PBS article on D&D. OSR Racist???

Omega · January 03, 2023, 09:36:20 AM

PBS going the woke spiel. But the little jab at the OSR was a bit perplexing.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/how-a-new-generation-of-gamers-is-pushing-for-inclusivity-beyond-the-table?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

QuoteBut even within these gaming communities, there is some friction. Old School Renaissance, or OSR, is a gaming movement whose players claim they are "against outside politics permeating their game space," said Dashiell. These players support the use of traditional fantasy tropes in game design, such as the existence of "good" and "evil" races with no nuance. OSR gamers are often seen as the old guard of tabletop gaming and tend to idealize the past, which "defaults to a white, masculine worldview," Trammell said.

The article is scattered with more drivvel.

BoxCrayonTales · January 03, 2023, 09:52:20 AM

So writing good and evil races is bad. But of course it's okay to demonize your political opponents or anyone you don't like as inherently evil, while painting yourself as without flaw, on the right side of history, and fully justified in committing any atrocity. Do these people even hear themselves? The projection is strong here.

Grognard GM · January 03, 2023, 09:56:00 AM

PBS, much like the BBC and CBC, are institutions that were once BEACONS of unbiased news and opinions. The problem is they were infiltrated and became biased sleeze pits, but normies still watch and consume the opinions, totally unaware of the sea change.

It's maddening.

honeydipperdavid · January 03, 2023, 10:02:53 AM

Quote"This can be seen in early D&D with non-humans or demihumans having level caps," said Trammell. This means that in earlier editions of the rules, non-human characters could never achieve the same degree of growth as human characters.

Gee, because the game used asymetric races with different abilities and bonuses that were useful in the game. A dwarf having infravision and the ability to determine if you are going up or down in a level could be the determining factor between a party wipe and not. Meanwhile, humans do not get infravision and have no clue if they are going up or down a level. Next, looking at it from real world perspectives, lets give a Homo Sapien and a Neanderthal a math test and see who passes. Dwarfs and Humans are different species. The stupid is so strong in the author.

tenbones · January 03, 2023, 10:06:04 AM

A well written sermon to the mainline Woke Church that knows nothing, nor cares anything, about our hobby. They can rest at ease the inva-.. Crusade... continues into every corner of the culture.

Well we got some news for them. But they ain't gonna like it.

shoplifter · January 03, 2023, 10:14:12 AM

So glad that they simply allowed the interviewee to smear the OSR without getting a comment from a dissenting viewpoint. Journalistic integrity is with the PBS these days, for sure. Shameful how far it's fallen.

Grognard GM · January 03, 2023, 10:17:44 AM

Quote from: shoplifter on January 03, 2023, 10:14:12 AM
So glad that they simply allowed the interviewee to smear the OSR without getting a comment from a dissenting viewpoint. Journalistic integrity is with the PBS these days, for sure. Shameful how far it's fallen.

"There's nothing sexist or racist about gaming," said the STRAIGHT WHITE MALE the community chose to act as their representative. I believe his gamer-bro, Q-Anon flavoured small talk were meant to 'put me at ease,' but as an LGBTQAI+ POC, I felt very endangered.

Steven Mitchell · January 03, 2023, 10:25:36 AM

Quote from: Grognard GM on January 03, 2023, 09:56:00 AM
PBS, much like the BBC and CBC, are institutions that were once BEACONS of unbiased news and opinions. The problem is they were infiltrated and became biased sleeze pits, but normies still watch and consume the opinions, totally unaware of the sea change.

It's maddening.

They were never unbiased. Before, they were more careful to hide the bias. In the process of hiding it, occasionally they'd slip up and let the opposing viewpoint keep talking long enough to make a point. Keep in mind that there are plenty of people in our hobby that are the same way. They are doing now what they always wanted to do, but were afraid to try.

Chris24601 · January 03, 2023, 10:34:28 AM

The Whack Left: "It's wrong to characterize RPG races as inherently evil."

Also the Whack Left: "White people are inherently evil."

Grognard GM · January 03, 2023, 10:37:19 AM

Quote from: Chris24601 on January 03, 2023, 10:34:28 AM
The Whack Left: "It's wrong to characterize RPG races as inherently evil."

Also the Whack Left: "White people are inherently evil."

There's your mistake. We've been othered, that allows anything done against us to be moral.

Brad · January 03, 2023, 11:16:00 AM

This article just seems like a way for some woke lefty fucktard to complain about their mental illnesses and blame it on D&D.

jhkim · January 03, 2023, 11:27:08 AM

Yeah, like many articles, this one seems dashed out from a handful of sources. This part struck me in that it doesn't quote a source, and is exactly wrong.

Quote from: Christopher Thomas, PBSIn a recent investor meeting, Wizards of the Coast CEO Cynthia Williams described Dungeons & Dragons as "under-monetized." The company's goal is to increase products targeting players even after they have purchased the source books needed to play. One of the biggest draws for Dungeons & Dragons and TTRPGs is the relatively low cost of investment to start — once players buy a rulebook, they can keep playing indefinitely, limited only by their own imaginations.

The last part doesn't make sense. The indefinite play is low cost to continue, not low cost to start. The hardbound rulebooks are still relatively expensive, plus the difficult learning curve compared to some other entertainment.

rytrasmi · January 03, 2023, 11:29:25 AM

This article is ridiculous, of course. Play the game how you want, and don't listen to the haters. They will always find something to be pissed off about. And run public/open games that are not D&D (TM).

Monero · January 03, 2023, 11:51:50 AM

There's simply no escape anymore. The hobby has been completely hijacked and the zealots are going to do everything in their power to force their rhetoric on any who wish to participate in the TTRPG world. Failure to kiss the ring will get you labeled as whatever new ad hom is popular and canceled if you have any internet presence at all.

You WILL play TTRPGs THEIR way and you WILL accept THEIR morality architecture or you WILL suffer the consequences.

honeydipperdavid · January 03, 2023, 01:49:39 PM

Quote from: Monero on January 03, 2023, 11:51:50 AM
There's simply no escape anymore. The hobby has been completely hijacked and the zealots are going to do everything in their power to force their rhetoric on any who wish to participate in the TTRPG world. Failure to kiss the ring will get you labeled as whatever new ad hom is popular and canceled if you have any internet presence at all.

You WILL play TTRPGs THEIR way and you WILL accept THEIR morality architecture or you WILL suffer the consequences.

I haven't paid for any legacy content from D&D since they labeled everything before 5E as racist. I mean they can try to shovel out their garbage, all it does is take dollars away from their company and build up their competitors.