Game rules trump canon? OUTRAGE!!!

[hjsummers]

Here's a case of someone who begs to be allowed to play, reads the rules of the game, accepts the rules in a written statement, and then proceeds to flip out the first time the rules don't suit him. I just do not understand people like this.

Comments

[volcanflamberg]

Um, no offense but unless there is a clause within the rules that expressly forbids a simple "Fade to Black" in public areas whenever something might just go over the PG-13 limit .... Then both the new player and whoever wrote the bloody rules are guilty of bad play.

If something in canon breaches a set rating for general play, you keep it and pull a "Fade to Black", then pick up after the fade.

The only other time this is to be avoided is when even the thought of such a thing occurring to your character breaches your personal rules/boundaries.

[ianam1983]

Pretty much this. You don't have to twist canon to keep something PG-13, just fade out "inappropriate" parts. Taking villains and saying they can't do certain villainous things is kind of, umm. Well, unnecessary.

However, this still sounds like a case of Captain Douchebag to me.

[hjsummers]

If your villains absolutely need to be rapists to be a villain, maybe they're not creative enough. :-)

[ianam1983]

Of course not. But there's no point beating around the bush if they are the sort to do that, either. It just sounds like we're talking taking hardcore villains here and putting kid gloves on them. That sort of thing rubs me the wrong way. I'm not too keen on seeing rape myself, but if it'd happen according to the situation and the characters, and the parties involved are okay playing it, there's no reason it shouldn't. Like the above said, "fade to black" works just as well in most cases as "This does not happen anywhere EVER in our perfect little universe."

Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much in agreement that this guy was a dickweed and acted inappropriately. Especially since he'd agreed to the rules. And yes, he probably had ulterior motive, i.e. "I want to see teh rapings! WHERE'S MAH RAEP?" It's just that I can see the point that there are legitimate reasons for resenting canon-tweaking censorship and villain-neutering. Not the reasons this guy probably had, though.

[hjsummers]

Fade to black still leaves a character raped though. You can't have a rape and then have the character act like nothing happen. And if you have to deal with the aftermath, there's no point banning the act. So the whole thing (act and aftermath) is banned. People have to find other ways of traumatizing their characters.

It's not that rape doesn't exist in our perfect little universe. A villain could certainly threaten to rape a character, or a character could be afraid they would be raped in whatever situation they're in. The ban is on rape actually happening, not on it existing as a concept.

Like I said, people who have an issue with this one thing being the way it is can just go elsewhere. We're not the only game around. :-)

[ianam1983]

That still seems really, really weird to me. Not allowing certain things to happen to a character even with players' approval, because you don't like the subject matter or anything? I mean, I could see a rule saying it had to be tasteful, no graphic detail etc, but saying it can't happen or have previously happened at all? Especially if the concept still exists? I don't see the sense in this. Unless it's an extremist response to the number of rape-victim characters in RP, I can't see the reason for it at all.

But you're right, they can always leave. It's not something you're forcing on people, so I have no major moral issue with it. It just seems damn peculiar from where I'm sitting.

[gizzybiscuits]

Yeah but whatever's come before the fade to black making what's happened obvious or the fact that a character there is obviously traumatised by rape being in the Rp may...I 'unno, I can see why they wouldn't want that around. Suppose they should of implemented a 'no doing x' rule if that's what they're going for, I kinda wanna do that myself in a guild but I dunno how to bring it up ic or ooc without being awkward/squicking.

[hjsummers]

Those are the rules, actually. Absolutely no rape in any form including as part of a character bio/background or a fade-to-black type of thing. No rape, period.

If someone is unable to agree to the rules, then they don't get to play. There are plenty of other games for them out there if they really feel they can't follow that rule.

So far this is the only time anyone has thrown a fit about it.

[acorn]

I'd say it depends on if the characters were actual canon characters or if they were player-made characters. I've had characters before where I didn't like something about their species/culture and made it part of their bio that they deviate from the norm in that area.

It's hard to judge without knowing what fandom this happened in. I'm trying to think of any sci-fi fandom where any species or faction is so well known for every last freakin' one of them being a rapist that someone would get so bent out of shape about a few characters not being into that sort of thing.

I'm assuming that the characters in this game were actual canon characters and the rule was keeping them from acting like their canon selves. That's the only way I can justify someone getting so upset over something like this. If they were player-made, he's just a freak.

[illuminategrey]

I'm trying to think of any sci-fi fandom where any species or faction is so well known for every last freakin' one of them being a rapist that someone would get so bent out of shape about a few characters not being into that sort of thing.

Reavers?

[eatnotthisflesh]

Slaaneshi cultists?

[hjsummers]

They were all player-made characters.

[ianam1983]

Wait, I thought you said there was a canon character in there. *Reads again*

[hjsummers]

No, his character was just one that he had already played in another game.

[hjsummers]

Oops, sorry, I misunderstood that, I think. Did you mean the villains in question? They were player-made characters, but they were an alien race known in canon for.. *ahem*... not being very nice.

[ianam1983]

Ahh, okay. That clears it up, thanks.