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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 9493791" data-attributes="member: 7023840">I wanted to make a serious comment about real-world religions (and other references) in D&amp;D.I am going to start by saying that I am in no way defending or condoning their use or appropriation in games. I mean, the inclusion of the Indian Mythos in Deities &amp; Demigods was certainly a choice!(Brief aside- the pantheon included, inter alia, Vishnu, but didn't have Shiva! But that likely wasn't for sensitivity reasons, because Shiva was in Deities, Demigods and Heroes in OD&amp;D. Weird curiosity.)But ... as terrible as it was (and it was), the inclusion made me actively curious about mythology and religion. I was fascinated by the &quot;non-western pantheons&quot; and began reading real books to learn more. Imagine my shock when I learned that the gamified versions weren't completely accurate!Sometimes I worry that in going too far to remove real-world references, we also remove the things that cause people to engage and want to learn more about the real world. I don't know the answer to that. I have my experience (Deities &amp; Demigods sparked my interest in the real thing, and OA made me learn a lot about Japanese and Chinese history, for example) and some other anecdotes (one of my fellow players became an accomplished professor of medieval studies), but I do wonder.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 9493791, member: 7023840"] I wanted to make a serious comment about real-world religions (and other references) in D&D. I am going to start by saying that I am in no way defending or condoning their use or appropriation in games. I mean, the inclusion of the Indian Mythos in Deities & Demigods was certainly a choice! (Brief aside- the pantheon included, [I]inter alia, [/I]Vishnu, but didn't have Shiva! But that likely wasn't for sensitivity reasons, because Shiva was in [I]Deities, Demigods and Heroes[/I] in OD&D. Weird curiosity.) But ... as terrible as it was (and it was), the inclusion made me actively curious about mythology and religion. I was fascinated by the "non-western pantheons" and began reading [I]real books [/I]to learn more. Imagine my shock when I learned that the gamified versions weren't completely accurate! Sometimes I worry that in going too far to remove real-world references, we also remove the things that cause people to engage and want to learn more about the real world. I don't know the answer to that. I have my experience (Deities & Demigods sparked my interest in the real thing, and OA made me learn a lot about Japanese and Chinese history, for example) and some other anecdotes (one of my fellow players became an accomplished professor of medieval studies), but I do wonder. [/QUOTE]

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