D&D publishers are seeking an injunction against the newly resurrected TSR

Wizards of the Coast, publisher of Dungeons & Dragons, has filed an injunction that could prevent the publication of content it describes as “despicable” and “blatantly racist and transphobic.” The motion, filed before a federal judge in Seattle on Thursday, seeks to stop the production of Star Frontiers New Genesisa reboot of the classic star borders Tabletop role-playing game first released in 1982. The target of the request for the injunction is TSR, a company that Wizards purchased in 1997.

The reinvented TSR, Inc. is owned by up-and-coming game publisher Justin LaNasa. He claims residency in North Carolina, where he is best known for a chain of tattoo parlors — and also for a failed political campaign that he, among other things, torpedoed asked several female employees to wrestle in a tub of warm grits. LaNasa had promoted its reboot of the original star borders for more than a year without really producing much content. Then, in July, what appeared to be an early test version of the game leaked. According to Wizards, it was so reprehensible that the company was forced to take action to protect its brand.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The 23-page request (fully embedded below) sets out their evidence against LaNasa, the vast majority of which appears to have been written or edited by themselves. As part of his argument, Wizards includes excerpts of what is purported to be an early draft of LaNasa’s manuscript New genesis. The document appears to include game features that position black characters as mechanically inferior to other characters due to their perceived lower base intelligence scores and other “latent issues” with what the playtest calls “minor race.” [sic]. The manuscript also goes out of its way to state that the modern Black Lives Matter movement is “radical” and specifically bans trans characters of any kind. Among other things, Wizards criticized these elements of the manuscript as they could negatively affect consumer sentiment towards its own brand.

Image: Wizards of the Coast

“Wizards has long been committed to an inclusive culture for gaming, including its Dungeons & Dragons products,” Wizards said in the request for the injunction. “All players are welcome in the Wizards games. In recent years, Wizards has redoubled its commitment to diversity and inclusion. For example, when reprinting older Dungeons & Dragons products, Wizards will update its character descriptions to remove racially insensitive material. It increasingly uses sensitive readers and diversity professionals in its creative process to ensure its storytelling reflects its values. New products will no longer include cultural traits such as languages ​​and will recognize a number of physical traits for character races.”

Wizards’ filing also aims to undermine LaNasa’s strongest argument – that Wizards abandoned TSR and other related brands, thereby opening the door for his usurpation of the brand and its games.

“Defendants in the counterclaim claim ownership of the intellectual property of TSR, Inc.,” Wizards wrote. It further states that, despite TSR’s claims, it continues to use the intellectual property in question, including through sales through its official licensee OneBookShelf and more recently Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Books.

This is where it gets complicated. Wizards admits it failed to submit documentation for registration of TSR, star borders, and other related marks in a timely manner as required by federal law. But through the continued sale of related products and use of associated intellectual property, the company claims ownership of “common law trademark rights.” A jury must decide whether this is actually the case.

Wizards’ request for an injunction against the sale of Star Frontiers New Genesis is expected to be answered by the end of September. The question of who owns TSR and related brands will be brought before a judge in October 2023.

Thursday’s request for a restraining order follows an embarrassing episode for Wizards. It is Spelljammer: Adventures in Space The product came under fire from fans and critics for its incorporation of racial tropes and stereotypes. Wizards has since issued a revocation on all digital versions of sorry for spelling and has promised to remove the objectionable content in future reprints. That entire episode was actually included in the request for a restraining order — as a positive sign of Wizards’ efforts to be included in his work.

Asked for more details, Wizards said it would not comment on pending litigation. Polygon reached out to Justin LaNasa but received no response prior to publication.