Is it wrong for a game to have an agenda?

[Doug McCrae]

So what is V:tM's agenda?

 

[Fate Lawson]

Ahhh but you see Crothian, if your game setting is designed to emulate the genre of literature that has as one of its fundamental tropes your agenda of social equality and acceptance of oozes -- along with conservation of mold-friendly environments and appreciation of fungi religious diversity -- then by its very nature the game setting MUST also address that very same trope/agenda or it fails to properly emulate the genre. However, that being said, if a majority of your potential audience is unfamiliar with the genre you are emulating, and of the three tropes/agendas mentioned you give maybe a bit more attention (perhaps even at the expense of the other tropes) to the one that the public at large still finds itself uncomfortable addressing in the Real World (let alone in their game world), then you might find yourself off-putting a significant portion of your market.

Or you might find some players who try to play oozes as PC's, and although they approach the challenge with all-good intentions, end up making characters that come-off as bad carictures of oozes. The question then is, does this help or hinder your agenda?

 

[BiggusGeekus]

So what is V:tM's agenda?

Picking up goth chicks.

 

[Doug McCrae]

If a particular roleplaying product is heavy on oozes, elves, ponies or whatever I wouldn't really call that an agenda. It's just content. I wouldn't say that DnD has a fantasy agenda or that Traveller has a sci-fi agenda. One's a fantasy roleplaying game, the other's sci-fi.

It's gotta be a bit more sinister to count as an agenda, I feel.

 

[Turjan]

So what is V:tM's agenda?

Fighting the slide into inhumanity. Or giving in to it .

 

[Mallus]

It's gotta be a bit more sinister to count as an agenda, I feel.

Let me clear this up...

If you don't agree with a position, its an 'agenda'.

If you do, its 'standing up for ones principles'.

 

[Piratecat]

Picking up goth chicks.

See, that's a great agenda.

For me it depends on the game. I'm not going to play a "Slaves of Gor" game because a sexist agenda isn't something I want to roleplay. I could play a Gamma World game with a theme of non-mutant racial purity (although I'd probably make them the bad guys), but I have no interest in roleplaying real-world racism.

I think in general I don't care whether a game has an egenda or not so long as it doesn't interfere with my group's enjoyment of gaming. The moment it does, it's outta there.

 

[The_Universe]

Not a game, but definitely in the fantasy ouvre - *cough*terry goodkind*cough*

Agenda so strong it would make Bill O'reilly cry.

 

[Fate Lawson]

. . . I don't care whether a game has an agenda or not so long as it doesn't interfere with my group's enjoyment of gaming. The moment it does, it's outta there.

Hear, hear!

 

[Umbran]

Oh, I'm definitely not discussing the merits of any "left-wing" or "right-wing" ideas, so we should stay on safe ground here .

Good, because they're pretty much irrelevant for our purposes. Oozes don't have wings, or any other discernable anatomy.