Encountering anti-D&D sentiment

[Desdichado]

I do apologize if the tone of my post made it seem otherwise.

No, no! The apologizing shall be mine, for jumping in half-assed, with blazing guns in each hand and attributing motives to you that were not actually apparent.

I do tend to do that from time to time, as PowerWordDumb noticed...

 

[Mark]

"don't really write for D&D at all."

You must be kidding. Don't write books with the D&D logo, sure. Don't write for the company that owns the D&D trademark, sure. But D&D is more than a logo and a trademark, it is primarily a game.

Think about it this way, if WotC put the D&D logo on a modern cookbook that had nothing to do with D&D, would the author's say they wrote "for D&D"? No they would say they wrote a cookbook for WotC.

White Wolf's d20 Everquest books might not be considered "for D&D" but their Scarred Lands setting books definitely are because they are designed for use directly and primarily with playing D&D.

If Naptor only wrote for d20/OGL games for systems different from D&D you might have a point, but I have several products he was an author on and they are all designed specifically for use in D&D games. That is writing for D&D.

Fair enough.

 

[shilsen]

No, no! The apologizing shall be mine, for jumping in half-assed, with blazing guns in each hand and attributing motives to you that were not actually apparent.

I do tend to do that from time to time, as PowerWordDumb noticed...

Relax! Some of us roleplay out our posts on ENWorld and some of us kick in the door (thread?) and jump in with guns blazing. Just a difference in styles. Post on

 

[VirgilCaine]

A gay Christian tried telling me I was going to Hell. Oh the irony.

IT BURNS! IT BURNS! THE IRONY IT BURNS!

 

[Jesus_marley]

i tell them d02 ain't D&D.

This isn't a spell flame or anything but I still had to comment. I think I would have trouble playing a RPG where I had a 50/50 chance to accomplish anything.

 

[Aesmael]

This isn't a spell flame or anything but I still had to comment. I think I would have trouble playing a RPG where I had a 50/50 chance to accomplish anything.

Not 50/50. You forgot to take into account the modifiers.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

.but still...the point is ..........People are intolerant jerks, for the most part...

which is a good reason to say "I write role-playing games." That way you avoid evoking any anti-DnD sentiment. And, it is more acurate than saying you "write DnD" when in fact you are not Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson or any of the other people who wrote the DnD books which evoke the anti-DnD sentiment.

For what its worth, I encountered a similar situation at my job just a few weeks ago. I was reading a GURPS book and some lady saw it, picked it up and started reading it. Then she wanted to know what it was. She was a very reactionary anti-DND person but I was able to avoid any sort of difficult situation with her by talking carefully about "role-playing games" and "table-top adventures" and "creative writing."

Considering the negative perception of DnD that still exists in the country, it seems foolhardy to me to go around telling people that you just met that you play, or worse-- WRITE, "DnD."

Better to say "role playing games." More accurate. Less confrontation.

Think about it this way:
Every time you encounter an NPC and you mention DnD, consult the following table for reaction adjustments:
01-03% : You gain a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks with this NPC, they play DnD too!
04-80%: No bonus. This person is ignorant of DnD and RPGs.
81-00%: You suffer a -4 penalty to all Diplomacy checks with this NPC, they have negative preconceptions about your hobby (they think you are a satan worshipping baby killer).

However if you say "role playing games" instead of "DnD," the reaction adjustment table looks like this:
01-05% : You gain a +2 bonus on all Diplomacy checks with this NPC, they are a gamer too!
06-90%: No bonus. This person is ignorant of RPGs.
91-00%: You suffer a -2 penalty to all Diplomacy checks with this NPC, they have negative preconceptions about your hobby (they think you are a goofy weirdo).

Now, gamer, what are you going to do?

Of course, if you like to say "I write DnD" because it helps your self-esteem, than that is another issue.

Personally, I tell peole "I publish role-playing games and short stories in PDF format on the Internet."

I find about half the people ask first about "PDF" rather than "Roleplaying Games."

 

[Malic]

Hi there!
It's probably not a good idea to butt in here. But honestly, guys, I don't think he was in any way claiming to have invented the game or to somehow fraudulently impersonate as an employee of WOTC to bask in the prestige. Even if this was in some context where that would make any sense. "Writing for D&D" seems to me a perfectly honest way of describing writing material for use with the game. And if the point was how to describe his job to avoid any negative reaction to the word D&D - doesn't that kind of miss the point of the thread?
I'm sorry. It just makes me sad to see the blame here. I've dropped by a few times and it's still going.

 

[Bloodstone Press]

I don't think he was trying to claim that he wrote DnD or anything. But most people don't know anything about the OGL, so telling them that misleads them, and it is more likely to evoke a negative reaction.

So why do it? It’s misleading, disingenuous, and prone to evoke a negative reaction.

It isn't really off topic either. The topic is negative reactions to DnD. My point, and mark's point, is that if you don't say "DnD" you are less likely to have these sorts of experiences.

If you insist on saying "DnD" to people you just met, don't be surprised if some of them have a negative reaction.

 

[grodog]

If any of this turns serious, gamers, retailers, and publishers are always welcome to contact Mike Stackpole on GAMA's Industry Watch Committee---they defend the gaming industry from such ignorance.

Details from the www.gama.org web site at http://www.gama.org/index.pl/resources

Industry Watch Committee

The Industry Watch Committee is dedicated to defending the hobby games industry and those who make a living in it from external attacks. The committee has been instrumental in the past at debunking myths associated with role-playing games and discrediting linking games as a motivation for criminal activity. If you have a tip regarding games being portrayed in a negative light or require the help of the committee, please send an e-mail to Committee Chair Mike Stackpole at iwc@gama.org.