Taken from theferrett

[conuly]

In which we find out that the Israeli Army is irrationally prejudiced against Dungeons and Dragons.

Comments

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

...but the pictures are of LARPers!

[genepool23.livejournal.com]

My thought exactly. I guess rolling a 20 sided die doesn't make a good visual imact.

[l33tminion]

To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the photo in question shows a DnD based LARP. Nonetheless, it presents a false impression... *sighs* The article did not look well informed. (Or well edited, for that matter. There's even a "teh" in there...)

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

It looks like a translation from Hebrew, so I'll cut them slack.

Larps don't do real combat though, they still throw dice for it. They took pictures of reenactors or some guys just goofing around.

[l33tminion]

Depends on the LARP. Some might do boffer combat (with foam padded "weapons"). The LARPs I've been in used toy weapons for ranged combat and a variety of systems for close combat (although none of those systems involved dice).

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

I've only played in one LARP, but I've been around quite a few more. I've not seen much non-dice combat, but that's the way the cookie gets stomped on and completely obliderated.

[leora.livejournal.com]

They do mention both table top and what we call LARPing in the article though. And they say the latter is quite popular and is done using fake weapons. So, maybe that's the popular RPG culture in Israel. I don't know much about Israeli gaming.

I like the logic presented though... we can't have soldiers who play DnD, because people who play DnD tend to have a detachment from reality and/or a weak personality. We can tell that they are detached or have a weak personality, because they play DnD.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

What interests me is how closely this mirrors complaints from groups such as the notorious Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD).

But, I must say that I agree with the general principle of the Isreali army, and I hope they expand upon it. Anyone who enjoys fictionalized violence and thinks that pretending to kill people is a wonderful way to spend a weekend is not the kind of person who should be allowed near a loaded gun.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

Actually, that means nothing.

I, personally, play those kinds of games, even D20 Modern (that is, D&D with guns and cars).

Does that mean I can never become someone in a job that involves a gun? I can't be a cop or a security guard or something like that, because I like to play with my friends?

I enjoy fictionalized violence because it is fictional. Real violence is nasty and disgusting, and should be avoided if at all possible. 90% of the people that play D&D have a healthy awareness of the difference between fiction and reality. Just because they play D&D/D20/LARP/whathaveyou, doesn't mean that they can't be good people that use loaded guns.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

I'd rather not have anyone who enjoys violence, even "fictionalized" violence, near a gun and near me.

This goes double for enjoying racially motivated violence, of which D&D has a long and unhealthy tradition. (Yeah, but they're just orcs), and thus tripple for the Israeli army. (Yeah, but they're just Palistinians).

[ruthanolis.livejournal.com]

I think you forget that most of the Western/Christian world is irrationally prejudiced against roleplaying games in general, and D&D specifically.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would happen to them if they saw Call of Cthulu...

[ruthanolis.livejournal.com]

Apart from irreparably messing their pants?

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

...but the pictures are of LARPers!

[genepool23.livejournal.com]

My thought exactly. I guess rolling a 20 sided die doesn't make a good visual imact.

[l33tminion]

To give them the benefit of the doubt, maybe the photo in question shows a DnD based LARP. Nonetheless, it presents a false impression... *sighs* The article did not look well informed. (Or well edited, for that matter. There's even a "teh" in there...)

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

It looks like a translation from Hebrew, so I'll cut them slack.

Larps don't do real combat though, they still throw dice for it. They took pictures of reenactors or some guys just goofing around.

[l33tminion]

Depends on the LARP. Some might do boffer combat (with foam padded "weapons"). The LARPs I've been in used toy weapons for ranged combat and a variety of systems for close combat (although none of those systems involved dice).

[yadfothgildloc.livejournal.com]

I've only played in one LARP, but I've been around quite a few more. I've not seen much non-dice combat, but that's the way the cookie gets stomped on and completely obliderated.

[leora.livejournal.com]

They do mention both table top and what we call LARPing in the article though. And they say the latter is quite popular and is done using fake weapons. So, maybe that's the popular RPG culture in Israel. I don't know much about Israeli gaming.

I like the logic presented though... we can't have soldiers who play DnD, because people who play DnD tend to have a detachment from reality and/or a weak personality. We can tell that they are detached or have a weak personality, because they play DnD.

[staircase-wit.livejournal.com]

What interests me is how closely this mirrors complaints from groups such as the notorious Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons (BADD).

But, I must say that I agree with the general principle of the Isreali army, and I hope they expand upon it. Anyone who enjoys fictionalized violence and thinks that pretending to kill people is a wonderful way to spend a weekend is not the kind of person who should be allowed near a loaded gun.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

Actually, that means nothing.

I, personally, play those kinds of games, even D20 Modern (that is, D&D with guns and cars).

Does that mean I can never become someone in a job that involves a gun? I can't be a cop or a security guard or something like that, because I like to play with my friends?

I enjoy fictionalized violence because it is fictional. Real violence is nasty and disgusting, and should be avoided if at all possible. 90% of the people that play D&D have a healthy awareness of the difference between fiction and reality. Just because they play D&D/D20/LARP/whathaveyou, doesn't mean that they can't be good people that use loaded guns.

[ruthanolis.livejournal.com]

I think you forget that most of the Western/Christian world is irrationally prejudiced against roleplaying games in general, and D&D specifically.

[lakidaa.livejournal.com]

I wonder what would happen to them if they saw Call of Cthulu...

[ruthanolis.livejournal.com]

Apart from irreparably messing their pants?