TSR (company)

TSR ( Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. ) was founded by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye to publish the rules of the pen & paper role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons in 1972 company. After Don Kaye died of a stroke in 1975, founded the remaining owners, Brian Blume and Gary Gygax TSR Hobbies, the company, Inc. The assets of TSR were transferred to the new company, TSR was dissolved. In 1983, the word " hobbies " was abandoned.

After several wrong decisions, the company indebted, and Gygax left the company management. The new management did not manage to improve the situation, and the debt grew. Together with other problems such as poor sales of new products and a lack of storage management felt the company to the brink of insolvency.

TSR published a plurality of early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, Boot Hill, Gamma World, Top Secret, Empire of the Petal Throne, Star Frontiers, Indiana Jones and Marvel Super Heroes. They also published the magazines Dragon and Dungeon. In 1984, TSR began with the publication of novels that are based on their games. Also the trading card game Spellfire and the collecting dice game Dragon Dice comes from TSR.

Next TSR published some rules extensions for other eras, such as Wild West, World War II and the Middle Ages ( chain mail).

After the initial success, the company went into a variety of processes to what it saw as its intellectual property. There was method to the questions as who, when, what had developed. A high point was reached when TSR attack private individuals, published the game information on the Internet. Result, the company got the call to take action against its own clients, also other products such as Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance did not help him. This, in the target group often perceived as reckless behavior of TSR, the popularity of the products diminished greatly, and many fans switched to other games such as Rolemaster and palladium.

Wizards of the Coast bought the company and its rights together with Dungeons & Dragons and various campaign material in 1997. TSR staff was incorporated into Wizards of the Coast, TSR and ceased to exist as an independent company. 1999 was bought Wizards of the Coast themselves of Hasbro, Inc..

Since 2011 there is again a company with that name, founded by the sons of Gary Gygax: " We do own the trademark for TSR, and have since December of 2011 We are a new company, not the old TSR, as theywere purchased by. Wizards in the> 90s. The trademark which abandoned about nine years ago, and we registered it in 2011. "

Trivia

The S in the name of TSR was often satirically replaced due to the behavior of the company of players outraged by a dollar sign $. The name of TSR were also awarded other meanings such as " Too many Supplements Required", a reference to the tendency of the company to bring out its own plant for every little thing. These books are known under the name " splatbook ".