RPGnet Forums

[Shaka Brah]

How's GitP doing these days? It's been years since I was last there, but I got tired of the smug self-righteousness, mods constantly "scrubbing" everything, and Rich Burlew patting himself on the back for how brave and progressive he was when Haley gave an in-story apology for showing her belly button and using gendered insults.

Giant Tit Forum looks like it's doing okay, but their charop threads are shamefully barren since the good old days. That was the only reason I ever went there really.

 

[anti SJW]

Over 10 years ago, I went to GitP forums to ask about when the next Order of the Stick book was coming out. I didn't like reading them online, I liked to binge the books when they came out.


Asking that, I immediately got banned.

 

[Shaka Brah]

Over 10 years ago, I went to GitP forums to ask about when the next Order of the Stick book was coming out. I didn't like reading them online, I liked to binge the books when they came out.


Asking that, I immediately got banned.

Sounds like the answer is never, then. And they might be a bit touchy about not delivering.

 

[Wallace]

How's GitP doing these days? It's been years since I was last there, but I got tired of the smug self-righteousness, mods constantly "scrubbing" everything, and Rich Burlew patting himself on the back for how brave and progressive he was when Haley gave an in-story apology for showing her belly button and using gendered insults.

Funny you should mention that. The latest comic is getting awfully topical.

 

[Flexo]

Funny you should mention that. The latest comic is getting awfully topical.

View attachment 1481485

I was curious about that and decided to check it.

Um...



Not sure that's a comparison anyone wants to make. Unless the narrative now is that Black people were made by God to suffer.

Or the line "we've been forced to live on terrible barren land with infertile soil and few natural resources." There is NO way one could describe Africa as anything close to that.

 

[Mola Ram]

I was curious about that and decided to check it.

Um...

View attachment 1481551

Not sure that's a comparison anyone wants to make. Unless the narrative now is that Black people were made by God to suffer.

Or the line "we've been forced to live on terrible barren land with infertile soil and few natural resources." There is NO way one could describe Africa as anything close to that.

I've never really read Order of the Stick. Has it always been tedious drivel with childish artwork?

 

[Screw Danlon]

Not sure that's a comparison anyone wants to make. Unless the narrative now is that Black people were made by God to suffer.

Or the line "we've been forced to live on terrible barren land with infertile soil and few natural resources." There is NO way one could describe Africa as anything close to that.

I hate to say it, and maybe I’m overthinking it, but I think that’s actually exactly what he’s going for, specifically the “Hamitic people” which the belief that Africans are descendants of Noah’s son Ham who were cursed by God. (Ironically Wikipedia describes this as a white supremacist view, but the only people I’ve ever met who actually believe it are black.). Likewise, sub-Saharan Africa is lush and fertile, but has been so ruined that people are scraping by on subsistence farming.

combine that with the rest of it, and I think that is supposed to be a pro-BLM comic. Still a terrible comparison though, and the fact that people can read it this differently makes it pretty flaccid:

 

[Hugbox Kommissar]

Spoiler: Relevant uncle Ted quote goes here

It all goes back to Tolkien, who actually did struggle with the philosophical and moral implications of an always evil race of cannon fodder and what place they could have in the world. As far as I know he never did decide if the orcs were an actual race with souls just like elves and men, or if they were just a group of flesh automatons animated by miniscule shards of Morgoth's spirit.

I hate to say it, and maybe I’m overthinking it, but I think that’s actually exactly what he’s going for, specifically the “Hamitic people” which the belief that Africans are descendants of Noah’s son Ham who were cursed by God. (Ironically Wikipedia describes this as a white supremacist view, but the only people I’ve ever met who actually believe it are black.

My autism and Christian upbringing compel me to point out that Ham's son Canaan is actually the one who is cursed by Noah, not Ham. The 'Curse of Ham' is just one of those ideas that gets embedded in pop culture (like 666 being 'the mark of the Beast') even though its not found in the Bible.

 

[Wallace]

I've never really read Order of the Stick. Has it always been tedious drivel with childish artwork?

The artwork's always been like this, but the writing has been pretty good. While I don't doubt that Rich is SocJus sympathetic, the times that it's come up previously aren't as heavy-handed as some comics I could name. Redcloak has been trending towards Anti-Villain for a long time now, so the way he's acting is consistent with what we've previously seen. My gripe is that Durkon has had the Idiot Ball for the last few strips, and for a cleric, his social skills are garbage. Maybe someone else could have helped to negotiate.

On the topic of orcs and goblins = racism, I wonder how that would hold up for an all-goblin PC game, played straight instead of for laughs. Or for that matter, a game in the Midnight setting.

 

[Flexo]

I've never really read Order of the Stick. Has it always been tedious drivel with childish artwork?

Off and on. By now it is really dependant on you being invested in the characters.

There was also a lot of backstory explained in printed books, that Rich ends up repeating in the comic since some readers might not have seen it.

I hate to say it, and maybe I’m overthinking it, but I think that’s actually exactly what he’s going for, specifically the “Hamitic people” which the belief that Africans are descendants of Noah’s son Ham who were cursed by God. (Ironically Wikipedia describes this as a white supremacist view, but the only people I’ve ever met who actually believe it are black.). Likewise, sub-Saharan Africa is lush and fertile, but has been so ruined that people are scraping by on subsistence farming.

combine that with the rest of it, and I think that is supposed to be a pro-BLM comic. Still a terrible comparison though, and the fact that people can read it this differently makes it pretty flaccid:

The other part that people don't seem to realize is that the goblin Redcloak's motivations was explained in a book first published back in 2007!

So this is literally not new.

The artwork's always been like this, but the writing has been pretty good. While I don't doubt that Rich is SocJus sympathetic, the times that it's come up previously aren't as heavy-handed as some comics I could name. Redcloak has been trending towards Anti-Villain for a long time now, so the way he's acting is consistent with what we've previously seen. My gripe is that Durkon has had the Idiot Ball for the last few strips, and for a cleric, his social skills are garbage. Maybe someone else could have helped to negotiate.

Durkon being socially awkward goes all the way back to "on the origins of pcs" which was released in 2005.

 

[Wallace]

Durkon being socially awkward goes all the way back to "on the origins of pcs" which was released in 2005.

Fair enough, but I still say that him going off alone like this without either running it by the rest of the team or taking along someone more eloquent is an idiot move.

 

[Flexo]

Fair enough, but I still say that him going off alone like this without either running it by the rest of the team or taking along someone more eloquent is an idiot move.

Well, he did try running it by Roy first and was rejected.

One mitigating factor is that he was given this mission direct by Thor. Times like this I think you can excuse a highly devoted cleric's actions when it's a literal mission from god.

Would have all been worth it if he brought Belkar along though (who is probably the only one of the group that could talk to Redcloak).

 

[Screw Danlon]

Spoiler: Relevant uncle Ted quote goes here

View attachment 1481637

It all goes back to Tolkien, who actually did struggle with the philosophical and moral implications of an always evil race of cannon fodder and what place they could have in the world. As far as I know he never did decide if the orcs were an actual race with souls just like elves and men, or if they were just a group of flesh automatons animated by miniscule shards of Morgoth's spirit.



My autism and Christian upbringing compel me to point out that Ham's son Canaan is actually the one who is cursed by Noah, not Ham. The 'Curse of Ham' is just one of those ideas that gets embedded in pop culture (like 666 being 'the mark of the Beast') even though its not found in the Bible.

yeah, that’s true. Also the Caananites would have been Middle Eastern (not black), lived in the area that would become Israel and were basically all wiped out long before Israel fell (which is probably the actual retribution of the curse.)

It’s a dumb theory on many levels. But it’s still a somewhat popular one.

 

[Shaka Brah]

yeah, that’s true. Also the Caananites would have been Middle Eastern (not black), lived in the area that would become Israel and were basically all wiped out long before Israel fell (which is probably the actual retribution of the curse.)

It’s a dumb theory on many levels. But it’s still a somewhat popular one.

It has a lot to do with the misconception that Cush was also cursed, which is from the Talmud, and plays a significant role in Medieval Jewish traditions on Africa and the dark-skinned peoples of the world. It's not so surprising then that the idea migrated to a wider cultural consciousness when European Talmudic Jews ended up taking on a major role as merchants and financiers in the slave trade.

One can imagine that the justification for slavery they held was sold to buyers alongside the people they shipped.

 

[Hugbox Kommissar]

I love it when a bunch of NEETS try to theorycraft a "more equitable" economic system and just default to "uhh, the government should pay for everything".

Also in the thread: multiple posters handwringing about how monthly checks are too far apart and people need weekly payments so they don't starve due to poor impulse control. Paternalism or projection? You be the judge.

 

[Flexo]

View attachment 1487153View attachment 1487154View attachment 1487155View attachment 1487157

I love it when a bunch of NEETS try to theorycraft a "more equitable" economic system and just default to "uhh, the government should pay for everything".

Also in the thread: multiple posters handwringing about how monthly checks are too far apart and people need weekly payments so they don't starve due to poor impulse control. Paternalism or projection? You be the judge.
View attachment 1487203

People who are incapable of DMing a pen and paper game think they can DM the economy.

 

[Kabuki Actor]

People who are incapable of DMing a pen and paper game think they can DM the economy.

To be fair, railroading has always been a feature and not a bug in the socialist viewpoint.

 

[Mexican_Wizard_711]

While not related to RPGnet, the phenomenon of troons slowly taking over DnD is a thing

 

[REGENDarySumanai]

While not related to RPGnet, the phenomenon of troons slowly taking over DnD is a thing

View attachment 1487416

But which is more fun to play in?

 

[PancakesPancakesPancakes]

People trying to equate the real world definition of race with the fantasy definition of race is so goddamn stupid.

Yes in the real world race is a cultural construct. In fantasy land with magical elves, humanoid reptiles and divinely/infernal tainted/blessed bloodlines it makes no fucking sense.