TSR Company Newsletters

A rather strange newsletter first released in mid 1976 (date estimated from the content), and lasting but four issues.  Contrary to what you might think from the title, the first issue of this newsletter was published roughly between Strategic Review #7 and Dragon #1, in approximately May 1976.  The first issue was numbered #3 (why, we don't know, but we assume it was for humorous purposes), and the last, #6.  Each issue is a single 11" x 17" sheet, folded in half to make four facing pages.

According to Frank Mentzer, each issue ran 25-50 copies.  As evidenced by the introductory paragraph in issue #3, it was intended to give a behind-the-scenes look at news and new releases from TSR, and supposedly mailed out with all subscription copies of The Dragon and Little Wars magazines... but this doesn't jive with the production numbers stated by Mentzer above, nor does it jive with the number of issues still in existence today (just a handful).

Unquestionably, all of these newsletters are very rare.  Few people bothered to keep them for any length of time.  Values for any issue tend to be high.  Strategic Preview issues were only distributed to TSR staff.

An in-house newsletter of TSR, and spiritual successor to the Strategic Preview; it ran for 35 known issues from 1980 to 1984 (the record from mid-1983 through 1984 is fragmentary; confirmation of later issues needed).  Devoted to intra-company memos, company events and personnel changes, inside jokes, etc.

Auction Commentary:  Unquestionably, all of these newsletters are very rare.  Few people bothered to keep them for any length of time.  Values for any issue tend to be high, though a recent rash of Random Events sales has somewhat dampened the demand.  Random Events issues were only distributed to TSR staff.