Dungeons and Dragons and the ethics of imaginary violence
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
So, what you're saying, is that serial killers are drawn to D&D instead of D&D turning people into serial killers?
Ryujin
Legend
Close. What I'm saying is that marginal personalities are marginal personalities, whatever way that they choose to express it. If they're predisposed to enjoying RPGs, then that's what they'll gravitate toward. If they like hockey then they'll be that guy in the adult league who constantly and unnecessarily spear and trips other players. If they really like money, then they'll go out and violently mug people for it.
Out of options like that RPGs seem the safest, for the rest of us.
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
Maybe for our bodies, but what about our souls and minds? Not counting Satan's influence, those DMs that are sociopahts migh like psychological torture and/or have power over other people. Can we trully consider ourseles to be safe?
Ryujin
Legend
Please consult this 'documentary' for all of your soul-saving needs
[video=youtube;LADLv1803Vw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADLv1803Vw[/video]
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
Please consult this 'documentary' for all of your soul-saving needs
[video=youtube;LADLv1803Vw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LADLv1803Vw[/video]
Never as the RPG scene been so realistically rendered.
Ryujin
Legend
Indeed. I do remember clearly remember being revered as one of the cool kids, in high school, because of my gaming. The orgies were epic.
Orius
Legend
Oh, for the love of....
This is the kind of trash I suppose we can expect from Slate. Hobgoblin holocaust? Let's see, they tend to be evil, they're militant, and they have a murderous hatred for elves. For starters, they're more likely to be dishing it out. And loving goblins? Yeah, my campaign just doesn't have enough goblin sex in it I suppose.
So some of it goes back to Tolkien, especially if you're into the mindless hordes of evil. (Tolkien himself wrestled with this, the question of whether orcs had souls and could be redeemed was one of the unresolved issues in his legendarium that led to the Silmarillion being unpublished in his lifetime.) Myself, I don't like the horde model, it's kind of limiting and uncreative. I like the evil races to have deeper motivations, basically they're out there in the more marginal regions, and turn to raiding to survive. But they're not misunderstood; rather than engaging in trade and diplomacy, they'd rather take what they want by force. There's also the underlying racial superiority views which make them more difficult to deal with. So they are making a conscious decision to be evil and take the easy way out. I do make exceptions at times, especially for smaller stuff like goblins and kobolds, but the big guys like orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, and gnolls are going to be violent enough that usually force is the best response.
This is the kind of trash I suppose we can expect from Slate. Hobgoblin holocaust? Let's see, they tend to be evil, they're militant, and they have a murderous hatred for elves. For starters, they're more likely to be dishing it out. And loving goblins? Yeah, my campaign just doesn't have enough goblin sex in it I suppose.
So some of it goes back to Tolkien, especially if you're into the mindless hordes of evil. (Tolkien himself wrestled with this, the question of whether orcs had souls and could be redeemed was one of the unresolved issues in his legendarium that led to the Silmarillion being unpublished in his lifetime.) Myself, I don't like the horde model, it's kind of limiting and uncreative. I like the evil races to have deeper motivations, basically they're out there in the more marginal regions, and turn to raiding to survive. But they're not misunderstood; rather than engaging in trade and diplomacy, they'd rather take what they want by force. There's also the underlying racial superiority views which make them more difficult to deal with. So they are making a conscious decision to be evil and take the easy way out. I do make exceptions at times, especially for smaller stuff like goblins and kobolds, but the big guys like orcs, hobgoblins, bugbears, and gnolls are going to be violent enough that usually force is the best response.
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