"Why I Hate Fantasy RPGs"

[Pop]

They, uh, handled the traps outside Bodhi's room. Not that Imoen couldn't handle it with her scant skills (that's one of the things that was kind of annoying about BG2 and ToB, thieves stopped increasing in utility at about 9th level) but it's something. I usually brought them along just so I could loot their corpses afterward.

[metadigital]

For example, I go to action flicks sometimes. Hell, my wife enjoys a good action film from time to time. Now, we're both comfortable, middle-class Americans. We are educated. We don't desire to be the "loner out to save the world." I certainly don't leave the theater wishing I were "more like that guy." I generally leave talking about the film. It provides an escape, but enjoying an action film every now and then, in and of itself, does very little to describe me as a person. The sole fact that my wife and I, over the past week watched and enjoyed the Leathal Weapon series yields very little true insight to the casual observer. I watched it and enjoyed it. Sure, I rolled my eyes at some of the scenes that held me enthralled when I saw the films the first time. Still, it was a great escape.

What did you enjoy about it? I.e. where did you "escape" to?

 

Weren't you pretending that you might be able to solve problems in an immediate and simple manner, like Riggs does, rather than have to compromise or appeal to authority? Surely you are enjoying imagining having the powers of a character like Riggs ... in other words enjoying being a "loner out to save the world".

[Cantousent]

No, I'm far too comfortable to want to be the loner. However, for the sake of argument, I might think that it was an escape to a world where such immediate action was possible and even good. However, I was always fond of Danny Glover's character. He was the sensible one.

 

Really, I laugh at comedies. I enjoy them. Does that means I want to live out the comedy situations? When Frasier was wrongfully arrested for giving a ride to a male prostitute, I thought it was funny. Did I want to live that episode? Don't be crazy! Hey, Riggs is a bad ass, and I thought it was great, but I don't want to prove my badassedness by killing folks and suviving torture. Marriage is bad enough. hahahahahahaha

[Walsingham]

I think the sexuality and general evil thing is dealt with particularly poorly in D&D. I know I'm a loyalist to GW, but Warhammer fantasy was always far darker and more realistic. Mainly because of the articulation given by the Chaos system.

[Dark_Raven]

D&D like the Star Wars universe approach sexuality strangely.

[metadigital]

There are concepts and nuanced subtleties that cannot be adequately explored, much less even described, in PG game systems. You can't explain why a person would become a sex worker, much less have a story about the redemption of one, when cruelty is restricted to physical violence, rather than include the more prevalent and realistic mental violence of our Hobbesian reality.

 

Rape is a crime of sadistic power of one evil person forcing another to their will and against their own; the payoff for the evil person is the bending of that person to their will and breaking their opponents; the physical consequences are almost incidental. Almost. But that sort of concept is beyond any that can be delineated in a game world.

[Llyranor]

In case you dolts missed out, JE has a blog ^___^ http://forums.obsidianent.com/index.php?au...p;blogid=3&

[Walsingham]

D&D like the Star Wars universe approach sexuality strangely.

 

You mean women don't like being told "before your execution, you will join me at a ceremony that will make this battle station operational"?

 

It's not just sexuality, Meta. Psychological evil can be just as real. For an easy to read example, try the Quantum of Solace, by Ian Fleming.