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Author Topic: No racist characters allowed  (Read 9587 times)

Tubesock Army
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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #30 on: October 15, 2021, 10:39:49 AM »
Anyway if you want to play an escaped slave then you can fight for the good guys, the British.

  The intro chapter, at least, explicitly forbids Loyalist PCs. :)

That's not true at all. I'm looking at it right now, and literally the first step in character creation is picking your starting allegiance: Rebels or Loyalists (p.14).

Armchair Gamer

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #31 on: October 15, 2021, 10:54:04 AM »
Anyway if you want to play an escaped slave then you can fight for the good guys, the British.

  The intro chapter, at least, explicitly forbids Loyalist PCs. :)

That's not true at all. I'm looking at it right now, and literally the first step in character creation is picking your starting allegiance: Rebels or Loyalists (p.14).

   I'm looking at the same page and it says "Every character begins gameplay by pledging their Allegiance to the Rebels, which you will write onto your character sheet now."

Ocule

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #32 on: October 15, 2021, 11:16:29 AM »
It’s an rpg from Daniel fox aka zweihander. The dude is a huge fucking tool, besides for the setting just run a historical game using literally any other game system. Mythras, brp, savage worlds, d20, amazing adventures/castles and crusades. Rather than some insane sjws version of the American revolution. I’d personally use savage worlds
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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #33 on: October 15, 2021, 11:30:10 AM »
It’s an rpg from Daniel fox aka zweihander. The dude is a huge fucking tool, besides for the setting just run a historical game using literally any other game system. Mythras, brp, savage worlds, d20, amazing adventures/castles and crusades. Rather than some insane sjws version of the American revolution. I’d personally use savage worlds

Just buy Nations & Cannons PDF for $5 US and use their research with the system you like.

https://www.nationsandcannons.com/
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GeekyBugle

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #34 on: October 15, 2021, 11:51:27 AM »
No idea how good or green this is but here:

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/239327/Revolutionaries
Quote from: Rhedyn

Here is why this forum tends to be so stupid. Many people here think Joe Biden is "The Left", when he is actually Far Right and every US republican is just an idiot.

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

― George Orwell

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #35 on: October 15, 2021, 12:10:01 PM »
It’s an rpg from Daniel fox aka zweihander. The dude is a huge fucking tool, besides for the setting just run a historical game using literally any other game system. Mythras, brp, savage worlds, d20, amazing adventures/castles and crusades. Rather than some insane sjws version of the American revolution. I’d personally use savage worlds

It's not even his setting, it's a Zweihander/Grim & Perilous (i mean WFRP2 with the numbers filed off) version of Colonial Gothic.

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #36 on: October 15, 2021, 01:10:01 PM »
Greetings!

Having a Tecumseh-like leader arise amongst the Native American tribes and unite them all in a serious alliance would be interesting. The brave Native American tribes could then sweep the white men into the sea, slaughtering them all. The white women could be then enslaved and kept as breeding slaves, serving their savage Native Masters. Any of the white bitches get uppity, they can be stretched out and burned alive. Their sobbing, begging screams can be savage music to the gathered tribes.

A new kind of campaign can then be played in such an environment. The Native American tribes are fierce masters of the continent, and the racist, hate-filled colonizing white devils have been properly cleansed from the land and defeated. ;D

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #37 on: October 15, 2021, 02:09:35 PM »
I would ask to be allowed to play my Dragonborn cleric character. Complete with his AD&D cleric abilities and draconic breath weapon.

Hey- assuming the original comment is accurate, it would be no crazier than what is demanded in what is supposed to be a historical setting. Who knows, with a "diversity" of religions some might worship me as a sort of demigod.

Now wouldn't that be interesting during the American Revolution?

As for you, Shark- now now.

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Shasarak

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #38 on: October 15, 2021, 05:38:34 PM »
I would ask to be allowed to play my Dragonborn cleric character. Complete with his AD&D cleric abilities and draconic breath weapon.

Yes I believe that they do allow you to play black characters

Oh, Dragonborn?  I thought you said Orc.   ;)
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PencilBoy99

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #39 on: October 15, 2021, 09:23:49 PM »
I don't recall the d12 version of CG having these issues.

Is there something mechanical (besides them saying no) that would prevent me from house ruling it to be more realistic?

If I remember correctly Renaissance D100 you have to pick period appropriate beliefs.

How do authors plan to enforce all this stuff.

Kyle Aaron

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #40 on: October 16, 2021, 12:19:37 AM »
Even though the rules are obviously easily ignored -
Yes.

In my most recent game, I laid out the basic campaign types you could have: police & crime, counter/insurgency, conventional war, anarchy, terrorism, and wrote,

"Many people will baulk at playing terrorists or criminals, but this is entirely up to the game group."

The implication there is that you should consider the rest of your game group when preparing to run a game, or planning your character's actions. But if all of you are good with it, enjoy.

I also said,

Nationality, ethnicity & gender: the referee may set the nationality of all the adventurers, but the player should choose their adventurer's ethnicity, gender and other personal characteristics. These will have no game mechanical effect, but naturally may become relevant in play.

Then at the back of the book there's a bit about being captured, a mention of torture, and reputation. The implication there is that the PCs can run around tearing people's toes off with pliers and shooting bound civilians in the back of the head if they want - but there may be in-game consequences. It's not the GM's job to judge the players morally, but just to present them with reasonable consequences for what their characters do, reasonable given the setting.

I think it's best for a game designer to lay things out impartially, more or less, to say: this is what the game is designed and works best for, but hey do what you like.
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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #41 on: October 16, 2021, 07:26:31 AM »

In my most recent game, I laid out the basic campaign types you could have: police & crime, counter/insurgency, conventional war, anarchy, terrorism, and wrote,

"Many people will baulk at playing terrorists or criminals, but this is entirely up to the game group."

The implication there is that you should consider the rest of your game group when preparing to run a game, or planning your character's actions. But if all of you are good with it, enjoy.


I view it somewhat similar.

In the world I'm designing there is slavery. There are rules for it, all from a player having a social status score (from -5 to 5, where negative scores are slaves and indentured servants) to how to calculate cost of slaves and where to go to buy/sell them. How a slave can earn themselves money to pay their owner to be freed. The reason I included these rules is more that if NPCs the players know (or PCs themselves) gets captured, the players knows where to go to barter for their release.

Does this mean that there are enough information for the players to run their band of adventurers as a slaving company? Well, technically yes.

Does it mean that they're supposed to? No, the rules are there to present why slavers exist. (It's profitable) The players being the heroes are their adversaries.

Will I as a designer forbid players to play as slavers instead? No. Their table, their rules.

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #42 on: October 18, 2021, 07:10:04 AM »
Honestly, anymore if someone is describing their "thing" game/show/movie/story/etc as being: "inclusive" or "diverse" I simply assume that their "thing" is so lacking in merit of any other kind that I should simply ignore it.

If the most interesting thing you can say, if their method of advertising is along those lines; They should probably go back and rework it until they can use better adjectives. Suggested adjectives that they should aim for would be: fun, exciting, interesting, epic, etc.

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #43 on: October 18, 2021, 08:10:04 AM »
Honestly, anymore if someone is describing their "thing" game/show/movie/story/etc as being: "inclusive" or "diverse" I simply assume that their "thing" is so lacking in merit of any other kind that I should simply ignore it.

If the most interesting thing you can say, if their method of advertising is along those lines; They should probably go back and rework it until they can use better adjectives. Suggested adjectives that they should aim for would be: fun, exciting, interesting, epic, etc.

Yes, it's an admission by everyone with the most experience of the game that they don't think it is very well done. 

rytrasmi

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Re: No racist characters allowed
« Reply #44 on: October 18, 2021, 11:15:44 AM »
I support diversity. I support BLM. I support LBGTQIA+ creators making the cool games they want to play.

What I don't understand is shying away from tough issues in historical settings. These issues have been explored with all the stinging truth of the past to great effect (see Lovecraft Country for example). Part of the delight for me in an RPG is exploring the human condition. It's not a primary thing (that would be fun) but there's something about stepping into the shoes of this imaginary person that can be cathartic. Pretending like 1776 was an idealistic place of diversity is absurd.

Why not just create a fresh new setting with some 18th century flavor? Just grab the handful (I mean, what else would be left?) of the tropes, themes, or elements you really wanted to explore in your rainbow happy sort-of 18th century land, and run with it! Again, my liberal cohorts have jumped the shark.

Being respectful of someone's experiences, beliefs, or traumas does not require us to rewrite history. It doesn't require much special handling at all. If an African-American responds to your game advertisement to the 1776 game, and wants to play an escaped slave, and explore kicking some old-timey ass - you are not really required to glad-handle them (they responded to the game set in an historical setting and obviously understand what the are about to embark on). If you believe there might be an issue, have a conversation about it before the game. Make sure everyone is on the same page.

Nothing about this game sounds fun. Why would I play this? To experience the War of Independence? Cool. Set the game in the near future, say 2050 AD. ETs have invaded Earth and control 70% of the planet. The humans discover some cool new thing(tm) (like guerilla tactics or something?) that gives them an edge, and VIOLA! you have a new war of independence. It's the future - so nobody cares about your race, sexuality, or religion. If you can fight, you're in. The rebel forces are a diverse lot, truly fighting for liberty and equality. Easy as potato pie.

If you're trying to just FORGET the past  -- you chose a funny way of doing it.

Once again, if my friends would get off the couch and actually DO SOMETHING to fight for social justice, they would likely expunge some of this guilt and feel like they accomplished something. Self-masturbatory "Justice Porn" is hardly cutting the mustard.

I cant' believe I backed the first two Zweihander KSs, this has turned into a deluxe shit-show. I'm genuinely embarrassed.

I agree with a lot of what you said. Also, history is not monolithic. There were all kinds of people and opinions back in the day. "Everyone was racist and sexist" is a generalization. Plus, people can play a group of misfits in a setting that has -isms they don't like. I have a gang of witches in a medieval setting, where witches are burned at the stake on the regular. So far they've murdered two priests (one was self defense though). The players are really enjoying playing the underdogs.
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The ones that crawl in are lean and thin
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Your eyes fall in and your teeth fall out
Your brains come tumbling down your snout
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Be merry