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| NuTSR's Not Star Frontiers |
But some things can't be left unsaid.
So last year I talked a bit about the NuTSR. I wanted to call them NotTSR or !TSR, but NuTSR won out.
A quick recap they are suing Wizards of the Coast so they (NuTSR) can keep the name they stole, the game they stole (Star Frontiers), and get WotC to remove the content disclaimers on DrivThruRPG. All of which have a snowball's chance in Hell of getting accomplished. All of this is online in places (waves vaguely) and you should have no trouble finding it.
Frankly, I was happy just to wait around and watch WotC/Hasbro wipe them off the face of the gaming world forever.
That was until the reported Playtest Version of their Not Star Frontiers was leaked.
And man, if you thought FATAL or MYFAROG was bad. The playtest was leaked by Tenkar at his eponymous Tavern and YouTube channel. You can see the rules in his video.
Look, I have NO IDEA if this is a legit set of rules. Many people with solid industry inside knowledge and contacts claim that it is. It is a truly horrifying document. Let's ignore the atrocious grammar and spelling. Let's move past the extremely terrible game design. I mean what I have seen so far screams "fantasy heartbreaker written by high school loner." let's get right into the racist bullshit.
Actually, no I am not going to give them the bandwidth and sully these pages with their madness. Instead go to the "There's No Place For Hate in Gaming" website and read it all their with the rest of Dave Johnson's hate-spewing nonsense.
Here is a bit from their Twitter feed (read the whole thread):
Dave Johnson & NuTSR's "Star Frontiers" playtest has been leaked, and it's insanely racist.
— NoHateInGaming (@NoHateInGaming) July 19, 2022
It literally has a "Negro" race listed as a subspecies of the superior "Nordic" race. Dave's "Negro" race is "thick bodied," strong, and low intelligence.
NuTSR is straight-up KKK trash. pic.twitter.com/zkIkTx4AAr
That's pretty damning really.
I am not going to try and insult you all by saying shit like "well this matches with things Johnson has posted in the past" or "the style here matches things Justin has written before." No. Just read this all for yourself.
Do I trust that Tenkar has good information? I trust that he trusts it. We don't see eye to eye on, well a whole lot really (it's a Chicago vs New York thing), but I do trust him that he is covering his bases.
Right now Justin et al are in full DARVO mode saying that it is others attacking them and and "photoshopping" the screen-shots.
Seriously, all NuTSR has to do is issue a statement denying this was their writing, unequivocally denounce it as racist garbage, and pledge that nothing of this sort is in their game or ever will be.
It's what a real publisher would do. It's what a real writer would do.
But to date, they have not that. Nothing at all from Dave Johnson or Justin LaNasa on this.
This is all developing. So far The Gamer website has picked up on the story, and rumor has it that WotC had an "emergency meeting about it." (that one has yet to be confirmed and I remain skeptical but hopeful.)
Lots of people are covering this and lots of people are talking about it. I am sure we are just at the beginning of all this. So why am I talking about here?
Simple. This sort of behavior needs to be called out.
It is not ok, funny, or edgy to print this shit in 2022. It wasn't right even in 1974, but less so now. Nazis, racists, sexists, and any sort of bigots need to feel unwelcome in this hobby. More to the point they need feel like outsiders, like uninvited guests that are about to get the boot out the door. There is no room for them here, now, or in the future.
People will bitch and moan with "oh you are just gatekeeping!" No dumb ass. We are keeping hateful rhetoric out of our spaces. If you don't like that then you kindly fuck off and keep fucking off until you are gone.
For anyone that wants to play Star Frontiers, there is a vibrant community out there for it. You can use the original rules or the newer retro-clone.
Star Frontiers
- Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn (WotC)
- Star Frontiers: Knight Hawks (WotC)
- FrontierSpace Player's Handbook (DwD Studios)
- FrontierSpace Referee's Handbook (DwD Studios)
- Frontier Explorer (DwD Studios)
I had this to say about the whole thing:
Hey @Wizards I think you should release a new version of Star Frontiers using the D&D 5e system. Then release a portion of it as an OGL SRD so others can join in on the fun. Why now? Oh. No reason. #starfrontiers
— Timothy S. Brannan (@timsbrannan) July 20, 2022
Links
- https://www.nohateingaming.com/
- https://www.tenkarstavern.com/2022/07/wait-star-frontiers-new-genesis-is-for.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD9evesvAos
- https://www.thegamer.com/tsr-dave-johnson-star-frontiers-playtest-racist/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/rpg/comments/w3txdt/star_frontiers_new_genesis_leaks_reveals_overt/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKPn7fM1YwA
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFr_-EhjM_0
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkPURc5cqTU
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtlHA2O3GYs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeKYty0JyTg *NEW*
6 comments:
If this is real it's terrible to think these people thought they could write and publish something so blatantly racist with absolutely no attempt to disguise it at all. I mean having a race called "Negroes" be dark-skinned, brutish, and dumb and a race called "Nordics" who are white, blond, and good at everything? No subtlety at all. As you say, the fact the publisher is saying, "Fake news!" instead of saying there's no way they'd ever back this and the supposed writers aren't coming out to say they didn't write this really speaks volumes.
"This sort of behavior needs to be called out."
Agreed. I spent years making the mistake of accepting the argument of "we don't talk politics in our gaming spaces" when it came to discussing this sort of thing on various forums and in various communities. The result? An ever-increasing tide of bigoted vermin becoming increasing bold about espousing their loathsome beliefs, while anyone who raised an objection was expelled. Staying silent and being polite doesn't work with bigots. Speak up, and keep speaking up.
"It literally has a 'Negro' race listed as a subspecies of the superior 'Nordic' race."
Wait, seriously? And this is supposed to be STAR FRONTIERS? What the fuck?
Um.
*sigh*
Good for you for calling it out.
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