Quote from: Omega on April 04, 2024, 10:39:37 PM
Lots of ramps. Why would a beholder especially ever make stairs?

This confuses me. Why would a beholder make ramps? Vertical chutes are way more efficient.

QuoteThis confuses me. Why would a beholder make ramps? Vertical chutes are way more efficient.

They usually hover along the ground.

Greetings!

In my Thandor world, I have special disc-shaped flying creatures that can hover about as well as fly. They often come in metallic colours, or bizarre, neon-colours. Some have reptilian skin, while others have smooth skin, or even furry bodies. The creatures have a broad mouth full of teeth, and love devouring live prey as food. These creatures are often used as mounts by certain kinds of powerful Warriors and Sorcerers.

Crippled, disabled people that cannot walk with their legs can get these creatures to ride around on.

However, there are some rather unusual side-effects that go along with becoming the master and rider of one of these unusual creatures. *Laughing*

Semper Fidelis,

SHARK

Quoteambulatory wheelchair user

Like Raymond Burr or Patrick Stewart?

I watched a magical girl show wherein the suits that the magical girls wore were able to support physically disabled characters. This is Tougou Mimori and she spends 2 seasons paralyzed from the waist down before being cured by magic.

There is a lack of imagination that stems from this controversy. Nobody is complaining about prostheses or eyeglasses, because those fit better into a D&D setting. It is more natural. There is no mention by the fantasy wheelchair advocates of any alternatives for people with mobility issues. None of them have brought up the use of spells or armor as alternatives. There are only two options given: use wheelchair or not use wheelchair.

I have wanted to play as a disabled character before because I wanted to play as someone very different from me, but I don't think that most trpgs have the mechanics to properly simulate such a thing.

The difference being that the Magical Girl overcomes her disability using magic (granted, not exactly the same thing as healing magic). But the mouth-breathing narcissistic midwits pushing the Combat Wheelchair want to act like healing magic in D&D doesn't exist or that it takes the 7th Cleric spell Regenerate to fix these problems. Its not just that they're unwashed Tourist asswipes, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that the magic system is predicated on fantastical elements. They're the same verminous cretins that have invaded damn near every other hobby (wargaming, Star Wars, anime, etc) and they act like they're the 'fans' and the rest of us (some of whom have been in the fandom going on 5 decades or even longer) simply don't exist.

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 02, 2024, 11:15:31 PM

Quote from: jhkim on April 02, 2024, 10:05:17 PM

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 02, 2024, 07:49:06 PMjhkim, here is an article for you.

QuoteAs an ambulatory wheelchair user, Kretchmer says that is was important to her that her dungeon was a place that she could explore. As such, it's filled with fantasy elevators (whether they functioned by pulley or by magic, she didn't say), and ledges are accessible by ramps rather than by stairs.

The D&D wheelchair is obviously a case of representation and tokenism. But besides that, it is antithetical to good adventure design. It conflates real life with a fantasy world. It chips away at what a fantasy world is supposed to be: a coherent and believable world.

The adventure has no wheelchairs in it. It does have ramps, but it is an Egyptian-style tomb, and many real-world Egyptian tombs are built with ramps - like the Great Pyramid at Giza. That's not an anachronism. That's historical accuracy.

Kretchmer explained why she put the ramps in the dungeon. She did not mention historic fidelity. She literally said it was so that she, Kretchmer in the 21st century, could explore it. The fact that you find it to be historically accurate is irrelevant.

But you're the one who claimed accuracy was relevant. The only thing irrelevant here is the designer's motives, as they didn't lead to an incoherent or unbelievable world.

I think the nature of role playing is that you pretend to be what you are not, so why do that all the way and ditch the wheelchair? Or maybe replace the wheelchair with something that's part of the atmosphere of the game, like maybe a floating chair, riding a small creature, or floating using certain spells.

Quote from: ralfy on April 18, 2024, 11:38:25 PMI think the nature of role playing is that you pretend to be what you are not, so why do that all the way and ditch the wheelchair? Or maybe replace the wheelchair with something that's part of the atmosphere of the game, like maybe a floating chair, riding a small creature, or floating using certain spells.

To answer that, back away from the topic for a moment to consider an analogous case: 

You are playing in a game that is a somewhat disguised Western with magic as tech.  That is, almost every character uses a wand that has a limited number of shots before it needs to be "reloaded", they wear robes and cowboy hats, boots with spurs to kick their wyverns into action.  There's lots of stand-offs, and evocative but sparse scenery descriptions of an often desolate landscape.  Matters of person responsibility, pride, etc. are frequent character motivations.  It's not meant to be a pastiche, despite all of the above, but played straight within those constraints. That's the pitch.

Whether you talk more in depth before the game (Session Zero) or not, in a group of new players, even if most of them are fully on board, there will be at least one or two who will absolutely insist on playing this game focused on busting the disguise at ever turn.  They are incapable of taking the setting seriously on its own terms.

Given the example, I can't say that I would blame them.  I'd find it hard to to take such a setting seriously, too, because the disguise is so thin as to be all most transparent.  1:1 mapping to the disguised setting tends to have that effect. However, there is also the side issue that some players would immediately try to play this as a deconstruction of the western genre.  That is, the thin fantastical element laid on top is an excuse to not take the setting on its own terms.

Now, back to the topic.  This is why the wheelchair is insisted upon, and any setting appropriate replacement is not acceptable to such people.  You are interfering with their deconstruction and agendas (yes, multiple agendas), and there was never any intention to take the setting seriously on its own merits.  Such a person having to explain logically why wheelchair can't be replaced is going to be forced into the uncomfortable territory of admitting to not caring about the setting.  Even the ones that aren't rationale enough to understand this at least sense it.

Quote from: Steven Mitchell on April 19, 2024, 08:26:03 AMTo answer that, back away from the topic for a moment to consider an analogous case: 

You are playing in a game that is a somewhat disguised Western with magic as tech.  That is, almost every character uses a wand that has a limited number of shots before it needs to be "reloaded", they wear robes and cowboy hats, boots with spurs to kick their wyverns into action.  There's lots of stand-offs, and evocative but sparse scenery descriptions of an often desolate landscape.  Matters of person responsibility, pride, etc. are frequent character motivations.  It's not meant to be a pastiche, despite all of the above, but played straight within those constraints. That's the pitch.

Whether you talk more in depth before the game (Session Zero) or not, in a group of new players, even if most of them are fully on board, there will be at least one or two who will absolutely insist on playing this game focused on busting the disguise at ever turn.  They are incapable of taking the setting seriously on its own terms.

Given the example, I can't say that I would blame them.  I'd find it hard to to take such a setting seriously, too, because the disguise is so thin as to be all most transparent.  1:1 mapping to the disguised setting tends to have that effect. However, there is also the side issue that some players would immediately try to play this as a deconstruction of the western genre.  That is, the thin fantastical element laid on top is an excuse to not take the setting on its own terms.

Now, back to the topic.  This is why the wheelchair is insisted upon, and any setting appropriate replacement is not acceptable to such people.  You are interfering with their deconstruction and agendas (yes, multiple agendas), and there was never any intention to take the setting seriously on its own merits.  Such a person having to explain logically why wheelchair can't be replaced is going to be forced into the uncomfortable territory of admitting to not caring about the setting.  Even the ones that aren't rationale enough to understand this at least sense it.

So they're basically just dicks who have no real interest in playing games?

Quote from: Zalman on April 05, 2024, 07:41:26 AM

Quote from: Omega on April 04, 2024, 10:39:37 PMLots of ramps. Why would a beholder especially ever make stairs?

This confuses me. Why would a beholder make ramps? Vertical chutes are way more efficient.

Henchmen gotta get around, too.

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 19, 2024, 09:40:32 AM

Quote from: Zalman on April 05, 2024, 07:41:26 AM

Quote from: Omega on April 04, 2024, 10:39:37 PMLots of ramps. Why would a beholder especially ever make stairs?

This confuses me. Why would a beholder make ramps? Vertical chutes are way more efficient.

Henchmen gotta get around, too.

Fair, but I'd still go with chutes and ladders if I were a behenchman'd beholder.

Quote from: Brad on April 19, 2024, 08:43:38 AMSo they're basically just dicks who have no real interest in playing games?

Oh, they are playing "games".  Just not the one supposedly being played.

Quote from: Brad on April 19, 2024, 08:43:38 AMSo they're basically just dicks who have no real interest in playing games?

Yes, just like others of their ilk do the same crap in every fandom they invade. They're worse than locusts, because at least a locust can die and give back to the soil. They're like hematophagous parasites that destroy the host target before being passed to the next unlucky SOB near them.