Quote from: Caleph Asante;406334I am new to this site

Welcome, dude.

Quote from: Caleph Asante;406334If the rest of your post is anything to go by, "really torn" means "not at all torn", wouldn't you say?

Isn't that just hyperbole?

I am new to this site, but already, I'm sure I've seen evidence of gaming other than action-comedy (or "some variant") being perfectly acceptable here.

Lol. Sorry. Posted that way too late for my sleep schedule.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;406326You call them popcorn games.

I play games for the purpose of entertainment. I don't play monopoly to learn about the social inequality of life in London. I play it because I enjjoy the systems involved and thinking strategically.

Roleplaying games that are fun for me are those where I can engage in scenes of fantasy and adventure. You can shoehorn themes into those, but to play an ordinary black guy living in ordiarny deep south american during slavery has no appeal to me on any level whatsoever, and I already know slavery is wrong so I don't see the appeal on any level for this game. If others enjoy it, well that's their prerogative. For me it just hasn't got any value at all. It's not what gaming is about for me.

Grognard, you may not have intended it this way, but calling them "popcorn games" sounds like a put-down, and thus borders on the principal #2 that I disagree with (from my earlier post) - i.e. thinking that there's something better about playing serious and/or dramatic games.  

To StormBringer, from earlier:

Quote from: StormBringer;405366As the blogger notes, if this was a jumping off point to actually reading a book, I would be behind it 100%.  It positions itself as wholly self-contained, however, and even when (as the blogger notes) the opportunity to do some genuine research into the topic to gain insight presents itself, it is ignored in favour of posting to the discussion forums.  Which can be reasonably viewed as more like attention-seeking than actual information gathering.

I don't see any basis for this.  Steal Away Jordan has a fine bibliography and frequently references literature on the topic - especially Margaret Walker’s Jubilee, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and Octavia Butler’s Kindred.  For that matter, you seem to assume that if anyone posts on a discussion forum, that they haven't read anything.  I am quite capable of both reading and posting, thanks.  (For that matter, I can walk and chew gum at the same time.)  

Steal Away Jordan got me to read Butler's Kindred as well as various writing from an Anthology of American Negro Literature.  It's not like it's special in this - I usually read or watch material related to games that I am going to run or play in.  

However, I don't think there's any principle that I should have to read or the game is a bad thing.  Sure, reading is great and we should encourage it in general.  However, there are many positive things to read besides American slave narratives.  Like most games, I think Steal Away Jordan is improved if people have read the material it is based on - but I don't think it is a serious problem if they don't.

Well, I find that Hot Chicks is really disturbing and masturbatory.

Quote from: Benoist;406354Welcome, dude.

Thanks. I think I like it here. Stepping into a "warzone" might have been an iffy first move, but I'll get the hang of things.

This has been a very interesting read, though. Steal Away Jordan is not a game I will ever buy. It's not even the kind of game I would want to play. But it's fascinating what's being published these days, under the TTRPG banner.


Grognard,

I feel a bit silly now, for pulling you up on, what, tiredness? Please, pay it no mind.