D&D 5E In defense of my post....

[Uni-the-Unicorn!]

1.) Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts, as much as all of this stings. You've taken the time to post well-articulated advice, and it's much more helpful than the ridiculing or belittling of what we've been making.

2.) That is valid constructive criticism. You're saying a more focused approach would be more appealing. Makes sense. I've been trying to discern why no matter how much we've added for free, we just haven't gotten any traction.

3.) Admittedly I have not posted a lot in Enworld, but I was speaking of the broader community, I've been posting in a number of forums for years, trying to encourage newcomers to the hobby, offering painting and DMing tips, etc.

4.) Obviously I pissed off a lot of people by slamming an idea I thought was restrictive and stifling. My kneejerk reaction to fighting censorship. To me, dealing with sensitive topics through catharsis is more effective that suppressing them. But I do make a very conscious effort to protect the marginalized constantly in real life.

5.) I suppose my wording was emotional manipulation, and poor judgment on my part, in retrospect.

My 2 cents, start with and emphasis that your offering minis.

i personally don’t like your Cthulhu sculpt, but most of the others seem OK

 

[ourmaninboston]

To add to what was already said...

(I think Charlaquin and Grimslade did a great job explaining most of it)

When you are making something Lovecraft related, some sensitivity is extra important. Chaosium has been really quite good at addressing the more problematic side of Lovecraft's legacy (the outright racism). The elephant in the room, if you will.

So when a creator shows such a disregard and lack of understanding for topics that may be sensitive, that seems like a bad match with anything relating to Lovecraft to me.

Understood. I hate the racist aspects of Lovecraft's legacy. I've spent half my life as a minority in Japan, so have seen a small slice of how it feels to be marginalized as a "gaijin". I've also tried my entire life to stand up to bigots and bullies, to vote for and support progressive causes, and to add my voice to the fight for the rights of LGBTQ and BIPOC people.

That said, my stance in objecting to pre-emptive trigger surveys is one of reflexively hating attempts to limit expression and to censor content.

I believe it is a valid stance.

 

[ourmaninboston]

My 2 cents, start with and emphasis that your offering minis.

i personally don’t like your Cthulhu sculpt, but most of the others seem OK

ok thanks.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

Do I think an entire group of people should automatically be evil? No. Not at all. I think culture is what makes a group evil. Like the Assyrians, a culture of cruelty made their society evil. There were certainly outliers - poets, doctors, musicians - but the society as a whole was evil.

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that the Assyrians were evil?

 

[Faolyn]

5.) The Lilith sculpt is erotic, but it also celebrates beauty. For centuries, mankind has created art that celebrates the male and female form. That is something I celebrate and do not want to see censored. Had the narrative called for a near-naked man, that would have also been fine. I believe that artistic expression should not be censored or stifled. I believe neither men nor women should be ashamed of the naked body.

What narrative is it? Did you (or someone on your team) write the narrative? If so, why didn't you make it about a near-naked man? Also, what does a near-naked person of any sex--and specifically, one that, from I can tell, is based on a character from real-world mythology--have to do with either Cthulhu?

Just so you know, my questions have nothing to do with either censorship or shame, but about appropriateness to the genre. From my perspective, you're trying to sell a hot naked woman and saying it's Lovecraftian because she's got tentacles providing some convenient coverage.

Do I think an entire group of people should automatically be evil? No. Not at all. I think culture is what makes a group evil. Like the Assyrians, a culture of cruelty made their society evil. There were certainly outliers - poets, doctors, musicians - but the society as a whole was evil.

So how are you differentiating "a group of people" from "a culture of people"?

Do you still view safety tools as embarrassingly stupid?

 

[Parmandur]

Just out of curiosity, why do you think that the Assyrians were evil?

Well, the Assyrians did run a system built on brutality and ethnic cleansing, so not a lot of tears for the Neo-Assyrian Empire on my part.

 

[ourmaninboston]

Well, the Assyrians did run a system built on brutality and ethnic cleansing, so not a lot of tears for the Neo-Assyrian Empire on my part.

exactly.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

Well, the Assyrians did run a system built on brutality and ethnic cleansing, so not a lot of tears for the Neo-Assyrian Empire on my part.

Ah, good point. I tend to spend a lot more time reading about earlier periods in the Ancient Near East, so when I hear "Assyrian" my mind tends to jump more to Early Period Assyria, rather than the Middle and Neo-Assyrian Empire stuff.

 

[Imaculata]

I've been trying to discern why no matter how much we've added for free, we just haven't gotten any traction.

We hear so many Kickstarter success stories, but what we don't hear are the numerous Kickstarters that have to relaunch multiple times before they gain any traction at all. Not to mention all those that fail.

It is not as easy as they make it seem to have a succesful Kickstarter. Often it requires an established base of followers, and a lot of tries. I know that it can be frustrating. The only thing to do, is to not give up, and keep trying.

 

[jayoungr]

Also, the red “slash” on the lower left really looks like their trade dress as well.

I have seen that on other products--Heroes of Baldur's Gate, for instance:

Heroes of Baldur's Gate (5e) - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Heroes of Baldur's Gate (5e) - From James Ohlen, the lead designer of Baldur's Gate I & II... Sinister forces are moving against the city of Bald

www.dmsguild.com

While their using it isn't proof that it's okay, that was a fairly high-profile product, so the fact that WotC didn't make them change it seems to point that way.