those they interacted with most of the time.

But with the internet, suddenly most of their interaction was with like minded folks. That fringe belief was reaffirmed and thus no longer became fringe, but accepted. Which in turn fed people to start thinking of even more extreme beliefs, even in those circles. So those people in turn began to find others like them, rinse and repeat. Next thing you know, people think the Clintons ran a pedo ring out of a pizza parlor and QANon became mainstream.

 

[Morrus]

Worse thing is, the suit was brought up by an actual law firm...

Every profession has below average members.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

Every profession has below average members.

Amazingly, the majority of the legal profession is below average!!!

…because if they could do math, they wouldn’t have gone to law school ….