Flicking throuhg some ancient magazines the other day from those halycon days whne White Dwarf wasnt a poorly disguised Argos catalogue and a new independent RP mag launched and folded once a year when I came accross mention of the spectacularly tasteless sounding Reichstar a game set in the future of a 1000 year Reich, the other "gem" was The Price of Freedom in which the US had been invaded by the dasrerdly Sovs. Is it me or do the mid-eighties appear to have been a really nuts period in cultural history? When Chainsaw commando was aimed at 8 year olds (good game though) and it was Ok to be a space Nazi in your free time. Any one got any other examples of tastless/militaristic /oddly violent games or comics from this period?
Well my freinds and I had a copy of something called "Killer" IIRC. Which was played in Real Time.....
Basically, you had to kill all the other contestants somehow. For example you sent them a letter with the word Bang Youre dead (thats the letter Bomb) squirt them with a water pistol, etc. You get the idea, we cheated like hell, but it could be good fun.
Yer "I wonder why I didnt turn out disturbed" Slippo
>>Well my freinds and I had a copy of something called "Killer" IIRC. Which was played in Real Time.....
Didn't someone actually die playing that?
A group of Killer players were 'hunting' each other with water pistols across an American college campus at night. One of them accidentally jumps out and surprises a patrolling cop/security guard. The cop/security guard sees what looks like (and kind of is...) some nutter with a gun, instinctively draws his own gun (of the non-water firing kind) and shoots the guy dead.
This was sometime in the mid-80s, although I suppose it could be one of those 'loony gets killed playing Dungeons&Dragons for real in creepy underground tunnel place' kind of urban myths from that time.
Don't really remember too much that was un PC. A lot of bare flesh, but fortunately we haven't been deprived of that by the PC witchfinders.
In the Warhammer roleplaying game, the only woman featured in the careers pictures of the characters was a female slave being beaten by a slaver. That was quite good fun.
As RPG's main market seemed to be adolescent lads, the tits seem fairly excusable in most of the rpg's/figures.
You could always claim that a form of racism existed with the various races of every generic fantasy game from Warhammer to D&D (which ripped off the same source). Orcs are always savage stupid barbarians, elves always annoyingly fucking enlightened. As GW have copyrighted and trademarked Orks (winkers) I have decided to do the same with Elphs, so everyone, get the fuck off!
Anyway, it was all fairly harmless if I recall. A lot of the early rpg stuff had an one and quite innocent charm to it, now it's quite inbred and decadent and pretty unnapealing for most people. A bit like comics.
'Anyway, it was all fairly harmless if I recall. A lot of the early rpg stuff had an one and quite innocent charm to it, now it's quite inbred and decadent and pretty unnapealing for most people. A bit like comics.'
You'll be relieved to know that the new Judge Dredd RPG generally sticks to the style of the classic Dredd stories of the early eighties (at least the books I'm writing do). In some ways, we're actualy more faithful to the core appeal of Dredd than the recent comics. Don't lose faith in RPGs just yet :)
- JC
Link: The DICE ORGY
Heh, I was commenting on the D&D and American stuff really. A lot of games really aren't that accesible.
I have yet to really look at the Dredd RPG, at some point when I have a bit more spare money and playing time, I'll probably give it a go. Though I won't be using the D20 system if I do.
PVS. Im sure you could go and visit the Dredd Roleplaying stand at Dreddcon......
Im sure John et al, will happily help ya out....
Yer Slippo
The Official 2000AD RPG site has a list of all the JDRPG books on sale, including the rather excellent SLAINE RPG:
http://www.2000adrpg.com/
- JC
Link: The DICE ORGY
I remember the 'does rpg encourage kids to be violent' debate being featured during the mid-80son the imfamous Central Weekend ... a debate show (well more slanging match) that was only available to those in the Central TV area. The used so pix from White Dwarf (when was only GW products in it) as examples, orcs getting there heads staved in for example. "I'm being playing for years and I'm fine" "No you're not" The usual nonsence.
You can't win that arguement. You either love RPGs, or are frightened they are chanelling Satan :) It's like trying to convince Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses that their faith is unfounded - their ears are closed.
- JC
Link: The DICE ORGY