New review of the Book of Erotic Fantasy

[Djeta Thernadier]

I would classify it as sophomoric. Very little useful material in there. Nymphology is "Blue Magic". The focus of the PDF is for magic and sex, the mix of the two. If you _really_ want to know more, email me. I wasn't paying as close attention as I could have when I downloaded it. Funny, I thought it would have some sort of cool Fey creature stuff in it.

Thank you. I've heard a few bad reviews. I may decide to check it out at some point, but for now, I will hold off. At least BOEF has had some good reviews as well as bad.

 

[Muther Hubbard]

I wouldn't buy the book - though I do like the idea of using some 'adult' themes in a campaign - creating ties and tensions between NPC's and NPC's or between NPC's and PC's - or as a part of part of a crime context. I think developing sex-related rules is a bit corny though (even if they include some good ideas which I expect they do).
It does seem odd to me (and to my non-roleplaying friends) to convert a natural and spontaneous (and in modern society) an intimate and personal part of life into game mechanics, feats and die rolls... it does seem a bit geeky to me to have a gaming supplement on sex (I'd guess this is the reason a previous poster said he wishes it hadn't been writtten. It makes a disreputable, geeky hobbey appear to be even more so... ).
But I cannot get as upset about this as several of the posters in this thread. Are we that endangered?

 

[The Blue Elf]

There are many questions I wonder.

• Do Gamers want Erotic fantasy in there game?
• Do Gamers of both sexes want to play erotic fantasty game?
• Whats the best reason this book should be used in a game?
• Does it make people happy?
• Does this book give any information?

 

[Remathilis]

It might make a slight difference to me. Some of the sample photos on the site look pretty cheesed. [...] Good photos can capture a mood, a thought, an emotion. I don't get that from these, but maybe other people do. Everything seems stiff and orchestrated instead of romantic, mysterious, seductive, etc.

My opinion also. Sadly, the photoshopped real person art looks like some model (probably an amateur one at that) stood there, getting her picture taken in some manner of undress with all the emotion of someone trying to do long division in thier head. The art in the BoVD at least captured some emotion and shock, even if it bordered on on upsetting (or humorous, varying.)

Valar has really marketed this a 16-20 year old males with the allure of "D&D Playboy." If they thought that the work would sell on its merit alone, they could put out a $10 PDF with NO ART and see how well it would sell vs. a 20-30 dollar hardback. I bet it wouldn't sell, and that has nothing to do with the PDF vs. Print arguement.

That said, I'll probably take a look at it myself if for nothing else than the gestation periods of fantasy races and maybe some kinda rules on creating half-breeds (everything in D&D is so fertile, said the half-dragon tiefling). I seriously doubt I'll need more than that.

Lastly, I'd probably would have bought the dang thing if not for the fact that the art is embarassing for a number of reasons and Valar has so far kinda creeped me out with its marketing. (See Press Release.)

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

There are many questions I wonder.

• Do Gamers want Erotic fantasy in there game?
• Do Gamers of both sexes want to play erotic fantasty game?
• Whats the best reason this book should be used in a game?
• Does it make people happy?
• Does this book give any information?

Here would be my answers:

I do want it in my game, to a small extent because I think in an adult game , if all players are comfortable with it, it can add tension, and intrigue to a character and set up situations where a characters sexual actions may lead to other things...good or bad.

I'm a woman. One of the 5 guys in my group also is very interested in this subject. One is indifferent. The other three are unaware that this product exists. A non gamer girl friend of mine also finds this book to be intriguing. Perhaps women will find this more interesting then men, since most readers of erotica, vs. pron are women and MY OPINION is that women might be more comfortable discussing sexuality seriously in front of a group of guys; than vice versa. This is just from my own experience.

I think the best reason this book should be used in a game , and this is vague because I am simply going on my limited knowledge from reviews , etc. , would be to add the elements mentioned in my first answer. Would there be rolls for things like if an attempt to have an heir would succeed ? I don't know until I get the actual book. I also see this is something gamer couples who enjoy that sort of thing being able to look at together and perhaps run solo campaigns that describe these things in more intimate detail.

If it's well written and interesting, I can't see why it would not make me happy. Even if it doesn't add much to the game and is just something I look at as a book of erotica with a D&D theme, if it's interesting and makes me think, then it will probably make me happy. Again, until I get the actual book, I can't judge. If you are of the fade to grey or sex should never be discussed in public mindset, then, I doubt it would. I respect the people who think sex should not be brought into the game, and I do hope that they will do the same for me.

From what I understand, some. But until I get the book into my own hands, I can't really make a judgement here.

 

[Green Knight]

For shame on all of you for judging. For shame for attacking. For shame on becoming that which we all hate and fight against.

Huh? I thought what we had in common was just a hobby. I didn't realize we were all part of some kind of organization which has to "fight against" something.

Anyway, the book doesn't appeal to me in the slightest. That Paladin story was the last straw for me. It read less like interesting game material and more like a masturbatory fantasy of "the good girl gone bad". About equivalent to MTV doing a dance number in one of their awards show with the female dancers dressed up as Catholic school girls.

BTW: As for American birth rates, that has less to do with our "Puritan values", and more to do with western civilization. Look at EVERY western nation. ALL their birth rates are dropping. Are France and Germany suffused with Puritan values? Hardly. Yet their birth rates are dropping like a stone. Their birth rates are even lower than Puritan America. Nevermind that the Puritans weren't exactly lacking in the children producing area. "Go forth and multiply" and all that. If we had a bit more of that Puritan spirit, then our birth rates would be much higher than they are, now (As opposed to "Enlightened" Europe, which is dying a slow death. Their "normality" is leading to their quiet extinction).

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Just out of curiosity, did you purchase and/or use the Book of Vile Darkness?

Obviously not.


Wulf

 

[hunter1828]

Obviously not.


Wulf

There is no need for eye-rolling. It was not obvious to me. If you had have answered that "yes" you had bought it I would have wondered about the level of hypocrisy. However, since you did not, I can respect your opinion, and I do respect your opinion.

hunter1828

 

[hunter1828]

There are many questions I wonder.

• Do Gamers want Erotic fantasy in there game?
• Do Gamers of both sexes want to play erotic fantasty game?
• Whats the best reason this book should be used in a game?
• Does it make people happy?
• Does this book give any information?

1. As a gamer, I want Erotic Fantasy in my game. My wife also wants erotic fantasy in the game. How much? Depends on who else we game with. With the regular group, not much and mostly fade-to-black. Just my wife and I: lots. I can't, of course, answer for all other gamers, but I can say that the BoEF Preview was one of three or four of the most popular items available for purchase at GenCon this year. Does that mean they want Erotic Fantasy in their games? Only they know.

2. As stated above, my wife wants erotic fantasy in the game. There is at least one other female on this thread that wants erotic fantasy in the game. The two authors of the book (Gwen Kestrel and an as-yet unannounced author) are both female and they want erotic fantasy in their games. Also, Valar has noticed that far more positive attention for the BoEF has come from women than from men.

3. Best reason? Spice. Make certain role-playing situations a little more interesting. I wouldn't use those spices in those situations at all with my regular group, but in the solo game I run just for my wife I would use all of them.

4. It makes me very happy.

5. Information on what?

hunter1828

 

[hunter1828]

It might make a slight difference to me. Some of the sample photos on the site look pretty cheesed. In particular, there's one of a tiny little green person on a tree stump. It really does look pretty awful and to be honest I find it hard to understand how anyone could find otherwise.

The one with the lady in the pink dress amid flowers also doesn't look so hot in my opinion, but I could see how this would be more open to debate. The lady and the background appear to have photoshopped together not very well so I can really see the artifacts of post production and she doesn't really look like she's in the scene, but rather standing in front of it in a studio. I also think her dress might look good in a painting but really doesn't look very good in a photo. The goblin one is getting better, but still her face looks kind of blurred in a way that really detracts from the realism that a photo could convey - I also think her hair doesn't really fit the rest of the picture at all, kind of that "work really hard on my hair to make it look like I don't" statement going on.

If the photos had the quality of work that I see, for example, coming out of a film studio when they get it right (say Legend or Lord of the Rings), I would have a much different opinion. Of course, they can't do this considering their budget, but I'm of the opinion that if you can't do it right, find a different way to do it. Maybe the actual book will have some better pics in it, but I don't like what I see so far. Good photos can capture a mood, a thought, an emotion. I don't get that from these, but maybe other people do. Everything seems stiff and orchestrated instead of romantic, mysterious, seductive, etc.

Thank you for that great, technical answer. That's the kind of thing I like. You did a good job of telling me exactly what it is that you didn't like, how you might have liked it if something different had been done, and how you might have liked it better if it had been line art instead of photos. Kudos!

hunter1828

PS - In case there is any question, I'm NOT being sarcastic, I'm being serious.