On Indigenous Peoples Day Coyote & Crow pdf will be pay what you want

[MGibster]

Can you elaborate on this. I don't know much about the game

The rulebook contains a section with suggestions about how Native American and Non-Native American players should approach the game and you can read one of the authors' comments about that here. I'll let you make of it what you will.

 

[Umbran]

They included options which are RAW restricted by PLAYER ethnicity, not character.

That's a mischaracterization.

The authors ASK those players who don't have Indigenous American heritage to avoid making their character heritage of a real-world tribe or Frist Nation, not assign their character a two-spirit identity, and not use real-world indigenous language or roleplaying stereotypes. They are literally requests - "...we ask you not to...," and, "Please avoid," are the words they use. That's not a "rule as written", that's a request from the authors.

Calling these "included options" is misleading, because there are no mechanics or descriptions included for these things. There are no rules for being from a specific real-world tribe or Nation. There are no rules for being Two-Spirit, or even a description of what it means to be Two-Spirit. It is not appropriate to say they restrict an option when the book does not specify the option!

So, in the end, they are asking us to not be insensitive or appropriative in our roleplay.

 

[darjr]

Oh wow! Over 7000 people downloaded the game!

 

[mcmillan]

Can you elaborate on this. I don't know much about the game

To expand on answers people already gave - here's some actual quotes from the relevant sections (with the full section included in the link MGibster posted):

From the "Message To Native American Players":

If you have Indigenous heritage from the Americas, we invite you to add your personal knowledge and cultural traditions to your Character and to this game in any way you and your fellow Playerssee fit. Feel free to include an alternate history of your tribe or nation into this world and make it a part of your game in any way that is enjoyable. Or don't. There'snothing that says your Character has to be from your tribe. That's entirely up to you. ...

With that said, keep in mind that the intention of this game is not to simply take the reality of our lived world and transpose it onto a future fictional world. This is a work of alternate history fiction. In the world of Coyote & Crow, the last 700 years of our real world history never happened. We encourage you not to overlay your tribe's recent past onto this different future, but instead think in terms of what could be, of what might have been. We'll supply plenty of ideas and suggestions, but it will be totally up to you how much or how little of your tribe or nation you want to bring into the game with you.

From the "Message To non- Native American Players

If you do not have heritage Indigenous to the Americas, we ask you not to incorporate any of your knowledge or ideas of real world Native Americans into the game.
Not only may this be culturally insensitive, but many of the assumptions you might make would not fit into this timeline.

Please avoid the following:
• Assigning your Character the heritage of a real world tribe or First Nation.
• Assigning your Character a Two-Spirit identity.
• Using any words taken from Indigenous languages that aren’t used as proper nouns in the game materials or listed as being part of Chahi (see below) [Chahi is the constructed language the developers had a linguist help them put together to represent the language developed from multiple tribes coming into contact as a response of the climate change that resulted in the change from the real-world history]
• Speaking or acting in any fashion that mimics what are almost certainly negative stereotypes of Native Americans.

Probably the closest to a mechanical effect that falls into this area is the Ceremony skill - which by default is left to a vague general "you carry out a ceremony successfully" check and provides some bonuses afterwards, while it has a note for Native players saying:

If you wish to replicate specific ceremonies related to your tribe, consult with your Story Guide on its difficulties, effects, and parameters. You may take that specific ceremony as a Specialized Skill. That new Specialized Skill is separate from the effects of the General Skill.

In general it seems to be advice along the lines of if this is related to your culture you know how to incorporate aspects respectfully, if this isn't your culture rather than pretending you're part of real-world culture that isn't yours then and pulling outside information into the fictional world you should base your character on the things in the book that you've been encouraged by the developers to use. (edited this paragraph since I realized I messed up had weird phrasing from combining two different ways of making a point)

 

[Emberashh]

I find it sad that telling people not to cosplay as minorities is getting downvoted to hell on Reddit.

Oh well

 

[Umbran]

I find it sad that telling people not to cosplay as minorities is getting downvoted to hell on Reddit.

The internet is for cat pics, pr0n, and shouting ,"You can't tell me what to do! Hold my beer!" while stuffing one's mouth with firecrackers and lighting the fuse....

 

[Emberashh]

For all my spicy takes and opinions you'd think that one of all things wouldn't be rubbing so many people the wrong way.

 

[aramis erak]

Can you elaborate on this. I don't know much about the game

Umbran quoted it, "mischaracterizes it" as not a rule.

Things they don't want the whole audience to have available shouldn't be in it. I feel the same about any kind of options - don't put it in unless you want it available to everyone.

Discriminatory mindset is discriminatory mindset, no matter the direction.

 

[bedir than]

Umbran quoted it, "mischaracterizes it" as not a rule.

Things they don't want the whole audience to have available shouldn't be in it. I feel the same about any kind of options - don't put it in unless you want it available to everyone.

Discriminatory mindset is discriminatory mindset, no matter the direction.

Except that there aren't rules for playing a current Native American tribe in the books.
The option that you think is restricted isn't an option.

 

[aramis erak]

Except that there aren't rules for playing a current Native American tribe in the books.
The option that you think is restricted isn't an option.

Wrong. Naming with real names is available to Native Americans playing the game by the RAW.
"Two Spirit" is in there, restricted to Native Americans.