Quote from: Armchair Gamer;1103949Then I must be obtuse, because the only agenda I picked up on was 'let Hickman trash the 2E setting, which he never liked.' But that's probably why I didn't give it a close reading (although close enough to pick up on Strahd) and might have missed other factors.

The opening few pages are sprinkles with the usual buzzwords. Strahd is now a "Predator"... and not in the normal use of the word. Barovia is stated to be a "diverse" land now. mm-hmm. And so on. I have not finished reading through it but seems most of that rhetoric is in the opening pages and not much after aside from that Vistani "daughter" that I noticed at a glance near the start of the adventure layout of the Vistani. And the Bi, or possibly gay male vamp "concubine" later in the module. I have a feeling theres more and I just haven't read through enough to find them yet.

Quote from: Pat;1103959Heretic.

LOL

I think it is just different preferences. I go for the economy of writing model in that I want just enough information to run the adventure or use the setting, extra material I can make up on my own tailored to the game group.

Quote from: jeff37923;1103980LOL

I think it is just different preferences. I go for the economy of writing model in that I want just enough information to run the adventure or use the setting, extra material I can make up on my own tailored to the game group.

It might be Gaiman, it might not, but there was a decent quote or essay floating about regarding Moby-Dick (if you're getting a sense of vagueness, that's accurate). Some people read the book, and to them it's this great story of revenge and obsession. For others, myself included, that's almost entirely irrelevant. No, it's about the long poetic digressions, the call-outs to philosophy and mythology, and the weaving of words and paragraphs into hypnotic passages. It's the deep sense of place, of being rooted in the whaling culture and ethos of 19th century New England; while at the same time it's adrift in the numinous, the fantastical, the mythic. For us, it's the journey that matters, not the destination or the reason.

And that applies to some degree to RPGs, as well.

Quote from: HappyDaze;1103062With everything else we accept as being possible in a fantasy world of magic, I could easily grok a magic urn that accepts seed from both kings and then acts as a womb for their child.

See, and that would be a really interesting plot thing, too. The gnome kings could hire the PCs to secure the necessary material, spells or magical elements necessary to create a magic womb that will let them create an heir.

Quote from: camazotz;1104272See, and that would be a really interesting plot thing, too. The gnome kings could hire the PCs to secure the necessary material, spells or magical elements necessary to create a magic womb that will let them create an heir.

This would be an interesting hook, although also perhaps for a more mature group.

( I apologize to any reader who finds my suggestion that D&D games for children shouldn't discuss magical jizz receptacles offensive)

Quote from: Brendan;1104273( I apologize to any reader who finds my suggestion that D&D games for children shouldn't discuss magical jizz receptacles offensive)

That's way over the top. Kid-appropriate is about presentation and focus more than content. You don't tell little kids a wedding is a joining of a jizz receptacle and a jizz donor, you tell them it's a damn wedding. Just call it something like an egg. Kids can handle eggs.

Quote from: camazotz;1104272See, and that would be a really interesting plot thing, too. The gnome kings could hire the PCs to secure the necessary material, spells or magical elements necessary to create a magic womb that will let them create an heir.

Easy.  Just find your way to the Ghoul Market and pick up some Satyr Juice.

PC: Your highnesses!  Highni?  Highnessusses?  We have procured the elixir!
King 1: Excellent!  How does...how does it work?
PC: Um...the person who drinks this potion will become pregnant the next time he or she has sex.
King 1: Huh.
King 2: Er...

Long pause.  Both kings look at the bottle, unease on each face.

King 1: Well, King 2.  Drink up.
King 2: The hell? YOU drink it!

Maybe a good time for the PCs to visit the royal treasurer and get the hell out of Dodge.

Quote from: Omega;1103971The opening few pages are sprinkles with the usual buzzwords. Strahd is now a "Predator"... and not in the normal use of the word. Barovia is stated to be a "diverse" land now. mm-hmm. And so on. I have not finished reading through it but seems most of that rhetoric is in the opening pages and not much after aside from that Vistani "daughter" that I noticed at a glance near the start of the adventure layout of the Vistani. And the Bi, or possibly gay male vamp "concubine" later in the module. I have a feeling theres more and I just haven't read through enough to find them yet.

Oh brother, now you're searching for secret hidden agenda code? Unironically, as if you don't see you have your own agenda causing you to see what you want to see?

Quote from: Mistwell;1104343Oh brother, now you're searching for secret hidden agenda code? Unironically, as if you don't see you have your own agenda causing you to see what you want to see?

I see that the Coastal Wizards have found their Paladin. :rolleyes:

Quote from: Omega;1103971The opening few pages are sprinkles with the usual buzzwords. Strahd is now a "Predator"... and not in the normal use of the word. Barovia is stated to be a "diverse" land now. mm-hmm. And so on. I have not finished reading through it but seems most of that rhetoric is in the opening pages and not much after aside from that Vistani "daughter" that I noticed at a glance near the start of the adventure layout of the Vistani. And the Bi, or possibly gay male vamp "concubine" later in the module. I have a feeling theres more and I just haven't read through enough to find them yet.

Maybe you're reading too much into it? I had to re-read the passage twice to determine if Escher had been seduced by Strahd. The book decribes him as a "handsome, young man" to whom "Strahd has shown favor to in the past" and now he is worried that Strahd is getting bored with him. I interpret that as Escher is bisexual or gay, but Strahd is simply in it for the blood supply. At any rate, it struck me more of a standard vampire archetype than an SJW agenda.

On the other hand, I could not find the character in the 3.5 version of Ravenloft. Escher is a new NPC for the the 5E version.

Quote from: Aglondir;1104363Maybe you're reading too much into it?

Not really. Theres been talk of this before and the opener is just too leaden with the usual buzzwords harping. But as noted. It is all in the opening mostly far as I can tell. That I am aware of. We know that various WOTC staff have an agenda. Because they cant keep their mouths shut.

How much of that agenda is in Strahd is hard to say past what they tell you at the start and whats in the adventure proper, which is only two entries that I know of. I'll have to dig out the module and see if Escher is the same NPC I am thinking of.

I know the moment the word "diverse" or "diversity" hits the page/screen, there is a momentary impulse for my eyes to look up and try to see what is going on in the back of my skull.

Of course I choose to ignore the impulse. But you know... that doesn't mean it's not there. That's why I passed the Gom Jabbar and I'm human. I don't get triggered, I merely recognize the minimal conditioning of our entertainment environment as it sandblasts us with their buzzword conditionals.

Quote from: jeff37923;1104357I see that the Coastal Wizards have found their Paladin. :rolleyes:

Oh no, WOTC does plenty of that sort of stuff. It's just that it's not secret and hidden and implied subtly like he's claiming. He's seeing SWJ agenda everywhere he looks, in words like "predator" about A MAD VAMPIRE OVERLORD TRAPPED IN HIS OWN HELL. Or "diverse" when they mean "there's a variety of monsters and races everywhere!". You don't have to "read into" this stuff. They're not being subtle like that. When they want to virtue signal, it's like the F'ing bat signal, not hidden code you need to decipher!

Quote from: Omega;1104394Not really. Theres been talk of this before

Oh, there's "been talk". Oh now it's all clear. Hear that everyone, "there's been talk" so it "must be true!"

QuoteHow much of that agenda is in Strahd is hard to say

Hard to say for us plebs, but not for you right? You can see past the clever masks to the "true" SJW signaling which is so subtle literally only you have ever made note of it in the years since this adventure was published! So clever it just seeps into the subconscious of readers that the mad trapped vampire overlord is a "predator" in more ways than one!

Jesus F'ing Christ on a stick, with people like you representing the dissenting voices for this hobby, the agenda-laden need not worry about their actual schemes being undone. I have a riddle for you, can you see the Number 23 in my post?

Quote from: Mistwell;1104454can you see the Number 23 in my post?

Your Join Date is listed as 2006.  

That's a 2 followed by two digits (2) which divide into (6) three times, so that is clearly a coded 23.  

I'm on to you Mistwell.