TSR, or 'Tactical Strategic Reseach' was the first and greatest of the roleplaying companies. It was TSR that created Dungeons & Dragons, the first RPG which started it all. Even though there are now thousands of other games and hundereds of other gaming companies TSR remained the largest.

On the net TSR distinguished itself by a complete failure to produce any web presence, and a wide distribution and enforcement of copyright laws that make it almost impossible for anyone else to post material even vaguly related to any TSR copyright. Indeed read in its most draconian way the copyright agreements seem to forbid most in-game use of TSR materials too!

In 1997 TSR ran into increasing financial difficulties. Variously blamed on poor money flow and a break in contract with publisher Random House many people concluded that TSR's refusal to update the archaic rules of AD&D and to embrace a climate of cooperation with other companies, as well as poor sales for its intended flagships Spellfire, Dragonlance 5th Age and Dragon Dice eventually took their toll. Whatever the reason TSR finally went virtually bankrupt and were bought out by CCG giant Wizard;s of the Coast, who had previously abbandoned all their roleplaying lines twice over. (For the press release see http://www.wizards.com/Corporate_Info/News_Releases/WotC/WizardsTSR2.html ) Exactly what happens to TSR under WotC control remains to be seen but we have already had the relase of Alternity (A Sci Fi game), the discontinuing of Spellfire (many cheers) and a shakeup of the way TSR handled artist copyrights and the freedom to publish of its in house designers.