Other videos on the subject of TSR's business partners being attacked by threatening emails seem to have missed the most interesting detail about this controversy.

#DnD #OSR #ttrpg #tsr

I have a feeling that Lanassa and Nu-TSR are the actual culprits behind these "anonymous" emails. Just a way of drubbing up publicity for their con.

Quote from: kreegan on October 27, 2021, 10:13:12 PM
I have a feeling that Lanassa and Nu-TSR are the actual culprits behind these "anonymous" emails. Just a way of drubbing up publicity for their con.

"Con" is a fun word, in that it has more than 1 definition.


But while that's the worst-case scenario, and possible, I think it's more likely to be what it appears.

From a Past thread where Lanassa and Nu-TSR got chewed on a bit:
https://www.therpgsite.com/pen-paper-roleplaying-games-rpgs-discussion/tsr-is-coming-back-or-it-is-back/

Quote from: Jaeger on June 18, 2021, 02:33:20 PM
Behold, The Red Flags:

All you need to know about their new TSR RPG GiantLands!...
Have a listen from a site filled with LGBTQP rainbow Motif and Burn Loot Murder virtue signaling:
http://amusementsparks.blubrry.com/2020/03/24/giantlands5/

Some tasty Lanassa quotes starting 3:30 in...

"Middle class white boy."
"Remove from western mythos."
"Not for them"
"...new generation of players."

11:50 in...
"I don't believe in race."

13:30 in...
"I don't want to create a fantasy where races fight against each other."

15:00 in...
Quoting Larry Elmore "Trying to sneak in people of color into D&D early on... Just so white..."


The rot is already in the door kids.
...

I still believe that Lanassa is a dubious individual to say the least. Yes, he does have backbone when facing down SJW attacks, but so does ZakS...

I agree that this is likely just a nostalgia money grab with Ernie trying to trade on his famous last name. Lots of publicity, but no product. They should save the PR blitz for when they actually have a game to sell, that is actually available...


For me these are the two interesting things I see in this mess:

1: It is actually a pretty embarrassing a debacle that WotC let the TSR trademarks lapse to the point that someone else could snatch them up. Someone over there really dropped the ball. Yet no one is commenting on this!

Habro Corp just doesn't drop this shit, yet its WotC games division:

Quote"Trademark registrations issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) confer valuable benefits to their owners, including nationwide rights in the registered mark. But if you don't make the required post-registration filings and pay the mandatory maintenance fees, the USPTO cancels the registration following a six-month grace period. When this happens, you must file a new application to obtain a registration."
"The only remedy for a lapsed or canceled registration because of the owner's failure to file post-registration forms is to reapply for the mark with a new application for registration."

IMHO within Hasbro it is seriously embarrassing that WotC let the TSR trademark get snatched up.


*Buckle up kids, It's tinfoil-hat time TSR style...*

2: Lanassa and Ernie aside; There seems to be a particularly spiteful level of venomous hatred that someone other than WotC has the TSR trademarks.

Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

I could be wrong, but I think that fueling a lot of these attacks is a bit of an underlying fear that TSR could actually become a relevant presence in the hobby again outside of SJW control.

"TSR" still has a ton of flat-out name recognition and cache within the hobby.

One part of the letter Pundit read really stuck out to me:

"We cannot allow TSR to grab creatives."

They don't want TSR to have people make games that would actually be good?

That just strikes me as a statement made out of fear.

For now, all this stuff around Nu-TSR is kind of a side show.

But what if someone competent got the trademark rights?

Went radio silent and sat on it for a few years. Then when 2025 rolled around they release an alternate "Fantasy RPG" that was very much a traditional version of "D&D" compared to whatever WotC tosses out in their not-revised '50th anniversary D&D evolution'.

WotC has proven that you don't need to hit the supplement treadmill hard to sell well. So while such a thing would take some investment, a rival to 'official D&D' can be bankrolled for far less than WotC is currently pumping into their operation...

Given the current Nu-TSR crew - SJW monkeys will fly out of SHARK's ass before that could actually happen.

But I believe that a scenario like that is a real fear for them because of the instant brand recognition the TSR name still has in the hobby.

And so we see the push to attack "TSR" for any reason.

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM
Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

Holy fuck!  Has that site gone completely pants on the head retarded?

Gawd.

Quote from: kreegan on October 27, 2021, 10:13:12 PM
I have a feeling that Lanassa and Nu-TSR are the actual culprits behind these "anonymous" emails. Just a way of drubbing up publicity for their con.

That's always possible, but I have no reason to think it true yet.

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM
From a Past thread where Lanassa and Nu-TSR got chewed on a bit:
https://www.therpgsite.com/pen-paper-roleplaying-games-rpgs-discussion/tsr-is-coming-back-or-it-is-back/

Quote from: Jaeger on June 18, 2021, 02:33:20 PM
Behold, The Red Flags:

All you need to know about their new TSR RPG GiantLands!...
Have a listen from a site filled with LGBTQP rainbow Motif and Burn Loot Murder virtue signaling:
http://amusementsparks.blubrry.com/2020/03/24/giantlands5/

Some tasty Lanassa quotes starting 3:30 in...

"Middle class white boy."
"Remove from western mythos."
"Not for them"
"...new generation of players."

11:50 in...
"I don't believe in race."

13:30 in...
"I don't want to create a fantasy where races fight against each other."

15:00 in...
Quoting Larry Elmore "Trying to sneak in people of color into D&D early on... Just so white..."


The rot is already in the door kids.
...

I still believe that Lanassa is a dubious individual to say the least. Yes, he does have backbone when facing down SJW attacks, but so does ZakS...

I agree that this is likely just a nostalgia money grab with Ernie trying to trade on his famous last name. Lots of publicity, but no product. They should save the PR blitz for when they actually have a game to sell, that is actually available...


For me these are the two interesting things I see in this mess:

1: It is actually a pretty embarrassing a debacle that WotC let the TSR trademarks lapse to the point that someone else could snatch them up. Someone over there really dropped the ball. Yet no one is commenting on this!

Habro Corp just doesn't drop this shit, yet its WotC games division:

Quote"Trademark registrations issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) confer valuable benefits to their owners, including nationwide rights in the registered mark. But if you don't make the required post-registration filings and pay the mandatory maintenance fees, the USPTO cancels the registration following a six-month grace period. When this happens, you must file a new application to obtain a registration."
"The only remedy for a lapsed or canceled registration because of the owner's failure to file post-registration forms is to reapply for the mark with a new application for registration."

IMHO within Hasbro it is seriously embarrassing that WotC let the TSR trademark get snatched up.


*Buckle up kids, It's tinfoil-hat time TSR style...*

2: Lanassa and Ernie aside; There seems to be a particularly spiteful level of venomous hatred that someone other than WotC has the TSR trademarks.

Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

I could be wrong, but I think that fueling a lot of these attacks is a bit of an underlying fear that TSR could actually become a relevant presence in the hobby again outside of SJW control.

"TSR" still has a ton of flat-out name recognition and cache within the hobby.

One part of the letter Pundit read really stuck out to me:

"We cannot allow TSR to grab creatives."

They don't want TSR to have people make games that would actually be good?

That just strikes me as a statement made out of fear.

For now, all this stuff around Nu-TSR is kind of a side show.

But what if someone competent got the trademark rights?

Went radio silent and sat on it for a few years. Then when 2025 rolled around they release an alternate "Fantasy RPG" that was very much a traditional version of "D&D" compared to whatever WotC tosses out in their not-revised '50th anniversary D&D evolution'.

WotC has proven that you don't need to hit the supplement treadmill hard to sell well. So while such a thing would take some investment, a rival to 'official D&D' can be bankrolled for far less than WotC is currently pumping into their operation...

Given the current Nu-TSR crew - SJW monkeys will fly out of SHARK's ass before that could actually happen.

But I believe that a scenario like that is a real fear for them because of the instant brand recognition the TSR name still has in the hobby.

And so we see the push to attack "TSR" for any reason.

Greetings!

Yeah, ever since TSR emerged in recent times, the only impression I have gotten from them is a company of "Smoke and Mirrors".

Having said that, I also agree that there are probably more than a few people--fans, troglodytes, game designers, writers, whoever--that have a deep-seated hatred for TSR an anyone seeking to revive the company. I think there is a gaggle of interested parties that would be more than eager to fuck TSR in every way possible.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: Shasarak on October 28, 2021, 09:39:29 PM

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM
Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

Holy fuck!  Has that site gone completely pants on the head retarded?

Gawd.

Yes, about 12 years ago.

Quote from: Shasarak on October 28, 2021, 09:39:29 PM

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM
Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

Holy fuck!  Has that site gone completely pants on the head retarded?

Gawd.

Greetings!

Yeah! You remember EN World, don't you, Shasarak?

From nearly every quarter, I hear that they have continued to go down hill, and that they eagerly embrace the SJW KOOL AID.

Sad. EN World used to be a really cool place, a long time ago.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quote from: SHARK on October 28, 2021, 10:38:21 PM

Quote from: Shasarak on October 28, 2021, 09:39:29 PM

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM
Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

Holy fuck!  Has that site gone completely pants on the head retarded?

Gawd.

Greetings!

Yeah! You remember EN World, don't you, Shasarak?

From nearly every quarter, I hear that they have continued to go down hill, and that they eagerly embrace the SJW KOOL AID.

Sad. EN World used to be a really cool place, a long time ago.

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

I remember what it used to be but now?

Quote from: Jaeger on October 28, 2021, 08:38:16 PM

I still believe that Lanassa is a dubious individual to say the least. Yes, he does have backbone when facing down SJW attacks, but so does ZakS...

I agree that this is likely just a nostalgia money grab with Ernie trying to trade on his famous last name. Lots of publicity, but no product. They should save the PR blitz for when they actually have a game to sell, that is actually available...


For me these are the two interesting things I see in this mess:

1: It is actually a pretty embarrassing a debacle that WotC let the TSR trademarks lapse to the point that someone else could snatch them up. Someone over there really dropped the ball. Yet no one is commenting on this!

Habro Corp just doesn't drop this shit, yet its WotC games division:

Quote"Trademark registrations issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) confer valuable benefits to their owners, including nationwide rights in the registered mark. But if you don't make the required post-registration filings and pay the mandatory maintenance fees, the USPTO cancels the registration following a six-month grace period. When this happens, you must file a new application to obtain a registration."
"The only remedy for a lapsed or canceled registration because of the owner's failure to file post-registration forms is to reapply for the mark with a new application for registration."

IMHO within Hasbro it is seriously embarrassing that WotC let the TSR trademark get snatched up.


*Buckle up kids, It's tinfoil-hat time TSR style...*

2: Lanassa and Ernie aside; There seems to be a particularly spiteful level of venomous hatred that someone other than WotC has the TSR trademarks.

Even at EN world under the guise of 'industry news' Morrus did his absolute best to pour as much gasoline on the Ernie Gygax dumpster fire as he possibly could. Commentary that would have otherwise gotten threads locked down if it was almost anyone else, were allowed to just pile it on.

I could be wrong, but I think that fueling a lot of these attacks is a bit of an underlying fear that TSR could actually become a relevant presence in the hobby again outside of SJW control.

"TSR" still has a ton of flat-out name recognition and cache within the hobby.

One part of the letter Pundit read really stuck out to me:

"We cannot allow TSR to grab creatives."

They don't want TSR to have people make games that would actually be good?

That just strikes me as a statement made out of fear.

For now, all this stuff around Nu-TSR is kind of a side show.

But what if someone competent got the trademark rights?

Went radio silent and sat on it for a few years. Then when 2025 rolled around they release an alternate "Fantasy RPG" that was very much a traditional version of "D&D" compared to whatever WotC tosses out in their not-revised '50th anniversary D&D evolution'.

WotC has proven that you don't need to hit the supplement treadmill hard to sell well. So while such a thing would take some investment, a rival to 'official D&D' can be bankrolled for far less than WotC is currently pumping into their operation...

Given the current Nu-TSR crew - SJW monkeys will fly out of SHARK's ass before that could actually happen.

But I believe that a scenario like that is a real fear for them because of the instant brand recognition the TSR name still has in the hobby.

And so we see the push to attack "TSR" for any reason.

Hasbro/WotC should have captured and kept the TSR name locked up in a back room with all the Forgotten Realms materials. (Seriously, for all the settings books they have slapped together from MtG crap to shoehorn into 5e, they could have put together multiple boxed sets for FR with what's crammed into a filing cabinet in a back closet at WotC. The work was already done.)  They were fools to let the TSR name out.

Yes, LaNasa is an opportunist. Every good politician/businessman is one to some extent, and that in itself isn't bad. (What you actually DO with those opportunities may be)

The TSR brand name is potentially a powerful tool for whomever wields it, a force multiplier to whatever it is attached to. It needs to be put on the front of a powerful engine though. I'm not yet convinced that LaNasa and Ernie are that engine. They need "creatives" and money. They need a stack of games to put onto FLGS shelves. I would recommend unifying the product line where all the products are of different genres, but using the same ruleset. 

Actually, they could run an ultra slim ruleset like the Total Party Skills games ruleset (3 attributes, a handful of skills and all you need is 3d6 to play.) I don't think that retreads of the B/X box rules are the future. But maybe have a core book with a red section and a blue section. If you want to run their games using a d6 system, you can, and a d20 section, you can. Write the adventures so that you can either adjudicate every skill challenge or combat encounter using the red text box at the bottom of the page or the blue one.
   
There are a shitload of OSR creators out there. If working for LaNasa is a good experience (I don't know if he is a good or bad boss to work for), they could pump out the materials. There is no lack of "creatives". He just needs to hire them.
LaNasa is the key here. Can he run a company?  Can he manage employees and not drive them off? Can he comport himself as the face of the company? Every time the Face of the company is in public or posting online, they are trying to sell the company and their products to you. Every interaction with the public is a job interview. Can he inspire confidence that he's the guy with the products you want? 

I want the TSR name to succeed. The hobby will be better off if WotC gets some competition. especially some that actually like the hobby.

I just hope that the TSR name doesn't get dragged through the mud along the way, and discarded in a ditch when it is no longer useful to the current holder.

The new TSR name is the hand of Vecna holding one part of the rod of law if it were played right.


Well that's enough weirdly vague hyperbole from me. Thought I might have a point for a moment there but nope.

'TSR' brand, Gygax name, plus a solid OGL ruleset like Swords & Wizardry could be very strong. I doubt that will happen though.

Let's assume for a moment that this did come from the sjdubs. I absolutely love the hypocrisy of being an "anonymous" email. Because the sjdubs seem to cry when I hide behind an anonymous internet handle on a forum.

Do as I say, not as I do.

Quote from: S'mon on October 29, 2021, 09:55:05 AM
'TSR' brand, Gygax name, plus a solid OGL ruleset like Swords & Wizardry could be very strong. I doubt that will happen though.

Yeah, agreed. Would be nice but won't happen.