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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CapnZapp" data-source="post: 9387630" data-attributes="member: 12731">There definitely is a trend away from gritty campaign settings which feature "bad things" like inequality, racism, crude and unfair laws, feudalism, slavery and serfdom, etc.However, those bad things can be important tools to transport the story into "another time". I can only speak for myself, but pseudo-medieval fantasy doesn't quite feel right when coupled with modern sensibilities.The things remain bad to the characters that are exposed to it. The usefulness is as narrative tools, to set a tone, to signal we're not in Kansas anymore: don't expect people to act or even think in modern ways.(I definitely don't mind people enjoying an alternate reality like Bridgerton where black people are well integrated into the nobility of England, but not ALL depictions of faux-historical societies should have historical wrongs removed)I long for the time where the pendulum swings back. It is possible to separate the author's views from those of a campaign world and it's NPCs. An adventure where poverty or child labor or whatever dies not need to be controversial if only people stop assuming the writers actively promote everything they write about. The default assumption should not be the author personally condones injustice unless they make sure every protagonist fights against it. You shouldn't need a reason to feature it; it just being there in the background - uncommented upon - is not inherently wrong.In literature or movies it works much better than in ttrpgs currently. There you have controversial works of art discussed and reviewed without necessarily being overshadowed by accusations against the creators. An actor should rightly be held accountable for his actions behind the camera, but not in front of it.In the same way a ttrpg writer can be humanist liberal and pro-equal rights while still enjoying a dark and gritty fantasy campaign featuring all sorts of decadence and injustice. Without any suspicion he's secretly [insert misogynist/ racist/ supremacist/ fascist/ MAGA here]!You definitely can discuss sensitivity and feature rpg campaign worlds without it at the same time. Just because fictional worlds are unclean does not mean the progress we've accomplished (Metoo and more) is undone.It is exceedingly likely this will once again be the norm, and I can't wait.I hate that I need to clearly state that I'm liberal pro-democracy pro-equality antiracist in every way, but too many people reflexively assume I must be a MAGA head if I enjoy or even tolerate injustice, even though I only do so in fictional rpgs.If you dont want any of this, that's fine. Just as long as we can agree Bridgerton (say) has its place but not ALL ttrpg campaigns discussed here must champion every modern virtue.</blockquote>

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