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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lwaxy" data-source="post: 6719112" data-attributes="member: 53286">I dislike the term in general, but especially in regards to RPGS. In earlier RPGs, the stereotypes were so bad it was sometimes hardly bearable (I was just a kid then and still noticed). But I never once saw them as relating to any real world cultures at all, especially because the stereotypes were so obvious. It has always been clear to the groups I was in that any culture, stereotyped or not, would inevitably have borrowed elements from our real world; indeed it is not possible not to do so even if you invent very out-of-there concepts. Nomads traveling with tents? Indians! With wagons? "Gipsies." Ninjas? Japanese/Asian etc. And it can be good to have these ideas, to know what to expect in the game. Just like grumpy dwarves and arrogant elves are stereotypes you expect. What the games do it take the stereotypes and turn them real in their own fictional world. And that's ok to a point, as long as the people themselves aren't portrayed to narrow (like the always evil, always good nonsense we used to have, and to some extend STILL have). What does bother me is when people think fantasy nation XXX is "the Gypsies" or "the Chinese" when it is really just about the stereotypes mixed in with a little bit of their real way of living. But that is not CA in any way, it is a mis-interpretion.Take the Varisians from Golarion for example. They are a mix of the Gypsy and Italian Mafia stereotypes, mixed with a little bit of this and that here and there. Now depending who you ask and what they played, it is possible not to notice one of the stereotypes. I recently merged 2 of my online groups, one which had played almost exclusively in city settings and the others who had been traveling Varisia up and down. The latter had no idea about the Mafia aspect, and the first was surprised to see the Gypsy aspect of the Varisians suddenly come out (no, none of them ever reads any sourcebooks).Well, I don't see the Mafia complaining about CA (if you are even considering it to be a cultural aspect in nowadays society, I personally do) but I happen to know a few Roma who also play and who don't care the least. If you asked them, they'd probably stare and tell you that the Varisians have nothing to do with them, no matter the background. And they would likely also tell you that the Roma themselves took parts of other peoples' tradition and languages over the centuries. Just like the Jews did. Now, Ravenloft, that is a different story. The way the "Gypsies" were portrayed there, especially considering the real-world-like surroundings for some parts, were very clearly recognizable as being Roma, if I remember right specifically Sinti, folk. For the Romni girl in our group, this was not playable as the group was portrayed as inherently evil, less so because of CA - that was a secondary complaint. There is nothing wrong to take parts of our world's rich cultural, religious and historical heritage and mix them all up for a fantasy world. Especially when all people are going to want to complain about is what style of coat someone is wearing or what type of weapon and what the weapons are called. And in a fantasy world, where magic exists and the gods are active (well sometimes, anyway) it does not matter at all if the fictional culture is based on a stereotype. Now, for temporary settings, them being fantasy or not, it is a different issue. I don't know the Vampire setting all that well, so I can't really comment on it. Any such settings need to portray the cultures used much more accurately. But that isn't to say it shouldn't be done. But I am not sure anyone would need said culture's permission, especially because a whole "culture" would never agree. As a German, I do not care if a non-German runs around in Dirndl and Lederhosen, no matter their skin color or culture. I think it a little silly when I see a black US guy and a Japanese guy dancing half drunk around the tables at Oktoberfest-like events. But, if they have fun... But there are other Germans who deeply disagree, especially when it comes to the female regional dresses and their possible historical significance ( as dresses for specific occasions or signifying engagement etc). So who, from any given culture, should decide? And where does one culture start any another end? Germany isn't one culture, there are several different ones, which of course overlap by now, but they are distinctly different. My mother was from Saxony, and we followed all the Xmas traditions from there. Yet I grew up in Swabia, so we assimilated some of those traditions. My dad's from a region now in Poland... And I'm Buddhist...As others have said before, everyone is a mix of things. We live in a multicultural world now.  I do not need anyone's permission to use something from another country/culture as long as I don't mock it (not including religion here though, which is not the same as culture). I will wear African and Indian clothes, simply because they are beautiful and practical and very very comfortable. And that's also why I will use, for example, A-Qadim in my games - it is beautiful, practical and very very comfortable, as we all know the basics of it, stereotype or not. Late night/early morning here and my eyes are bad again, so please excuse typing errors and half thought through sentences, but I hope you get my general view on things <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" /></blockquote>

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