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

 

[the Jester]

I dunno. Non-human physiology and psychology and all. Maybe the beholder's happy. Maybe it just has gas.

I think that's how they fly.

 

[Malmuria]

I never said how most people experience issues.

Sorry, I was referring to when you said this

I don't care and I don't think most people care how a character identifies during an adventure fantasy game.

I don't think "most people" statement can be justified here.

I said, that long before WOTC's diversity push in the 80's and 90's being nerdy was not considered cool. Therefore nerds were misfits that consisted of people of various origins.

I remember! I don't know what junior high is like now, but hopefully it is a better experience for "nerdy" kids at least. And if it is, I think critical role and the mainstreaming of the hobby is a part of why that's the case, and if that's so I'm glad.

But in terms of EG, telling those stories was not the best way to apologize or clarify what he meant, specifically in regards to gender identity or rehashing stereotypes about native americans. Instead, he just centered his apology around his own experiences as if being a nerd automatically made you a more inclusive person generally, and threw in a weird school shooting fantasy to boot. At least, in being a nerd, he presumably got the support of his family, which is not something all of us can say...

Really, though, I wonder if the apology was once again an attempt for nu TSR to insert themselves into a culture war, as I've heard this 80s-nerd resentment against dnd popularization in other quarters too.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

This is tempting! Though a stretch away from where I am (and, alas, my limited vacation time per year)... lemme noodle on it! (What's the cutoff date for letting you know?)

about a month I'd say for the cut off, otherwise PM me or jump on the separate thread created by @Retreater ? We're OT here.

 

[Charlaquin]

When nerds become bullies, they’re often some of the worst, because they continue to see themselves as victims, and believe that justifies their actions.

 

[Saracenus]

As an old cis het white male gamer (D&D player since 1979) and gaming community organizer my lived experience of playing and DMing D&D I have had multiple negative experiences at the table, conventions, and the social media support sites I run. In my capacity as a community organizer I have had to actively police real world and digital spaces against racist, homophobic, anti-trans, and mysogynistic behaviors. I can say unequivocally that what Ernie and his business partners did and are continuing to do is actively harmful to the D&D community (and the general gaming community at large).

I was one of the folks on these forums advocating that we give Ernie's family a chance to reach out to him and see if he could get him off this destructive path. That advocacy ended when Ernie threw them under the bus and now the dragon's teeth he has sown will be the bitterest crop...

TL;DR - What Ernie started with his interview was not small. What he and his partners have done since has only made it larger and worse.

 

[RFB Dan]

When nerds become bullies, they’re often some of the worst, because they continue to see themselves as victims, and believe that justifies their actions.

THIS. I have witnessed this first-hand. It was so bad that she even said "I like being the bully, it's more fun." At that point snip ties cut.

 

[CleverNickName]

When nerds become bullies, they’re often some of the worst, because they continue to see themselves as victims, and believe that justifies their actions.

Slight tangent...but on the subject of nerds:
This reminded me of a poignant comic from Questionable Content. (obligatory language warning)

 

[Chris Harris]

You can't see the twinkle in his eye? That happiness not gas!

"Every man likes the smell of his own farts."

Ancient Nordic proverb, probably

 

[Umbran]

I have some degree of Cherokee Indian in me and I would consider what he said about Native Americans to potentially be more offensive. Funny though I have not heard them complaining or taken it to this world shattering level of offense.

There's a logical fallacy called "tu quoque" (the common form we see these days is "whataboutism") - in which one tries to dismiss an issue by holding up a separate issue, and asking why it is not getting treated similarly. "You are concerned with X? Well, what about Y?"

You're implicitly asserting here that, since the backlash over his statements about Native Americans is not the same, the pushback on gender identity is in some way invalid.

However, the correctness of Ernie's gender commentary is not contingent on the response to any other comments. He can say wrong things about other people, sports teams, or mathematics - none of that changes whether he was right to say what he did about gender.

Nor are we required to call him out on every individual item before the case against the one is considered valid. Colorfully - Al Capone was probably guilty of hundreds or thousands of crimes - they got him on only a small subset of what he was guilty of. That they didn't charge him on most of it did not make the charges of tax evasion and fraud invalid.

 

[mythago]

I can't help you are confused but I will try to address your comments.

First, I don't really care how the Critical Role crowd looks. What I will sneer and take issue with is people acting like Ernie's story is so rare. Nerdy culture is cool now. That is a recent development. It was not cool in the 80's or 90.s Hell, being into comic books wasn't even cool then. I think it is interesting and I enjoy the fact that it changed now and being a comic book fan, being a gamer is certainly more acceptable even hip but I hate people who act like that was always the case. It was not.

Who is "acting like Ernie's story is so rare"?

EDIT: I see that you addressed this in a different comment, but people are not really acting as if Ernie being bullied as a young nerd was "rare" or that gaming was always cool. To the extent anyone is sneering, it's at Ernie's attempt to point to having been bullied decades ago as an excuse for bullying fellow nerds now.

So I can't hold up my experiences in gaming

Who has said that you can't hold up your experiences in gaming?

You are attacking a lot of arguments nobody has made. I'm not sure why.