Jeff
I don't know enough about the game to make informed comments yet,
though from which I gather that it *is* possible to be a
female warrior or a male weaver, you are just different and worship
different gods. Every society does have unusual rebels...The way I see
it
it does boil down to an argument between the way the game-world *is* and
the way others would like it to be. If they want to start a utopian
rpg,
let them go ahead. (it will fail anyway as all utopias are doomed to
do...*smirk*). On the other hand, if the world is democratically
designed,
and not the 'hero world' of the creation of a small few (as seems to be
the
case), their words do have weight. How much does Issaries want to cater
to
the will of the people and how much is set in stone (or rune, as it
were)?
The problem with rpgs is that if they center too much on the day to day,
they are boring (papers and paychecks). Even if that day to day is in an
ancient tribe weaving and shepherding, it lacks spice. Healing is great
and
important, but let's face it, it's not terribly flashy. We all want to
be
heroes (duh, the name of the game). I think it's also important to feel
like you can play something strong and kick-ass if you want to,
particularly for women. (Think about an RPG set in amish pennsylvania--
it
might be fun playing a butterchurning wife for a couple weeks, but
forever?) It's like you said-- most "minorities" *don't* have full
rights
in real life so it's nice to have a little more equality in fantasy
worlds.
Thus the dilemma. I would say that most of the charm of hero wars is its
focus on the anthropological as opposed to the fantasy (yes, i know,
it's
got its share of gods and magic but in a far more detailed and
"grounded"
way than most games I have seen). What that means for me essentially is:
if
you don't like the kitchen, stay out of the heat-- i.e. don't play hero
wars if you're not willing to deal with its societal rules. It would be
too
bad to lose players that way, but I think you should have people who
love
the game for what it is, not who are bitching about what it isn't. I'm
sure
I'll end up playing HW someday, but I'll be well aware of the world
before
I do and not set myself up for disappointment. I don't *mind* playing
eccentric characters, so a warrior female probably wouldn't be a problem
(although I bet I'll end up as some sort of sage at least once).
Does that make sense??
Melanie of the Sugared Pear Clan
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