Would you buy/play a blatantly racist or sexist campaign setting?

[Fred Delles]

We had this controversy over the latest rumor of a "Perils of Gor" d20 campaign setting (link here). The world, I feel, is so blatantly misogynist that it makes Eminem look like Kim Gandy. So, why bother publishing something that could just ruin your reputation in such a market that is very hard to survive in?

Same for racist. As for "racist", I mean between nationalities similar to real-life nationalities (blacks, Jews, etc.), not humans/elves/dwarves. Thankfully, no examples.

Granted, both exist in book/movie/videogame worlds, but they are 800-pound gorillas compared to the pen-and-paper RPG industry.

Now, I have nothing against anyone creating a blatantly sexist or racist RPG for their personal use. Just keep it away from me, please.

Your comments?

 

[coyote6]

Re: Would you buy/play a blatantly racist or sexist campagin setting?

Same for racist. As for "racist", I mean between nationalities similar to real-life nationalities (blacks, Jews, etc.), not humans/elves/dwarves. Thankfully, no examples.

You must've missed "White Warriors", or whatever that double-plus-un-good RAHOWA game that is/was available on the 'net was called.

If that kind of thing -- where the game itself makes racist assumptions -- is what you mean by "blatantly racist or sexist", then no, I certainly wouldn't buy or play.

If racism or sexism are part of the setting, that's one thing; they're part of real-life, after all. For example, I can't say that I'd refuse to play an historical game, and history is certainly full of racist & sexist societies.

But I'd have trouble treating them as positive things. I would be vastly uncomfortable with playing a campaign that trumpeted or promoted racism or sexism.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

Re: Re: Would you buy/play a blatantly racist or sexist campagin setting?

Any setting that bases it's culture on an actual medieval base (rather than a pseudo-medieval one) is naturally going to have inherent sexism. Sexism is also implied in much fantasy literature... some races are almost entirely dominated by a single sex (take Dwarves, for instance).

Racism is alive and well in D&D... and I'm not talking about interspecies racism (such as Dwarves vs. Orcs)... but intraspecies racism (High Elves vs. Dark Elves, Dwarves vs. Duergar)... and notice the skin colors in the case of the elves...

D&D has explicitly racist and sexist elements... and I still play it. It's a fantasy, after all.

 

[Fred Delles]

I mean, putting penalties on (human) races or genders in a hateful bias.

(i.e. Females get -2 to all stats, or blacks get -2 to Intelligence, that sort of thing.)

 

[EricNoah]

Just a friendly warning to be sure to keep this on topic. The minute it strays, it goes bye-bye.

 

[Emiricol]

Well, that's just cr@p. I wouldn't play such a game. It's one thing to have "role-play" based biases in a setting (duergar are evil, culture A hates culture B, gypsies are mostly rogues, orc women are subjugated...)

But to put stats on it in the fashion I believe you mean - that's not societal or mere fantasy setting stuff.

IMHO. YMMV. WOAYWTPI.

<hr>
WOAYWTPI: (Whatever Other Acronym You Want To Plug In)

 

[Felix]

How about rephrasing the question:

"Would you buy/play a blatantly Evil campaign setting?"

People have bought evil campaign settings. People play evil characters regardless of setting. Publishing companies print books with content self-labeled as evil.

But I think that a campaign setting formed to be obviously sexist or obviously racist would be decried, accused of bad taste, the company submitted to boycott, and the company's publisher would move to abnegate the contract to avoid guilt by association.

Meanwhile many gamers desire gaming mechanics so that their Necromancer may continue to, more effectively, dominate the souls of the innocent. I have not read the BoVD, but from what I hear, there are some Evil things in there.

Curious, isn't it?

 

[kenjib]

How about rephrasing the question:

"Would you buy/play a blatantly Evil campaign setting?"

People have bought evil campaign settings. People play evil characters regardless of setting. Publishing companies print books with content self-labeled as evil.

But I think that a campaign setting formed to be obviously sexist or obviously racist would be decried, accused of bad taste, the company submitted to boycott, and the company's publisher would move to abnegate the contract to avoid guilt by association.

Meanwhile many gamers desire gaming mechanics so that their Necromancer may continue to, more effectively, dominate the souls of the innocent. I have not read the BoVD, but from what I hear, there are some Evil things in there.

Curious, isn't it?

Not to me. Dominating the souls of fake characters in a game has no real world repercussions. Playing a social game with sexist content when real women (not fake characters in the game) play the game does have real world repercussions. It is a social activity, it creates an exclusionary environment, and it is about a topic that many people are very sensitive about on a personal level. None of these criteria fit your example of a necromancer stealing souls.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

virtually no matter how you meant it, the answer would be no.

whether it's stats or culture predjudice I say nope. Now I'll play in a world where it exists, but I would want it implied in the world that such beleifs are on the dark side of the force. Societies deep in sexism and racism would be looked at negatively, whether its men being oppresed in some Amazonish or matriarchal culture or women in some more standard medeval/patriarchal culture I'd want the world in general to say its bad. Unless you were playing the oppressed or the friends of the oppressed and it was some free the downtrodden campaign. Because then at least the culture your in says its bad.

 

[Redleg06]

Re: Re: Re: Would you buy/play a blatantly racist or sexist campagin setting?

Any setting that bases it's culture on an actual medieval base (rather than a pseudo-medieval one) is naturally going to have inherent sexism.

Agreed. And done right it could actually present a very interesting role-playing challenge.

As for human female statistics taking automatic minuses in, say strength, there is statistical data to back that up. When the US Army revised it's physical fitness program about 5 years ago, it kept evaluation scores for males and females seperate, although with much less disparity than in the past.

Face it, men and women are different.

Now I am not saying that a male character cannot be STR 7, and a female cannot be STR 19, it's just that a female of that STR would be so unique the player would have to pay out the a$$ in points cost to develop such a character. Unless of course your DM does not like the rule, in which case, he/she could just scrap it. It is a RPG after all!


As for Dark Elves, that is a good point, being subterrainian they should have lighter skin. But I really don't see that as having any real correlation to race relations in the US. Is Darth Vader a racist character because he wears black and has a black man doing his voice? Even though he was obviously thought of by Lucas as a white man since his son Luke is pretty obviously white.

I guess what I am saying is a good part of what is racist and what is not is how each individual chooses to interpret things.