Tracy Hickman's view of the Dragon #300 sealed section

[Pielorinho]

Okay, a couple of points.

First, although I'll avoid attacking individuals, and although I of course believe anyone has the legal right to make offensive statements, comparisons of evil-playing gamers (or evil-writing designers) to terrorists is pretty amazingly insulting and awful.

Second, I'm playing in an evil campaign right now. We've been playing a heroic campaign for a little over a year, and our DM is running a 3-session mini-adventure in which we play evil characters who are working behind the scenes to thwart our normal PCs.

Last session I got to play a mind-flayer, and I got to go into the drug-crazed dreams of a captive drow to torment/interrogate him; got to build Macchiavellian schemes in which the slaughter of my troops to serve as bait for my enemies was entirely acceptable; got to give my rivals the distinct impression that I was thinking about slurping on their brains.

It was a blast. And it served a great purpose in the overall story: it gives us as players an insight into the machinations of our enemies that we wouldn't be able to get from any other perspective.

I've also run live-action games with hard-core horror in them, games that I'd no way allow a child to participate in. I've also played a character in the past who was struggling to come to terms with her history as a sadistic servant of a god of pain, who would sometimes slip in her goodness and torture a prisoner. I've also pulled from real-life horrors such as those in Belgian Congo to create scenes that would be entirely inappropriate for children players.

And I think that by using such elements in my games, I can achieve effects that I couldn't otherwise achieve. When a player had a casual belief that orcs should be slaughtered, encountering a half-orc PC didn't change her mind -- but discovering that her fellow citizens had slaughtered the half-orc's friends and were using parts of their bodies as aphrodisiacs made her rethink her attitudes.

Does this make me an immature gamer? Conversely, do folks think that there's no horror so awful that children shouldn't be shielded from it?

I've not seen the Dragon issue, and from what I've heard, I'm not at all convinced that it'll help bring out darker themes in gaming (maggots !=dark). But I fully believe that dark-themed gaming can be a rewarding experience.

Daniel

 

[Talaysen]

Even mentioning his religion is a form of attack? That seems a bit much. I mean, I mentioned his religion simply in an effort to put things in context. The fact of the matter is that these are the values he's been taught. I didn't say all Mormons are going to hate the BoVD; I said that a lot probably would, simply because it would seem to go against what many would see to be church values.

Heck, there are a few Mormons I can think of who'll probably think the BoVD is the best thing since sliced bread.

But again, I was just trying to put things in context (which perhaps I didn't do very well) and point out that - given Tracy's faith, his expression of that faith, and his support for values associated with said faith - his sentiments aren't so surprising. The way in which he expressed those sentiments is, but that's beside the point.

I think that it's perfectly acceptable to mention someone's faith when it's relevant to the situation at hand; and in this case I feel it is. Actual, deliberate attacks on a person and his faith are unwarranted and inexcusable.

 

[yongi]

The man's entitled to his overreactions as much as anyone else. I don't happen to care for the BoVD, either. Why he feels that way, or why I do, or why you don't feel that way, etc,. are immaterial.

However this particular rant is rather foolish. Have your opinion, express it if you feel the need, but please leave ridiculous & unfounded comparisons to real tragedies out.

Or, as my mother used to say: people make comparisons to terrorism when they are either too lazy or incapable of thinking up something intelligent to say.

-y-

OTOH, the fact that the Ranger got the shaft is morally equivalent to the Holocaust.

 

[rpace]

Well. . .

Two things:

Tracy must not know what terrorism is. He wouldn't have equated a commercial product offering a different flavour of role-playing with car-bombers, anthrax-spreaders and other types who use violence and the fear of violence to effect change.

The "comics code" approach was flawed in that it never appeased those it was meant to appease. Consider, as well, that Marvel Comics has abandoned the Comics Code Authority stamp of approval as being out-dated and uneeded considering their comics primary audience. They are finally selling in Wal-Mart, which had no interest in the comics under the CCA.

It's all well and good to consider the exceptional child who may play D&D (addressing the unasked but usual response to mentioning D&Ds primary market), but the real market is for older teens and adults and their limitations and preferences are what should be taken into account.

One final point: just because Tracy is a writer, minor celebrity and has a history with the product doesn't mean he actually has a valid point.

 

[Talaysen]

Or, as my mother used to say: people make comparisons to terrorism when they are either too lazy or incapable of thinking up something intelligent to say.

And on that note, I think perhaps I should apologize for calling Mr. Hickman an "emotional terrorist". I do feel that he's trying to twist the emotions associated with last year's tragedy to his own ends here, and that is simply inexcusable, but I should have stopped short of coming so close to hypocrisy. My apologies.

 

[JPL]

Uh, Tracy?

It's just a game.

You write silly little games and stories for a living.

Firemen save lives for a living.

You were not a victim of terrorism.

They were.

It's just a game.

 

[robert84]

Let it go...

RAVENLOFT

 

[Ashtal]

Ya know ... I'm closing the thread. This is too touchy, we've ranged all over the board from good to bad, and I can't ever see it getting any better.

So, g'night Gracy.