The Sigil
Mr. 3000 (Words per post)
Just thought I would throw this out here for discussion. Two questions:
Should there be a Vile/Mature product line (distinct from the Core line)?
Should Dragon and/or Dungeon be considered "Core" material for purposes of this discussion?
NOTE: "Where the line is drawn" and "what is vile/gooey/icky/mature/etc." is a discussion for another thread - please leave it out. Let us assume for the purposes of this discussion that there is some line that can be crossed but the exact "location" of that line is not needed to answer the above questions.
I believe there should be a separate product line - I again refer to my smoker/non-smoker rooms at a hotel analogy - if you have designated rooms for smoking and non-smoking, everyone gets a chance to indulge their own preference. The smokers are happy and the non-smokers are happy. If you do not make the designation, eventually every room will smell of cigarette smoke, making the non-smokers unhappy, as they have nowhere to go in the hotel that is "non-smoking."
I DO believe there should be Vile/Mature products - since there is demonstrably a market for them. But I also believe they should be separate and distinct from the "Core" line, so that those who don't want them can avoid them (the "non-smokers"). For instance, while I have no need for the BoVD, I can easily avoid the material therein by not buying it.
I also believe that Dragon and Dungeon should be considered "Core" products... because they are already established as the "voice" of D&D. This makes them "core" products, IMO. This means to me that "Vile" content should not be included in them. Furthermore, IMO, you should not have a "Vile" periodical until you already have a "Not Vile" periodical. THAT IS IMO, REMEMBER!
And FWIW, I don't particularly buy the "edit out what you don't want" argument as it relates to offensive material because there's a difference between filtering "useless" material and filtering "offensive" material. What seems to often be forgotten is that in order to filter something, you have to *read* it first (in order to know it's something you don't want/need). Reading something that is useless to you might be annoying, but reading something that is offensive to you is, well, offensive.
That's what makes "I don't like fighters, I don't need fighter material because it's useless" different from "I don't like Vile, I don't need Vile material because it's offensive." Even those who enjoy "Vile" material probably will admit that it is something that may well be offensive to others (I hope).
Hence, I think it would be nice to see Vile things kept separate from other things.
My 2 cents. Opinions wanted. Hopefully, I have respected those who do want Vile material, and I hope they'll try to understand and respect my points as well.
Again, PLEASE DO NOT SIDETRACK THIS INTO A DISCUSSION OF WHAT IS/IS NOT VILE! This is strictly a discussion of "should things be separated?" If so, how do we decide what goes where?
--The Sigil
Should there be a Vile/Mature product line (distinct from the Core line)?
Should Dragon and/or Dungeon be considered "Core" material for purposes of this discussion?
NOTE: "Where the line is drawn" and "what is vile/gooey/icky/mature/etc." is a discussion for another thread - please leave it out. Let us assume for the purposes of this discussion that there is some line that can be crossed but the exact "location" of that line is not needed to answer the above questions.
I believe there should be a separate product line - I again refer to my smoker/non-smoker rooms at a hotel analogy - if you have designated rooms for smoking and non-smoking, everyone gets a chance to indulge their own preference. The smokers are happy and the non-smokers are happy. If you do not make the designation, eventually every room will smell of cigarette smoke, making the non-smokers unhappy, as they have nowhere to go in the hotel that is "non-smoking."
I DO believe there should be Vile/Mature products - since there is demonstrably a market for them. But I also believe they should be separate and distinct from the "Core" line, so that those who don't want them can avoid them (the "non-smokers"). For instance, while I have no need for the BoVD, I can easily avoid the material therein by not buying it.
I also believe that Dragon and Dungeon should be considered "Core" products... because they are already established as the "voice" of D&D. This makes them "core" products, IMO. This means to me that "Vile" content should not be included in them. Furthermore, IMO, you should not have a "Vile" periodical until you already have a "Not Vile" periodical. THAT IS IMO, REMEMBER!
And FWIW, I don't particularly buy the "edit out what you don't want" argument as it relates to offensive material because there's a difference between filtering "useless" material and filtering "offensive" material. What seems to often be forgotten is that in order to filter something, you have to *read* it first (in order to know it's something you don't want/need). Reading something that is useless to you might be annoying, but reading something that is offensive to you is, well, offensive.
That's what makes "I don't like fighters, I don't need fighter material because it's useless" different from "I don't like Vile, I don't need Vile material because it's offensive." Even those who enjoy "Vile" material probably will admit that it is something that may well be offensive to others (I hope).
Hence, I think it would be nice to see Vile things kept separate from other things.
My 2 cents. Opinions wanted. Hopefully, I have respected those who do want Vile material, and I hope they'll try to understand and respect my points as well.
Again, PLEASE DO NOT SIDETRACK THIS INTO A DISCUSSION OF WHAT IS/IS NOT VILE! This is strictly a discussion of "should things be separated?" If so, how do we decide what goes where?
--The Sigil
