Quote from: oggsmash on March 15, 2022, 11:59:26 AM
  As to some red flags with the book...yeah there are more flags than the sex of the protagonist heroes.  I will withhold judgement till release though.

Of course, one can still enjoy a product even if you don't agree with the author's viewpoints.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 15, 2022, 11:11:48 AM
This is from Cybe's Website.
"they/them and was born in Scotland."

I'd love to hear from the folks who argue for a singular definitive "they" being perfectly common and fluid grammar. Care to defend this one?

Quote from: Zalman on March 15, 2022, 09:49:58 AM

Quote from: VisionStorm on March 15, 2022, 06:49:04 AM
When the claim that "people need to feel represented in media" hasn't even been substantiated to begin with.

Indeed. Honestly, I've never felt "represented" by "traditional" eurocentric fantasy tropes because they are all also very Anglocentric. As a Baltic/Slavic/Romani Jew, that just isn't me at all. D&D itself was aswarm with Christianity from the beginning.

Never stopped me or even gave me pause.
I would (and have) also gladly play games where my character is African.
Or Asian.
Or Monstrous.
Or Alien.

Yeah, and another thing that flies in the face of the idea of "representation" is the popularity of Asian culture and themes in media and RPGs, like "Fung Fu" flicks, etc. If the presumed white Western audience is so desperate to see their white European faces represented in media, then where does this fascination with Far East culture and willingness to play Asian characters in RPGs comes from? I'm sure they'd tell me its "exoticism".

QuoteNewsflash for the SJWs and everyone else: no one plays RPGs to represent themselves.

This is also something I mentioned in the "What Part of the Gaming Experience, is the part that Grabs You Most?" thread. One of the things that pulls me the most into playing RPGs is the opportunity to play characters who aren't me. I can't even fathom playing "me" in a game. That's what doing stuff like training martial arts or learning new non-work related skills IRL is for. RPGs are for stepping away from your life and looking at different perspectives inaccessible to you, not trying to carbon copy a life you can already live IRL into the game.

The absolute ONLY people who want to see themselves in everything are the ones pushing an identitarian political agenda. Because sociology and identity politics has worked backwards from this presumption of "representation", and now that the assumption has been made it just has to be reasserted and pushed into everything, rather than examining whether or not that's even true.

Quote from: THE_Leopold on March 15, 2022, 10:58:31 AM
The more that I think about this after MongooseMatt has replied the more I think that these Shield Maidens are the apex warriors of this game and that , like Loki has in both lore and movies, people can choose to transform themselves or be "reborn" as Shield Maidens through some sort of process that is specific to this setting.

In this way Mongoose can say that "Not all shield maidens were born female" and this not be some sort of wokescold, SJW, witchhunt due to the game setting having people of both sexes striving and wanting to become these Ultimate Warriors.

I'm fine with this concept as we've had creatures transform into other races in D&D since the dawn of this game and also in Lore (Zeus is a horny god) and Mythology.

I could be utterly wrong but insofar as I've read by MM there doesn't seem to be a case here of pandering to the extreme.

I doubt that it will be that way, but I don't even mind, cuz the concept of Shield Maidens kicking ass in a fictional world is fine and they're the primary drawing factor in the game. Plus like you mention, it's not like elements of people gender swapping or transforming into other creatures through shapeshifting magic don't exist in mythology already.

I don't even mind about most of this stuff. If they hadn't included that stuff about "social justice" and "diversity" in that quote oggsmash posted a couple pages back, I wouldn't have been drawn into this discussion.

Quote from: VisionStorm on March 15, 2022, 12:04:12 PM
Yeah, and another thing that flies in the face of the idea of "representation" is the popularity of Asian culture and themes in media and RPGs, like "Fung Fu" flicks, etc. If the presumed white Western audience is so desperate to see their white European faces represented in media, then where does this fascination with Far East culture and willingness to play Asian characters in RPGs comes from? I'm sure they'd tell me its "exoticism".

What the Asian's always 'forget' to mention is that they were only too delighted to 'sell' us their culture/media/food. Then some got butthurt because we liked it a bit too much, and wanted more of it.

Christ! How much money have they been milking from those phony traditional martial arts schools since the 1920s?

Quote from: MongooseMatt on March 12, 2022, 03:01:38 AM

On the other hand, if anyone has any questions about Shield Maidens (or any of our other games, for that matter), well, that is what I am here for!

OK.  What is the game setting?  From the description, it looks to be the love child of WH40K and Bellum Maga, with a little bit of Star Wars thrown in.

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 15, 2022, 12:04:02 PM
Of course, one can still enjoy a product even if you don't agree with the author's viewpoints.

Not sure if a radicalized SJW can keep their politics out of an RPG they designed. Especially someone suffering from TDS.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on March 15, 2022, 06:31:53 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 15, 2022, 12:04:02 PM
Of course, one can still enjoy a product even if you don't agree with the author's viewpoints.

Not sure if a radicalized SJW can keep their politics out of an RPG they designed. Especially someone suffering from TDS.

That's my problem with the modern Left, it's a religious cult more than a viewpoint.  Their cult infects their product, more so than any viewpoint.  I enjoy watching South Korean movies and TV because they can tell a story, make it interesting, and the characters are written with strengths and flaws to admire or empathize.  When it comes to Leftism I avoid their works for the same reason I don't watch North Korean movies or TV.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on March 15, 2022, 06:31:53 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 15, 2022, 12:04:02 PM
Of course, one can still enjoy a product even if you don't agree with the author's viewpoints.

Not sure if a radicalized SJW can keep their politics out of an RPG they designed. Especially someone suffering from TDS.

Or a cunt with a boring as fuck YouTube channel who can't stop lying in their own posts because they want attention via cross-forum drama.

Where's that proof you got that:

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on March 12, 2022, 09:42:57 PM
Ha! You're still pissed that you weren't able to make a living as a professional Mongoose Traveller Referee at cons.

Huh, bitch? WHERE IS YOUR FUCKING PROOF YOU SNIVELING COLOSTOMY BAG OF A PERSON?!?

Quote from: AtomicPope on March 15, 2022, 06:50:53 PM

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll on March 15, 2022, 06:31:53 PM

Quote from: Rob Necronomicon on March 15, 2022, 12:04:02 PM
Of course, one can still enjoy a product even if you don't agree with the author's viewpoints.

Not sure if a radicalized SJW can keep their politics out of an RPG they designed. Especially someone suffering from TDS.

That's my problem with the modern Left, it's a religious cult more than a viewpoint.  Their cult infects their product, more so than any viewpoint.  I enjoy watching South Korean movies and TV because they can tell a story, make it interesting, and the characters are written with strengths and flaws to admire or empathize.  When it comes to Leftism I avoid their works for the same reason I don't watch North Korean movies or TV.

Yup. "Leftist" media is just indoctrination and virtue signaling tools now. They eat, breathe, and sleep activism. The worst part is that they're misogynistic, racist, and homophobic while hypocritically claiming to fight for the rights of oppressed people.

Well.. me.
I think it looks like a fun crazy future Norse cyber women game.
Doesn't upset my cisgendered hetero soul to be asked to play persons of female gender, trans or otherwise.. it's a role-playing game..
There are lots of male archetypes in the hobby, I like the idea of playing a hardass female..
Oh and social justice is a cause I could see my character fighting for.. wish I did it more IRL, but I do my best researching how to mitigate climate change.

Quote from: silencio789 on March 20, 2022, 11:53:45 AM
I like the idea of playing a hardass female.

But that's not really the issue here is it? Nothing at all wrong with playing a female badass or otherwise.

Quote from: silencio789 on March 20, 2022, 11:53:45 AM
Well.. me.
I think it looks like a fun crazy future Norse cyber women game.
Doesn't upset my cisgendered hetero soul to be asked to play persons of female gender, trans or otherwise.. it's a role-playing game..
There are lots of male archetypes in the hobby, I like the idea of playing a hardass female..
Oh and social justice is a cause I could see my character fighting for.. wish I did it more IRL, but I do my best researching how to mitigate climate change.

Considering what I've seen of Social Justice activism, it's something I abhor in real life. I could see a villian in an RPG using Social Justice to grab power and oppress people. Maybe make a good campaign for Shield Maidens...

The author certainly seems to be super-duper woke. But this is a Sci-Fi RPG, right?  Because then "shield maiden" can mean literally anything. It has no bearing on the dark-age legend of female viking warriors.

I'm still boggled by the number of people willing to state they are opposed to Social Justice.