Tragedies of Role Playing

[PC Angel Troll]

The OP Speaks Rightly Yet Doth Ignore An Important Issue. If the Lust For Powers Dooms Those of Such Tender YEars What of Those Who Hath Grown Older? What Of Those Who Act as Our Governing Voice? Indeed, They Too Doth Play "God" And Act as The Ruling Power of The Land While We Idle Away and Trust their Baneful Judgment.

Tis Time, I Doth Declare, To Rise Up And Vanquish This Evil in The Name of Our Lord so That We Might Live RIghtly And Justly.

[GunsmithKitten]

By the way, Kaiju, I thought we were talking about RPG's, not friggin Otherkin?

[demonbarber14]

I think that it is harmless for the most part.

[GunsmithKitten]

demonbarber14

I think that it is harmless for the most part.

Kaiju and Unerring have yet to show that RPG's are somehow uniquely dangerous compared to almost any other past time.

[unerring dogma]

GunsmithKitten

ROBERT E HOWARD,

I will deal with two things right now. This one is kind of odd for you to have put, considering he killed himself. Yes, the guy who created Conan and Kull killed himself before his fame ever truly became known to him. Had mommy issues I think.

Also, I had read the article about the guy who supposedly knew Dallas Egbert before. It appeared in a Knights of the Dinner Table if memory serves unless that was another guy claiming the exact same story. Is there any proof at all that he knew Dallas for real? I was going to throw it in as what some would use as a counter, but not seeing any evidence that he really knew Dallas, I decided not to.


As for your challenge that I should show evidence as to why role playing is uniquely dangerous, I don't see why I should have to. My opening post even clarifies that I don't think it is. Unless I failed to mention that in my OP.

For those who might think I am joking or trolling, I certainly am not. Role playing games can be highly dangerous and addictive to young minds who can not seperate fantasy from reality. Yes, some of you will say the same thing about alcohol and gambling and smoking, or at least those of you who are not paying attention will. None of the later things lets you play a part of a great and mighty warrior or a magician who uses dark and nefarious spells to slaughter hundreds or thousands of your enemies. Or clerics who worship pagan gods to heal their supposed allies for a price. Yes, role playing games are bad.

[Dryctarth]

unerring dogma

None of the later things lets you play a part of a great and mighty warrior or a magician who uses dark and nefarious spells to slaughter hundreds or thousands of your enemies. Or clerics who worship pagan gods to heal their supposed allies for a price.

Too bad you can't actually use dark and nefarious spells to slaughter hundreds or thousands of your enemies in real life. And when was the last time praying to a deity, pagan or not, had any direct, measurable, reproducible, falsifiable effect on anyone's health?

You know what does slaughter hundreds or thousands of people? Irresponsible consumption of alcohol. You know what does have direct, etc. effects on people's health? Medicine and hygeine.

Also, about your power trip stuff in the OP: I don't feel all-powerful when I DM, I feel anxious and a bit worried that my players aren't enjoying the session. Within the continuity of the game, I may be god to the extent that I control the actions of the rest of the world, but that gives me no power in real life, and not as much power in the game as you might think.

[Baron of Move Like This]

Hey, who do I call to warn about 9/11?

Because after reading this thread I'm pretty sure I've traveled back in time to the year of our lord 1978 when people still cared about RPG and "New Age" stuff.

On a side note, didn't the Pulling report debunk almost all of this s**t back in 1990 before half of you posters were even born?

[Nadindel]

Nonesuch Solo

To be honest, I was hoping it would be about real tragedies in roleplay--excerpts from bad roleplay and the effect such bad grammar, ridiculous characters and unrealistic situations have on developing young minds.

[Baron of Move Like This]

I'm calling it, the next thread by the OP is going to be "I voted for Reagan in this years election"

[GunsmithKitten]

Quote:

As for your challenge that I should show evidence as to why role playing is uniquely dangerous, I don't see why I should have to. My opening post even clarifies that I don't think it is. Unless I failed to mention that in my OP.

Then why take the time and effort to demonize it liek you have and not attack the countless other pasttimes and hobbies that you now admit are no more dangerous than RPG's?

Your kid is more likely to die PLAYING SPORTS than D&D.

Quote:

For those who might think I am joking or trolling, I certainly am not. Role playing games can be highly dangerous and addictive to young minds who can not seperate fantasy from reality. Yes, some of you will say the same thing about alcohol and gambling and smoking, or at least those of you who are not paying attention will.

Difference; gambling involves a signifigant risk of real world money for no return, and alcohol/tobbaco are deliberate toxins.

Quote:

None of the later things lets you play a part of a great and mighty warrior or a magician who uses dark and nefarious spells to slaughter hundreds or thousands of your enemies.

VIdeo games let you do that on a constant basis, for starters.

Besides, slaughtering enemies is quite in line with the Bible. Guess what Joshua did after he brought down Jericho's defenses? He didn't have a nice cup of tea with the enemy....

Quote:

Or clerics who worship pagan gods to heal their supposed allies for a price.

Firstly, if my allies are only "Supposed", I'm not hanging around int he party for long. I demand some trust from characters my character is sticking her neck out for.

Second, if I'm already pagan, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?

[GunsmithKitten]

Quote:

I will deal with two things right now. This one is kind of odd for you to have put, considering he killed himself. Yes, the guy who created Conan and Kull killed himself before his fame ever truly became known to him. Had mommy issues I think.

No, it's not odd, because it cites my point that interests in sword/sorcery and similar fantastic settings goes WAY BACK before Gary Gygax was a twinkle in his father's eyes. Howard was one such author, and his fate was no more tragic than Poe or Hemingway. If you want to lay blame for occultic itnerests, you best be willing to go all the way back to the writers of The Illiad, Beowulf, and Le Morte' D Artur.

[GunsmithKitten]

Quote:

On a side note, didn't the Pulling report debunk almost all of this s**t back in 1990 before half of you posters were even born?

Sounds familiar. I'm going to look it up post haste to see if it's what I think it is.

[GunsmithKitten]

Here's the report in quesiton. Lots to slog through, but I eagerly await responses to it.
Here

[GunsmithKitten]

Also of note; Pulling's laughably inept research and investigations is refferenced by Unerring's sources.