Quote from: RPGPunditInstead, they could have made the confederacy as slaveowning as ever, though perhaps with a growing movement toward abolition.

I would have perferred that they let history unfold much as it did, and have the Weird West be something in the background rather than something in your face.

Or that they just set the thing in the Civil War period in the first place.

In fact the idea of African-Americans fighting on the side of the South isn't completely farfetched although the nature and extent of it is subject to controversy that's influenced by the sort of Southern-apologist sentiments the Pundit mentions. Link to Wikipedia article.

Quote from: Vellorian1) Can I vote "FOR" Zombies?
2) Can I play?  

If you come to live in Uruguay, I give you a GUARANTEE that not only will I run the campaign but that your spot in it will be reserved.

RPGPundit

Quote from: gleichmanI would have perferred that they let history unfold much as it did, and have the Weird West be something in the background rather than something in your face.

Or that they just set the thing in the Civil War period in the first place.

As would I, but, you know, the geek boys (and quite a few other people) cream their pants thinking about the confederate flag and all that, for some reason I've never quite been able to fathom.

Edit: I can fathom why some people, geekboys or otherwise, from the american south might have wet dreams about the Confederacy.  I just don't grasp why geekboys in other parts of the US, or indeed Canada (which is specially wierd) would do so.  I wonder if it extends Europe too.. here in south america it doesn't seem to occur. But good god, in Canada the number of gamers I knew that got absolute hardons at all things related to the Confederacy was positively fucking frightening.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditIf you come to live in Uruguay, I give you a GUARANTEE that not only will I run the campaign but that your spot in it will be reserved.

What's the cost of living like there?  And the climate?  Oh, and do they have lots of job openings for corporate wage-slaves who specialize in IT Project Management?

The IT sector is booming here. There are more job openings than available workers. I have a friend who's been tempting me to switch careers, even.

As for weather, see here.

Quote from: VellorianWhat's the cost of living like there?  And the climate?  Oh, and do they have lots of job openings for corporate wage-slaves who specialize in IT Project Management?

The cost of living is insanely cheap (I rent a two-bedroom apartment in a nice neighbourhood that's centrally located for $160 US a month).
The climate is very tolerable, getting as low as about 5 degrees celsius in the winter, and as high as 35 degrees celsius in the summer (Montevideo has a number of lovely beaches).
As for job openings, that one I wouldn't know anything about, but there are a number of multinational corporations based here in the free trade zones and that sort of thing, so you never know!

RPGPundit

Quote from: JimBobOzFrom your profile, I see you enjoy D&D. I look forward to seeing your historically accurate treatment of dragons, bugbears, gelationous cubes, Magic-Users, Clerics, Rangers and Paladins using D&D.

If people can't handle "the truth", then you'd better change it, or else you won't have any players.

So, tell us about your "historically accurate" D&D campaign?

Actually I don't like D&D, my profile reflects the fact I played it once, with a dick GM, and got into a SFPRG because I liked the idea but hated the genre.

it's also a slam on the infamous "Chick track".....

Now go choke on your own snarkiness.

Quote from: RPGPunditThe cost of living is insanely cheap (I rent a two-bedroom apartment in a nice neighbourhood that's centrally located for $160 US a month).
The climate is very tolerable, getting as low as about 5 degrees celsius in the winter, and as high as 35 degrees celsius in the summer (Montevideo has a number of lovely beaches).
As for job openings, that one I wouldn't know anything about, but there are a number of multinational corporations based here in the free trade zones and that sort of thing, so you never know!

Sounds a bit warm for my taste, but otherwise, not bad.

What language(s) do I need to speak to get by?

Quote from: VellorianSounds a bit warm for my taste, but otherwise, not bad.

What language(s) do I need to speak to get by?

Spanish is what's spoken here; but most gamers (and most of the educated sector of the rest of the population) also speak relatively good amounts of english.

RPGPundit

Quote from: JimBobOzRiiight. Zombies are easier to accept than racial equality in the CSA. I'm no fan of the CSA, or the alternate history scenarios in story or rpg where they get to win, but even I don't consider zombies more reasonable and rational than racial equality.

Anyway, it's simply as I said - they're presenting a game for an audience. There's no use putting out a game no-one will want to play. Even Ron Edwards made sure he had a cult before he published Sorcerer. A game where blacks get enslaved and whipped - no-one outside the Klan is going to want to play that.

(shameless plug, but zombies + slavery)

YotZ: Fleshmongers

Hey! Every setting needs it's orks!

Edit: The point is that if you ignore the negative aspects of a setting (historical or otherwise), not only can it become unrealistic, but you also ignore opportunities for drama.  Having NPCs that are so irredeemably evil that you can blow them away without a second thought is kind of refreshing

Quote from: RPGPunditUm, well, yes. There were some. There were also some women gunslingers of note in the wild west (probably more than the number of women "swashbucklers").  But note that this sort of freedom was a freedom that women of the lower classes or "sullied" women had; it didn't mean that just anyone could run off and become a swashbuckler or a gunslinger; it was usually pretty desperate women from low birth and no options.   Hell, in a lot of campaigns based on history any female character would have to make a difficult choice between being of high birth and having very strict limits to what she can and cannot do, or being freer to do something unconventional but having to be of lower class.
Not that being of high birth would mean you're screwed as far as gaming possibilities; consider that certain women in Rome, China, and throughout european history, wielded incredible amounts of power and influence.  Look at Livia, for example.

RPGPundit

In some settings upper class women had greater freedom, but generally I agree with your point.

Interestingly, last night this actually came up.  We had a new player join without warning and she asked to play a female character in our vikings game.  I said yes, as there hadn't really been much opportunity to discuss it in advance (I didn't know she was coming until shortly before the game) and I didn't want to veto a potential new player's fun, but it does now leave me with a deeply ahistorical character.

Given more time, I would simply have chosen another setting.  In this one, I shall throw in some references to her unusual status but I don't plan to dwell on the point as I get the impression doing so would cause more damage than the anachronism.

However, and I don't yet know (as I haven't yet had time to ask) how the other players feel about the anachronism.  Not ideal, handleable but with foresight I would have arranged things differently.

Anyway, I thought it relevant given that it actually came up in my game last night.  You can now expel me from the historical gamers guild sadly...

Quote from: BalbinusAnyway, I thought it relevant given that it actually came up in my game last night.  You can now expel me from the historical gamers guild sadly...

/me sadly breaks Max's sabre aross my knee, rips off his chevrons, then turns my back to him as the drums roll...

-mice

Quote from: BalbinusIn some settings upper class women had greater freedom, but generally I agree with your point.

Interestingly, last night this actually came up.  We had a new player join without warning and she asked to play a female character in our vikings game.  I said yes, as there hadn't really been much opportunity to discuss it in advance (I didn't know she was coming until shortly before the game) and I didn't want to veto a potential new player's fun, but it does now leave me with a deeply ahistorical character.

Given more time, I would simply have chosen another setting.  In this one, I shall throw in some references to her unusual status but I don't plan to dwell on the point as I get the impression doing so would cause more damage than the anachronism.

However, and I don't yet know (as I haven't yet had time to ask) how the other players feel about the anachronism.  Not ideal, handleable but with foresight I would have arranged things differently.

Anyway, I thought it relevant given that it actually came up in my game last night.  You can now expel me from the historical gamers guild sadly...

She's a shield maiden. A devotee of Freya in her warrior goddess aspect dedicated to looting, rapine, and kicking ass just like the guys.

Quote from: mythusmageShe's a shield maiden. A devotee of Freya in her warrior goddess aspect dedicated to looting, rapine, and kicking ass just like the guys.

And if you want to make it truly more historical, she provides "favors" for a slice of other sailor's percentage of loot.