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Made in us
Been Around the Block




Los Angeles

So this is amazing news. The Gygax bloodline continues the tradition! I wonder what their gaming mechanics will look like.
https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/dungeons-and-dragons-tsr-inc-gary-gygax-returns/

https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/06/tsr-creators-of-dd-are-back-with-a-brand-new-sci-fi-rpg.html



   
Made in us
Krazy Grot Kutta Driva





Hopefully they will bring back Top Secret rpg. That was such a great game! my marine buddies played for hours on end while stationed on Okinawa. Best of luck to all who are involved.

 
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

I second the love for Top Secret.

I think you can still dig it up on Drive-Thru RPG or some place.

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Growlin' Guntrukk Driver with Killacannon





Italy

Neat, I still have a lot of fun adventure modules from TSR that are fun to update for one shots. I'm interested to see what their sci-fi RPG will be like.
   
Made in gb
Witch Hunter in the Shadows





Pointer5 wrote:
Hopefully they will bring back Top Secret rpg. That was such a great game!
The BoLS article did mention there is another TSR that currently releases an updated Top Secret.

As for the return of TSR... it's a brand name. I'll wait and judge them on results rather than legacy.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

The thread title is really overselling it lol.

This latest incarnation of TSR is Ernie Gygax trying to make some hay out of his father’s legacy. Again. Some years back, Ernie (and Luke?) worked with “the other” re-invented TSR to produce Gygax Magazine, which was another attempt at exploiting the family brand. That fell apart but “the other” TSR is still puttering along with its KS-produced reboot of Top Secret, which hasn’t been all that well received. Apparently, “the other” TSR is now paying a (according to Ernie) token licensing fee to “this” TSR to keep doing business under the name.

To me, it all smacks brand licensing rather than a serious commitment to produce anything worthwhile; kind of like what WotC have done with D&D in 5E.

   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut




Given this particular group's first act out of the gate was a pretty self-immolative interview from Ernie, this is going to end up as little more than a grift methinks.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

From Facebook, “the other” TSR explained:
We have owned the TSR trademark since 2011. Last year, we missed a filing date, and another company registered it, though we are still using it in commerce.

While we could win a lawsuit, we frankly don't have the money to litigate. So, we're licensing it back from them.

As a result, there are two companies now using the name TSR. You can tell when it's us because we're the only ones using the new logo.

   
Made in gb
Moustache-twirling Princeps




United Kingdom

From Twitter:

Luke Gygax wrote:FYI- I am not involved with any TSR company nor is Gary Con nor anyone else in my family outside of Ernie. Full stop. That is all.
   
Made in es
Inspiring SDF-1 Bridge Officer






I think that most of the shenanigans of all this kerfuffle have been compiled here:

https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2021/06/latest-tsr-justin-lanasa-screenshot.html?m=1
   
Made in us
Master Tormentor





St. Louis

Well GenCon and GAMA have severed all ties, so that didn't last very long.
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut






Misery. Missouri. Who can tell the difference.

I am very good friends and work with one of the members the Podcast that interviewed the TSR rep. Yeah, TSR shot themselves in the foot, taint and head.

"The strange tale of the newest TSR takes a turn for the worse as the company seems to double down on statements by one of the co-founders in an interview that was comparably mild. For context, here’s the interview, given by Ernie Gygax Jr., on Live from the Bunker early last week on the “Return of TSR Games.”

Source: https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2021/06/rpg-the-newest-tsr-stirs-up-controversy-creators-companies-and-gygaxes-distance-themselves.html

251 point Khador Army
245 points Ret Army

Warmachine League Record: 85 Wins 29 Losses
A proud member of the "I won with Zerkova" club with and without Sylss.

 
   
Made in us
Powerful Pegasus Knight






What a lad.
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

I..... do not understand..... what is happening.....

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Master Tormentor





St. Louis

 Easy E wrote:
I..... do not understand..... what is happening.....

Man related to famous geek decides to be bigot, runs business into ground in completely avoidable charlie foxtrot.
   
Made in gb
Moustache-twirling Princeps




United Kingdom

From Twitter:

TSR wrote:Hi everyone,
I am the new Public Relations Officer for TSR.Games.
The individual that was handling this account is no longer with TSR.
Please direct all future TSR communications to me.
1/2

In the coming week, there will be a video featuring
Ernie Gygax in which he will address:
SciFi4Me TV's "Live from the Bunker 277" Interview
The childhood story he posted on his personal Twitter account
Please stand by…

Michael
Public Relations Officer
TSR/Giantlands
2/2
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

 Laughing Man wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
I..... do not understand..... what is happening.....

Man related to famous geek decides to be bigot, runs business into ground in completely avoidable charlie foxtrot.


You missed the part where he ran the business into the ground basically overnight within just a couple days of launching. This entire kerfuffle would be rather mundane and barely newsworthy if it wasn't for how rapidly it occurred.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in us
Master Tormentor





St. Louis

beast_gts wrote:
From Twitter:

TSR wrote:Hi everyone,
I am the new Public Relations Officer for TSR.Games.
The individual that was handling this account is no longer with TSR.
Please direct all future TSR communications to me.
1/2

In the coming week, there will be a video featuring
Ernie Gygax in which he will address:
SciFi4Me TV's "Live from the Bunker 277" Interview
The childhood story he posted on his personal Twitter account
Please stand by…

Michael
Public Relations Officer
TSR/Giantlands
2/2

I'm noticing they're not planning to talk about his nonapology for calling transpeople disgusting.
   
Made in us
Battlefield Tourist




MN (Currently in WY)

 Laughing Man wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
I..... do not understand..... what is happening.....


in completely avoidable charlie foxtrot.


This is the part I do not understand! Why?

Twitter is designed to kill careers and destroy businesses. Everyone knows this.

Support Blood and Spectacles Publishing:
https://www.patreon.com/Bloodandspectaclespublishing 
   
Made in us
Master Tormentor





St. Louis

 Easy E wrote:
 Laughing Man wrote:
 Easy E wrote:
I..... do not understand..... what is happening.....


in completely avoidable charlie foxtrot.


This is the part I do not understand! Why?

Twitter is designed to kill careers and destroy businesses. Everyone knows this.
How else would he let everyone know his gak takes on every possible subject? Or that WotC is conspiring to destroy him and his company?
   
Made in us
Knight of the Inner Circle






I really don't care what is going on on social media (not part of it) The only concern I have is the quality of games they release will be
my deciding factor. I bought the OG Cyborg Commando thinking it was going to be a decent game, instead, it was a bunch of charts
telling you what the odds were depending on the dice you were using. If Star Fronters is a solid game, I would plan to pick up everything
for it. Starfinder (Pathfinder Space) just didn't do anything for me but nostalgia does have the ability to stab deep into people's wallets.

 
   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba






 Manchu wrote:

To me, it all smacks brand licensing rather than a serious commitment to produce anything worthwhile; kind of like what WotC have done with D&D in 5E.


You must have missed this gigantic DnD renaissance that's happened with 5e.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/03 01:14:11


"Got you, Yugi! Your Rubric Marines can't fall back because I have declared the tertiary kaptaris ka'tah stance two, after the secondary dacatarai ka'tah last turn!"

"So you think, Kaiba! I declared my Thousand Sons the cult of Duplicity, which means all my psykers have access to the Sorcerous Facade power! Furthermore I will spend 8 Cabal Points to invoke Cabbalistic Focus, causing the rubrics to appear behind your custodes! The Vengeance for the Wronged and Sorcerous Fullisade stratagems along with the Malefic Maelstrom infernal pact evoked earlier in the command phase allows me to double their firepower, letting me wound on 2s and 3s!"

"you think it is you who has gotten me, yugi, but it is I who have gotten you! I declare the ever-vigilant stratagem to attack your rubrics with my custodes' ranged weapons, which with the new codex are now DAMAGE 2!!"

"...which leads you straight into my trap, Kaiba, you see I now declare the stratagem Implacable Automata, reducing all damage from your attacks by 1 and triggering my All is Dust special rule!"  
   
Made in us
Longtime Dakkanaut





wouldnt be so quick to consider them DOA, the opinions of one side are clearly not shared by the other, this company could find itself like lamentations, with a hardcore group of fans/customers and not really be at all concerned with what the mob says.If giantlands is a success and star frontiers is as well, the nostalgia crowd could keep them afloat with not much trouble.
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

 the_scotsman wrote:
You must have missed this gigantic DnD renaissance that's happened with 5e.
From what I have seen, D&D became superficially popular with social media “celebs” while WotC has produced a sparse line of mediocre adventure modules with minimal originality/ideas. Not my idea of a renaissance. 5E is so relentlessly boring, I have actually started reading 30+ y.o. Rifts materials.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/07/04 04:39:18


   
Made in de
Battlefield Tourist






Nuremberg

Loads of people are playing 5e, and enjoying it. I also think it is mechanically fairly mediocre, but it's wildly popular.

   
Made in us
Shadowy Grot Kommittee Memba




The Great State of New Jersey

I don't disagree that 5e is mediocre and the sourcebooks and modules available are sparse (unless you go into all the open license produced content_.

But to say it isn't wildly popular is a failure to understand reality.

CoALabaer wrote:
Wargamers hate two things: the state of the game and change.
 
   
Made in us
Terrifying Doombull




It is both popular and mediocre, but from a corporate prospective its also very conservative. There's a severe lack of products, especially compared to past editions of D&D.

5e barely has a full shelf of products after 7 years. Most editions of D&D can fill entire bookcases. Granted, over production of products that didn't sell is what helped kill the original TSR, but there is so much more WotC could be doing (some of which they promised at the outset of the edition, like filling out other 'pillars' of the game like exploration and other non-combat activities).

Efficiency is the highest virtue. 
   
Made in us
[MOD]
Solahma






RVA

Can anyone provide a source for the claim that 5E is wildly popular?

Not that I ever claimed that it isn’t. My claim was that it has become superficially popular with social media personalities.

I also think we need to distinguish between the rather anemic D&D product line and D&D merchandising. I know there has been a lot of interest in the kitsch of D&D, tshirts and toys and so on; I’m much more skeptical about the game getting played all that much more and most skeptical of all about how the books are selling.

When you say “wildly popular” do you mean popular in the sense of popular kids in high school? Like, D&D is fashionable? Yeah, I think that is true.

This probably has more to do with the MCU than 5E.

Regardless, this certainly isn’t a renaissance in terms of the quality of the product.

EDIT:

Quick google search turns up an infographic from 2019 produced by WotC that ironically sums up my skepticism: link

This message was edited 7 times. Last update was at 2021/07/05 09:36:08


   
Made in gb
Fixture of Dakka





 Manchu wrote:
Can anyone provide a source for the claim that 5E is wildly popular?

Not that I ever claimed that it isn’t. My claim was that it has become superficially popular with social media personalities.



I doubt there is such an official source but word of mouth has been very positive across the board nonetheless. Apparently 4th edition was disappointing( a Warcraft influence or something ) and led to Pathfinder as a return to 3rd edition style, and 5th was introduced to put things right.

Casual gaming, mostly solo-coop these days.

 
   
Made in gb
Revving Ravenwing Biker



Wrexham, North Wales

D&D is by far and away the most popular Role-playing game I sell. A trend echoed across other traders.

And as the discussion turns to the temperament of the owner and the quality/originality of content, I'm not sure Palladium is company to run to for succor.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/07/05 13:14:14


 
   
 
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