What if... WotC hadn't bought TSR?

[BiggusGeekus@Work]

:: looking into crystal ball ::

Bruce Cordell would have been out of work, gone on to presue a physics degree, and have discovered warp drive, tabletop fusion, and kiwi-flavored licorice by mid-2005.

... but, frankly, isn't 3e worth it?

 

[DanMcS]

It's my understanding that when a company goes bankrupt, the intellectual property goes back to the creator/author. (Unfortunately, we've seen it happen to all to many RPG companies over the years)

So, if no one bought them out, and TSR had gone bankrupt, I would guess Dave Arneson & Gary Gygax would have gotten back the rights to D&D, and Gygax would have gotten Greyhawk back.

That depends on how the contracts are written. It's equally likely that the intellectual property would have been covered by a "work for hire" clause and would have been an asset of the company to be sold off to cover debts. If some RPG authors have regained rights to work from companies that went bankrupt, it's probably because they had good contract lawyers. We can't really say without having seen the original legal docs.

 

[diaglo]

... but, frankly, isn't 3e worth it?

do you really want me to answer that?

 

[Dragongirl]

I would rather ask, what if Hasbo had not bought WOTC.

 

[Harlock]

If WotC hadn't bought TSR and subsequently not gone to Hasbro we'd simply have a whole different look to the Chicken Littles.

Microsoft got sued for antitrust?! D&D is going to die and we'll never game again. The dice Gestapo will break down your door and take away your percentile generators! Oh no, oh no!

 

[DonAdam]

White Wolf would have bought the license.

Each class would have its own book:

Fighter: The Tank- Your angst-ridden soul needs one thing to comfort it: killing monsters with a big %&#@ing sword.

Rogue: The Percentages- Oh if only society would accept you! Your torment can only be helped by pilfering away from those around you, including your fellow party members.

Cleric: The Ritual- Your gods have put you into a miserable existence, and your only hope is in healing the wounds of others.

Wizard: The Vancian- You are tormented because the Mages don't have to memorize spells. You must fireball them to satiate your deepest, darkest desires.

 

[Dieter]

MS-D&D '95, '98, 2000, ME, XP with add-ons and patches every six months just to tick us gamers off.

And people complain about D&D 3.5 ???

At least you don't have to worry about old versions of RPGs crashing for no apparent reason.

 

[Sammael99]

At least you don't have to worry about old versions of RPGs crashing for no apparent reason.

I've been through tons of campaigns that crashed for no apparent reason...

Does that mean I can blame Microsoft ?

 

[Kamard]

Does that mean I can blame Microsoft ?

Why not? I do.

 

[Ranger REG]

What if... WotC hadn't bought TSR?

Then someone else will.

Would the "Dungeons and Dragons" game be produced in any form?

Depends on the buyer.

Would the lawyers have killed the trademark?

Only if they stop protecting the trademark. Of all the intellectual properties, trademark is the most vulnerable under the IP law. Which is why the company must be vigilant about protecting it (or them if they have multiple trademark).