Some TSR History

[bayonetbrant]

https://medium.com/@increment/the-ambush-at-sheridan-springs-3a29d07f6836

October 22 was a Tuesday, and Gygax was wrapping up another day at TSR corporate headquarters on Sheridan Springs Road in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. His last appointment was a board meeting just after close of business; with 1,371 shares of stock, he held controlling interest in the company, and thus chaired the board. The meeting started late, at quarter past five. Five of the company's six directors were present: two of the independent directors, James Huber and Wesley Sommer, and then the three principal shareholders: Gygax, Brian Blume, and Kevin Blume. Gygax was surprised to find both of the Blume brothers in attendance. Though they held a substantial stake in the company—as a family, nearly one thousand shares total—they had lost their executive positions at TSR following a reorganization the previous year.

The board proceeded to review the company's turbulent negotiations with the American National Bank before moving on to the ostensible purpose of the meeting, a discussion regarding TSR's royalty payments to authors. In recent internal memos, Gygax had insisted that the company allow its employees, himself especially, to retain all copyrights, trademarks, and royalties for works authored rather than assigning them to TSR; in the eyes of other directors, this was in violation of existing contracts. During the course of this discussion, Gygax mused that since it seemed the board would find it easier to afford him these privileges if he were not an employee, perhaps he should just resign.

much much more at the link

[BanzaiCat]

Great read, thanks! It's interesting to see some pre-history in TSR.

[eyebiter]

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[bayonetbrant]

you're right, but I don't think that was what they were trying to cover.  Everything in that article was focused on shareholders / ownership stakes, and Arneson was never a major shareholder

[Martok]

A fairly interesting read, if an overly long one.  Thanks for sharing brant. 

[bayonetbrant]

here's another interesting one...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/nyregion/a-quest-to-make-a-dungeons-dragons-film-turns-into-a-legal-battle.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=LargeMediaHeadlineSum&module=photo-spot-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0

[Martok]

Wow.  The levels of irony are staggering... 

[bayonetbrant]

here's a very interesting article on how modules used to get developed at TSR
https://medium.com/@increment/quagmire-the-making-of-a-1980s-d-d-module-c30e788ea5f2

I actually have that module and remember it as an interesting expansion of what was then called "The Known World" and later became Mystara

[Double Deuce]

I cant imagine the nightmare of being a writer for anything prior to the development of modern word processers. Back in the late 70's I used to type up the modules I wrote on an old typewriter (had a black and red ribbon). Even using erasable paper its was still one of the biggest headaches I ever endured.

[besilarius]

A bit surprised that the first article did not mention the division within the Gygax family. 
Gary had fallen among D&D groupies during his Hollywood efforts and the resulting divorce was not pretty.  (I heard rumors that the Blumes liked Mrs. Gygax, who supported Gary in his days as a cobbler, and felt he treated her shabbily.)
It also does not mention the seething anger that many SPI afficionadoes felt over the unethical takeover.
Finally, the damage done to a large block of local hobby stores and their distribution network is not mentioned.  Taking the game to ToysRUs was certainly within their rights.  But to abandon the support group that had done so much to fuel D&Ds growth, seems almost like a fore-ordained Greek tragedy when the firm hit the wall of business reality.

[bayonetbrant]

A bit surprised that the first article did not mention the division within the Gygax family. 
Gary had fallen among D&D groupies during his Hollywood efforts and the resulting divorce was not pretty.  (I heard rumors that the Blumes liked Mrs. Gygax, who supported Gary in his days as a cobbler, and felt he treated her shabbily.)
It also does not mention the seething anger that many SPI afficionadoes felt over the unethical takeover.
Finally, the damage done to a large block of local hobby stores and their distribution network is not mentioned.  Taking the game to ToysRUs was certainly within their rights.  But to abandon the support group that had done so much to fuel D&Ds growth, seems almost like a fore-ordained Greek tragedy when the firm hit the wall of business reality.

The top article was intended only as a specific recounting of the meeting(s) that pushed Gary out.  It wasn't intended as an omnibus article about the repercussions of the decisions (tho the author covers some of that in his book).

What brought this thread back to life was the follow-up (from the same author) about the development process for Quagmire!

[Ubercat]

here's a very interesting article on how modules used to get developed at TSR
https://medium.com/@increment/quagmire-the-making-of-a-1980s-d-d-module-c30e788ea5f2

I actually have that module and remember it as an interesting expansion of what was then called "The Known World" and later became Mystara

Heh. My friend Mark Acres is in the pic of designers. He taught me For the People.