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

 

[Bolares]

I think it's because no one wants to spend three hours trawling through a week's worth of toxic Twitter posts and a thousand tweets just to win an internet discussion only to have you move the goal post and declare the tweet isn't "mean enough" or isn't a "death threat"

I left Twitter years ago because I got tired of it's toxicity and negativity
I'm not spending my day off subjecting myself to that to prove anything to you

I mean... if the argument is, "bigots are being bullied when they souldn't be", the least the person who is making that argument can do is show proof of the bullying. We are all talking in a place showing overwhelming evidences of the bigotry, to make an argument where this bigots are being victims, there shouldn't be the same amount of evidence of that?

If you are not on twitter, you are arguing about theoreticalls here?

 

[Magister Ludorum]

I left Twitter years ago because I got tired of it's toxicity and negativity
I'm not spending my day off subjecting myself to that to prove anything to you

And yet, you know everything about this incident and why Ernie left Twitter?

Concern trolling supports the status quo and the bigots.

 

[Chris Harris]

It’s cause I used to think it was a really dumb heuristic - “simple explanations are wrong all the time!” I thought. When I learned the full version, it made so much more sense.

I had to explain "all things being equal" and argue this in a forensic science class while standing in the middle of a mock crime scene with evidence of "staging" (someone attempting to make the crime look like a different type of crime). Not fun! It did make me pedantic about it as well, though

 

[Bolares]

IME, the ones who say to turn the other cheek are often the ones doing the slapping.

even if that's not the case, using your own religious beliefs as reason for invalidating other people's actions is quite rude in my opinion. Not everyone should follow one religion's vallue the be considered moral in a secular society

 

[UngeheuerLich]

We could also grant him the respect of acknowledging he is a grown adult who is making decisions about how to behave, and is choosing to try and bully others rather than showing empathy. Reading tea leaves to find reasons that he just can't help his poor self because he was bullied as a kid is kind of insulting to him as well as the people he's trying to crap on.

If this is how you read my post, so be it.

 

[Charlaquin]

I didn't notice this before, but I agree that being LGBT is NOT a creed by any normal definition of the word. "Creed" normally refers to religious beliefs or philosophical beliefs similar to a religion, it doesn't refer to gender identity or sexual orientation or the like. Speaking as a queer person, I definitely read the apology as specifically excluding LGBT people. I don't buy that 'creed' is supposed to include that group, and find any argument that it did to be completely meritless. More importantly, I think just about anyone outside of some small group who use creed in a really unusual manner (which Rob and Ernie seem to be a part of) would view it the same way.

I’m behind, so sorry if this has been addressed already, but it would make sense for him to think creed would cover LGBTQIA+ if he thinks of queer identities as “woke ideology” rather than legitimate identities. It’d be wrong of course, but you can kind of follow the thought process: he’s apologizing for offending people who believe queer identities are legitimate, not for offending queer people.

 

[TrainedMunkee]

Until they make it personal and attack him
Then they're the same. They're both haters

Being mean is being mean, even if you think they deserve it
You don't get to bully someone offline just because you disagree with someone

I vaguely remember some famous guy talking about turning the other cheek
One of the Beatles maybe?

But, again, that would stop when you left the microphone and Foley Square
You could opt out and stop consenting to the dialogue. Leave the discussion

You can't on Twitter. And people there never stop

I seriously doubt that being called out for being a bully is as mentally harming as being told your gender identity is wrong and a mental illness.

I have yet to see examples of Ernie being bullied.

Calling some one a bigot because they made bigoted statements doesn't qualify as online bullying. Just the truth.

You can leave the "mic" on Twitter and he did.

Your arguments make no sense to me.

 

[Umbran]

You can't on Twitter.

It seems to me that Ernie did just that - he walked away from the discussion.

 

[PsyzhranV2]

I vaguely remember some famous guy talking about turning the other cheek

This is not a value that is universally held. Especially not among the trans people whom Ernie insulted or their allies, many of them being politically far-left, decolonialist, or both.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Would that be a Scrag?

Does anyone have a stat block for a half-troll half-sealion?

One thing that bears mentioning is that Ernie Gygax only deleted Twitter - his Facebook page is still there.

And also, a day later, there is still no evidence of any action by Wizards, as was claimed, let alone a "coordinated assault." No listed legal filings that I could find, and as others have mentioned, had there been a cease & desist order, you can bet that NuTSR would've been waiving that around to garner sympathy. While it's possible that stuff has been happening behind the scenes that will come to light later, right now the burden of proof rests on the people that made the claim in the first place (NuTSR).