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

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You all have is wrong. Clearly TSR3 and the people associated with it do not exist. It is a fabrication by the Giant Evil Corporation(TM) to try and make them look like the good guys.

 

[Dausuul]

Coolio really got the bad wrong feels about "amish paradise". Al might get permission from whatever record company that owns the rights to the song he wants to parody but he doesn't always both with the actual artist. /digression

That episode was a miscommunication: Weird Al had been told that Coolio personally was okay with it, and he went ahead based on that, and was shocked to discover afterward that Coolio had not given permission and was not at all okay with it. I don't want to derail the thread, but details here if anyone is interested.

 

[Rob Kuntz]

Wait, I have it now.

This is just stealth marketing for the upcoming 5E Greyhawk release. In the new hardcover adventure, Tenser tries to form a new Circle of Eight after the death of Mordenkainen. Unfortunately he falls in with a bunch of motley rogues, despite young Melf warning him off. In the end, after a few badly worded sending spells, he falls afoul of public opinion, most likely due to the interference of other Wizards somewhere down the Coast.

All you need to do now is team with an artist and create a web comic to lampoon this whole disaster. Hopefully the comic has a short run, if you get my drift...

 

[mythago]

"Attacking arguments that have not been made" You said this in reference to me stating people acting like Ernie's story is rare. Go see the damn response to his backstory of his gaming youth. I am not saying you have to accept his apology but in the very first page of this thread you have people saying things like so he was an incel growing up. I am saying his experience of DnD not being for the popular kids until very recently is highly accurate.

You implied that I can't hold up my experience but other experiences (from what I gather mainly only of those who have faced persecution) should be held up.

Again, the issue with Ernie’s experience is not its accuracy - many of us went through the same thing. It’s that he is using it as a justification and excuse for his behavior now, as an adult. The “incel” comments are not about his veracity, they’re about his sense (even as an adult) that he was unfairly denied the attention of attractive women.

And respectfully, you are accusing me of things I never said by claiming I ‘implied’ then.

 

[Umbran]

I have areas where bad things can happen. Normally a slave state or religion with human sacrifices. I don't generally have racism in game beyond stereotypical Elf/Dwarf type thing.

Those bad areas are also where the villains tend to be. Normally I start the PCs in a stereotypical village or some CN anything goes port city.

Even then it's still PG-13 or so. A civilization might have Aztec style pyramid but not gonna go into the gory details.

Mod Note:
This thread is about TSR3, not about what folks do in their games at home. Bring it back around to the topic, please and thank you.

 

[seebs]

Business associates are a covered entity for the Privacy Rule.

No, your employer may NOT just hand out your healthcare information willy-nilly. There are a few cases in which they don't need your express permission, but "to score points on the internet" is not one of those cases.

My understanding of this is that business associates of a health care professional are a covered entity, and only in their capacity as doing business with that health care professional. You have to have some kind of health care professional relationship happening before it kicks in at all.

EDIT: But good catch about the ADA also applying potentially. Also the general observation that even if you're legally allowed to share information, sometimes you shouldn't.

 

[seebs]

oops the login process ate my post then un-ate it

 

[Umbran]

So this is a prime example of the kind of knee jerk insincere questioning I am talking about. You ask the question and responded not out of a desire to dialogue but rather for confrontation.

Mod Note:

You can read minds over the internet? Because unless they tell you outright, that's how you know what people desire. Failing that, don't tell people what they feel or want, please.

If we engage in the same mind-reading exercise on your posts, we might well consider much of what you write to be concern-trolling, intentional straw-man arguments, and sealioning, among other things. So, a variation of the Golden Rule then applies - do unto others as you'd have the mods do unto you.

Don't make the discussion personal - by which we mean you can discuss your own personal experience, but don't try to dismiss arguments or people by ascribing motives to the other person. Address their logic, not their persons, please and thank you.

 

[Faolyn]

Actually I was referring to some of the very specific examples you gave such as and I quote, "Person experienced prejudice (possibly severe, possibly just cruel taunts) due to being transgender and now stands up for anyone being hurt for who they are, and will loudly announce that fact." (Faolyn).

That's not Main Character Syndrome or Real World Only about that. That's a person having a motivation.

 

[Arilyn]

Thinking outside the traditional box in our rpg games can open things up to different kinds of societies. I was just musing about a fantasy culture where arranged marriages between men and women are normal, for the usual reasons, but married couples can have same sex lovers. It's right out in the open and perfectly acceptable. In fact it's not uncommon for the lovers to join the married couples' household. Having a lover of the opposite sex, however, is scandalous because of potential children born out of wedlock.

I was also thinking about Saxon burials. There's been an occasional women buried with warrior gear and the occasional man buried with woman grave goods. Some sort of acceptance was happening.

Also, we are finding out travel was much more widespread throughout most historical time periods, so those "historical purists" who argue they're just trying to be accurate with their "whites only" characters have nothing to back them up.

Diversity brings strength, interest and greater creativity. This is why the whole keeping gender out of games or the #keeping gaming fantasy (or whatever) makes me grind my teeth. Lack of diversity hobbled our games. Diversity frees them.