Twenty-five years ago, I had to be a witness in the TSR v. GDW & Gygax mess over the terrible game Mythus. It was one of the things I was obligated to do before I could escape to Austin.
I won’t go on about it since I have flogged that dead horse three times already! You can read the entries in chronological order if you like. I recently checked them out and am disappointed in how much I repeat myself. Does this mean I’m a lame writer and/or I have a pretty solid memory?
There is one new wrinkle I did learn from the late Loren Wiseman. GDW did have a clause in the contract with Gygax exempting them from any legal expenses if TSR sued. It didn’t save their bacon in the end though. All the legal wrangling still consumed their time and energy which could’ve been spent publishing other games. GDW could’ve survived several more years but I personally think the Internet would’ve delivered the killing blow due to people expecting stuff for free. Unless Frank Chadwick got caught up in the hysteria of collectible card games, aka Magic: The Gathering which was TSR’s murderer.
After my five-to-ten minutes on the stand with a dick judge, it was awesome to see Peoria in the rearview mirror for the last time. Time does heal all wounds, I got over being angry years ago, something I didn’t think was possible in 1994. Next up was a great finale in Chicago.
The 2007 take on the court encounter.
The 2009 take on the court encounter (15th anniversary).
The 2014 take on the court encounter (20th anniversary).