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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: Strago strago@***.com
Subject: Racism in the game (was: Re: Priorities in the SR2/SR3)
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 1999 12:34:43 -0400
Dave Mowbray wrote:

> <SHNIP>

> > Funny, I haven't seen this happen in our games... ;^P. But in all
> serious,
> >I agree totally with this. As for the Orks, well, let's see: Orks are the
> most
> >hated metahuman race on the planet. If you are an Ork, most people don't
> like
> >you because, well, there's just so fragging many of you! While some
> players
> >don't like to put racism in their games, that's the biggest disadvantage
> to
> >playing an Ork (except for the -2 to Charisma. As one of the newbies in my
> game
> >said when I suggested she play an Ork "I don't WANT to play an
> unattractive
> >person. This is a game after all, not real life.").
> > And Dave, just a quick point: replies go after the post you are
> replying
> >too, not before. Just like I did here. We don't want GridSec to get you
> this
> >early in your membership to the list ;^P.
> >
> >*Strago leads the list by saying "HI DAVE!" Then he drop-kicks a
> woodchuck*
> >
> >--Strago
>
> Thanks for the pointer Josh. As for that happening in our games... can you
> even begin to imagine the screams of anguish that would produce? You all
> say I'm bad enough as it is... but I'll see what I can do.
> The hardest thing with GMing racism is not having the player hate YOU. It
> is all to easy to fall into the mindset of either "us against the GM" or
> "the GM is out to get me", when this happens the game quickly degenerates
> into players and Gm's only trying to "beat" one another, which NEVER makes
> for a good game.-Dave

I totally agree with almost every statement. The one I don't is the GMing
racism. I think that some gaming groups do not WANT to put racism into their
games, either because it hits too close to home or because they just aren't
comfortable putting it in there. (That's not to say that putting it in or
keeping it out is better, we've been through that already.) However, the racism
doesn't have to be overt. An elf-hater doesn't HAVE to call the elf
"dandelion-eater." You could just put in the modifiers in the social setting,
or have the racist aim for the object of his hatred over the others, or
anything of that nature. The players might whine (and boy do they ever,
sometimes), but I don't think that they would complain too much in that
situation because THEY CHOSE THE RACE! It's not an overt action where the GM is
trying to "beat" the players, it's where the GM's is actually in the character
of the NPC, which he/she should strive to do on EVERY NPC. Just IMO, of course.
You mileage may vary.

--
--Strago

The gene pool in the 21st century needs a deep cleaning. I am the chlorine.

SRGC v0.2 !SR1 SR2++ !SR3 h b++ B- UB- IE+ RN++ sa++ ma++ ad+ m+ (o++ d+) gm+
M-

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