Erotic publications for RPGs

[Tiefling]

I am fourteen, unmarried, with no kids. I support Valar's right to publish their book, and the right of anyone else to publish similar books. I do not disapprove of Valar's decision to exercise that right, nor will I disapprove of a similar decision by anyone else. I will almost certainly find no use for such books personally, but I support the right of minors to purchase them. I seriously doubt that such books will have any effect on public perceptions of our hobby or the spread of the hobby to new players.

 

[MerakSpielman]

...I support Valar's right to publish their book, and the right of anyone else to publish similar books...

Well, technically, nobody has the right to be published. They simply have the right not to have Congress pass any laws specifically prohibiting them being published.

You could have written the best book in the world and if nobody agrees to publish it, your rights have not been violated in any way.

Likewise, Valar cannot be legally prohibited from printing their book, but if no bookstores choose to carry it, their rights are still intact. Is the book really "published" if it is printed and not distributed? I think not.

That's what the naysayers are really hoping for - to generate enough contraversy that bookstores will refuse to stock the item for fear that it will harm their reputations in the local community. It probably won't work, but they do have the right to try.

Freedom of Speech is nowhere more important than in our right to protest that with which we do not agree. Without disagreement and debate, democracy is meaningless.

 

[kenjib]

Except that in a better (though still not really well) phrased post, 60% have no use for this suplement at all. Not exactly a majority approval either, hm?

And another roughly 15% falls into this ambiguous heading:

Q: Does your campaign have use for the BoEF?
A: No, but it will make me consider adding such iisues

This still doesn't mean that those who voted that way will have any interest in the book proper itself, although it doesn't preclude that notion either. It could mean many different things.

 

[Tiefling]

Well, technically, nobody has the right to be published. They simply have the right not to have Congress pass any laws specifically prohibiting them being published.

I didn't say that they had the right to be published, I said they had the right to publish their book. There's a connotative difference, at least to me. The former implies having someone else take your work and get it printed and distributed, and doing so is obviously their perogative, not the right of the creator. The latter implies going through the process of attempting to get your work printed and distributed, and such an attempt is obviously the right of the creator. Dunno if that made sense.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

And another roughly 15% falls into this ambiguous heading:

Q: Does your campaign have use for the BoEF?
A: No, but it will make me consider adding such iisues

This still doesn't mean that those who voted that way will have any interest in the book proper itself, although it doesn't preclude that notion either. It could mean many different things.

And the top answer begs the question of the book's use for sexually themed campaigns. Plenty of people it seems have sexual themes in their campaigns and still aren't interested in this sort of suplement. (I would be one of those, myself). Definitly not a picture of a market beating down this publication's door.

Kahuna Burger

 

[Darth Shoju]

approve

I'm an adult male in a committed relationship. I voted approve.

By approve I mean I support their right to publish this material, but I really don't plan on buying it myself unless it is chock-full of practical material (although in the case of the BoEF I will probably look through it at the store...I'm sure my curiosity will get the better of me ).

I find it interesting that in a lot of the posts on this thread many people are saying that they approve of the BoEF being published but aren't interested in buying it. To me, it sounds like this book isn't going to sell very well, and likely won't have a noticeable impact on the hobby. IMHO, this is the only way to decide what is "acceptable" to publish. Avoid censorship, allow publishers to publish what they want, and then allow the buying public to decide its merit. If people approve and its successful, there will be more. But if people don't like it and don't buy it, it will go away (for the most part anyway).

Well, that's just my two cents, I hope it's not fanning the flames of the old discussion (the one that got shut down). I agree with Mr. Noah in that this thread should be kept civil and so on, and I hope I haven't crossed that boundary.

edited to correct my poor grammar

 

[Balsamic Dragon]

Interestingly, it appears from the poll that gender, age and marital/parent status doesn't seem to make much of a difference.

All are within normal deviance of a little less than 1/3 disapproving and 2/3 approving.

Nice poll! I think it goes to show that this is truly a matter of personal taste.

Balsamic Dragon, female, married, no kids, approve (within reasonable limitations)

 

[WizarDru]

Married.

Father of Two.

I approve, and am of the opinion that it is up to parents to monitor what their children read, not up to anyone else to determine what exists for their children to read.

What he said, to all of the above.

 

[WizarDru]

And the top answer begs the question of the book's use for sexually themed campaigns. Plenty of people it seems have sexual themes in their campaigns and still aren't interested in this sort of suplement. (I would be one of those, myself). Definitly not a picture of a market beating down this publication's door.

True, but I'm not sure that's really an indicator of the book's potential market. I don't purchase every supplement I do with the intention of using it. I'd like to run a d20 modern game, but won't have time for some while now.

I think plenty of games have sexual themes, they just downplay them. Look at arguably the most popular story hour on ENWorld: Sepulchrave's, a story that kicks off with the sexual tension and moral challenges of a paladin and a succubus trying to reform. I think, personally, this book could be another stone in the wall that is my game...just not the cornerstone.

 

[Number47]

I really wish the poll had been broken into the categories of disapprove/don't disapprove to see the percentage that is actually opposed, which in that case would seem much lower. Alternately, I would have liked to see the poll in terms of probably use/probably would not use. Again, I think that would show that only a smaller percentage of those who support it's publication might actively seek such publications.