TwiceBorn2
Adventurer
Don't own it, and have never read or played it, but this might be one of the most overtly political RPGs I've come across... SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists - Land of NOP LLC | DriveThruRPG.com
Actually, people say this or that is/isn't political all the time.It would certainly be useless as a label because it would be a label that applies to everything. That’s why the word’s utility doesn’t lie in labeling things. We don’t go around saying “this is political” or “that isn’t political.” We ask, “what is this saying politically?” or “what are the political implications of that?”
And they're misusing the term.Actually, people say this or that is/isn't political all the time.
Maybe so, but it's extremely prevalent and needs to be taken into account whoever politics is discussed.And they're misusing the term.
I don't find it so much a problem with real-world politics as with real-world religion. That gets real annoying real fast in a game that supposedly has its own religious conceits and constructs that at most just wave at the real things as they go by in the distance.Ugh. I feel too many people keep trying to bring real world politics into D&D enough as it is.
Same here.Obviously if there's a market for it, the product should exist, but it's definitely not for me. The only kind of politics I care about in D&D are those that make sense in-world.
All inclusion is always forced. The decision to include a woman, LGBTQ+, or neurodivergent/disabled person in any form of media is always a "forced" choice. Always.There is one class of political content in fiction and rpg's that turns me away. Identity politics/representation. If such are important to the story then great! If the inclusion feels artificial or arbitrary it comes across to me as a political statement about the real world and political statements about the real world are the kind of politics I want to avoid in my ficiton and rpg's.
From my experience I do not mind that.There is one class of political content in fiction and rpg's that turns me away. Identity politics/representation. If such are important to the story then great! If the inclusion feels artificial or arbitrary it comes across to me as a political statement about the real world and political statements about the real world are the kind of politics I want to avoid in my ficiton and rpg's.
Yep.All inclusion is always forced. The decision to include a woman, LGBTQ+, or neurodivergent/disabled person in any form of media is always a "forced" choice. Always.
And plenty of characters have characteristics (gender identity, sexuality, skin color, etc) that don't impact the story. Not every minor trait of every character in the story has to impact it. If you have a problem with the inclusion of a marginalized minority in a work of media, the problem is "politics" or the media. It's you.
I'm not sure that inclusion is 'always' forced. If you have a diversity of creators, you should have a natural element of inclusion. I wonder how many of the diverse creators have reduced the inclusivity in their works to conform to the white straight cis het stereotype.All inclusion is always forced. The decision to include a woman, LGBTQ+, or neurodivergent/disabled person in any form of media is always a "forced" choice. Always.
Yeah, If written myself somewhat in a rage there. Sorry for that.@M_Natas you may wish to amend your post or your tone.
It is coming across very real-world politically judgemental which is kind of a no-no for the site.
But that is not the reality of today. Just by representing the plurality of the world by including women, PoC, LQBTQI and other minorities in works, Authors get attacked for "pushing a Liberal agenda".![]()
I suppose there is a serious difference between adding political elements to a story, and turning it into a propaganda pamphlet. If the other side shares your same opinion, then you are only "preaching to the chorus", you are repeating the same speech told by others previosly. And if you try to use the plot to send a message to people with a different point of view, then take care because you are treading on slippery ground.
Even when you try doing the best to be ideological neutral, your own point of view may be captured in your work. This not always has to be a wrong thing, when you can say it in a soft and diplomatic way.
One of the main failures by the authors when they want to add a morale to a story is the receiver, reader or audience could feel offended because we are (falsely) typecasted into certain negative stereotypes if our ideology isn't the same than the author. I dare to say there is a serious crisis in the entertaiment industry because companies worried more about sending a message than earning, and keeping, the the affection of the audience towards the characters. Why are you going to spend your money for a product whose author hates you because you don't agree him abour certain threats?
If you are going to add some political elements in your plot, be polite and subtile. If the other side stars to suspect you are trying to indoctrinate your own ideology, then you aren't doing it well. And don't use the plot to tell a morale what has been said in the past by others several times. The repetition may be quite counterproductive
And even when you are telling the truth about the morale of a story, you lack total credibility if the other side suspect you are showing a double standard, two different yardstick to measure at convenience.
When people talk about forced inclusion they, at least the moderates, usually don't mean the mere existence of a non-white/non-cis/ect persion, which of course was a concious decision when writing the game, movie or whatever.All inclusion is always forced. The decision to include a woman, LGBTQ+, or neurodivergent/disabled person in any form of media is always a "forced" choice. Always.
And plenty of characters have characteristics (gender identity, sexuality, skin color, etc) that don't impact the story. Not every minor trait of every character in the story has to impact it. If you have a problem with the inclusion of a marginalized minority in a work of media, the problem is "politics" or the media. It's you.
But it is not also forced inclusion, when a white cis men showing of his toxic masculinity traits front and center is the spotlight of a Movie?When people talk about forced inclusion they, at least the moderates, usually don't mean the mere existence of a non-white/non-cis/ect persion, which of course was a concious decision when writing the game, movie or whatever.
Forced inclusion is usually used when this character is then shoved front and center, has the spotlight turned on them and whatever their non-mainstream attribute is gets highlighted in a very unbelievable way. Thats frankly annoying and feels like preaching (because it is).
It is getting better, but earlier media is full of this kind of "forced" inclusion.
I won't pretend to know anything regarding Clive Barker's pressure but I imagine much of that pressure is also borne for financial reasons. An obvious example are movies that need to be sanitised for China's viewing audience as per their rules. Now this would happen in other forms of entertainment (books, theatre, games) as well.I was reading recently how Clive Barker was pressured to remove the gay protagonists from his works. As a gay author, he naturally wrote gay characters, but was pressured to write straight ones.
But every time there is a mainstream movie or book or video game with a non-white, non-male, non-cis, or non-straight character, it's review-bombed and attacked as being "political".When people talk about forced inclusion they, at least the moderates, usually don't mean the mere existence of a non-white/non-cis/ect persion, which of course was a concious decision when writing the game, movie or whatever.
If people are upset about a character's race, sexuality, or gender identity being represented, then they deserve to be preached to.Forced inclusion is usually used when this character is then shoved front and center, has the spotlight turned on them and whatever their non-mainstream attribute is gets highlighted in a very unbelievable way. Thats frankly annoying and feels like preaching (because it is).