D&D General Why Do You Prefer a Medieval Milieu For D&D? +

[Reynard]

What if we follow Hollywood's model and make all the bad guys dudes in facemasks led to by an erudite Brit. Is that ok?

The problem isn't making enemies people, it is making enemies A people.

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

Good question. I've often wondered what WotC would do if they suddenly couldn't use cultists, undead, and/or constructs as their enemies for PCs to fight.

If we're not allowed to fight cultists this bodes poorly for the wrestling match I booked at the local scientology org

 

[Misanthrope Prime]

What if we follow Hollywood's model and make all the bad guys dudes in facemasks led to by an erudite Brit. Is that ok?

That's ok because unlike orcs and elves, the Brits are an entirely fictitious people

 

[Micah Sweet]

The problem isn't making enemies people, it is making enemies A people.

Hence all the cultists. What about war? In a time of war a people's military resources are certainly considered enemies.

 

[Cadence]

Good question. I've often wondered what WotC would do if they suddenly couldn't use cultists, undead, and/or constructs as their enemies for PCs to fight.

In much of fiction, people themselves are pretty monstrous. Just change the taking treasure to getting bounties and rewards if the gold economy is important for your play? (Paladin in Have Gun, Will Travel or the main characters in Magnificent Seven as a guns for hire, Bowler in Brisco County Jr. as a Bounty Hunter.)

 

[Micah Sweet]

In much of fiction, people themselves are pretty monstrous. Just change the taking treasure to getting bounties and rewards if the gold economy is important for your play? (Paladin in Have Gun, Will Travel or the main characters in Magnificent Seven as a guns for hire, Bowler in Brisco County Jr. as a Bounty Hunter.)

Sounds good to me. I do stuff like that in my games. But WotC never will is my point. It's cultists all the way.

 

[Cadence]

Sounds good to me. I do stuff like that in my games. But WotC never will is my point. It's cultists all the way.

I mean, non-humanoid monsters are something they can use.

But is there any reason they couldn't give ideas for playing a campaign where horrible criminals are the bad guys?

 

[Micah Sweet]

I mean, non-humanoid monsters are something they can use.

But is there any reason they couldn't give ideas for playing a campaign where horrible criminals are the bad guys?

Not really, but have they?

I guess the question is: since horrible criminals do horrible things, what horrible things are they ok with saying their bad guys did and do? My bet is it's crazy supervillain stuff or straight back to cultists.

 

[Reynard]

Hence all the cultists. What about war? In a time of war a people's military resources are certainly considered enemies.

I mean, non-humanoid monsters are something they can use.

But is there any reason they couldn't give ideas for playing a campaign where horrible criminals are the bad guys?

The only thing WotC is avoiding is biological essentialism that casts whole races or cultures as evil. I don't see the problem with that.

You can still have criminals. You can still have evil rulers and their stormtroopers. you can still have hyenas possessed by demons that have taken humanoid form, who raid villages and eat kids. You can even still have orc raiders attacking caravans on the road -- with the acknowledgment that there are reasons for that and that they don't do it BECAUSE they are orcs.

It isn't really that difficult.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The only thing WotC is avoiding is biological essentialism that casts whole races or cultures as evil. I don't see the problem with that.

You can still have criminals. You can still have evil rulers and their stormtroopers. you can still have hyenas possessed by demons that have taken humanoid form, who raid villages and eat kids. You can even still have orc raiders attacking caravans on the road -- with the acknowledgment that there are reasons for that and that they don't do it BECAUSE they are orcs.

It isn't really that difficult.

First of all, the gnoll thing is weird. They changed their lore just to keep them enemies, and angered gnoll fans as a result.

Secondly, I didn't say, "have a culture be evil". I said, "have a culture be enemies". Where is that in any modern WotC materials? Cultists are not a culture, they're a flavor of faceless stormtrooper.