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

 

[Wilphe]

Grown men who cry "woke"

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

And that's just really sad. Until Ernie fell in with this bunch, he seemed an affable enough sort, if someone with zero business skills. Even if he was incapable of delivering the Marmoreal Tomb on his own, you could sense his enthusiasm for it and for the hobby. The echo chamber of LaNasa and company amplified attitudes that, while I suspect were there to a lesser degree to begin with, weren't things he would've mouthed off about like he did.

That's what the exploitation of Ernie is for. As long as they have Ernie, they can say they are part of the original D&D creators (despite Ernie never really creating anything outside of an NPC and a couple of spells).

If Ernie ever comes to his senses, they will have nothing left. They won't be any different than all the rest of us who started back then and have no connection to the original creators. Heck, most of the people who WERE there and have their names on TSR products want nothing to do with these jokers.

 

[Mannahnin]

And that's just really sad. Until Ernie fell in with this bunch, he seemed an affable enough sort, if someone with zero business skills. Even if he was incapable of delivering the Marmoreal Tomb on his own, you could sense his enthusiasm for it and for the hobby. The echo chamber of LaNasa and company amplified attitudes that, while I suspect were there to a lesser degree to begin with, weren't things he would've mouthed off about like he did.

It is. Although as I recall, there were a few ways in which Ernie embarrassed himself in that initial video.

The defensive comments about "wanting to enforce gender" or the like, that came off transphobic were just part of it (and then follow up comments which made that worse). Another was completely ducking responsibility for the failures on the Marmoreal Tomb project, pointing the finger of blame entirely at his writing partner Benoist. A third was his whining and complaining over Kickstarter and bank fees and costs. If he didn't understand those costs, that's on him. It's not as if he would likely be able to raise $126,109 for that project without the use of the most prominent crowdfunding platform.

Sadly, from the beginning he's seemed incapable of appropriately taking personal responsibility, and made TSR(3) look like they'd at least made a poor choice of spokesman, even before Dinehart (Giantlands) and LaNasa (TSR) started posting more offensive and absurd things on Twitter.

 

[darjr]

Can someone check the toilet? I keep hearing a constant flushing noise.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Honestly when it comes to this kind of stuff mainstream media is a relative term.

But it's not. The term "mainstream media" has been used as an anti-intellectual dog whistle for years now. When you bring it into this conversation without context, you are repeating those dog whistles. You are creating a division between the people reporting this and the "true people" like LaNassa and Clownfish TV.

 

[billd91]

IT CAN'T BE BIAS IF HE AGREES WITH ME!

It's only bias if you're against me, everybody knows that.

<wanders off singing>
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I'm gonna eat some worms.
Big fat juicy ones, little teeny tiny ones, itsy-bitsy fuzzy wuzzy worms.

 

[irrg]

After I found this thread, I decided to go make a donation to the WotC fund by going to the LFGS and buying a copy of Strixhaven. It's…really hard to root for anyone but the faceless corporation in this kind of a ridiculous situation.

 

[Sacrosanct]

So let's see if I'm up to date on things.

• LaNasa uses, and continues to use Wizard IP (Star Frontiers images, logos, etc)
• Wizards sends a C&D
• LaNasa creates this fundraiser on Indiegogo saying money will to go a lawsuit and the rest will go to the Gygax Memorial
• LaNasa files a suit in the wrong jurisdiction.
• His Indigogo cannot deliver it's promise because he didn't even bother to check with the Gygax Memorial Fund first, and they wanted nothing to do with him (which should toss this campaign alone, since backers were promised something he could never deliver).
• LaNasa changes the criteria of his fundraiser
• LaNasa cancels his suit (the whole point of the fundraiser) but keeps the fundraiser open
• Wizards files a motion of cancellation of trademark, citing fraud (specifically, when LaNasa registered the trademarks, he swore no other company was using those marks despite at the same time complaining how products with that mark currently being sold had a disclaimer).

Is that about it?

 

[Parmandur]

So let's see if I'm up to date on things.

• LaNasa uses, and continues to use Wizard IP (Star Frontiers images, logos, etc)
• Wizards sends a C&D
• LaNasa creates this fundraiser on Indiegogo saying money will to go a lawsuit and the rest will go to the Gygax Memorial
• LaNasa files a suit in the wrong jurisdiction.
• His Indigogo cannot deliver it's promise because he didn't even bother to check with the Gygax Memorial Fund first, and they wanted nothing to do with him (which should toss this campaign alone, since backers were promised something he could never deliver).
• LaNasa changes the criteria of his fundraiser
• LaNasa cancels his suit (the whole point of the fundraiser) but keeps the fundraiser open
• Wizards files a motion of cancellation of trademark, citing fraud (specifically, when LaNasa registered the trademarks, he swore no other company was using those marks despite at the same time complaining how products with that mark currently being sold had a disclaimer).

Is that about it?

Yup.

 

[Deset Gled]

I just don't get journalist who don't know they are supposed to reach other to both sides for comment, it's like the basic minimum of journalism.

To repeat a point that I made earlier, there are a number of people asking questions on TSR's Discord in the "Talk to TSR" section, but TSR is making absolutely no replies. Lots of people are reaching out to TSR, on lots of platforms. The problem is that TSR isn't answering. They are effectivly playing a game of unplugging their phone and then complaining they get no calls.