TSR TSR5! A modest proposal. Paizo (or Modiphius or Free League) buys TSR, for a true rebirth

[Dungeonosophy]

I think it would be utter folly, leaving aside the current catastrophe, WoTC continues to use the TSR trademark on reprints of TSR era on DMsGuild, so WoTC are, as far as I can tell, using that trademark in the TTRPG space.

As far I can see, this gives WoTC a string case to litigate against a competitor and why would any potential games company want the risk. Most of these companies have a brand as strong as TSR at this point in time.

Even, if (nu)TSR had not flamed out so spectacularly, even if they had a product, I would have been dubious on their choice of name.

You might be right, from a legal perspective. I was wondering about that myself. If a trademark is no longer registered, but the copyright holder is still producing legacy PDFs with that name, that does seem pretty dicey, if brought to court. A trademark expert could probably say up front whether it would work. I simply don't know how important (or not) is the fact whether it's registered.

Nevertheless, I'd still like to see somebody with some monetary resources, and a deep love of TRPG history, form a venture which brings a bunch of old school IPs into a shared multiverse, with a shared rules system (even if dual-statted).

 

[Grendel_Khan]

Yeah, but imagine if Free League had picked up the TSR trademark a year or two ago, in cooperation with the Gygax mag folks. Instead of these sorry clowns. Before this quagmire unfolded.

It would be a total fit. I mean, Free League does tap into the 1980s suburban zeitgeist which TSR emanated on its better days. I mean, there were lots of good times through TSR. And some ugly marks. Including the most recent.

So yeah, I feel what you're saying. Yet, as a thought experiment, I'm whimsically picturing Free League deftly coming in and saying to Ernie and crew: "here's a few thousand bucks," let's put TSR3, TSR3.5, and TSR4 to rest, make amends for all the marks which have been done in its name, let's heal the hurts, and let's wait a year, and then launch: Free League's Worlds of TSR Kickstarter.

Where Free League launches a new streamlined fantasy RPG house system, with a total 1980s "Tales from the Loop meets Stranger Things meets Larry Elmore" aesthetic. And setting-wise, begins to actively acquire old school IPs from ye ol' TSR designers, artists, and novelists, bringing them into a shared Free League "TSR Multiverse."

C'mon that'd be cool.

OK, you win. That does sound cool.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Its just a trademark. I could probably register RKO Pictures - it doesn't mean I am suddenly going to make another Citizen Kane.

Howzabout…Citizen Kanye?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, they would have to weigh that themselves.
Old labels do have value. It's incredibly difficult to bring a meme/brand into public consciousness. For better or worse, "TSR" is pretty well known.
"Oldsmobile" is recently retired car brand. "Packard" and "Studebaker" even older. "Oldsmobile" (due to its "old" connotation) was an albatross for General Motors. But, it would not be a ludicrous idea, for say, a mid-level company (say, Hyundai or Kia) to register "Oldsmobile" or "Packard" or "Studebaker" and thus buy into a meme/brand which still has a deep afterglow in a large market (i.e. North America). (GM probably keeps the trademark registered just to ward off such things.)

See the resurrection of Cooper; the Beetle’s comeback. The return of the Supra.

 

[Don Durito]

I don't get it. What's TSR really worth these days without D&D that anyone should spend real money to buy it?

Say you could kickstart Star Frontiers and maybe Top Secret S/I, or who knows Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - how long would that last beyond the initial nostalgia burst?

 

[Stormonu]

I don't get it. What's TSR really worth these days without D&D that anyone should spend real money to buy it?

Say you could kickstart Star Frontiers and maybe Top Secret S/I, or who knows Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - how long would that last beyond the initial nostalgia burst?

If it brought back a couple of those old products, it would probably get a few eyes back on it. That would give it some momentum.

However, to keep growing, it would have to create new product. That's where the real value is - not just reprinting or reinventing the old, but taking it further with new content, new games, new worlds and such.

 

[QuentinGeorge]

Time for Morrus to rebrand EnWorld as TSR!

 

[Don Durito]

If it brought back a couple of those old products, it would probably get a few eyes back on it. That would give it some momentum.

However, to keep growing, it would have to create new product. That's where the real value is - not just reprinting or reinventing the old, but taking it further with new content, new games, new worlds and such.

Yes but companies like Paizo or Modiphius can do that already. They're enough in the public eye that any new product they put out will get the attention needed to find an audience if there is one.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Time for Morrus to rebrand EnWorld as TSR!

What a TeaSeR!

 

[Jaeger]

...As far I can see, this gives WoTC a string case to litigate against a competitor and why would any potential games company want the risk.

No, WOTC won’t sue.

Lucky for them nuTSR has flamed out rather spectacularly.

Which means that WOTC is able to quietly wipe the egg off their face for dropping the ball, and allowing the TSR trademarks that they owned to go into abandoned status.

The fact that they allowed that to happen is a bit embarrassing considering all the old TSR stuff with said logo they still sell.