Quote from: Shasarak;1139349I could just imagine the reports back to the King:  The Orcs conducted a mostly peaceful raid into our Kingdom, my Lord.

"They were singing a song called 'Kumbaya', my Lord, and asked the farmers politely to part with their crops, before heading out back into the wilderness. The villagers were terrified and tipped over a few wagons as they fled from the horde, but the orcs helped them lift up a few of the carts on their way out. Everything's back in order, my Lord...except for the missing crops, which one of the lead orcs insisted on paying for..." *hands the King a bag of gold*

Quote from: VisionStorm;1139355"They were singing a song called 'Kumbaya', my Lord, and asked the farmers politely to part with their crops, before heading out back into the wilderness. The villagers were terrified and tipped over a few wagons as they fled from the horde, but the orcs helped them lift up a few of the carts on their way out. Everything's back in order, my Lord...except for the missing crops, which one of the lead orcs insisted on paying for..." *hands the King a bag of gold*

Actually sounds like interesting adventure material precisely because its so out of character for orcs, like, wtf is going on? This is not normal, we must investigate.

Quote from: Wulfhelm;1139297I get then but why then, make them into a 'race' or a 'culture' rather than have them be unnatural monsters?

Because we have the urge to kill humans who are different from us. So in our fantasy (including modern zombie films and games) we want something which is human enough to satisfy the urge to kill humans who are different from us, but inhuman enough that we don't feel guilty about it.

Quote from: VisionStorm;1139314No one feels bad about killing human bandits either. I've never seen anyone quit a Cyberpunk session cuz they couldn't take killing humans anymore in a world where all the enemies were basically human

That's true! Now put some bandit or cyber babies in there, some unarmed women and children, and even the combatant males should be given names and an obviously full life of friends and faith and being basically decent and see how things go. It's much more fun if they're all just monstrous and inherently evil. It's Dungeons & Dragons, not Dungeons & Drama.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1139317Obviously people fall on different sides of whether orcs are soulless creatures, or noble green savages.

You'd have to talk to them to find out, and that would interrupt stabbing them with a sword.

Sigh. Why does everything have to be the emo version now? I don't know about you thespy commies, but I stopped listening to The Cure long ago.

Either that or you just embrace the indiscriminate murder badness, like the guys in Sicario.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;1139420Because we have the urge to kill humans who are different from us.

I don't. But if you actually think that, that settles the question of "why".

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;1139420Sigh. Why does everything have to be the emo version now? I don't know about you thespy commies, but I stopped listening to The Cure long ago.

By deduction, does that means I'm a thespy commie if I still listen to The Cure?  Sheeeeet.

You may be a humanitarian pacifist, Wulfhelm, and that is laudable. But judging from popular media, you are not a majority.

Kill all orcs, and all zombies!

Quote from: Tyberious Funk;1139447By deduction, does that means I'm a thespy commie if I still listen to The Cure?  Sheeeeet.

No, but it makes me worry for you that you've had a recent painful breakup. That or the Smiths.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;1139449You may be a humanitarian pacifist, Wulfhelm, and that is laudable. But judging from popular media, you are not a majority.

I would argue that there is a large spectrum of people between "humanitarian pacifist" and "want to kill people who are different" and that within that spectrum, again the vast majority steers clear of the latter position by a large distance.

I would also argue that if you do think that, for example, using lethal force against bandits in your typical fantasy or cyberpunk world occurs because they are "different", there is something wrong with the way you think - further evidenced by the absurd idea of "bandit babies".

Quote from: Wulfhelm;1139453"bandit babies".

Goddamn, this needs to be some kind of adventure!

"All the bandits have been slain. Distantly, you hear the wail of infants and children..."

And then the PCs find themselves Three Adventurers With A Baby.

Quote from: Kyle Aaron;1139420That's true! Now put some bandit or cyber babies in there, some unarmed women and children, and even the combatant males should be given names and an obviously full life of friends and faith and being basically decent and see how things go.

Would be amusing to put together a lengthy (d100 to d1000) list of "last thoughts" that go through a thing's head as it dies, and read one off to the players every time they kill someone or thing.  Better if there's weepy music in the background.  Some can be funny, some weird, some sad.

As the kobold's upper torso flies through the air, its final thoughts question how Kurtulmak could let its home be invaded, and how Susan might get on with the eggs...

The brigand sinks to his knees, life ebbing from the horrifying axe blow.  Darkness steals over his vision, and he thinks "Oh, that's right.  I was supposed to get a sack of milk tonight.  Wait, a burlap sack of milk?  What the f..."

The aboleth begins to dissipate into a cloud of foul liquid.  Its final thoughts...are sufficient to cause damage, everybody give me an Intelligence check.

Long term, probably not unless the players really got into it and started contributing their own.  Short term, it should be sufficient to get across the idea that not every single enemy needs or deserves a life outside of "I'm here to get killed by the PCs."

Nobody should be buying anything from WotC anymore, and nobody should be playing 5e anymore, either.

Not like it will make a difference, but it's the principle.

Like SpinachCat has preached many times, here: people need to get a backbone and stop supporting it. Spend your dollars elsewhere, with publishers who are not bowing down to politics.

Quote from: Ratman_tf;1138958Dunno if WOTC will listen, but signed.

Thanks, hoss!

Quote from: 1989;1139491Nobody should be buying anything from WotC anymore, and nobody should be playing 5e anymore, either.

Not like it will make a difference, but it's the principle.

Like SpinachCat has preached many times, here: people need to get a backbone and stop supporting it. Spend your dollars elsewhere, with publishers who are not bowing down to politics.

Oh here comes the moral police, telling others to not play games they like because the company behind them violates some personal morality rules of the user. I do appreciate you included the word "preach" with your post. At least you're honest that you're practicing a religion.

How about this for a principal: "Don't tell others it's badwrongfun to play games they like."

Here is another principal: "Don't tell others to make a sacrifice you're unwilling to make." You don't fucking play 5e, so you asking others to not play 5e is no sacrifice for you, just for them. Let's see you stop playing a game you enjoy because someone else tells you the company that makes it violates some moral principal of theirs?

I love how guys like you think you're better than social justice warriors to despise. You're just the other side of the same coin, moralizing to others to make sacrifices for your cause to signal to like-minded people that you're in good standing with your bubble community of fanatics.

Quote from: Mistwell;1139509Oh here comes the moral police, telling others to not play games they like because the company behind them violates some personal morality rules of the user. I do appreciate you included the word "preach" with your post. At least you're honest that you're practicing a religion.

How about this for a principal: "Don't tell others it's badwrongfun to play games they like."

Here is another principal: "Don't tell others to make a sacrifice you're unwilling to make." You don't fucking play 5e, so you asking others to not play 5e is no sacrifice for you, just for them. Let's see you stop playing a game you enjoy because someone else tells you the company that makes it violates some moral principal of theirs?

I love how guys like you think you're better than social justice warriors to despise. You're just the other side of the same coin, moralizing to others to make sacrifices for your cause to signal to like-minded people that you're in good standing with your bubble community of fanatics.

Did you actually type all this out with a straight face?

Yeah...I may not be willing to give WotC any more money at present, but I'm not going to push a "don't play a game you've already bought and enjoy" narrative. Regardless of what it "signals", the fact of the matter is that I've sunk thousands of dollars into their game material to date. The principle I consider more important is that I do my best to maximize that value, even if it was "disposable income". That money has been spent. It isn't coming back (short of someone buying my full collection at full cost). So I might as well continue to enjoy it and just, you know, play the game my way.