As part of his quest to try to prove that he was someone who should be listened to and treated as an authority in table top role-playing games (“TTRPGs”), and push the owner’s deplorable politics into the space, TSR LLC and associates (“NuTSR”) tried to create a rating system. They way he did it was a very funny chapter in the TSR Saga.
Game Rating in the USA
Justin is a yankee who cosplays as a southerner, which is to say that he is an American who seems to only really be aware of systems and politics within the USA. To what degree he is aware of these is highly debatable, but he wanted a career in politics and so it seems intuitive that he’d base a rating system off those in the USA.
As much as fans of various TTRPGs love to talk about the Satanic Panic of the 80s, the real impact on media in the US came from the video games scares in the early 90s. In response to see growing pressure for a legal solution, major players in the video game space formed the Entertainment Software Rating Board (“ESRB”) and committed to having their games rated through it.
The ESRB is a non-profit that relies upon fees for doing the rating to continue to sustain itself, and the expectation is they will maintain consistent standards and retailers will promote these and handle the products appropriately. It is legally recognized in Canada, but there’s no real interference. This is in contrast to places like Australia where a government board issues ratings, and can refuse to classify a product – thus barring it from retail sale or requiring it to be altered in ways that are frequently baffling.
As above, the S in ESRB stands for “software”, so they don’t really do board games etc Thus the TTRPGs space has generally just operated on people being up front about their content and retailers using their own judgment. Remember, most places that sell them also sell things like Pokémon cards so they have a vested interest in not having to deal with angry parents yelling about their child having seen a boob.
The nuTSR solution
Unsurprisingly the approach by nuTSR was to emulate the ESRB’s model, if you can call copy-paste then vandalizing emulating. Quality was not a priority, as showcased by this hilariously janky images for the ratings:1 TSR LLC “The TSR Rating Meter” TSR Hobbies (Wisconsin USA, Archived: 30 May 2023) <https://web.archive.org/web/20230530023350/https://tsr-hobbies.com/tsr-hobbies-rating-meter>
The vast majority of it is copy-pasted from the ESRB summaries for categories and then just outright links to the ESRB web site to elaborate on the type of the media – with new categories (some of which still link to ESRB) and their general hateful agenda.2TSR LLC “The TSR Rating Meter”, above n 1
It is also worth noting that obviously they did not read anything on the ESRB page beyond the summaries or they would realize that they are inherently incompatible with a TTRPG where Interactive Elements like “shares location”, “users interact” and “in game purchases” are very clearly not a concern. 3ESRB ESRB Ratings Guide (Entertainment Software Association, Washington DC, Archived: 30 May 2023) <https://web.archive.org/web/20230530015903/https://www.esrb.org/ratings-guide/>, at “Interactive Elements”
So much homo and transphobia
Since actual originality and hard work are strictly forbidden at nuTSR, they reposted this one collection of words over and over.5 The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1
heterosexual, intersex, homosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, pansexual, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, pangender, polyamorous, questioning, same-gender loving, transmasculine, two-spirit.
This is in their Suggestive Themes, Sexual Themes, Strong Sexual Content and Mature Humour.6 The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1 The capitalization varies from point to point, but what makes it clear is that nobody at nuTSR has the first clue how humans operate or what any of these words mean.
By this system, if you make a module where lots of NPCs have spouses, you have made Strong Sexual Content regardless of who they are married to – they are clearly involved in some sort of relationship. The only way to avoid it is to have your world consist entirely of single people who are aggressively cis in nature and presentation. It paints a picture of a person terrified not only of human sexuality, but also just… romantic relationships.
And of course, it should be pointed out the need to include “two-spirit“, an of appropriated term which really belongs only to certain groups of Native Americans (who are, obviously, the only ones who can really decide what it does and does not mean or what are and are not depictions of it).
Adult Fantasy Themes/Content
In this the entirely new area of categories where the true agenda of the rating system springs forth and becomes impossible to overlook. It declares that the presence of, or discussion of particular topics will make it an adult topic. So what are some of these topics?8 The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1
- misogyny
- microaggression
- feminism
- racism
- Slavery (capitalized)
- fascism (not capitalized)
- Marxism (capitalized)
- communism (not capitalized)
As with all the stuff relating to gender and sexuality, that creates an absurd set of restrictions that simply are unworkable to any reasonable creator. In her seminal essay, Bright: The Apotheosis of Lazy Worldbuilding, video essaysist and New York Times Bestselling author Lindsay Ellis pointed out how culture is inescapable from these elements by pointing out that for the to be a Crip Walk in the world of Bright, there must also be Crips, which means there must also be projects built for the descendants of emancipated slaves who moved to urban areas following industrialisation which means there must have been an Atlantic Slave Trade. One is a consequence of the other, so cannot exist without the root cause.9Lindsay Ellis “Bright: The Apotheosis of Lazy Worldbuilding” YouTube (California USA, 2 February 2018) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOxQxMnEz8>
No modern fantasy product can survive these rules without being marked as though it were pornography because if you mention China then you’re alluding to communism, if you have African Americans that alludes to the history of slavery, World War II was the war against fascism, if a woman has a job that alludes to feminism, etc.
You also can’t really have a fantasy setting because either you’re replicating our society and its misogynistic tendencies or you don’t do that – in which case you have implemented feminism.
The only way any of this makes sense is if you have astoundingly ignorant belief that there is some sort of existence outside of politics, and that deviation from it is political.10 Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 27 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/RPGANONYMOUS/posts/pfbid0fShnqVNzG1MoEQCPmez5h4tY3qBm2G6NecEhQ8HSw4pvnh9Koo2JmuKM4arWQkQtl?__cft__[0]=AZXzOb1FzVgG23KCrJQrydKzvzue8F6FHoL7eR7ub6e8Df6Os9yns9yTV7SSwTkUSQImYfgXKzfqup3Nqvg9rpCAuMNUDcaA69uBHSCjYCZtA4FVyq_ruvPuKwbCd54B4EVYbs8n9Y-5-UlKV0XiwrTRGWm7rgCt3TEvIkb6VVBgtJtsdzwGxQ1sCih_y84TrU4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R>
Then what?
And the entire process is you just write in and they’ll send you a high resolution copy, or at least, that’s the entire process disclosed on the web site.
There’s no information about how they’ll grade the content, whether they’ll need a copy of the game – how much information you’ll have to disclose, etc. All they ask for are some details to identify the product (more on that later) and your sought after rating.
Who decides what?
Because they are a professional organization, the ESRB has a full info page on how you apply for rating with them – with steps for if you have a physical copy or soft copy only, etc. They also disclose who their ESRB Retail Council are, and what their role is. The process is transparently in the interests of allowing retailers decide what they will and won’t stock, and how to handle/present what they choose to stock.
They are also proudly members of International Age Rating Coalition (“IARC”), so you can be reasonably confident that their standards will reflect the marketplace perceptions in the USA and, to a lesser extent, internationally.
nuTSR has no ties to any sort of professional organization, and was in a lawsuit with a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc (one of the largest toy and game distributors in the world) which featured an injunction over “despicable” content. That’s um, quite a first hurdle to overcome in establishing validity.
So, there was never any clarification but in the absence of any evidence to the contrary it seems this was going to be you have to give Justin a copy of your game, then he’ll give you a rating based on vibes. The vibes of a man who co-write Star Frontiers: New Genesis, published a video of him making his female employees wrestle in grits,11 Bailey Aldridge “Grits wrestling video sparks feud between NC primary election candidates” News Observer (Raleigh NC, 25 February 2020) apparently posted an anti-LGTQ image then tried to justify it with a link to a reactionary “drag queens are groomer” video and used that last event as an opportunity to promote this rating meter.12 Dungeon Hobby Shop, above n 5
Oh yeah, this is also the guy who released Those Pesky Goblinz (2023), a game which has non-consensual piss play, slavery and all kinds of stuff that his own rating system says should make it Adults Only but has an incredibly poorly written foreword about how it’s to help you play TTRPGs with the whole family.13 Justin LaNasa Goblinz: Those Pesky Goblins. A role-playing game by Justin LaNasa (TSR LCC, Lake Geneva WA, 2023) at 32 and 6
Sure, let’s trust that guy to decide what is and isn’t misogyny – that’ll end well.
Is it free?
ESRB doesn’t list the fees on their web page, but there is a process for registering as a publisher and it’s well known that the fees are based on some factors and while they’re not outrageous they are big enough to be a problem for indie publishers. Perhaps a bigger problem is that when you apply for ESRB rating, you agree to potentially be fined vast sums of money if you are found to be deceptive or misleading – which is kind of a risk if you are trying to help scrappy rebels.
The TSR Rating Meter was “free for a limited time”.15 Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 6 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/RPGANONYMOUS/posts/pfbid0ayDDin4Fyzmbgspcbc8awbaNKLGaRDvoxxAYt8qntyNGGf56DdiWJhkGYBWZi4yel> 📸 This turned out to be forever, and there were, as far as we can tell – not any takers. They never advertised anyone using it, or what would trigger the switch from free to paid.
Of course, following the bankruptcy nobody can issue it… so the price is also, arguably infinity. That is the closest at nuTSR product ever got to going to the moon.
This makes it fundamentally unworkable for any publisher who is actually in it as a business rather than a hobby of whimsy. Imagine you release two products with this rating, and then when the third comes up its prohibitively expensive – how’s it going to look and how are you going to feel explaining “we couldn’t afford it.”
Combined with the hazy basis on which decisions would be made, and that it is for a for profit publisher company with a clear ideology, creates the obvious concerns as to how much the money would become the deciding factor in ratings.16 Claire Hill Why Did Rating Agencies Do Such a Bad Job Rating Subprime Securities? (University of Minnesota Law School, Twin Cities MN, 2010) <scholarship.law.umn.edu> After all, if it could happen to Moodie’s and Standard & Poor for mortgage ratings, why not with nuTSR and random product ratings?
How effective could it be?
Obviously if there’s nobody competent handling the project, and a laundry list of reasons to be concerned about the integrity of the system ranging from the influence of money to the creator being a hatemonger, the projected outcome is not good.
Also since there’s no clear grades or guiding philosophy, and there’s no real basis to understand where they’d decide x amount of y category constituted z rating.
But it doesn’t stop there, it’s just issue after issue.
No will to power
ESRB ratings now have some legal status, but initially they were intended as completely outside the governmental system. The driving force behind them wasn’t a random indie developer wanting to rate their games, it was growing concern by game publishers that if they didn’t take the initiative the government would make a mandatory classification system and the desire by retailers to confidently stock products appropriate to their customers.
What makes it work isn’t the confusion of the average customer as to whether a game will be suitable for their 3-year old, but rather that Walmart will be happy to stock it in a child friendly display. That Game Stop will buy your adult game, but make sure they put it on a higher shelf so nobody’s tween asks their parents to buy it for them for Christmas.
From that sense, The TSR Rating Meter was a solution in search of a problem. TTRPGs have had a broad range of content for decades and managed it just fine through appropriate handling of the topic. Combine the marketing with the discretion that the group have, and for the most part you’re fine – baring some books released in the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition era.
Mage: The Ascension explicitly allowed for the possibility of magic incorporating sex rituals – but was very up front about it being an adult game for adult people. Swedish horror game Kult is explicitly about delving into the darkest content the group is willing to deal with, and you can tell just by glancing at the cover. Of course, knowing about that would have required the nuTSR crew to know about games other than those made by companies associated with Gary Gygax.
A big ask for people who are afraid of all change as well as their own shadow.
No clue how publishing works
Hands down the clearest indicator that they did not even think about how this product would work, or even investigate it – was the application. If you clicked on the link, it would pre-generate some of the email to create a form to ask you some details (creating a web form was too much work, apparently).
In these details, it would ask for your product’s ISBN, and your product’s UPC.
For those who are also not familiar with publishing, not only are these numbers not applied for until its way too late to ask for an opinion on how its going to be rated – but its absurd for reasons specific to them.
ISBNs are attached to a specific instance of a specific product, so if you release your product as hardcover, a softcover and an e-book – that’s 3 ISBNs you’ll need to supply. If you get your TSR Rating for the e-book and you decide to move to print… do you need to re-apply? If so, why? If not, why ask for the ISBN?
Universal Product Codes (“UPC”) have a long history for standardization but their primary purpose in modern markets is to allow easy identification by scanning a barcode. They are literally worthless if your product is electronic only, and only potentially of value if you’re selling your products in brick and mortar stores.
If your target market is people who regularly use ISBNs and UPCs, then you shouldn’t be announcing it on a Facebook page – you should be writing to the relevant offices in those organizations to discuss the product for them. Also, expect to be laughed at as you’ll be offering them a solution for a problem that doesn’t really exist.
Fear of competition
In January of 2023, Fat Goblin Games released their own rating system for TTRPGs on their Drive Thru RPG page. It was free, relied entirely on the honour system and is overall a vastly superior alternative as it is both more reliable and more flexible.
Fat Goblin Games are also the owners of the stock art that was used (and incorrectly cited) in The Cult of Abaddon (2022). So were probably aware of them. It seems nuTSR was certainly aware of this development though as this, now deleted, comment quickly appeared.17 Kim Wincen X Corp nee Twitter (Texas USA, 25 January 2023) <https://x.com/wincenworks/status/1618136216758779906/>
It should be noted that, assuming this comment is what it looks like, Justin is admitting to flattering the ESRB, and by extension Patricia E Vance, the woman who stood by giving Bully a Teen rating despite the gay kissing and pressure from Jack Thompson.18 Leo Chan “Bully Under Spotlight For “Homosexual” Content” Neoseeker (British Columbia CA, 24 October 2006) <https://www.neoseeker.com/news/6237-bully-under-spotlight-for-homosexual-content/> Oh she’s also part of the Family Online Safety Institute (“FOSI”), which supports helping LGBTQ+ youth find their spaces online.
And if this wasn’t Justin, and was say the same trouble maker who registered Chad Revenge – well you’re just imitating a total loser you hate so… 🤷🏻♂️
Final Conclusion
The TSR Rating Meter was a hilarious example of the ineptitude that was on display at nuTSR and a laid out their despicable and deplorable politics bare for the world to see. It was extremely revealing at what a failure Justin LaNasa is at understanding the fundamentals of publishing and business in general, as well as what a failure he is as a human being.
It was a complete failure both at its stated purpose, and its political purpose. A true marquee piece for the nuTSR crew.
- 1TSR LLC “The TSR Rating Meter” TSR Hobbies (Wisconsin USA, Archived: 30 May 2023) <https://web.archive.org/web/20230530023350/https://tsr-hobbies.com/tsr-hobbies-rating-meter>
- 2TSR LLC “The TSR Rating Meter”, above n 1
- 3ESRB ESRB Ratings Guide (Entertainment Software Association, Washington DC, Archived: 30 May 2023) <https://web.archive.org/web/20230530015903/https://www.esrb.org/ratings-guide/>, at “Interactive Elements”
- 4Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 30 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=608149640702611&set=a.111848586999388>
- 5The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1
- 6The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1
- 7Justin LaNasa Facebook (California USA, 13 December 2021) <https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10159022297987631&set=pb.731987630.-2207520000&type=3>
- 8The TSR Rating Meter, above n 1
- 9Lindsay Ellis “Bright: The Apotheosis of Lazy Worldbuilding” YouTube (California USA, 2 February 2018) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOxQxMnEz8>
- 10Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 27 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/RPGANONYMOUS/posts/pfbid0fShnqVNzG1MoEQCPmez5h4tY3qBm2G6NecEhQ8HSw4pvnh9Koo2JmuKM4arWQkQtl?__cft__[0]=AZXzOb1FzVgG23KCrJQrydKzvzue8F6FHoL7eR7ub6e8Df6Os9yns9yTV7SSwTkUSQImYfgXKzfqup3Nqvg9rpCAuMNUDcaA69uBHSCjYCZtA4FVyq_ruvPuKwbCd54B4EVYbs8n9Y-5-UlKV0XiwrTRGWm7rgCt3TEvIkb6VVBgtJtsdzwGxQ1sCih_y84TrU4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R>
- 11Bailey Aldridge “Grits wrestling video sparks feud between NC primary election candidates” News Observer (Raleigh NC, 25 February 2020)
- 12Dungeon Hobby Shop, above n 5
- 13Justin LaNasa Goblinz: Those Pesky Goblins. A role-playing game by Justin LaNasa (TSR LCC, Lake Geneva WA, 2023) at 32 and 6
- 14Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 28 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/RPGANONYMOUS/photos/pb.100059880621625.-2207520000/606414627542779/?type=3>
- 15Dungeon Hobby Shop Facebook (California USA, 6 June 2022) <https://www.facebook.com/RPGANONYMOUS/posts/pfbid0ayDDin4Fyzmbgspcbc8awbaNKLGaRDvoxxAYt8qntyNGGf56DdiWJhkGYBWZi4yel> 📸
- 16Claire Hill Why Did Rating Agencies Do Such a Bad Job Rating Subprime Securities? (University of Minnesota Law School, Twin Cities MN, 2010) <scholarship.law.umn.edu>
- 17Kim Wincen X Corp nee Twitter (Texas USA, 25 January 2023) <https://x.com/wincenworks/status/1618136216758779906/>
- 18Leo Chan “Bully Under Spotlight For “Homosexual” Content” Neoseeker (British Columbia CA, 24 October 2006) <https://www.neoseeker.com/news/6237-bully-under-spotlight-for-homosexual-content/>