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So in case you don't know what's going on in #TTRPGs the last couple of days, here's a summary of events. There are now two companies called "TSR Games", neither of which are directly related to the original TSR Inc. from the 1970s that created D&D.
The first, @TSRGames, formed in 2011 and created the new edition of Top Secret as well as publishing Gygax Magazine for a few years. They registered the trademark for "TSR" after it was apparently abandoned by @Wizards_DnD and continued to use it.
The second, @TSR_Games, noticed that the first company did not file their paperwork to re-register the trademark in time so they decided to register the trademark themselves. This company announced two games - Star Frontiers (I'll get to that) and Giantlands.
To avoid confusion between the various companies named TSR in this thread, I shall label them using the last name of their original primary executive not named "Gygax". So TSR (Kaye) created D&D, TSR (Elliot) made the new Top Secret, and TSR (LaNasa) is brand new.
I want to repeat that aside from various connections to different members of the Gygax family - despite what one of them claims - NONE OF THESE COMPANIES ARE RELATED. TSR (Kaye) formed in 1973 and dissolved in 1997 when Wizards bought them.
When TSR (Elliot) allowed their registered trademark to lapse, they did not lose legal protection for the trademark. But attempting to protect their trademark from TSR (LaNasa) requires legal filings, which means paying lawyers, which is expensive for a small RPG publisher.
TSR (LaNasa) agreed to "license" the trademark of "TSR Games" back to TSR (Elliot), reportedly for $10/year. So both companies currently exist and both call themselves "TSR Games", one formed in 2011 one formed in 2020.
This past week, @Gygax_Jr, the son of Gary Gygax and vice president of TSR (LaNasa) did an interview where he said multiple problematic things. He laughed at and mocked the concept of gender identity and disparaged Native Americans among several other statements.
TSR (LaNasa) at first attempted to distance themselves from those statements, saying that Ernie was "not a corporate guy" (despite him being the vice president of that company) and that Ernie's opinions were his own. This lasted only a few hours.
Since then, TSR (LaNasa) has taken to Twitter making vague posts in support of "diversity" with a "both sides" tone while at the same time harassing people for criticism of Ernie's statements or those of TSR (LaNasa), blocking several afterward so they could not respond.
TSR (Elliot), who stayed mostly silent on the whole trademark issue earlier this week, then came forward to explain how the trademark for "TSR Games" was taken from them due to late paperwork and that they could not afford to fight it in court.
TSR (Elliot) then made statements unequivocally in support of transgender rights, racial justice, women, and the LGBTQ+ community in order to distance themselves from TSR (LaNasa)'s continued problematic statements.
GaryCon, the convention organized in Gary Gygax's memory, and Ernie's brother Luke Gygax also made statements distancing themselves from Ernie and TSR (LaNasa), as have creators who worked on TSR (LaNasa) products prior to these statements, such as artist Jeff Dee.
TSR (LaNasa) announced two games as part of their new company, Giantlands and Star Frontiers. Giantlands is an unfulfilled Kickstarter from 2017 with cover credits to @drawmsemaj and @SEDart4. The former has made vague tweets in support of TSR (LaNasa)...
...while the latter has made their own transphobic statements, calling a request for a statement in support of transgender rights "disgusting". This echoed a reply to the request from the official Giantlands Twitter account, which called the person themselves "disgusting".
Star Frontiers was a game originally published in 1982 by TSR (Kaye) which also has had a lapsed trademark registration. @EvilHatOfficial attempted to register the trademark in 2017, but @Wizards_DnD republished the original Star Frontiers which stopped that from moving forward.
I should note the exact reasons why Evil Hat decided not to continue with their plans to revive Star Frontiers have not been made public to the best of my knowledge outside that they could not work out terms with Wizards of the Coast.
The original Star Frontiers is currently available in PDF format from @Wizards_DnD, so the only claim to that IP that TSR (LaNasa) has - a trademark registration - is dubious at best. They do not own the original game nor any of the copyrights associated with any material for it.
TSR (LaNasa) is also currently using a TSR logo that was originally used by TSR (Kaye). To the best of my knowledge, they do not have the rights to this logo as it is owned by @Wizards_DnD as part of their purchase of TSR (Kaye).
In addition to the various problematic statements, Ernie also made several statements in the interview that are just...confusing for someone working in the publishing industry and particularly the modern RPG publishing industry.
Ernie blamed Kickstarter's fees and bank payment processing fees for his failure to fulfill his 2015 crowdfunded project Marmorial Tomb, stating they were "stolen". @Kickstarter makes the 5-10% fees clear before launching a project.
Ernie also seemed confused about the concept of taxes and did not understand that companies and individuals have to pay state and federal taxes on business income and pay accountants to sort through those taxes, calling it "wasted money".
But aside from some more toxic statements from TSR (LaNasa) and various related accounts and TSR (LaNasa)'s questionable application of trademark law that would be better explained by a lawyer, I think that brings us up to date on this clusterfuck.
Just to clarify who the three companies involved are on Twitter:
TSR (Kaye) founded by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye in 1973 is currently owned by @Wizards_DnD
TSR (Elliot) founded in 2011 is @TSRgames
TSR (LaNasa) founded in 2020 and the center of this controversy is @TSR_games
TSR (Kaye) founded by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye in 1973 is currently owned by @Wizards_DnD
TSR (Elliot) founded in 2011 is @TSRgames
TSR (LaNasa) founded in 2020 and the center of this controversy is @TSR_games
If anyone would like a good overview of the legal aspects of the trademark and copyright stuff going on, @OrcishLaw made a good thread with a broad-picture, general-view summary. https://twitter.com/OrcishLaw/status/1408909969873805313
*wakes up*
*reads new developments*
*regrets choice to quit drinking* https://twitter.com/IHeartFargo/status/1409190967270383618
*reads new developments*
*regrets choice to quit drinking* https://twitter.com/IHeartFargo/status/1409190967270383618
And this gentleman threatening to kill people for talking about him was a game designer on the original D&D, apparently brought into the TSR Games in some capacity, and I previously reported on credible allegations of his sexual harassment. https://twitter.com/DiceWillRoll/status/1409230991252676612
*sigh* I just wanted to spend today playing Mass Effect... https://twitter.com/BrainClouds/status/1409237987544780816
Looks like TSR (Elliot) is cutting all ties with TSR (LaNasa) including the trademark licensed forced on them. Not sure if this means they're going to be contesting the registration after all or if they're dropping the TSR name. https://twitter.com/TSRgames/status/1409212101315284992
For those looking for links or documentation, here's a thread from @Morrus with the various articles about this story on EN World. Whatever it is you want to see for yourself in context, it's likely in one of these. https://twitter.com/Morrus/status/1409283607995224065
So TSR Games (Elliot) is no longer TSR Games. They're now Solarian Games. https://twitter.com/TSRgames/status/1411153710122602497
And for those who would like a recap in podcast form, Morrus' Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk #157 is live, covering the majority of this subject as the main topic (along with the rest of the week's RPG news). Note: I'm not on this podcast, but I do edit it. https://www.enworld.org/threads/podcast-157-the-tsr-games-controversy.681118/
