D&D 5E Content Warning Labels? Yeah or Nay?

[S'mon]

On the other hand, the poster you're replying to was asked in this thread how he would deal with a player expressing concern about element X in his game, and from what I understood of his answer was that he'd say "Element X is staying, but you're free to leave, my narrative is most important to me" and he was mocked about that.

I think this is as usual an issue that shouldn't be treated in absolute terms. Everyone has their red lines. Not everyone should play in every game - I agree with the Geek Social Fallacies on that. OTOH sometimes reasonable compromise is possible. I'm not going to totally change a campaign premise to suit a player, but there's usually room to do more 'fade to black' on any particular stuff. Stuff can be implied without being explicit. I definitely take player feedback on what they're comfortable with, and try to deal with cross-cultural misunderstandings. I find player age group can be an issue, eg I recall a Baby Boomer player who had not seen Game of Thrones was offended by a nasty NPC who acted like one of the characters in that show. Younger players might not get my Gen X '80s-style tropes, either. I think it best behooves everyone, player and GM alike, to show some consideration and respect for the other people playing. The GM normally takes the lead, and IMO should run the campaign that excites them, that they want to run. But the GM can also ask themselves whether controversial content X is really necessary to the campaign premise, and if so, to what extent it can be used sensitively. And players should decide whether they will enjoy the campaign premise, or if it is best to sit it out. Recognising in the latter case that they are not being victimised or excluded. I have a player, a friend, who decided he didn't want to play in my new Odyssey of the Dragonlords campaign; it's important that I don't resent his decision and that he doesn't feel excluded - the themes just didn't appeal to him. So we do other stuff together.

 

[Vaalingrade]

When someone is told "you're free to do X, but you'll be a [insert negative adjective] if you do", he's isn't perfectly free to do X, he's shamed out of doing X by implying a moral fault if he continues to do X.

Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequences and critique.

 

[Yaarel]

And, if we were speaking Middle English, you'd be 100% correct. However, since Middle English is a largely dead language that virtually no one actually uses, and "Fey" is the Modern English equivalent then, it is absolutely not wrong to use the Modern English term.

What is it lately with all these bizarre arguments trying to force dead languages back into use? If a use hasn't been used in FIVE HUNDRED years, it's time to let it go.

Today, both "fay" and "fey" are Modern English words.

"Fay" means fairy, the equivalent of Middle English, fairie.

"Fey" doesnt.

It is a matter of looking a word up in a dictionary.

 

[Yaarel]

I'm assuming you don't insist on similar for modern English via Spanish words with origins Arabic?

The names depend on the concepts.

A fairie is a specifically British concept, and should use a British word.

If it was the French concept of faie, the French term helps, or maybe the Latin term fata.

Similarly, a transliteration of an Arabic name, as close as possible, for a creature from an Arabic speaking culture.

 

[bedir than]

Similarly, a transliteration of an Arabic name, as close as possible, for a creature from an Arabic speaking culture.

And what ruling council determines a proper transliteration?

 

[Yaarel]

On google scholar, fey seems to be regularly used for the fairy: Google Scholar

In the Google Scholar search most uses of the term "fey" are correct, meaning doomed, otherworldly, or blithe.

 

[Yaarel]

And what ruling council determines a proper transliteration?

When it comes to Arabic, it really is up to the author. I would ignore apostrophes in English. On the other hand, I expect every Arabic speaking nation will have an official transliteration system, which its citizens may or may not tend to use. I would look up the system from where the folkbelief comes.

At the same time, I would try to make it look pronounceable to an English speaker. For example, for the sacred text, I would spell it Quran, rather than Qur’an (with glottal character) or Koran (Anglicization).

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

If it was the French concept of faie, the French term helps

well, old French, because as of now it is no longer a word that is used btw, and it meant someone who deal in herboristery and nature magic, some kind of folk healer if you want, not the magic creature itself, though I guess a Fée could be a Faie also.

If you used Faie for a creature, most of us would think its some kind of construct make of pâté de foie (liver pâté) from Belgium and north of France.

 

[MGibster]

I really don't think it's a big deal... certainly not as big of a deal as internet commentary would have us believe. Will some buyers be put off? Sure. But i think the number is orders of magnitude lower than some folks are claiming. I feel like buyers are far, far more likely to be put off by the cover art or the page count.

I can honestly say I've never been put off by content warning in a book even when I thought it was silly.

Honestly, it's the one thing that Palladium Books did right.

They did those warning labels and had a cool picture.

Not only did it get a lot of the Satanic Panic crowd off their back, but it also acted as branding.

I always thought their warning was rather amusing. And no, I don't think it got a lot of the Satanic Panic crowd off their back. Most of that crowd was completely unaware of Palladium Games' existence.

 

[Yaarel]

If you used Faie for a creature, most of us would think its some kind of construct make of pâté de foie (liver pâté) from Belgium and north of France.

Heh, maybe the spelling variant faé is better for a Modern French ear?