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

 

[CleverNickName]

...and Dinehart's eloquent response...

This is the stuff that gets me riled.

This person, one of the leaders of TSR3, Dinehart, took the time to type this into Twitter. Then he looked at what he had written, smiled at his own cleverness probably, and thought "yep, that's my message. That's what I want to announce to the world" and clicked send.

This is the leadership (and the direction) of the 'new' TSR.

 

[This Effin’ GM]

The difference is on Twitter, people who weren't at the bar and weren't there for the initial peeing, would also yell at the man
And friends of the people who were peed on would find that man when he was doing something else or just going about his day and yell at him
And the more yelling that happens, the more people who are unaffected but just oppose being peed on would also yell
And this happens continually, nonstop for the entire day, whether he's at work or home, awake or asleep

If you don't like someone running a business, you don't buy their product or shop at their store. You start a boycott. You advertise their competitor. You complain to their sponsors. You raise awareness and keep others from supporting them
You don't go to their house and insult them to their face. You don't confront them
It doesn't fix the problem. It doesn't change anyone mind, instead making the target feel victimized and double down on their beliefs
It just make you feel better because you vented your frustrations. It just makes you feel better because you made someone else feel bad
And that's flipping horrible

It's bullying plain and simple
You just need to ask yourself if it was justified because of what he said

Twitter isn’t his home. He made it the space to do business, a 24/7 business forum that he has the power to walk away from.
.

 

[imagineGod]

What cyberbullies? What execution? Is holding public figures accountable for uninformed and malicious statements not a thing now? Nobody is rolling up to Ernie's house or to the Dungeon Hobby Shop museum with torches and gasoline, and I haven't caught wind of a coordinated doxxing campaign being underway (which I would expect if it was anybody even remotely resembling an """SJW""" whose feet was being held to the fire here).

In other corners of the Internet, particularly among the young, we call what happened to TSR 3 as... "screwing" around and finding out; I can't post the actual phrase on the off chance that Eric or his grandmother still peruses these boards, but let's just say that the alliteration is left intact.

Cyberbully do not require physical torches, because cyber is the online sphere.

Cyberbullying is not just one comment. It is a sustained attack. Comparing the statements from multiple Twitter accounts all targeting Ernie Gygax pushes holding people to account to bullying people off social media.

Holding people to account would be a thoughtful essay on a Gamez Magazine picking apart what Ernie said and why he was wrong.

Emotional crowd dog-piling is not that.

 

[Sacrosanct]

If something unfortunate was to affect Ernie Gygax, some of those Twitter bullies are in legal trouble.

Wait, wut? Ernie posted a tweet that WoTC is picking them and made a threat that they better stop before people get hurt, and your interpretation is that Ernie is the victim here? The only people to make an actual threat of harm on twitter were Ernie, Justin, and the rest.

Get outta here with your nonsense.

 

[imagineGod]

This feels more like witnesses letting him know how we feel about his actions. How that gets conflated into acting as judge jury and executioner is beyond me, since none of us have the power to kick him off his platform nor impart legal consequences on him.

That statement you made is tome deaf to the plight of many entertainers had to leave Twitter due to incessant attacks upon them. Crowds shouting at one individual take a toll on that individuals mental and emotional well being.

I cannot believe that people on Twitter driving someone to mental breakdown is justice.

 

[Gradine]

I mean, what's really going on is that people want to be *ssholes to and exclusionary of trans people without facing any criticism or other negative consequence.

Which... no

 

[This Effin’ GM]

That statement you made is tome deaf to the plight of many entertainers had to leave Twitter due to incessant attacks upon them. Crowds shouting at one individual take a toll on that individuals mental and emotional well being.

I cannot believe that people on Twitter driving someone to mental breakdown is justice.

I can’t believe you are conflating my words to say I’m advocating this as justice, but here we are.

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

What cyberbullies? What execution? Is holding public figures accountable for uninformed and malicious statements not a thing now? Nobody is rolling up to Ernie's house or to the Dungeon Hobby Shop museum with torches and gasoline, and I haven't caught wind of a coordinated doxxing campaign being underway (which I would expect if it was anybody even remotely resembling an """SJW""" whose feet was being held to the fire here).

In other corners of the Internet, particularly among the young, we call what happened to TSR 3 as... "screwing" around and finding out; I can't post the actual phrase on the off chance that Eric or his grandmother still peruses these boards, but let's just say that the alliteration is left intact.

There's a difference between holding someone accountable and being personally abusive
Much of these news threads hold him accountable. Raising awareness so people won't buy his products. Morrus managed to hold him accountable just fine without sending Ernie mean tweets
That's literally what cyberbullying is

No one needs to roll up to his house or business when they can make him feel bad without leaving the couch
Tweets and DMs can hurt just as much

There's no real difference between bullying someone for breaking an unspoken rule in high school and bullying someone for being a transphobe
It's just we've decided it's okay to insult people for one and not the other. That being mean and telling people to rope is okay in the latter but not the former

 

[imagineGod]

Wait, wut? Ernie posted a tweet that WoTC is picking them and made a threat that they better stop before people get hurt, and your interpretation is that Ernie is the victim here? The only people to make an actual threat of harm on twitter were Ernie, Justin, and the rest.

Get outta here with your nonsense.

In the vast sea of Twitter, that is not the only tweet. I guess, you only see what you want. Not the nastiness that got Ernie to close his Twitter account just to save his sanity from the constant negative barrage his account received.

Psychologists all agree a constant negative barrage, especially from a crowd leaves the victim isolated and vulnerable and at risk of harm.

 

[Mannahnin]

The difference is on Twitter, people who weren't at the bar and weren't there for the initial peeing, would also yell at the man
And friends of the people who were peed on would find that man when he was doing something else or just going about his day and yell at him
And the more yelling that happens, the more people who are unaffected but just oppose being peed on would also yell
And this happens continually, nonstop for the entire day, whether he's at work or home, awake or asleep

If you don't like someone running a business, you don't buy their product or shop at their store. You start a boycott. You advertise their competitor. You complain to their sponsors. You raise awareness and keep others from supporting them
You don't go to their house and insult them to their face. You don't confront them
It doesn't fix the problem. It doesn't change anyone mind, instead making the target feel victimized and double down on their beliefs
It just make you feel better because you vented your frustrations. It just makes you feel better because you made someone else feel bad
And that's flipping horrible

It's bullying plain and simple
You just need to ask yourself if it was justified because of what he said

Much of this is bad analogy and some of this is simply false. Untrue.

No one is going to Ernie's house. No one is yelling at him in his daily life except possibly his family (including Rob Kuntz) over the phone, trying to talk some sense into him. If he doesn't like how people on social media react to the things he says in public he can... Just not go on Twitter...

Bullying means to harm, intimidate, and coerce someone who appears to be vulnerable. Ernie is a grown adult who chose a position of responsibility as an Executive VP and spokesman for a business. I'm sure the response he's gotten has hurt his feelings, but if his mental or emotional health as a 61 year old adult and EVP is not such that it can sustain harsh criticism, he really shouldn't court controversy.