D&D 5E (2014) Dark Sun, problematic content, and 5E…

[Micah Sweet]

Do they?

I haven't heard of them actually blocking anyone due to problematic content.

Because they're clear about their terms.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do they?

I haven't heard of them actually blocking anyone due to problematic content.

A lot of Ravenloft stuff on the Guild, and a good deal of it doesn't exactly match up with VRGtR's version of the setting.

 

[Hussar]

Yeoch. And that’s the 4e text? I can only imagine the 2e version.

 

[Scribe]

So you end up with an intellectual property whose face is a drugged out, mind washed, genocidal child soldier and is presented as heroic. No matter how you slice it, GW put themselves into a tough spot.

There's no squaring that circle lol.

 

[CM]

What is D&D if not slaying problematic things and taking their stuff?

 

[DMZ2112]

Do they?

I haven't heard of them actually blocking anyone due to problematic content.

The only specific examples I'm aware of are instances of Wizards blocking LGBTQ content on the grounds of explicitness, but they do review and block content. This was one of the popular arguments against the morality clause in the OGL 1.1.

I'm reasonably certain DM's Guild content has to be flagged with a complaint before it is reviewed in detail, just based on how these things are usually run in the corporate wild, but I'm not privy to the specific internal workings of OBS or WotC.

Because you're doing this weird 'sympathy for things that kill us' thing. Like with the cannibals. Which has gotten weirdly away from fetishizing them in game and turned to advocating for real life cannibals for some reason.

Because, in a phrase, advocating for undesirable minority faith (and undesirable animal welfare, separately) is kind of my jam. As I said in my very first post on the subject, I find your position that cannibals should not be advocated for to be weird.

But your observation that the real problem is pulp authors' depiction of cannibalism is well taken in the context of the thread, since that is broadly how halfling cannibalism is depicted in Dark Sun.

This could be rectified without removing the actual cannibalism, however.

...Also, where does that giant iron cauldron always come from? I never thought about that before.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Sorry, any times my words aren't in the right way.

Could anything published by WotC allowed in our society, but censored in other country?

I can understand they worry about the modern sensibilities but we should know if they are using the good sense and the reason, or only obeying an ideologic agenda imposed from somebody from out.

We know cannibalism is wrong, but when I was a child we could watch Tarzan movies, or adventures in the jungle with cannibals. There is a LEGO box with the title "the cannibal escape" based in "Pirates of the Caribean".

I suppose even children can understand in Athas some halfling tribes are "good" and others are "evil" and antropophages.

There is a logical reason to explain the slavery should be "softer" in Athasian Tablelands

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” ― John Adams.

'None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free' - Goethe

'The greatest enemy is one that has nothing to lose.' - Christopher Paolini

Please, don't misunderstand me. I mean the sorcerer-kings are enough smart to create an illusion of freedom to keep under control the masses. Their tactic is "squeeze but don't choke". They would rather to trick by means of false hopes. The citizens wil be more obedient if they believe the sorcerer-kings are their saviors, and their misery is a penance because they were horrible sinners in a previous life (maybe this could be true).

Any gamer with enough experience with city-building videogames should realise the Athasian economy and demography should be realistic.

* I suggest the "retcon" the souls of the innocent sentient beings are "reincarnated" into the "land-within-the-wind", althought this suffered too much by the defilers. The grey is a horrible place, but this shouldn't be the ultimate fate of all the Athasian souls.

* I could allow living constructs in DS, but with a little trick. To survive they don't need water or food, but to hide among the "fleshies" they "wear" a "layer by living issue", and this needs food. Something like the cyborgs T-800 from Terminator franchise.

* What if after the death of Kalak the Athaspace suffered a cosmic event like the "Sundering" in the Realmspace?

 

[AnotherGuy]

That sounds like a great character concept, to be fair. I've seen many stories featuring protagonists with similar backstories.

I have to echo this. That write up is straight up inspiring. I've never owned or read Dark Sun content. I've always been curious though.

 

[humble minion]

We know cannibalism is wrong, but when I was a child we could watch Tarzan movies, or adventures in the jungle with cannibals. There is a LEGO box with the title "the cannibal escape" based in "Pirates of the Dark Water".

I suppose even children can understand in Athas some halfling tribes are "good" and others are "evil" and antropophages.

i have to say, it sometimes does my head in a bit to consider the difference in how portrayals of problematic material are viewed between the D&D/TTRPG community and, for instance, the Warhammer community or the video games community.

Looking at, for instance, Total War: Warhammer (to cover both video game AND Warhammer bases!) - we have one playable faction (Dark Elves) whose game mechanics are specifically built around slavery (the upcoming Chaos Dwarves may do something similar), and at least three (Ogre Kingdoms, Grom the Paunch, and Skaven) where eating your defeated enemies is a major game mechanic. And this is a game that has a PG13 rating, and is in live development and release now. It's not a relic of the 90s or anything.

Now, i certainly get that there's all sorts of aspects of the WH and video game community that I wouldn't want to see replicated in the TTRPG community, and also that there's an argument that in TTRPG things are different because it's more first-person, more immersive, and that it's YOUR avatar who's experiencing all these things. But the fact remains that there's continual long threads like this one about the TTRPG side of the issue, while over on the Total War reddit nobody even talks about it at all. So strange that two such closely-related corners of geek culture have such wildly different mores and attitudes.

 

[Hussar]

I have to echo this. That write up is straight up inspiring. I've never owned or read Dark Sun content. I've always been curious though.

Do you really not see the problem though? Forced eugenics, breeding slaves for specific traits, misanthropic, sullen... Do you actually not see why this might a problem?