D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

[Hussar]

That’s not according to the Oxford dictionary definition.

“a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”

And thus a discussion goes down the toilet. If you have to break out dictionary definitions, there’s just no point to discussing. After all the OED lists twelve definitions for opinion and you picked one.

Miriam Webster says:

a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter

As one definition and adds

belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge

Note the lack of the word fact at all. So please spare me the pedantic and very tiresome merry go round of dueling dictionaries. We know what an opinion is. We all know what an opinion is and is not.

 

[Zardnaar]

Right, there is nothing wrong with liking cheesecake. Demanding cheesecake and only cheesecake is an issue. There is room for beefcake and no cake and any cake In between.

Basically my rake on it. I don't mind old cheese cake art. It's not a requirement. It kinda belongs on succubus and similar things. Even then you could depict them in evening gown.

It's kinda cheesy though. Vs what one can pull up on your phone in 5 seconds or less.......
Beef cake art sure why not? Not my jam.

Probably wouldn't use cheesecake art much myself if I was grand high probably. Might put it in more adult content like BG3 based book or similar if I used it. Would probably try to make it more tasteful than say Clyde Caldwell.

 

[Remathilis]

Right, there is nothing wrong with liking cheesecake. Demanding cheesecake and only cheesecake is an issue. There is room for beefcake and no cake and any cake In between.

I don't even see a point to adding cheesecake or beefcake to the art. The Internet is lousy with fantasy art that is full of beautiful bodies in all manner of undress. If I want a scantily clad sorceress or a hulking barbarian in only a loincloth, I can find a picture far better than anything found in the PHB (any edition).

I'm absolutely not a prude, and if it makes sense for a character to be scantily clad, then don't shy away from it. But I don't need spellcasters in lingerie or chainmail bikinis in my D&D art. I'll find my own if I want it.

 

[mamba]

That’s not according to the Oxford dictionary definition.

“a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.”

that is the difference between ‘should be fact based’ and ‘can be fact based’. Depends on the subject, but where applicable it should be fact based.

I am not going to require facts when you tell me your favorite color is blue or whatever, but if your opinion is that the Earth is flat, you will get pushback

 

[billd91]

I am not going to require facts when you tell me your favorite color is blue or whatever, but if your opinion is that the Earth is flat, you will get pushback

I’m not sure I’d even dignify the statement “the world is flat” with the status of being an opinion. It’s an attempt at stating a fact that is just wrong, and verifiably so.

 

[MichaelSomething]

I don’t think the intended effect from the original statement was that the game should only be for older, educated people in that you have to be of a certain education level, but that the game should be marketed towards college-level age people - 18-21, instead of children. When the D&D storybook I read to my child has beholder art in it that looks suspiciously like one of the images in the new PHB…I can see who they’re trying to market towards.

It's amazing how much adult content you can hide in things for children.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I’m not sure I’d even dignify the statement “the world is flat” with the status of being an opinion. It’s an attempt at stating a fact that is just wrong, and verifiably so.

I would say, it's not as simple as that. I got to thinking about this when I noticed that one of the Flat Earthers was a farmer, who lived in the middle of a flat plain, and never travelled more than 20 miles to the local town. His world was clearly flat. Now, for most mechanics calculations, we assume a uniform gravitational field. This would only be true if the world was a uniform infinite flat plane. But for most purposes it's a very good approximation. Because the world is big and we are small.

Conclusion: If your personal "world" is small enough, then it's true to say that it is flat.

 

[Lanefan]

I would say, it's not as simple as that. I got to thinking about this when I noticed that one of the Flat Earthers was a farmer, who lived in the middle of a flat plain, and never travelled more than 20 miles to the local town.

Perhaps more to the point, never travelled any distance upward (e.g. flew in a jet at 35000 feet) where the curvature of the horizon is more noticeable.

It's also far harder on land to perceive the effect that you can at sea where a distant ship slowly disappears below the horizon as it moves away from you; because while the sea is known to be level, on land it's far too easy for the mind to assume the distant object is simply going down the other side of a low hill.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Teenagers?

Younger. As I already said, peek age for starting playing is 12, and I know players as young as 8.

One of the rules of marketing to children is you have to suggest that it's for people who are older than them (and absolutely avoid showing anyone younger playing). The children in the poster @mamba posted look around 14, so the ad is targeted at 13 and under. There used to be a UK magazine aimed at 12 year old girls. It was called Just 17.

Hasbro, of course, is a toy company, and so they would consider marketing to children where their expertise lies.

The big advantage to this is if you grab people whilst they are children, during their formative years, you make a big impression, and they tend to remain fans for the rest of their lives. I know a whole bunch of 40-something Transformers fans (I'm older, I like Thunderbirds and Space 1999 due to the associated toys).

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Perhaps more to the point, never travelled any distance upward (e.g. flew in a jet at 35000 feet) where the curvature of the horizon is more noticeable.

It's also far harder on land to perceive the effect that you can at sea where a distant ship slowly disappears below the horizon as it moves away from you; because while the sea is known to be level, on land it's far too easy for the mind to assume the distant object is simply going down the other side of a low hill.

Oh yes, you can see the curvature of the Earth from a high vantage point, or looking out to sea from the coast. Very urbanised environments also make it difficult to observe the curvature, as the skyline is obscured by buildings.

Where I grew up there was a range of small hills (Pendle Hill is the one you may have heard of), then a flat plain out to the coast. So the curvature of the Earth was always apparent to me.