[BoVD] So... did the sky fall?

[Olive]

well now its been out for a while, has anyone got anything to say on the contravesy that preceeded it?

not that there are no mechanical rules for sodomy, rape or most of the other things that people said were going to be in it. Note also, that the rules are generally mechanical in nature, as opposed to graphic descriptions (see the sacrifice rules for an example)...

and perhaps most importantly note that there have been no newspaper articles on the evils of gaming, using this book as evidence.

apologies from the nutters to us more sane people will be accepted in this thread...

 

[Buttercup]

It's probably not polite to say "I told you so," so I won't say it.

 

[Bagpuss]

Bet some folks are really bummed that there turned out to be no rules for sodomy.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Sodomy got the shaft.

The controversy was nothing more than a knee-jerk, IMHO. There's nothing so bad in this book as to place it in that vault beneath the Vatican with all the proscribed books.

Comeon, you know it exists...

 

[Dr Midnight]

Who predicted the sky would fall? I don't remember anyone saying "Just you watch- they're going to burn this book, and cast the players in a horrid light. There WILL be newspaper articles." I just think the people who knew it was a risk spoke out about it. People who perhaps thought we don't need to lob grenades into the dormant volcano, if you will.

The people who feel we don't need the negative attention in this time of D&D's second ascendance versus the people who want rules for evil stuff just cause Evil's Cool™ (brought to you by trenchcoat geeks everywhere)

This post has been presented by Dr Midnight Contrary Viewpoint Theater.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

Who predicted the sky would fall? I don't remember anyone saying "Just you watch- they're going to burn this book, and cast the players in a horrid light. There WILL be newspaper articles."

Half of the FLGS down here in the D/FW area, for one...

My usual store owner guy actually told me, too, "If any other company had done it, there wouldn't be a problem."

Uh.

What? Okay...what*ever*.

Of course, I find this moral highground ("A stand needs to be made," that was a direct quote as to why he didn't carry the book) rather hypocritical knowing this particular store owner. Especially in light of the previous statement.

 

[Olive]

Who predicted the sky would fall? I don't remember anyone saying "Just you watch- they're going to burn this book, and cast the players in a horrid light. There WILL be newspaper articles." I just think the people who knew it was a risk spoke out about it. People who perhaps thought we don't need to lob grenades into the dormant volcano, if you will.

The people who feel we don't need the negative attention in this time of D&D's second ascendance versus the people who want rules for evil stuff just cause Evil's Cool™ (brought to you by trenchcoat geeks everywhere)

but there's no evidence it was a risk... no one outside of our little sub culture cares! my evidence that it wasn't a risk? the fact that nothing came of it.

also, i don't want evil rule cos evil's cool. i want rules for evil to give my game some reasons for evil crooks to be evil, and to expalin why certaina cts are performed... and now i got em.

 

[Psion]

It's probably not polite to say "I told you so," so I won't say it.

Gee, funny, it pretty much turned out exactly how I had predicted it would be before Dragon 300 came out (dragon 300 gave me more reason to fear.) Monte didn't doo too bad, but there were still enough gratuitous references that I found part of it distasteful, and the graphic presentation was a bit over the line ... just as I predicted.

So if you think you're saying "I told you so" to me, right back at ya.

 

[Olive]

it's safe to say psion that you're not one of the people i was thinking of when i posted this...

not that your post was directed at me either, but you know...

talking of which i don't remember seeing the person i'm particularly thinking of around much lately...

still don't think that Dragon #300 was all that repugnant tho...

 

[Dr Midnight]

but there's no evidence it was a risk... no one outside of our little sub culture cares! my evidence that it wasn't a risk? the fact that nothing came of it.

...
Saying something wasn't a risk because it hasn't been perilous- YET*- doesn't make any sense.

Does hitting an empty chamber playing russian roulette mean there wasn't any risk because you didn't get shot? (This is an admittedly overly dramatic way to make my point, and no, I'm not comparing the two)

I'd like to say that I support BoVD as a publication for mature gamers. I just understand that there is risk to it in an industry where a large group of us are kids.

*I say YET because all we need is for some stupid jerk to kill himself or someone else and just HAPPEN to have that lying out on his desk or at his school library. Parents' groups are notoriously witch hunt-happy, if you'll pardon the generalization.