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Violence and D&D: Is "Murderhobo" Essential to D&D?
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<blockquote data-quote="MGibster" data-source="post: 8020432" data-attributes="member: 4534"><p>D&D has its roots in war gaming and the earliest published modules really reflect this. For the most part, the game was initially designed with the intent of kicking down doors (or sneaking around), getting the treasure, and killing what gets in your way. But D&D has evolved over the years. A module like <em>Against the Giants</em> (1978) is a hack and slash adventure that simply would not be fun for most modern players. I think it was a tournament module originally so maybe I'm not being fair. </p><p></p><p>This is a subject I've also thought about so you're not alone. I also like to play war games like Warhammer, Battletech, Star Fleet Battles, etc., etc. in addition to role playing games and all of these involve oodles and oodles of violence. At some point I couldn't help but take notice that I'm having fun with something that's been the source of so much misery. </p><p></p><p>On one hand, one of the biggest problems I have with violence as presented in the media is that it isn't violent enough. We don't often see a realistic depiction of the physical effects of gunshots, stab wounds, or beatings and ever rarer is it that we see the psychological impact on victims or the initiation of violence. I think one of the reasons the Iliad is still popular to this day is that the violence is exciting, it's graphic, and the narrator tells the audience of the human cost the war has. i.e. We find out one of the no-named victims' father hasn't seen his son in ten years and won't find out for another ten years that his only son has died. But I still have fun with Star Wars and D&D where I mow down fools left and right with nary a guilty thought. </p><p></p><p>In other games, Call of Cthulhu, I treat violence a little more seriously. If you're going to throw down against another human being it's going to have consequences. Not only in the form of physical or psychological damage, but damage to their reputations as their arrested for assault. But I can live with the cartoon violence of D&D.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MGibster, post: 8020432, member: 4534"] D&D has its roots in war gaming and the earliest published modules really reflect this. For the most part, the game was initially designed with the intent of kicking down doors (or sneaking around), getting the treasure, and killing what gets in your way. But D&D has evolved over the years. A module like [I]Against the Giants[/I] (1978) is a hack and slash adventure that simply would not be fun for most modern players. I think it was a tournament module originally so maybe I'm not being fair. This is a subject I've also thought about so you're not alone. I also like to play war games like Warhammer, Battletech, Star Fleet Battles, etc., etc. in addition to role playing games and all of these involve oodles and oodles of violence. At some point I couldn't help but take notice that I'm having fun with something that's been the source of so much misery. On one hand, one of the biggest problems I have with violence as presented in the media is that it isn't violent enough. We don't often see a realistic depiction of the physical effects of gunshots, stab wounds, or beatings and ever rarer is it that we see the psychological impact on victims or the initiation of violence. I think one of the reasons the Iliad is still popular to this day is that the violence is exciting, it's graphic, and the narrator tells the audience of the human cost the war has. i.e. We find out one of the no-named victims' father hasn't seen his son in ten years and won't find out for another ten years that his only son has died. But I still have fun with Star Wars and D&D where I mow down fools left and right with nary a guilty thought. In other games, Call of Cthulhu, I treat violence a little more seriously. If you're going to throw down against another human being it's going to have consequences. Not only in the form of physical or psychological damage, but damage to their reputations as their arrested for assault. But I can live with the cartoon violence of D&D. [/QUOTE]
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