Recent Dragon Mag Article Pulled?

[vagabundo]

I just read his Google Wave (??) comments and they are bad IMO. Very immature.

Now, it doesn't mean he doesn't have something useful to say about kids and gaming, but the original article being pulled was a good idea. It could have been reedited to take anything about gender out and would have been decent, but those kind of comments probably make him untouchable as far as WotC is concerned.

Offtopic: I didn't know WotC was doing a Kids in DND series. Kudos, and very interesting. I've been out of the DND scene for a while doing my Star Wars thing.

 

[frankthedm]

It's disappointing to hear things like this... One of my favorite Eberron Dungeon adventures (Murder in Oakbridge) was written by this guy. I'm actually writing a campaign that uses it as one of the first few modules.

So? This doesn't change anything about the module. Enjoying an author's work does not necessarily mean one shares their biases.


Edit:

those kind of comments probably make him untouchable as far as WotC is concerned.

Web Stalking an author on sensitive subjects is important for a company. Because if the Company does not find the dirty laundry, someone else will.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Actually, that's something the original 'complainer' wrote on LiveJournal, and then later retracted after deciding it wasn't a fair thing to say. That's not something he said.

My mistake - you're correct.

However, the author of the original article did say something along those lines, but just did not point the finger at WotC employees.

And, then Krynn was the jerk for their non-apology apology to those they may have offended.

 

[Siberys]

So? This doesn't change anything about the module. Enjoying an author's work does not necessarily mean one shares their biases.

Exactly, I wasn't saying it did. I was just noting that I recognized the author.

I still plan on running that module, FWIW.

 

[S'mon]

A
The part of the article that I actually found most troubling did not have to do with the boy v. girl, it was the "Repercussions of Violence" section. In in he suggests that if a (boy) PC goes on a killing spree, instead of killing the character, you should lock him up or give them an adventure where they must atone for the crimes.

I might do this when playing with adults, but with kids, I would be much more direct and tell them that these kinds of actions are not allowed in my game and that they need to make a better choice.

In D&D I'd typically just kill off the killing-spree PCs, whatever age the players.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I never cared much for the series, but i did not think the article in question was not too bad.
Some of the other articles struck me as odd but I put the differences down to cultural differences.

 

[Lhorgrim]

"Character is what you are in the dark"- Lord John Whorfin in Buckaroo Banzai (with apologies to Dwight L. Moody)

The internet can be a really "dark" place if you don't realize that nothing is really private, and it stays around forever.

 

[DimitriX]

I have a wacky idea: how about if WotC stop wasting its time trying to figure out how they can get women and kids to play their game and start making a game that is fun and interesting. I'll go out on a limb here and make another stereotype: men, women, and children regardless of their age, sex, race, religious belief, or sexual orientation enjoy playing games that are fun and interesting. If WotC spent more time thinking about the next thing they can do to make DnD fun and interesting, then they would have more products to sell and people will happily buy them. As I look at the list of WotC products for the rest of 2011, I count only four game supplements for DnD: Neverwinter Game Setting, Madness at Gardmore Abbey, Heroes of the Feywild, and Book of Vile Darkness. The rest of the crap is stuff that uses the DnD brand without actually adding anything to the game.

WotC just needs to stop letting their marketing division steer the boat. There needs to be less hand wringing about how they can get more people of a particular demographic to buy their stuff and more of letting the designers create good stuff. What's next, articles on how we can get more homosexual Native Americans to play the game? I know a gay Native American and all he wants is for DnD to stop sucking.

 

[RedTonic]

What's interesting to the stereotypical white, middle-aged Protestant male player may not be the same as what's interesting to other demographics. We all come into things with a perspective shaped by our experiences and our origins. Marketing & research are valuable tools in finding out what appeals to more people--what more of us find interesting.

Someone who publicly posts tidbits like, "Instead of blaming men for violence, blame the wives who leave men no choice but being violent" is not the sort of person a company should want shaping their game or their game's image in any fashion. I think those opinions are nuts--but honestly, the nuttiness's not the reason why a company should be shed of such an employee. The critical lack of judgment displayed is the problem.

 

[Quickleaf]

Supposedly it was an article by "Uri Kurlianchik" Here is another article by that author that is still up. Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (D&D Kids: Punishment)

"D&D Kids: Punishment"? He offers such useful advice as docking late-comers XP and making an example out of them. Genius! Sure running games for kids can be like herding cats but I'm more of the mind to let them socialize and have fun with the game.

I'm just flabbergasted that anyone could consider this a good article.

Firstly, it was actually pulled because the writer turned out to be precisely the most wrong person in the universe to write about girls and D&D.

"Instead of blaming men for violence, blame the wives who leave men with no choice but being violent."

And here's a great example of when to use a pen name. But seriously, if I was a parent there's no way in hell I'd want this guy around my kids without me being there.

He writes a lot of Teaching Kids Gaming/RPGs type articles -

Uri's Notebook

That is so not comforting.

This is the first I've heard of Uri - is he very well known in the D&D community for teaching youth gaming? I mean why on earth would WotC publish this guy?