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Post by Stu Venable on May 15, 2012 9:27:52 GMT -8
I'm leaning toward a "if you have to ask..." policy.
That said, I could have a "GM Advisory" section, but once I open Pandora's box, who knows what I'll get.
I'm a fan of "You Don't Mess With the Zohan." But Shylock in "Merchant of Venice" makes me uncomfortable. Is it because Adam Sandler is Jewish and Shakespeare wasn't? Or is it that Shylock is a reflection of the times in which the play was written?
Who knows? I ran a Savage Worlds game at the last con where everyone played very stereotypical old guard Russian commies.
No one was offended. It never even occurred to me that someone might be offended.
What's the difference?
Here's a concept I came up with that I'd never run just because of this sort of ambiguity:
The PCs are the cast of a travelling minstrel show during the American Civil War who are all black save one PC or NPC. They're all secretly operatives for the Union, complete will Wild Wild West-like (ie steampunk-like) spy gear.
Think on that one...
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azuretalon
Journeyman Douchebag
I poop violence!!!
Posts: 150
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Post by azuretalon on May 16, 2012 5:29:18 GMT -8
I have no idea if AzureTalon ever saw or heard of Escape Into the White Man's Planet, but he ran one of the most enjoyable games I've ever played. His blaxploitation game was exactly like this one - it was entirely irreverent, un-PC, and fucking HILARIOUS. I laughed so much my sides hurt. If that's what you're going for - and your players understand what they're getting into - then by all means go for it. And that is high praise my friend! But I wouldn't do it for the contest, or at a con, or the FLGS. I had the opportunity to have a lot of trusting players that bought in and knew what I was doing. In a public forum, I think I would default to Stu's "If you have to ask" sentiment.
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jimto
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Post by jimto on May 16, 2012 6:31:35 GMT -8
I think it depends entirely on your situation. It can work.
Recently, in a con game run by Muntjack, I played H.P. Lovecraft, a known xenophobe, in modern day New York. I don't know about the others, but I was a bit uncomfortable at first. It was a bit odd slipping into the skin of someone who's beliefs are a complete 180 from mine. Some crude things were said by me as HPL. In the end, I just kept my voice down so only the folks at my table could hear, and trusted that if I went too far over the line Muntjack would let me know.
I think you write the story however you want with a note it is meant to be in the "Zohan vein" and suggest they watch the movie to get the proper feel. For the most part, anyone running the game will know their audience and know if it is acceptable.
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Post by inflatus on May 16, 2012 16:20:17 GMT -8
Hey ratcatcher. Have you decided if you are going to do the adventure yet?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2012 4:35:58 GMT -8
I read all the comments, and i feel somewhat like Stu, is the fact that i'm an Israeli Jewish makes it ok for me to laugh about our stereotypes but it will make u feel offended by it.
I think i'll write the adventure anyway and apply it to the contest and let u guys be the judges of it. And i blame u guys for wanting me to do a Mossad RPG, which i toke for the comedian side of adventuring .
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Post by henryhankovitch on May 18, 2012 16:30:36 GMT -8
This is the reason I can never run my "zombie apocalypse in a concentration camp" idea.
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HyveMynd
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Dirty hippie, PbtA, Fate, & Cortex Prime <3er
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Preferred Game Systems: PbtA, Cortex Plus, Fate, Ubiquity
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Currently Running: The Sprawl
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Post by HyveMynd on May 18, 2012 18:50:48 GMT -8
This is the reason I can never run my "zombie apocalypse in a concentration camp" idea. Honestly, I think you could run that game if a) you had a group who could handle it, and b) you all sat down and laid out exactly what the game was trying to do. Would I run that kind of game at a con? No. As a pick up game with strangers at my FLGS? Again, no. I think that's part of the issue here. In games like this, if the creator/author isn't present to give a firsthand explanation of what their intentions are, there is a huge chance that someone will misinterpret what's going on. Better to just play it safe and make a PC version of the adventure. The first game of Cosmic Patrol I ran for my group was a Blaxploitation version. I read/watched a lot of media both to get a sense for the tropes of the genre and to understand the actual history behind it. And just like the OP of this thread I felt it was acceptable for me to run a Blaxploitation game because I am (technically) African American. The game was a blast, and we all laughed ourselves hoarse by the end. But I would not run that game for anyone other than my close friends. On a more serious note, a member of my group is a big fan of James Elroy and ran a 1960's hard boiled game for us. Before the game, we all sat down and discussed the language that would be used, and what was acceptable or not. Since racism was "acceptable" during the time period we'd be playing in, we talked about whether we were comfortable with that and how "authentic" we wanted the game to feel. Again, having a discussion like that just isn't possible when the GM isn't there to explain what they are going for and why.
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Post by jazzisblues on May 22, 2012 6:25:26 GMT -8
I'm much more likely to run something like this in a group where I know all the players, and I would be very up front about the nature of the game when I proposed it.
Just a couple of thoughts.
JiB
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