(no subject)
Okay, some things about the Scion setting I really dislike.
Humans Suck -- very common to WW games, and a major turn-off for me. It comes in two flavors.
First, I am not a fan of the "everybody is an a**hole" school of thought in writing, be it for games, fiction, or film. But when it gets referred to as 'realistic' is when I go ballistic. Yes, there are miserable dicks in the world. There are also good, decent, and compassionate human beings as well. Some of them don't even share your interests, politics, or religion. Showing some people as possessing at least a modicum of humanity woud be infinitely more realistic than endless creeps of the week.
Another problem with SCION, and other White Wolf games in the WoD setting: I hate the idea that every human being who ever accomplished anything at all, good or bad, is some sort of supernatural. (Except for that Hitler guy.) One gets the idea that humans in the WW games have all the intellect and character of rotten tomatoes. It's the same reason why I despise all those "Ancient Astronaut" scenarios -- humanity didn't need the Space Brothers to raise the pyramids, build Stonehenge, or tame fire. Humanity did it with its own native intelligence and determination. Okay, some of it can be funny, but after a while it gets unspeakably insulting.
To be fair, though, this doesn't seem to get much time in SCION...
...mostly because the whole attitude in-game to humanity is that it's insignificant, meaningless, and worthless, both in the collective and as individuals. If nothing else, scions are only half-god and have human relations and friends (unless they're sociopaths, something distressingly common in WW games). Surely they can't hate all of them. Some mortals must matter to them, right?
Humans are Stoopid -- Okay, we have divine beings all over the world, ranging from literal honest-to-gosh gods down to dwarves, svartalfar, werewolves, undead, you name it. And how does humanity react to these creatures in its midst?
By not noticing them.
Okay, this is urban fantasy. The whole "supernaturals are hidden from humanity" thing is needed to keep some similarity with the real world. But seriously, why must all humans be total idiots? Were a group of scions to throw down with titanspawn in Times Square, mortal onlookers wouldn't notice anything. Okay, maybe they'd notice a "street fight", but the concrete-shattering blows, hurled lightning bolts, fire called down from the heavens, etc., would presumably not be seen even when it blew up a bus right before their eyes.
"Hidden from humanity" I can live with, "terminal blindness" is something else again.
Hey, what about that Jesus guy? -- Also unexplained is why, with the pagan gods living and incarnate presences in the world, monotheistic faiths even developed, let alone grew to the power they have now. And guff me no guff about "Evil violent murderous Xians OMG!" -- when one side has swords, and the other side has thunderbolt-tossing demigods, the guys with the swords are not long for this world. Why would anyone worship an unseen deity who promises you a wonderful afterlife when you've got a living, breathing divinity right before you who can raise a crop by snapping his fingers? Abstract theology would not last very long in such a set-up.
I could go on for far longer, but that's enough ranting for one day. And besides, I still want to tell everyone, I do like the game. I like modern mythology, monsters, knock-down fights, weird magical Otherworlds, and all that jazz. Indeed, it's because I like the game so much that I noticed these problems. If it stank from start to finish, I wouldn't care enough to point out the occasional logic holes.
Best all, and I hope I hear back on this.
Humans Suck -- very common to WW games, and a major turn-off for me. It comes in two flavors.
First, I am not a fan of the "everybody is an a**hole" school of thought in writing, be it for games, fiction, or film. But when it gets referred to as 'realistic' is when I go ballistic. Yes, there are miserable dicks in the world. There are also good, decent, and compassionate human beings as well. Some of them don't even share your interests, politics, or religion. Showing some people as possessing at least a modicum of humanity woud be infinitely more realistic than endless creeps of the week.
Another problem with SCION, and other White Wolf games in the WoD setting: I hate the idea that every human being who ever accomplished anything at all, good or bad, is some sort of supernatural. (Except for that Hitler guy.) One gets the idea that humans in the WW games have all the intellect and character of rotten tomatoes. It's the same reason why I despise all those "Ancient Astronaut" scenarios -- humanity didn't need the Space Brothers to raise the pyramids, build Stonehenge, or tame fire. Humanity did it with its own native intelligence and determination. Okay, some of it can be funny, but after a while it gets unspeakably insulting.
To be fair, though, this doesn't seem to get much time in SCION...
...mostly because the whole attitude in-game to humanity is that it's insignificant, meaningless, and worthless, both in the collective and as individuals. If nothing else, scions are only half-god and have human relations and friends (unless they're sociopaths, something distressingly common in WW games). Surely they can't hate all of them. Some mortals must matter to them, right?
Humans are Stoopid -- Okay, we have divine beings all over the world, ranging from literal honest-to-gosh gods down to dwarves, svartalfar, werewolves, undead, you name it. And how does humanity react to these creatures in its midst?
By not noticing them.
Okay, this is urban fantasy. The whole "supernaturals are hidden from humanity" thing is needed to keep some similarity with the real world. But seriously, why must all humans be total idiots? Were a group of scions to throw down with titanspawn in Times Square, mortal onlookers wouldn't notice anything. Okay, maybe they'd notice a "street fight", but the concrete-shattering blows, hurled lightning bolts, fire called down from the heavens, etc., would presumably not be seen even when it blew up a bus right before their eyes.
"Hidden from humanity" I can live with, "terminal blindness" is something else again.
Hey, what about that Jesus guy? -- Also unexplained is why, with the pagan gods living and incarnate presences in the world, monotheistic faiths even developed, let alone grew to the power they have now. And guff me no guff about "Evil violent murderous Xians OMG!" -- when one side has swords, and the other side has thunderbolt-tossing demigods, the guys with the swords are not long for this world. Why would anyone worship an unseen deity who promises you a wonderful afterlife when you've got a living, breathing divinity right before you who can raise a crop by snapping his fingers? Abstract theology would not last very long in such a set-up.
I could go on for far longer, but that's enough ranting for one day. And besides, I still want to tell everyone, I do like the game. I like modern mythology, monsters, knock-down fights, weird magical Otherworlds, and all that jazz. Indeed, it's because I like the game so much that I noticed these problems. If it stank from start to finish, I wouldn't care enough to point out the occasional logic holes.
Best all, and I hope I hear back on this.