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 Justin LaNasa, Stephen Dinehart, and Ernie Gygax. The controversy has been raging for over a week, since TSR3 announced itself with a press release.

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

Stephen Dinehart and Ernie Gygax have since deactivated their Twitter accounts; Justin LaNasa doesn't appear to have one, but it is believed he is the person operating TSR3's Twitter account. A couple of days ago, Ernie Gygax posted about recent events on Facebook (note that he edited the post, but the original can be seen here).

I wish to state in the strongest terms that I never meant to hurt anyone of any race, creed or color. My video From the Bunker caused some to feel that they would not be welcome or would be looked down upon. That was never the intent, I was reacting to focus of modern role play into a more background and Role Play rather than the wargame that so made so many lives happy over 40 years ago.

As a gamer it meant that most of us were not worthy of any attention from others of our own age. We were Nerds. We were brainy-acks and others would snicker. Older classmen would ask to "borrow" something of ours to then pass back and forth a game of keep away. I used to receive some special attention from about 4 Juniors in my Freshman year. I played the Violin and often I began to wish that I had Super Powers, perhaps become a Giant.. I was far to shy and then embarrassed as attractive ladies would just lower the eyes while the jocks or other socially vibrant fellows had some fun at another geeky nerds expense. Thank goodness I grew 4 inches my junior year.

The only real comfort zone we all could share was a table in the lunch room. At least the fledgling TSR found fertile minds in those who had only those like us - gamers. Rather than have to risk embarrassing myself, since Phy Ed was going to force us to dance with those wonderful and yet scary girls. Well to get my Diploma I had to slave for a month to Mr. Gerber the head of the Phy Ed department. Fortunately I knew all about janitorial work as before D&D and TSR dad only made $5,000 as a Cobbler (five children) and we had food stamps and even free school lunches. Yes you had to go to the councilors office every week to collect your free lunch passes. Obviously you could feel all the eyes on you and the talk about....

Everyone has been welcome at my gaming table and multitudes of new friends have been created by the time spent playing the games we Love. Look at pictures of gaming on my site or anywhere I run games. Everyone is welcome, just like a Boot Hill game leave your guns at the bar until you leave town. If you come to the Dungeon Hobby Shop Museum Jeff R. Leason will show you courtesy and a smile and you will see that gaming with elder gamers is a safe and entertaining environment.

TSR - Ernie Gygax on New TSR, WotC Beefs, Trademarks, Licensees, 5E, & More

A YouTube channel, 'Live From the Bunker', interviewed Ernie Gygax about the new TSR. I've watched and decided to try to transcribe the most relevant parts of it, but the full hour-long video is below if you want to see the whole interview and full context. Ernie Gygax is one of D&D...

www.enworld.org

 

[imagineGod]

What (please be specific and quote if you can) vile consequences did anyone wish on Ernie?

Maybe you can ask the many people that forced Ernie Gygax off Twitter for damaging his mental health that he had to escape for his own safety from Twitter. I am sure Twitter has the logs if the case becomes a hate crime of cyber bullying and something happens to Ernie.

 

[Mannahnin]

There may be a pretty thin line between bullying and dog piling, even if the initial provocation legitimately deserved the criticism. At the very least, the internet is terrible at controlling dog piling since its very nature encourages it. I'm guessing from the perspective of Ernie, or anybody else in his position, pushback from 4 or 5 people (a reasonable amount for criticism whether constructive or not) feels a lot different from pushback from hundreds of people (dog piling).

Part of trying to be a successful business means HOPING for feedback from hundreds or thousands of people. He took active steps to court that feedback, and opened an account on Twitter, a very useful but notoriously volatile forum. He may not have understood what he was doing at any of these junctures, but he should have.

 

[Mannahnin]

Maybe you can ask the many people that forced Ernie Gygax off Twitter for damaging his mental health that he had to escape for his own safety from Twitter. I am sure Twitter has the logs if the case becomes a hate crime of cyber bullying and something happens to Ernie.

No one forced Ernie off Twitter. That's a false characterization. If you don't have any evidence of the thing you're claiming exists, you should probably withdraw the claim.

If you have any evidence to support the outlandish suggestion that Ernie's safety was in any way in question, I'd suggest you show it. Otherwise this comes off as another false premise.

 

[cmad1977]

I am such a D&D nerd that my first though upon seeing "self-crit" was not "self-criticism", but instead "self-critical hit". Though it appears that Ernie has done just that—performed a self-imposed critical hit.

It’s the dreaded 1 and 20 on a disadvantage roll. The crit fail was critically bad.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

This is the problem with our world. Two o wrongs do no make a right.

Everybody agrees, the wrong doer should be told to stop and apologize. And we should callout the crowd for its bad behavior too.

Your analogy fails because you said the wrong doer performed a physics act while the crowd did not. Since you chose a physical analogy, instead of just shouting, the crowd in the bar throws alcohol on the wrong doer and spits saliva.

At that moment the crowd acts against the line individual with more violence, the crowd is wrong.

On Twitter so members of the crowd wished all sorts of vile consequences upon Ernie by name, not the same like when he made his earlier disparaging remarks.

The violent crowd turned the tables when they punched down and became the bullies.

This is why countries have laws and laws change, because the alternative of vigilante justice does not foster stable societies.

Why are you so insistent on defending Gygax Jr., LaNasa, Dineheart, and the rest of the people spearheading this misguided TSR3/Giantlands launch; and why do you keep invoking false accounts and ridiculous hypotheticals to do so? They made their own bed; time for them to sleep in it.

 

[Umbran]

Sadly, that is not how social media works. An online blood frenzy starts forming. Persons X, Y and Z, with no direct knowledge of the situation

Incorrect. They know what he said, since he did that in publicly available form. This isn't about what he does in the privacy of his home - this is about what he tried to use as a sales tactic.

The power of social media is great, but there is no "I get to use the power, but not feel consequences if I am a jerk" button. Power comes with responsibility - he failed in that responsibility.

 

[embee]

I think part of the problem is a failure of a lot of people to understand what Twitter (and most social media) is.

It's a street corner with a megaphone and a live satellite feed.

 

[cmad1977]

And then imagine when confronted by this, he yells that his persecution for said peeing is due to a conspiracy by a bar down the street.

Big Alcohol is making me pee and now you people are canceling me!

 

[billd91]

Part of trying to be a successful business means HOPING for feedback from hundreds or thousands of people. He took active steps to court that feedback, and opened an account on Twitter, a very useful but notoriously volatile forum. He may not have understood what he was doing at any of these junctures, but he should have.

I agree. He should have.
I also empathize to a certain degree because the internet doesn't understand proportionality. We may have the power to respond, but we need to leaven a bit of responsibility into it as well. If he's already taken criticism from a lot of people, the odds that mine will be the one that matters and convinces him to issue a proper apology is low (barring being a personal friend, in which case, a call is more appropriate). What value does it add to the dog pile other than to harass? That's when, I think, my behavior becomes questionable, particularly if I have no chance to change his behavior, and no customers of my own to assuage about how I do my business.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Maybe you can ask the many people that forced Ernie Gygax off Twitter for damaging his mental health that he had to escape for his own safety from Twitter. I am sure Twitter has the logs if the case becomes a hate crime of cyber bullying and something happens to Ernie.

So you've got nothing.

Especially as I could easily make the argument that leaving the hell-site that Twitter all too often is is a positive.