The Moral Equivalent of War
Martin Crim and David Dunham are touching upon one of the basic problems
of human interaction, best expressed by William James in that wonderful
phrase "the moral equivalent of war." Liberal politicians are always trying to invoke
that moral equivalent, because they imagine, at the least, that it would
bring the kind of solidarity and all-for-oneness that they are looking for.
The problem is that there is NO moral equivalent of war.
Now role-players, like liberals, are looking for something non-violent that
will engage their players as fully as the risk of life and limb. My guess
is that the quest is equally futile.
I can't tell you how many carefully crafted scenarios with all kinds of
engaging details
ail to engage a group of players the way the one hack-and-
slash incident (even a random encounter) along the way does.
Other forms of competition (the role-playing equivalent of sports) come closer
than anything else, of course.
But there is a reason that the vast majority of RPG scenarios involve violence;
it works, and it engages the players. Pious speeches about "better ways"
seem to be a required commonplace for discussions, and have about as much
effect on reality as a Jimmy Carter speech. Jim Chapin
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