TSR TSR's Amazing Accounting Department

[JiffyPopTart]

I love me some Jim Ward, but it's "I couldn't care less", not "I could care less."

Sorry, it's a pet peeve of mine. Like nails on a chalkboard

Perhaps much like it could be someone else's pet peeve to see people being called out for using that phrase in an area devoted to discussion of an entirely unrelated topic.

DS

 

[Paragon Lost]

The insiders's history of these events are fascinating, looking forward to more. On the Monty Haul thing, we were using the term by 1979-80 as I recall for some DnD games. I also recall a comic strip with it at some point. Wikipedia "Let's Make A Deal" with Monty Haul for those of you who weren't alive back then. You'll quickly understand why it was a derogatory term for some DnD games/campaigns.

 

[EthanSental]

Another fun and fascinating read....thanks for sharing!

 

[MechaPilot]

As an accountant, Just-In-Time (JIT) is popular and can result in reduced storage costs. However, it sounds like this guy missed one of the big rules of directing a company's accounting policy: you need to become intimately familiar with the nature and the workings of the business (and how it interacts with its distributors and customers). He seems to have fundamentally failed to have done this.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Well played JW...well played... ;-)

 

[evildmguy]

Not sure I understand the timeline here, didn't Wizards of the Coast buy TSR in 1997?

I was also curious about this. I think he meant 1987 because according to Wikipedia, he left in '96.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Ward_(game_designer)

And, yes, TSR was bought in '97.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSR_(company)

So, if we say he meant 1987, the timeline works out much better.

 

[epithet]

At some point "I could care less, but it's not likely" became a popular phrase. People began using the first bit, with the rest being implied, more than the full phrase, and the next thing you know, "I could care less" became commonly used to say "I don't care very much."

 

[Orius]

The more I read about TSR's history the more I wonder just how it held together as long as it did.

 

[Von Ether]

If they were actually printing the books/boxes so far in advance, then I would have an issue as well. No need for inventory. I suspect “finished” means press ready in this case.

I wouldn't be surprised if this guy thought "finished" in the production department meant there was already inventory in the warehouse, since, again, it's obvious that he didn't look over the spreadsheets to claim the glory of how much he saved the company.

Or even funnier, he made the assumption, pushed his point, and then took a peek to confirm after the fact that he had cut out all that non-existent overhead.

Some day, I'd like to hear about the Buck Rogers fiasco.

 

[Bruce Heard]

<<The new crazed head of accounting told me that TSR couldn't afford to be so far ahead in our production schedule. He tried to tell me it was costing TSR money to have products waiting to be sold for months at a time. He wanted to have the products finished exactly one month before the product was released. >>

Your story is a bit misleading. I don't ever recall confronting such an absurd order (I agree -- it was patently unworkable). All the work was scheduled according to resources available. Period. That meant a significant number of projects were unavoidably completed well before the one-month deadline. That certainly was the case when I was director of production planning (perhaps this was after your time at TSR). After the nastiness of dealing with Lorraine's buddy, Mary Abel (you might not have had the pleasure of being acquainted with that character), my authority and responsibilities over the game division's scheduling matters remained essentially unchallenged until TSR went under.

By the way, it isn't an accurate statement that freelancers were late all the time. Many were not. Some of those who did blow their deadlines did so because of conflicting directives from in-house staffers. That did happen often. For that matter, there were a number of in-house staffers who missed their own deadlines as well. And yeah, I did have the unenviable job of cracking down on both sides when delays cropped up. Many of those mishaps weren't necessarily anyone's fault, but rather the result of changes in direction dictated by our upper management.

Bruce