BLUE ROSE Returns, Championing Diversity & Inclusiveness

Back in 2005, Green Ronin published a roleplaying game called Blue Rose. It was designed by Jeremy Crawford (yep, him who works at WotC on D&D 5E), Steve "Mutants & Masterminds" Kenson (that's his actual middle name), Dawn Elliot, and John Snead, and was billed as a "romantic fantasy" game, of the genre for whom Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, and Jacqueline Carey are known. It used the True20 System, which was a slimmed-down, modified version of the d20 System, and won multiple ENnies. And now it's back!

This time round, the game will be using the Adventure Game Engine, which powers the Dragon Age RPG, and will be funded via a Kickstarter launching in April. One of Green Ronin's reasons for bringing it back is that the game tackled a number of diversity and inclusiveness related issues, and those issues are very much the subject of intense - and often unpleasant - debate and conflict today.

You can click on the cover image below for the full announcement from Green Ronin's Chris Pramas.

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What's Romantic Fantasy? It's "a subgenre of fantasy fiction, describing a fantasy story using many of the elements and conventions of the romance genre". According to Wikipedia, the genre's focus is on social, political, and romantic relationships.

 

[Grimstaff]

Does every book come with a cup of Starbucks "race together" coffee? :/

Seriously, as someone who's gamed with different races and lifestyles for decades, and appreciates the setting in question, this comes across as pandering weaksauce. Inclusiveness should be a given, not a sales point.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

That's cool that Blue Rose gets to come back into print under the AGE Engine but if this was the big announce on their setting that would be the talk of the year then I am a sad panda.

EDIT: Finished reading Chris's post. I feel like maybe it's a bit heavy handed. We're in a hobby that's already highly inclusive and open right now....I don't think that there's nearly the "tearing apart" going on here that he implies. Maybe I'm just hanging in the wrong crowds though.

 

[Blue]

Does every book come with a cup of Starbucks "race together" coffee? :/

Seriously, as someone who's gamed with different races and lifestyles for decades, and appreciates the setting in question, this comes across as pandering weaksauce. Inclusiveness should be a given, not a sales point.

I really enjoy 5e, but can you do me a favor an look at the amount of _game mechanics_ covering "social, political, and romantic relationship"? Just contrast a page count vs. something like combat.

You absolutely can run those in any RPG. But that doesn't mean that all other game systems mechanically cover those concepts as well. I'll run and play in different systems that support the feel and theme I'm looking for in a campaign, why should this be any different?

With Gamergate, maybe something explicitly inclusive is a good thing.

 

[nomotog]

Does every book come with a cup of Starbucks "race together" coffee? :/

Seriously, as someone who's gamed with different races and lifestyles for decades, and appreciates the setting in question, this comes across as pandering weaksauce. Inclusiveness should be a given, not a sales point.

Should be a given, but it isn't always a given unfortunately.

I don't know what to make of and that is kind of fun. Never played a romantic fantasy RPG before.

 

[vongarr]

D&D5 is inclusive, and it doesn't pat itself on the back about it. The more we treat these things as normal, the more normal they become. Just like chainmail bikinis. If we come to accept them, they become acceptable -- if we made a big deal about it, it becomes aberrant and stands out for reasons other than the strength of its work.

It does look interesting. I've never heard of it, until now.

 

[nomotog]

I really enjoy 5e, but can you do me a favor an look at the amount of _game mechanics_ covering "social, political, and romantic relationship"? Just contrast a page count vs. something like combat.

I don't think there is a page. (At least I can't think of it off hand.) It's a aspect that you just don't see in a lot of RPGs. Combat is virtually a given, but social mechanics are often token or non existent. (Outside of some more out there RPGs anyway.)

 

[lyle.spade]

Does every book come with a cup of Starbucks "race together" coffee? :/

Seriously, as someone who's gamed with different races and lifestyles for decades, and appreciates the setting in question, this comes across as pandering weaksauce. Inclusiveness should be a given, not a sales point.

Grim, I couldn't agree more. No need to wave a flag around for attention...want something to be a certain way? Then you go ahead and be that way. And keep being that way.

 

[nomotog]

D&D5 is inclusive, and it doesn't pat itself on the back about it. The more we treat these things as normal, the more normal they become. Just like chainmail bikinis. If we come to accept them, they become acceptable -- if we made a big deal about it, it becomes aberrant and stands out for reasons other than the strength of its work.

It does look interesting. I've never heard of it, until now.

Ya they did. They they even blew up a glove and tied it to the end of a stick. I know because after I read it, I got to read a bunch of people basically saying what you are. I honestly didn't mind the backpating. I mean, how are you going to know if they don't mention it.

 

[Morrus]

One man's "backpatting" is another man's "raising awareness". It's easy enough to ignore and move on if you feel you've heard it before. Yes, the world should be like that. It isn't, though.