When faced with a bad review.

[judd_sonofbert]

Graciously thank the reviewer for taking the time to read and review your work.

Thank you, Malcolm.

"Dictionary of Mu marked the final degeneration from “trend” to “affectation” and finally, “masturbation.” By and large, strangeness for strangeness’ sake (mixed with pulp pastiche as part of a male-nerd thing) is getting monotonous. “It has a

Comments

[alexpshenichkin]

I'm kinda surprised someone would make a list of five played-out RPG things without mentioning the "modern/near-future + elves and magic" trope. I guess that shows how subjective the label can be.

-- Alex

[judd_sonofbert]

Withdrew that last comment.

[eyebeams]

I wanted to keep the article at a readable length. That's a good point though. In Aeternal Legends' case I felt that Stew Wilson's exploration of the classic heroic fantasy structure as an explicitly occult/spiritual journey was what made it worthwhile. But elves and orcs and such are definite cliches, though they're so longstanding at this point that it doesn't reveal much to say it.

[alexpshenichkin]

I think it is interesting that D&D fantasy got so big that even games that left the pseudo-medieval D&D setting still kept so many D&D-fantasy elements. The "elves and magic in a modern setting" thing is particularly revealing just because it's much more more obvious than "D&D-style group dynamics in a modern setting", for example.

-- Alex

[jccohen]

I don't get something in that review - in addition to bashing Mu, he seems to lambast books he worked on? I mean, he spends time bashing WoD stuff while at the same time noting he worked on it? Is that... sensible?

[eyebeams]

Why not? I've participated in things that have been done to death as much as anyone. Large scale participation is why they get "done to death."

[eyebeams]

1) It wasn't a review of your book. It was a review of an overdone trend that I feel Dictionary of Mu is a part of, and should be taken in that context.

2) You should have asked permission before using my content to promote your book. Feel free use the first sentence in the excerpt you posted, since it's about your book. The subsequent sentences don't really have to do with your book in particular, which is why they don't represent Dictionary of Mu's particular content.

1 & 2

[judd_sonofbert]

1. So noted.

2. I have notified IPR and asked them to edit the not-a-review down to the first sentence.